Battle of Trebbia (1799)

The Battle of (the) Trebbia () was fought near the rivers of Tidone, Trebbia, and Nure in northern Italy between the joint Russian and Habsburg army under Alexander Suvorov and the Republican French army of Étienne-Jacques-Joseph-Alexandre Macdonald. Though French forces were moderately more numerous, the Austro-Russians severely defeated the French using the oblique order tactics, sustaining about 5,500 casualties while inflicting losses of 16,500 on their enemies. The Russian contingent was on the right flank of the coalition force and in the center, and it was the Russian units that played the main attacking role; the Austrians dealt with the French on the left flank, and they helped the Russians in the center. The War of the Second Coalition engagement occurred west of Piacenza, a city located southeast of Milan.

In the spring of 1799 the Habsburg and Russian armies ousted the French from much of northern Italy after the battles of Magnano and Cassano and they placed the key fortress of Mantua under siege. Assembling the French occupation forces of southern and central Italy into an army, Macdonald moved north to challenge his enemies. Rather than playing safe by moving along the west coast road, Macdonald boldly chose to move east of the Apennine Mountains, hoping to be supported by Jean Victor Marie Moreau's French army from Genoa. After brushing aside a much smaller Austrian force at Modena, Macdonald's army swept west along the south bank of the Po River. Suvorov swiftly concentrated his Russians and the allied Austrians of Michael von Melas to block the French move, eventually covering around in 36 hours in sweltering heat and heavy equipment. General of Division Dombrowski of the Polish Legion was also wounded; Allied commanders Lieutenant General Povalo-Schveikovsky and Major General Bagration were wounded as well. The Austrians advanced into Piacenza where they found the wounded generals Olivier, Rusca and Salme along with the other non-transportable French wounded. Melas secured the town with Fröhlich's division while launching Ott to support the pursuit.

thumb|Russian officer of jaeger regiments, carrying his characteristic [[spontoon; uniform and equipment during Suvorov's anti-republican campaigns|552x552px]]

The chase was headed by the Karaczay Dragoons and one battery of horse artillery. Suvorov doubled his energy, all day was on horseback and only with the onset of night stopped together with the Grand Duke Constantine. Suvorov, neglecting his military theory, came to the conviction that no more could be demanded and resolved to give the men a rest. MacDonald's intercepted letter to Moreau and Victor's repulsed correspondence convinced him that the damage done to the French was too great to be soon repaired. "MacDonald is more than defeated," he wrote to Kray. Gaston Bodart in his statistics listed 5,500 Allied casualties including 1,000 killed, 4,000 wounded, and 500 captured; and 16,500 French casualties: 2,000 killed, 7,500 wounded (most of them became prisoners on 20 June) plus 7,000 men captured or missing (these 7,000 do not contain wounded prisoners in Piacenza); seven guns and eight colors were lost. Digby Smith reported similar Allied and French losses, he too included three Russian generals wounded. From a total of 33,000 French, he estimated losses as 2,000 died, 7,500 injured, and 7,000 prisoners.), more than 12,500 wounded or captured (12,268 captured in all according to the most recent letter of Suvorov N. A. Orlov wrote of 16–18,000 French losses with 4–6,000 killed; the rest were prisoners or abandoned wounded in the Piacenza hospital. The Russians and Austrians lost up to 5,425 men dead, injured, and missing in action. In the 4th edition of their book, R. Ernest Dupuy and Trevor N. Dupuy revised the losses to 11,500 French casualties between June 17 and 19 (the first edition stated 10,000), as well as 5,500 Allied losses (the first edition stated 7,000), and asserted that 5,000 French were casualties en route (while MacDonald was trying to connect with Moreau in Genoa), — but it is not clear whether this includes Frenchmen from Piacenza. Spencer C. Tucker gave the same number of 11,500 losses of the French, but even from 17 to 18 June, excluding the combat of 19 June and the combat of the Nure, and also indicated an additional loss of 5,000 MacDonald's forces when he tried to link up with Moreau's army. Tucker put 5,500 allied casualties. Micheal Clodfelter noted 1,600 French killed and 7,685 wounded, 9,285 in total, and also an additional loss of 5,000 men after 19 June with no indication of prisoners or missing; 14,285 as the French total. Russian losses are indicated at 680 killed, 722 wounded, and he estimated Austrian losses at 254 killed, 1,903 wounded, 500 missing. Total Allied loss: 4,059 men.

By June 22, out of 35,000 French, barely 10,000 to 12,000 men remained in their positions, completely demoralized. MacDonald had lost 23–25,000 of his 35,000 troops, i.e. two-thirds (these losses also consist of deserters and stragglers). Duffy notes that when MacDonald linked up with Moreau's 12,000-strong army, their combined force was scarcely 24–25,000 men. The old Field Marshal taught:

<blockquote>Pursue day and night, until he be destroyed.</blockquote>

Further steps

The Allies pursued the French until 21 June, reaching Fiorenzuola where they rested the next day. Suvorov determined from captured dispatches that MacDonald's mangled army was no longer a threat to northern Italy and marched the Allied army back west on the 23rd, hoping to catch Moreau between himself and Bellegarde. Ott with 7,000 foot, 2,000 horse and 15 guns continued the pursuit, keeping an eye on the French army. MacDonald, scattering his forces once again, ordered Montrichard's division to the east where it was used to form some garrisons which were subsequently captured. One battalion of Warasdiner Grenz and one squadron of the Bussy Mounted Jägers tried to block MacDonald's retreat but were crushed on 24 June at Sassuolo south of Modena. Rome on 29 September and Ancona on 13 November 1799. Even the French-held fortresses of northern Italy fell rapidly. Turin capitulated on 20 June,

Notes

References

Sources

Clausewitz, Carl von. Napoleon Absent, Coalition Ascendant: The 1799 Campaign in Italy and Switzerland, Volume 1. Trans and ed. Nicholas Murray and Christopher Pringle. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas (2020).

External links

Battle maps (without the Nure River):

"Action on the Tidone River, 17 June 1799". Original plan copy;
"First battle on the Trebbia River, 18 June 1799". Original plan copy;
"Second battle on the Trebbia River, 19 June 1799". Original plan copy.
Oblique order

Further steps

See also

Notes

References

Sources

External links