First Battle of Zurich | |||||||
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Part of the War of the Second Coalition | |||||||
Grossmünster church, Zurich. River Limmat, Zürich | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
France | Austria | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
André Masséna |
Archduke Charles of Austria Friedrich Freiherr von Hotze | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
59,000[2] | 72,000[2] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
500 killed 800 wounded [2] |
730 killed 1,470 wounded 2,200 captured[2] | ||||||
The First Battle of Zurich, from 4 to 7 June 1799, forced French General André Masséna to yield the city of Zurich to the Austrians, under Archduke Charles, and to retreat beyond the Limmat, where he managed to fortify his positions, which resulted in a stalemate.
The Helvetic Republic in 1798 became a battlefield of the French Revolutionary Wars. During the summer, Russian troops, under General Alexander Korsakov, replaced the Austrian troops, and at the Second Battle of Zurich, the French regained control of the city, along with the rest of Switzerland.