Battle of Verona (1805)

Battle of Verona (1805)
Part of the War of the Third Coalition

French assault on Castelvecchio Bridge, painting by Prosper Lafaye, 1834-1837
Date18 October 1805
Location
Verona, modern-day Italy
45°26′00″N 10°59′00″E / 45.43333°N 10.98333°E / 45.43333; 10.98333
Result French victory
Belligerents
 France  Austrian Empire
Commanders and leaders
France André Masséna Holy Roman Empire Archduke Charles
Holy Roman Empire Josef Vukassovich
Strength
13 battalions
15 guns[1]
6 battalions
1 squadron
12 guns[1]
Casualties and losses
323[2]–450[1] 1,152[2]–1,622
4 guns lost[1]

The Battle of Verona was fought on 18 October 1805 between the French Army of Italy under the command of André Masséna and an Austrian army led by Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen. By the end of the day, Massena seized a bridgehead on the east bank of the Adige River, driving back the defending troops under Josef Philipp Vukassovich. The action took place near the city of Verona in northern Italy during the War of the Third Coalition, part of the Napoleonic Wars.

In the fall of 1805, Emperor Napoleon I of France planned for his powerful Grande Armée to fall upon and crush the Austrian Empire army in southern Germany. The French emperor hoped to win the war in the Danube valley. To help accomplish this purpose, Napoleon wanted Masséna to hold Archduke Charles' large army in Italy for as long as possible.

In order for Masséna to grapple with his enemies, it was necessary to establish a bridgehead on the east bank of the Adige. During the battle, the French attacked across the river, cleared two suburbs, and seized some high ground on the opposite bank. The Austrians suffered considerably more casualties than the French in the encounter. This clash set the stage for the subsequent Battle of Caldiero on 29 to 31 October.

  1. ^ a b c d Digby Smith. The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill, 1998. ISBN 1-85367-276-9, 206
  2. ^ a b Frederick C. Schneid. Napoleon's Italian Campaigns: 1805–1815. Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers, 2002. ISBN 0-275-96875-8, p. 28.