Battle of Fombio
Part of the French Revolutionary Wars
Date 7–9 May 1796 Location Fombio, Lombardy Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Austria
Commanders
Napoleon Bonaparte Amédée Laharpe Claude Dallemagne	Johann Beaulieu Anton Lipthay Anton Schübirz
Strength
11,600	Lipthay: 5,000 Schübirz: 1,580
Casualties and losses
Amédée Laharpe[1]	Lipthay: 568 Schübirz: unknown

The Battle of Fombio was fought between the French Army of Italy led by Napoleon Bonaparte and the Austrian army under Feldzeugmeister Johann Beaulieu between 7 and 9 May, 1796. It was the decisive strategic point of the campaign, as Bonaparte crossed the Po River at Piacenza in Beaulieu's rear, threatening both Milan and the Austrian line of communications. This threat forced the Austrian army to withdraw to the east.

[edit] Campaign

After forcing the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont to sue for peace after the Montenotte Campaign, Bonaparte turned on the Austrians, who retreated to the north bank of the Po. The French commander ordered General of Division Jean Sérurier to launch a pinning attack on Beaulieu's positions near Valenza. Then Bonaparte sent General of Brigade Claude Dallemagne's advance guard (3,600 grenadiers and 1,500 cavalry) and General of Division Amédée Laharpe's men on a rapid march to the east along the south bank of the Po. He intended to turn the Austrian left flank by crossing the Po near Piacenza.^[2]

[edit] Battle

Early on 7 May, the advance guard seized a ferry near Piacenza and quickly crossed the river, Jean Lannes being the first Frenchman on the north bank. Soon both Dallemagne and Laharpe's commands formed a bridgehead on the north bank. General-Major Anton Lipthay's forces, which numbered 4,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry,^[3] soon detected the French and several clashes occurred during the day. When Beaulieu heard about the incursion, he ordered General-Major Josef Vukassovich to march from Valeggio to Lipthay's support and ordered his army to pull back in the direction of the Adda River. Meanwhile, General of Division Pierre Augereau led his 7,000 soldiers across the Po farther west by using a captured barge.

On the morning of 8 May, Dallemagne's advance guard, supported by Laharpe's 6,500-strong division^[4] assaulted the village of Fombio. At first Lipthay resisted stoutly, using his hussars to counterattack, but he decided to withdraw to avoid being trapped by French flanking columns. His Austrian and Neapolitan cavalry covered the retreat to Codogno. The French attacked Lipthay again in Codogno and the Austrians had to fight their way back to Pizzighettone, where there was a bridge over the Adda River. Lipthay's losses numbered 568 men on 7-8 May.^[5]

That evening, as Laharpe's 51st Demi-Brigade marched through Codogno, General-Major Anton Schübirz, with 1,000 foot soldiers and 580 uhlans attacked the town from the west. In one confused clash in the dark streets, Laharpe was killed, possibly by friendly fire. Bonaparte's chief of staff, General of Brigade Louis Berthier took charge and rushed two more demi-brigades into the fight before Schübirz withdrew.^[6] Cut off from the bridge over the Adda at Pizzighettone, Beaulieu directed his retreating units to make for the bridge at Lodi, farther north. The Battle of Lodi followed on 10 May as Beaulieu tried to get his army safely behind the Adda and Bonaparte attempted to head him off.

[edit] References

• Boycott-Brown, Martin. The Road to Rivoli. London: Cassell & Co., 2001. ISBN 0-304-35305-1
• Chandler, David. The Campaigns of Napoleon. New York: Macmillan, 1966.

[edit] Footnotes

1. ^ Carlo Botta, Storia d'Italia dal 1789 al 1814 [1]
2. ^ Chandler, p 78
3. ^ Boycott-Brown, p 299
4. ^ Boycott-Brown, p 300
5. ^ Boycott-Brown, p 302
6. ^ Boycott-Brown, p 303-304

[edit] External links

• Battle of Fombio — J Rickard, HistoryOfWar.org, 29 January 2009.
• [2] — painting of battle