The “Surprise of Brescia”
1796

The Pursuit after Castiglione

by Bernard Voykowitsch, Austria

After the battle of Castiglione in the evening of 5 August while the Austrian army effected its crossing of the Mincio the French army was distributed as follows: on the right Serurier’s division (under Fiorella) on the heights of Volta between Borghetto and Guidizzolo; in the centre Massena in front of Castellaro; on the left Augereau in front of Pozzolengo covered on his left by Kilmaine’s cavalry division which was very exhausted and whose sick chef had to cede command to GB Beaumont.

On the Austrian side the right under Davidovich and Vukassovich had its outposts from Peschiera to Valeggio. Those of the left under Sebottendorf extended from there to Goito. The bridges of Monzambano and Pozzolo were defended by one battalion each. At Peschiera Mitrovsky’s brigade had joined the troops of Bajalich who had besieged this small fortress defended by General Guillaume. Bonaparte’s orders for the next day (Orders Nos. 834, 835, 836, 837, 840, 841) provided for that Massena with half the cavalry marched against Peschiera, Augereau to Valeggio, supported by Fiorella and covered on his right by the other half of the cavalry. Dallemagne replacing Sauret had to stay on the defensive. At 8 o’clock in the morning of 6 August Massena reached Peschiera at the moment when an energetic sortie of the French garrison had been repulsed, traversed the town and attacked the siege works defended by Bajalich who was soon reinforced by Mitrovsky’s brigade arriving from Cavalcaselle.

After two fruitless counter-attacks the two Austrian brigades had to cede the terrain and withdrew to Castelnuovo. Massena’s victory severely compromised the retreat of Wurmser’s whole army into the Tyrol and forced his left and centre to do a dangerous flank march and a long detour when withdrawing to Verona. Exactly such was the decision of the Austrian field marshal: after having reinforced the garrison of Mantua during the night of 6 to 7 August he lead the troops of Davidovich, Sebottendorf and Meszaros back to Verona while Bajalich and Mitrovsky withdrew the first by Madonna della Corona to the Monte Baldo the latter to Canale in the Adige valley.

Neither Massena nor Augereau who had gunned Vallegio during 6 August seem to have used their cavalry to reconnoitre the direction of the retreat of the Austrians and as reveal his orders for 7 August the energetic resistance encountered to the east of Peschiera seem to have induced Napoleon to commit an error: preceded by Beaumont’s cavalry making the advance guard Augereau’s division had to march down the west bank of the Mincio to Peschiera “from where the French army had to attack the enemy before sunrise”; she was followed by Fiorella’s division who had to leave at Borghetto 100 horse with one battalion and 4 pieces. Such the whole French army had to cross the Mincio at Peschiera which resulted in that the Austrians could execute their retreat without any difficulties.

Only in the evening of 7 August Massena’s advance guard reached Rivoli. Gardanne with Beaumont’s cavalry and followed by Serurier’s division did not reach Verona earlier than midnight three hours after the Austrian artillery reserve had left. One can see how different the situation could have been had - properly reconnoitred - the French centre and right directly marched from Borghetto to Verona.”

Then the previous positions were retaken and the siege of Mantua was recommenced by Serurier’s (Fiorella’s) division that since the evening of 8 August had marched off to Villafranca.

Augereau positioned at Verona with Beaumont’s cavalry had to push cavalry patrols against Vicenza and Porto Legnano and to every other point that would allow him to rec-onnoitre the enemy and to harass him on the retreat. “He will order the cavalry to be audacious without being impudent but to well harass the enemy on the right as on the left bank of the Adige.” This beautiful task seems to have been fulfilled in a very incomplete manner. Only the 5e Dragons seems to have charged on the road of the Chiusa (right bank) with Adjutant-Leclerc General; and brought home several hundreds of prisoners. (History of the 5e Dragons.

The 8e Dragons were with Serurier’s divison, the 15e Dragons with Massena camped at La Sega behind the infantry; the 20e Dragons was sent back to Isola-della-Scala to the south of Verona where it fought a combat in which it lost prisoners. The 10e Chasseur’s was at Verona, the 25e with Sauret on the western side of Lake Garda, the 24e camped under the walls of Verona for five days, the 7e bis Hussards had remained at Castiglione till 8 August and then was sent to Brescia.)

General Dubois (1754 - 4 September 1796 Battle of Rovereto) had to go for his person to Verona “in order to take over command of the cavalry, which General Beaumont (recalled to Milan) commanding provisionally had to hand over ... Those (of the regiments) which are with the divisions shall be under the orders of the divisional commanders, but shall report to the general commanding the cavalry as regards the details of administration, ...

In spite of the utility to employ General Dubois who was such well famed as a general of cavalry the sending back to the rear of General Beaumont can be considered as a hint of how much Bonaparte was dissatisfied with the lacking activity of his cavalry. General Kilmaine whom Bonaparte had thought to be still sick protested against this nomination. So two days later a new order conserved command of the cavalry arm for him but placed him at head quarters. Dubois had to command the troops of horse who were at Verona, General Beaumont those who were at Brescia, Adjutant-General Picard those who are at Marmirolo.

Further an Inspecteur was invited to direct his attention to the depots established at Codogno and Milan. “One does not have to deceive oneself”, added Bonaparte, “that big abuses take place at the depots and a malversation, which merits profound examination. You will see my General many horses and men who should be with their units. ... The result of your inspection of the depots will furnish the army with many men and horses and economy, and after you will have cured all these abuses you can commence an inspection which will complete the establishment of order among the cavalry”.

Some days later Bonaparte took a very important measure concerning the cavalry: “The General in Chief orders General Kilmaine commanding the cavalry to take all his depositions for that the dragoons are armed with muskets with bayonets. As a consequence he will order the confection of the necessary slings. He will concert himself with the commander of the artillery in order to choose and have furnished the muskets most proper for that purpose. He will arrange for that at least one hundred dragoons of the 5th regiment are armed with muskets within the next decade (10 days)”.

One will soon see on which honourable occasion the 5e Dragons inaugurated its new arms. Yet it is remarkable that the measure taken by Bonaparte coincided with the end of a period in which the cavalry had been very much below its task and in which the Commander in Chief had struggled to reanimate spirit and activity it had lacked for such a long time. One cannot find a better response to those who believe that in the cavalry the use of fire weapons leads to the diminution of its cavalry qualities.

By the way the measure seems to have been very well received by those concerned: “The General in Chief”, says the History of the 5e Dragons, “has taken back the dragoons of this army to their original institution and has made use of them advantageously in a very intersected and mountainous country. The dragoons armed with muskets have to be for the infantry what the horse artillery is for the foot artillery. ... By the speed of their marches the dragoons can cut the retreat of an enemy army and achieve its defeat by occupying and holding defiles, bridges and roads where a very small number of infantry can stop a big number of cavalry that is not able to fight dismounted.”

For a general background please consult Dr. Chandler’s, Campaigns of Napoleon, West Point Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars or Martin Boycott-Brown’s, The Road to Rivoli, Oxford 2002. There was a detailed article on the combats of Lonato in First Empire Issue 36. Of course you will find useful information plus detailed orders-of-battle, photographs of the battleground in my Castiglione 1796. You can contact me at Hohe Wand-Straße 38/4, A-2344 Maria Enzersdorf Austria or bernhard@helmet.at.

The “Surprise of Brescia” 1796

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