In conclusion, the battle had been fought by both parties with great courage and fury, but had produced no decisive result. The first successes of the Spanish had been checked by the subsequent advance of the Austro-Sardinians, although neither the Spanish right wing, nor the army as a whole, had suffered a defeat. At the conclusion of the battle, the troops met at the point where, according to the intention of Lieutenant General Gages, they should have begun the action.

The struggles opposite the Spanish position were not, despite their violence, more than episodes of minor importance, and were decisive only inasmuch as the Austro-Sardinians had succeeded in defeating Macdonald's forces; so that it had been impossible to detennine any ulterior purpose by their original position.

Whatever their purpose was, they did not achieve it. The Spanish fell back in order when the counterattack ensued. Whether or not this was caused by the previous struggles, in which the Spanish were much weakened, the Austro-Sardinians were in no better shape, and would only counterattack the Spanish positions if it would produce a decisive result.

Comparing the successes gained in these encounters, the resulting advantages lay with the Spanish. Their cavalry had achieved an unquestioned victory and captured numerous trophies; their infantry, despite having taken part in the flght with only 13 battalions, had victoriously resisted the enemy and made the infantry of the first line recoil, capturing a flag and several pieces of artillery. their retirement was Snally necessary, and was carried out orderly, so that the troops would have the impression that the retreat was voluntary and not from the pressure of the enemy.

The Austro-Sardinians had limited time to rectify their initial failure, recapturing their artillery pieces and finally gaining a good expanse of ground. But at the time, incapable of conquering the principle Spanish line, they were again obligated to retreat. The capture of the battalion of Guadalajara was a blow due to luck and the negligence of the enemy; the three flags captured in these circumstances, unique battle trophies, in reality had little value.

It does not seem unjustified, therefore, that the Spanish have been attributed the victors in the battle of Camposanto, although the Austro-Sardinians could not speak of defeat. The battle did not produce a decision because the Spanish, after having refused to follow up, were contained and obliged to return to their starting positions prior to the battle. On the other hand, for General Gages, having no other intention than the idea of preserving his positions before the bridges, the battle constituted a complete success.

The Austro-Sardinians returned to the field with the impression of having gained an advantage over their opponent, although the decision remained postponed until the following day. The renewal of battle seemed inevitable, and, despite the likelihood of heavy losses, the troops were happily anticipating a new attack with complete victory.

The Butcher's Bill

The battle was very costly. The Austro-Sardinians sustained 520 dead, 962 wounded, and 269 captured (14%) total casualties); in total 1,751 men, plus 392 horses among the dead and missing. The losses were also heavy among the generals. Field Marshal Traun had three horses killed or wounded from under him, finally making use of a horse from the artillery train. The troops witnessed this amid the fighting and shouted: "Our father lives!" and hurled themselves with renewed ardor on the enemy.

Field Marshal-Lieutenant Count d'Aspremont, one of the Sardinian generals of senior ranking, died in Modena, on February 22, as a result of the grave wounds he received. [16] The same fate overtook the commander of the Cavalry, Field Marshal-Lieutenant Payersberg, who died in Mantua. General Feldwachtmeister Count Cristoforo Pertusati, gravely wounded during the charge of the Cavalry, originally considered dead, succeeded in surviving. Falling as a prisoner, gravely wounded, were Field Marshal-Lieutenant Count Giuseppe Cicerin and the Brigadier of Cavalry Cumiane; Brigadier Baron de Leutrun remained slightly wounded. Also the losses among the officers was very high.

The losses of the Spanish were sensibly higher; 700 dead, 1,386 wounded, 754 prisoners and 324 missing; 3,164 men in total (nearly 26%). Among the generals, were found the deaths of Marshals de Field Mayorga and Count de Jauche, also falling gravely wounded were Marshals de Field Marques de Villadarias, Orcasitas and Carvajal. The latter, in spite of the grave wound received in hand to hand combat with the Guard, remained on the field of battle until the retreat.

The commander of the Dragoons de La Reina also fell, Brigadier Duke de Arches, who died on August 1, in Bologna, because of his wounds. Lieutenant General Macdonald, slightly wounded, suffered further the painful distress of seeing the death of one of his children during the battle, the other two falling wounded. Among the dead still to count there would be the Quarter Master General, Lieutenant General Ramirez. It seems that Lieutenant General Gages also had a horse wounded.

The Battle of Camposanto

The Battle of Camposanto: Part II Introduction
The Battle of Camposanto: Deployment
The Battle of Camposanto: Late Afternoon Phase
Petri: Final Words

FOOTNOTES

[15] Ihe Account of the Spanish Court admits in a roundabout way that this retreat was caused by the second enemy line. On the other hand, the Rectification denies it. It is worth noting that the compiler always speaks of Carvajal, a Spaniard and a commander of troops, omitting the name of the true leader, the Irishman Macdonald. Maybe it is possible that he had been wounded in the first encounter and that, from then on, command of the brigade passed to Carvajal. It is certain that the Spanish owed the initial success, not to Carvajal, but to Macdonald, who was rewarded with the commendation of the Order of Calatrava.

[16] According to the letter of Traun on March 1, Aspermont would have died February 27. Traun gave tribute with great praise: "He truly was a valiant general and a heroic soldier, totally devoted to the Queen." Louls d'Allingues, Count d'Aspremont, was Governor and Lieutenant General of the county of Niza, the dignity of a great squire, and named him Gentleman of the Order of the Annunciation. He fell before receiving the announcement of the award.