Northern Moves

Verdier formed his two divisions in Peschiara and Monzambano; he also repaired the Monzambano bridge. Eugene had Quesnel's division and Bonnemain's cavalry brigade at Goito. The rest of the French forces came from Mantua. Austrian grenzer boatmen (Tschaikisten) built two pontoon bridges during the night. At Pozzolo, the grenadier division's bridge was completed uneventfully. At Borghetto, despite French skirmishers in the town, the bridge was complete before dawn, and the leading Austrian corp (Radivojevich) finished crossing even as Eugene's center column crossed in the other direction at Goito. (Sommariva's corps arrived at Olioso and Salionze, but did not cross at Salionze on the 8th.)

Alerted by the skirmishers, Verdier formed up Fressinet's 5th division south of Monzambano and attacked. One brigade drove the Landwehr battalion of the Deutschmeister regiment from the Olfino heights, while the other brigade pushed the Deutschmeister regulars back toward Borghetto.

Radivojevich sent Vecsey's division to the south, where it guarded against an attack from Volta. His other two divisions attacked the Olfino heights. Meanwhile, Bellegarde brought Pflacher's division to Borghetto, while the dragoon Cavalry Division went to Pozzolo.

Around 2 P.M., Bellegarde became convinced from the sounds that the entire Mantua garrison had sortied to support a one-division spoiling attack. He ordered the Deutschmeister regiment back to Valeggio, and sent orders directing the Chasteler regiment (in Vecsey's division) to recross at Pozzolo and the Brigade Eberl (in Mayer's command) to the Pozzolo fight.

Radivojevich ordered a flanking movement to the west with Pflacher's division, and Verdier ordered the brigade back to Monzambano as the envelopment developed. Verdier then defended Monzambano with two infantry brigades against three divisions of infantry and cavalry. The fighting was house to house, but Verdier kept control of Monzambano. (The buildings limited the greatly superior Austrian cavalry and artillery, and the Austrian infantry involved only slightly outnumbered their French counterparts.) After nightfall, the Austrians camped on the right bank, expecting to continue the fight the next day with reinforcements.

Palombino started a brigade of his 3rd Division south from Peschiara to support Verdier. Verdier ordered it to return there, and for Palombino to then follow orders to cross the river and attack south. The attack from Peschiara only began at 2 P.M. Vlasits' masking division was defeated, and the 3rd Division advanced down the ridge line to cut behind Vallegio. Units of the I Corp appeared before them near Salionze, however, and the 3rd retreated back under Peschiara's guns.

Although they had not achieved their set objectives, Verdier's two divisions did occupy both Austrian regular corps. Radivojevich's 11 Corp had seized a bridgehead and cleared Monzambano. Sommariva's smaller I Corp merely saw off the 3rd Division late in the day.

Eugene's Opening

Mayer's two divisions were deployed facing south toward Mantua, not west. Around 11 A.M. Bonnemains' command (a cavalry brigade, two infantry battalions, and four guns) expelled Austrian skirmishers from 5-6 bridges over canals east of Goito. Quesnel's division passed them (cutting behind Maziani's division) to before Roverbella. Grenier's corp advanced north from Mantua toward Roverbella. Bonnemain's cavalry took many prisoners as Maziani's division broke back to Roverbella. Eugene's and Grenier's columns met on the road west of Roverbella.

One of Grenier's divisions (Zucchi's 6th) went east to Isola della Scala to block the crossings over the Adige. It occupied Mayer's other division (Grammont's) the rest of the day, with fierce battalion actions noted at Castiglione-Mantovana and Due Castelli. Eugene also ordered Marcognet's division to take Roverbella and defend against Mayer's reduced command. Marcognet left one brigade in reserve before Roverbella, while the other took the town. Mayer formed his weakened brigades in a defensive line behind Roverbella, but Eugene's right was secure.

Eugene turned his other units toward the grenadier division at Pozzolo. Eugene deployed Quesnel's division in the center, with the Guard cavalry on the left and Bonnemain's cavalry on the right. Rouyer's Division followed, with the Guard infantry further behind. It was during this move north that Eugene saw the Austrian numbers on the battlefield. He decided that he still had chances: many of the Austrians were across the river.

The ten battalions of Austrian grenadiers at Pozzolo had redeployed back from the town onto the plateau, facing southeast. The Cavalry Brigade composed of the Hohenlohe and Savoyen dragoons also arrived to support them, with a crestline hiding their arrival. A sudden charge by the dragoons broke Perrymont's cavalry brigade, hitting as it as it deployed and unable to counter-charge; only French squares stopped the pursuit.

30 guns supported Quesnel's attack, while 18 guns defended. The grenadiers repelled attempted flank attacks by cavalry. One battalion charged in square, repelling cavalry and temporarily occupying part of the French gun line before recoiling under infantry fire. The Austrian dragoons fighting Bonnemain's cavalry were drawn away from the grenadier's left. A flank attack through the gap forced back the flank grenadier brigade. Meanwhile, Division Rouyer's lead brigade had deployed to the French left, and took Pozzolo from the Chasteler regiment around 4 P.M. With both flanks driven in, General Merville withdrew all the grenadiers north.

With the Austrians unbroken, Eugene sent for the Guard infantry and one brigade of Marcognet's division. He deployed Division Rouyer in front of Quesnel's division. The brigade from Marcognet's division formed the reserve.

The Austrian grenadier battalions regrouped near Quaderni, and launched unsuccessful counterattacks. When Eberl's brigade (from Mayer) arrived, the grenadiers joined in another counterattack, even though they were out of ammunition. Eugene committed the brigade from Marcognet's division on the Austrian's right to repel that attack. The fighting then stopped except for a long cannonade.

Lastly, two battalions of the Deutschmeister regiment arrived from Borghetto. An attack at sunset regained the village of Mazzi, but nightfall ended the fighting. Both sides camped on the battlefield.

Aftermath

Because of the Austrian reserve's resistance, Eugene's army failed to take Vallegio and rupture the Austrian army. Although he camped on the battlefield, he knew Bellegarde could assemble decisive local superiority. He withdrew west of the Mincio early on the 9th.

Bellegarde failed to cross the Mincio; during the night he ordered Radivojevich's troops to return. Most crossed in the pre-dawn hours the 9th. Bellegarde left one brigade on the far side at Borghetto to maintain a foothold on the west bank.

Casualties:

Eugene had 2,500 dead or wounded. Austrian losses were 3,940 and 3-7,000 prisoners. Both sides state that Eugene's army was outnumbered 2:1 on the field, yet he exploited the chances he had to meet Epstein's 1:2 casualty ratio to qualify as a first-class general.

Bellegarde reinforced his bridgehead with a corp of 6,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry on the night of the 9th and 10th. More would have followed, but Eugene drove them back across in the morning of the 10th in the last combat on the Mincio. There were several later fights south of Mantua, but Murat's indecision about fighting rendered them insignificant.

Eugene agreed to an armistice only when news arrived of Napoleon abdication. That day, Bellegarde sent a curt note to Murat requiring the Neapolitan Army leave Lombardy immediately as it was no longer needed.

Sources

A. du Casse, Memoires et Correspondence Politique et Militaire du Prinz Eugen, (1860).
Holtz, Die Innerosterreichiste Armee, 1813- 1814. (Vienna, 1912; as volume 4 of Osterreichen in den Befreiungskriegen)
M.C. Lenanton, Napoleon's Viceroy: Eugene de Beauharnais.
Osprey Men-at-Arms 176 and 299, The Austrian Army of the Napoleonic Wars 1: Infantry and Austrian Auxiliary Troops 1792-1816.
Vignolle, Historical Account of the Military Operations of the Army of Italy in 1813 and 1814. (Paris, 1817) Translated by Nafziger, from whom I purchased a copy privately.

More Battle of the Mincio

Background
Opening Moves and Battle
Order of Battle and Large Map (slow: 104K)
Order of Battle and Jumbo Map (very slow: 251K)