Siege of Mantua (1799)

Part of the War of the Second Coalition

Battle of Mantua

Part of the War of the Second Coalition
| Date| April–July 1799

|

Location|

Mantua, present-day Italy

45°09′36″N 10°48′00″E﻿ / ﻿45.1600°N 10.8000°E﻿ / 45.1600; 10.8000
Result|  Austrian victory
Belligerents

France

* Polish Legion

|  Austria
Commanders and leaders
François Philippe de Latour-Foissac [fr]|  Pal von Kray
Strength
10,000[1]
657 artillery pieces[2]|  40,000[2]
~150 artillery pieces[2]
Casualties and losses
1,700 dead
1,400 or more wounded[2]|  Unknown

* v
* t
* e

War of the Second Coalition

Mediterranean

* 1st Malta
* 27 June 1798
* 15 July 1798
* Nile
* 18 August 1798
* Menorca
* 2nd Malta
* Butrint
* Nicopolis
* Corfu
* Alcúdia
* 18 June 1799
* Malta Convoy
* 31 March 1800
* Barcelona
* 1st Algeciras
* 2nd Algeciras

Middle East

* 1st Alexandria
* Shubra Khit
* Pyramids
* Nile
* 1st Cairo
* 1st El Arish
* Jaffa
* Acre
* Mount Tabor
* 1st Abukir
* 2nd El Arish
* Heliopolis
* 2nd Abukir
* Mandora
* 2nd Alexandria
* Fort Julien
* El Rahmaniya
* Al Khankah
* 2nd Cairo
* 3rd Alexandria (Capitulation)

Switzerland

* Grauholz
* Engadine
* Feldkirch
* Frauenfeld
* Winterthur
* 1st Zurich
* Oberwald
* Schwyz
* Amsteg
* St. Gotthard
* Devil's Bridge
* 2nd Zurich
* Linth River
* Klöntal
* Muottental
* Glarus
* 1st Schwanden
* 2nd Schwanden

Italy

* Verona
* Magnano
* Brescia
* Bergamo
* Cassano
* Bassignana
* 1st Marengo
* Modena
* Trebbia
* 2nd Marengo
* 2nd Mantua
* Novi
* Gavi
* 2nd Novi
* Genola
* 3rd Novi
* Genoa
* Fort Bard
* Chiusella
* Turbigo
* Montebello
* Marengo
* Pozzolo
* Porto Ferrajo

Netherlands

* Callantsoog
* Vlieter
* Krabbendam
* Bergen
* Alkmaar
* Castricum

Germany

* Wiesloch
* 2nd Stockach
* Messkirch
* Biberach
* Iller River
* Höchstädt
* Neuburg
* Ampfing
* Hohenlinden

Scandinavia

* West Kay
* 1st Copenhagen

* * *

* Mediterranean campaign
* Egyptian campaign
* Italian and Swiss campaign
* Swiss campaign
* Italian campaign
* Dutch campaign
* Marengo campaign

* v
* t
* e

Italian campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars

Alps Campaign of 1792-1796 [it]

* 1st Saorgio
* Epierre
* Méribel
* 2nd Saorgio
* 1st Dego
* Monte Settepani
* Loano

Italian campaign of 1796–1797

* Montenotte campaign
* Fombio
* Lodi
* Borghetto
* Lonato
* Castiglione
* Peschiera
* Rovereto
* 1st Bassano
* 2nd Bassano
* Calliano
* Caldiero
* Arcole
* Rivoli
* 1st Mantua
* Faenza
* Valvasone
* Tyrol
* Tarvis
* Fall of the Republic of Venice
* Veronese Easter

Italian campaign of 1799–1801

* Verona
* Magnano
* Brescia
* Bergamo
* Cassano
* Bassignana
* 1st Marengo
* Modena
* Trebbia
* 2nd Marengo
* 2nd Mantua
* Novi
* Gavi
* 2nd Novi
* Genola
* 3rd Novi
* Marengo campaign
* Genoa
* Fort Bard
* Chiusella
* Turbigo
* Montebello
* Marengo
* Pozzolo
* Porto Ferrajo

War of the Second Coalition:
Italy

50km
31miles

Marengo

Verona

current battle

Napoleon in command

Napoleon not in command

The siege of Mantua (1799) was a four-month effort by the Austrian army to regain a presence in northern Italy after being excluded from that region by Napoleon Bonaparte through the successful French siege of Mantua in 1797. In April 1799, the Austrians placed a military blockade around Mantua as part of the War of the Second Coalition with the intent of withering the French by attrition. While the diminishing food supplies and losses weakened the French army, the Austrians received reinforcements and attacked on 4 July 1799. By the end of the month, the French agreed to surrender.

## Background

[edit]

The War of the Second Coalition that begun around late 1798 or early 1799 (depending on periodization) was the second war on revolutionary France by most of the European monarchies. Austria, still weakened and in deep financial debt from the War of the First Coalition, sought primarily to recover its position and come out of the war stronger than when it had entered. It aimed to regain a presence in northern Italy after being excluded from that region by Napoleon Bonaparte through the successful French siege of Mantua that ended in French Victory in 1797 during the War of the First Coalition.[3][1]

## Prelude

[edit]

By 1799, the fortress of Mantua on the river Mincio in northern Italy was in poor shape.[1] It was commanded by viscount lieutenant general François Philippe de Latour-Foissac [fr] and garrisoned by a diverse force of 10,000, including French, Polish (Polish Legionnaires under general Józef Wielhorski), Italian (Republic of Alba and Cisalpine Republic), Swiss and German units.[1] From the beginning of his assignment, Foissac-Latour, an engineer, was convinced that the fortress would be indefensible in any serious siege.[1]

## Siege

[edit]

In April, Austrian forces approached Mantua and started their siege. At first, the Austrians were content to simply blockade the fortress, but with the artillery duels and occasional skirmishes, attrition began taking its toll on the defenders. The defenders were also weakened by diminishing food supplies, and their morale was undermined by lack of payment.[1]

On 18 June, the French suffered a defeat at the Battle of Trebbia, and consequently the Austrians were able to move more decisively against Mantua.[2] On 4 July the siege entered a new stage, with Austrian reinforcements arriving, and the besieging force growing from 8,000 to 40,000.[2] The Austrians were commanded by Hungarian general Baron Pal von Kray, an artillery expert.[2] Artillery bombardment was constant. On 24–25 July the assault begun; and the Austrians slowly advanced over the next few days.[2] On 27 July Foissac-Latour began negotiating surrender terms.[2]

## Capitulation

[edit]

The Austrians agreed to release most of the French garrison, keeping the officers for three months, and with soldiers pledging not to take arms until the prisoners were exchanged by the fighting sides.[2] In a secret protocol, however, the Austrians demanded full sovereignty over "deserters from the Austrian army".[2] After protests from the Polish officers — who were afraid that due to recent partitions of Poland in which Austria gained control over parts of Poland that the Austrians may want to take custody of the Polish legionnaires — the Austrian negotiator clarified officially that they meant any deserters from the current Austrian army or former Austrian soldiers serving in the Cisalpine Republic Army.[2]

On 30 July the French and allied troops left the fortress.[4] The garrison troops were split into French and non-French units (of whom Poles still constituted 1,800); the Austrian soldiers observing the marching non-French garrison troops were given permission to physically assault those "recognized" as deserters and most of them were eventually arrested.[4] Polish officers — particularly those from the Austrian partition — were forced to enlist in the Austrian army or deported to partitioned Poland, and a similar fate befell Polish NCOs and regular soldiers, many of whom were also forced to suffer physical punishment by being beaten with rods.[4] This marked the end of the Second Legion of the Polish Legions.[5] Foissac-Latour was later criticized by the Poles for what they considered "betrayal", but also by the French: for his surrender, Napoleon himself ordered Foissac-Latour stricken from the list of generals and forbade him to wear a military uniform.[4]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f Obrona Mantui..., pp. 6–7
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Obrona Mantui..., pp. 8–9
3. ^ Schroeder, Paul W. (1987). "The Collapse of the Second Coalition". The Journal of Modern History. 59 (2): 244–290\. ISSN 0022-2801. JSTOR 1879727.
4. ^ a b c d Obrona Mantui..., pp.10–11
5. ^ Otto Von Pivka; Michael Roffe (15 June 1974). Napoleon's Polish Troops. Osprey Publishing. p. 6\. ISBN 978-0-85045-198-6. Retrieved 9 May 2012.[permanent dead link]

## References

[edit]

* (in Polish) Andrzej Nieuważny, Obrona Mantui, Chwała Oręża Polskiego 14 (35), Rzeczpospolita, 23 October 2006 (publication contains a map). Online version[dead link]

## Further reading

[edit]

* Cuccia, Phillip R. (2014). Napoleon in Italy: The Sieges of Mantua, 1796–1799. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-4534-1.

## External links

[edit]

* (in Polish) Map of the siege
* Text of the capitulation document (without secret protocol)

Authority control databases: National |

* United States
* Israel

|

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template