The Battle of Carpi was a battle in the
Neapolitan War
The Neapolitan War, also known as the Austro-Neapolitan War, was a conflict between the Napoleonic Kingdom of Naples and the Austrian Empire. It started on 15 March 1815 when King Joachim Murat declared war on Austria and ended on 20 May 1815 ...
between a brigade of Neapolitan soldiers under the command of
Guglielmo Pepe
Guglielmo Pepe (13 February 1783 – 8 August 1855) was an Italian general and patriot. He was brother to Florestano Pepe and cousin to Gabriele Pepe. He was married to Mary Ann Coventry, a Scottish woman who was the widow of John Borth ...
and an Austrian force under the command of
Baron Frimont. The battle took place in the town of
Carpi and resulted in an Austrian victory, with the Neapolitans being driven from the town.
Battle
After
Murat Murat may refer to:
Places Australia
* Murat Bay, a bay in South Australia
* Murat Marine Park, a marine protected area
France
* Murat, Allier, a commune in the department of Allier
* Murat, Cantal, a commune in the department of Cantal
Elsewhe ...
, the King of Naples was defeated at the
Battle of Occhiobello, the Neapolitan advance was stopped on the banks of the
Po River. From here, the Austrians launched a counterattack against the Neapolitan position in northern Italy. A corps under the command of Bianchi was ordered to march to the Neapolitan position around
Modena and drive the Neapolitans out of the duchy. Half of Bianchi's corps marched on the town of Carpi, whilst the other half were sent to cut off the Neaplotian line of retreat.
The Austrians reached Carpi on 10 April, opening with an artillery barrage on the town's north gate. However, the Austrian column came through the south gate, surprising the Neapolitan garrison of 5,000 men commanded by Guglielmo Pepe and crushing any Neapolitan opposition. Having already received news of the defeat at Occhiobello, the Neapolitan morale crumbled and most of the surviving garrison deserted after the battle. Meanwhile,
Michele Carascosa, who was in command of all the Neapolitan forces in the
Duchy of Modena
A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a medieval country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition.
There once existed an important difference between ...
, realised the remaining troops were in danger of being surrounded, and ordered a general retreat from the area.
Citations
References
*
Further reading
*Capt. Batty
''An Historical Sketch of the Campaign of 1815'' London (1820)
Details of battle at Clash of Steel
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carpi 1815
Conflicts in 1815
Battles of the Neapolitan War
Battles involving Austria
Battles involving the Kingdom of Naples
1815 in Italy
1815 in the Austrian Empire
April 1815 events
Battles in Emilia-Romagna
Carpi