The Battle of Castel di Sangro was a minor 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 ...
that took place on 13 May 1815 in the town of
Castel di Sangro
Castel di Sangro (locally ''Caštiéllë'') is a city and '' comune'' of 6,461 people (as of 2013) in the Province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo, Central Italy. It is the main city of the Alto Sangro e Altopiano delle Cinque Miglia area.
Geography
Ca ...
in central Italy. The battle resulted in the Neapolitan force being routed.
Following defeat at the
Battle of Tolentino, the 4th Division of the Neapolitan army, commanded by General Andrea Pignatelli di Cerchiara had detached from the main army under their king,
Joachim Murat
Joachim Murat ( , also , ; it, Gioacchino Murati; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French military commander and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the ...
, and were retreating south. The commander of the Austrian force, Frederick Bianchi, dispatched his advanced guard, consisting of Hungarian
hussars and
Tyrolean jägers, in pursuit.
The Austrians finally caught up with the Neapolitans on 13 May in the town of Castel di Sangro. Seeing the hussars, the Neapolitans formed squares. However, during the cause of the disastrous campaign, the 4th Division had been reduced to less than 2,000 men. The hussars broke the Neapolitan square and sent the remaining troops into disarray.
Citations
References
*
Further reading
*Capt. Batty
''An Historical Sketch of the Campaign of 1815'' London (1820)
Details of battle at Clash of Steel** ''Castel di Sangro 13 maggio 1815. Una battaglia dimenticata'' (di Alessandro Teti, anno 2015).
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castel Di Sangro
Conflicts in 1815
Battles of the Neapolitan War
Battles involving Austria
Battles involving the Kingdom of Naples
Battles in Abruzzo
1815 in Italy
1815 in the Austrian Empire
May 1815 events
Castel di Sangro