The Battle of Fombio was fought between the French
Army of Italy led by
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
and the Austrian army under ''
Feldzeugmeister
''Feldzeugmeister'' was a historical military rank in some German and the Austro-Hungarian armies, especially in use for the artillery. It was commonly used in the 16th or 17th century, but could even be found at the beginning of the 20th century ...
''
Johann Peter Beaulieu
Johann Peter de Beaulieu, also Jean Pierre de Beaulieu (26 October 1725, in Lathuy, Brabant, Belgium – 22 December 1819), was a Walloon military officer. He joined the Habsburg army and fought against the Prussians during the Seven Years' War. ...
between 7 and 9 May 1796. It was the decisive strategic point of the campaign, as Bonaparte crossed the
Po River
The Po ( , ; la, Padus or ; Ligurian language (ancient), Ancient Ligurian: or ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is either or , if the Maira (river), Mair ...
at
Piacenza
Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...
in Beaulieu's rear, threatening both
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
and the Austrian line of communications. This threat forced the Austrian army to withdraw to the east.
Campaign
After forcing the
Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont
The Kingdom of Sardinia,The name of the state was originally Latin: , or when the kingdom was still considered to include Corsica. In Italian it is , in French , in Sardinian , and in Piedmontese . also referred to as the Kingdom of Savoy-S ...
to sue for peace at the end of the
Montenotte Campaign, Bonaparte turned on the Austrians, who retreated to the north bank of the Po. The French army commander ordered
General of Division
Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corp ...
Jean-Mathieu-Philibert Sérurier
Jean-Mathieu-Philibert Sérurier, 1st Count Sérurier (, 8 December 1742 – 21 December 1819) led a division in the War of the First Coalition and became a Marshal of the Empire under Emperor Napoleon. He was born into the minor nobility and in ...
to launch a pinning attack on Beaulieu's positions near
Valenza
Valenza ( pms, Valensa) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about north of Alessandria.
History
A stronghold of the Ligures, it was conquered by the Roma ...
. Forming an advance guard of 3,500
grenadiers
A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was originally a specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in battle. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited from ...
and 1,500 cavalry, Bonaparte placed it under
General of Brigade
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed to ...
Claude Dallemagne
Claude Dallemagne (8 November 1754, Peyrieu, Ain – 12 June 1813) started his career in the French army under the Bourbons, fought in the American Revolutionary War, rose in rank to become a general officer during the French Revolutionary W ...
. Then he sent Dallemagne on a rapid march to the east along the south bank of the Po. The advance guard was followed by General of Division
Amédée Emmanuel François Laharpe
Amédée Emmanuel François Laharpe (born de La Harpe, 27 September 1754 – 8 May 1796) was a Swiss nobleman and military officer who served as a volunteer in the French Army during the French Revolutionary Wars. He rose to become a general of t ...
's division. Bonaparte intended to turn the Austrian left flank by crossing the Po near
Piacenza
Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...
.
Battle
Early on 7 May, the advance guard seized a ferry near Piacenza and quickly crossed the river,
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
Jean Lannes
Jean Lannes, 1st Duke of Montebello, Prince of Siewierz (10 April 1769 – 31 May 1809), was a French military commander and a Marshal of the Empire who served during both the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He was one of Napoleon's ...
being the first Frenchman on the north bank. Soon both Dallemagne and Laharpe's commands formed a bridgehead on the north bank. ''
General-major
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
''
Anton Lipthay de Kisfalud Anton Lipthay de Kisfalud (1745 – 17 February 1800), also Anton Liptai or Anton Liptay, served in the Austrian army, attained general officer rank, and fought in several battles against the First French Republic, French army of Napoleon Bonaparte ...
's forces, which numbered 4,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry, soon detected the French and several clashes occurred during the day. When Beaulieu heard about the incursion, he ordered ''General-major''
Josef Philipp Vukassovich
Baron Josef Philipp Vukassovich ( hr, Barun Josip Filip Vukasović; 1755 – 9 August 1809) was a Croats, Croatian soldier who joined the army of Habsburg monarchy and fought against both Ottoman Empire and the First French Republic. During ...
to march from
Valeggio to Lipthay's support and ordered his army to pull back in the direction of the
Adda River
The Adda (Latin ''Abdua'', or ''Addua''; in Lombard ''Ada'' or, again, ''Adda'' in local dialects where the double consonants are marked) is a river in North Italy, a tributary of the Po. It rises in the Alps near the border with Switzerland ...
. Meanwhile, General of Division
Pierre Augereau
Charles Pierre François Augereau, 1st Duke of Castiglione (21 October 1757 – 12 June 1816) was a French military commander and a Marshal of the Empire who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. After serving in ...
got his 7,000 soldiers across the Po farther west by using a captured barge.
On the morning of 8 May, Dallemagne's advance guard, supported by Laharpe's 6,500-strong division, assaulted the village of
Fombio
Fombio ( Lodigiano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lodi in the Italian region Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan and about southeast of Lodi.
It was the site of the Battle of Fombio in 1796.
Fombio borders the fol ...
. Colonels Lannes and François Lanusse led the advance guard's left and center columns while Dallemagne personally commanded the right column. At first Lipthay resisted stoutly, using his hussars to counterattack, but he decided to withdraw to avoid being trapped by the flanking columns. His Austrian and Neapolitan cavalry covered the retreat to
Codogno
Codogno (; Lodigiano: ) is a town and ''comune'' of 15,868 inhabitants in the province of Lodi, Lombardy, northern Italy. It is the main center of the plain known as Basso Lodigiano, which has about 90,000 inhabitants. It received the honorary tit ...
. The French attacked Lipthay again in Codogno and the Austrians had to fight their way back to
Pizzighettone
Pizzighettone ( Pizzighettonese: ) is a ''comune'' of the Province of Cremona in the Italian region Lombardy. The main population centre is located on the river Adda and is divided into two parts: Pizzighettone on the east bank and Gera on the ...
, where there was a bridge over the Adda River. Lipthay's losses numbered 568 men on 7–8 May. According to one report, the French suffered 150 killed and 300 wounded in the first volley.
That evening, as Laharpe's 51st Line Infantry Demi-Brigade marched through Codogno, ''General-Major''
Anton Schübirz von Chobinin, with 1,000 foot soldiers and 580
uhlans
Uhlans (; ; ; ; ) were a type of light cavalry, primarily armed with a lance. While first appearing in the cavalry of Lithuania and then Poland, Uhlans were quickly adopted by the mounted forces of other countries, including France, Russia, Pr ...
attacked the town from the west. In one confused clash in the dark streets, Laharpe was killed, possibly by
friendly fire
In military terminology, friendly fire or fratricide is an attack by belligerent or neutral forces on friendly troops while attempting to attack enemy/hostile targets. Examples include misidentifying the target as hostile, cross-fire while eng ...
. Bonaparte's
chief of staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
, General of Brigade
Louis Berthier took charge and rushed two more demi-brigades into the fight before Schübirz withdrew about dawn on the 9th.
[Boycott-Brown, p 303-304] Cut off from the bridge over the Adda at Pizzighettone, Beaulieu directed his retreating units to make for the bridge at
Lodi, farther north. The
Battle of Lodi
The Battle of Lodi was fought on 10 May 1796 between French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte and an Austrian rear guard led by Karl Philipp Sebottendorf at Lodi, Lombardy. The rear guard was defeated, but the main body of Johann Peter Beaulie ...
followed on 10 May as Beaulieu tried to get his army safely behind the Adda and Bonaparte attempted to head him off.
References
Bibliography
* Boycott-Brown, Martin. ''The Road to Rivoli.'' London: Cassell & Co., 2001. .
*
Chandler, David. ''The Campaigns of Napoleon.'' New York: Macmillan, 1966.
* Chandler, David. ''Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars.'' New York: Macmillan, 1979. .
External links
Battle of Fombio – J Rickard, HistoryOfWar.org, 29 January 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fombio, Battle of
Battles involving Austria
Battles involving Italy
Conflicts in 1796
1796 in Italy
1796 in France
Battles of the War of the First Coalition
Battles in Lombardy