The Combat of Stockerau was a minor

rearguard A rearguard is a part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or withdrawal. The term can also be used to describe forces protecting lines, such as communication lines, behind an army. Even more ...

cavalry

skirmish Skirmishers are light infantry or light cavalry soldiers deployed as a vanguard, flank guard or rearguard to screen a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. They are usually deployed in a skirmish line, an i ...

fought by elements of the cavalry of

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

VI Korps of the ''Kaiserlich-königliche Hauptarmee'' under

Ludwig von Wallmoden-Gimborn Ludwig Georg Thedel Graf von Wallmoden (6 February 1769 – 22 March 1862) was an Austrian General of the Cavalry, best known for his training of light infantry and the refinement of the Tirailleur system. As a grandson of George II of Great B ...

against a single

Hessian A Hessian is an inhabitant of the German state of Hesse. Hessian may also refer to: Named from the toponym *Hessian (soldier), eighteenth-century German regiments in service with the British Empire **Hessian (boot), a style of boot **Hessian f ...

Guard Chevauleger regiment, under the command of French General

Jacob François Marulaz Jacob François Marulaz or Marola, born 6 November 1769, died 10 June 1842, joined the Army of the Kingdom of France as a cavalry trooper and rose to become a field officer during the French Revolutionary Wars. Under the First French Empire, he bec ...

. The combat ended in favour of the Austrians.

Context

Following the French victory at the

battle of Wagram The Battle of Wagram (; 5–6 July 1809) was a military engagement of the Napoleonic Wars that ended in a costly but decisive victory for Emperor Napoleon's French and allied army against the Austrian army under the command of Archduke Charles ...

two days before, the French IV Corps of the ''Armée d'Allemagne'', under

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

André Masséna André Masséna, Prince of Essling, Duke of Rivoli (born Andrea Massena; 6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817) was a French military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.Donald D. Horward, ed., trans, annotated, The Fre ...

was pursuing

Johann von Klenau Johann Josef Cajetan Graf von Klenau, Freiherr von Janowitz ( cs, Jan hrabě z Klenové, svobodný pán z Janovic; 13 April 1758 – 6 October 1819) was a field marshal in the Habsburg army. Klenau, the son of a Bohemian noble, joined the Ha ...

's VI Korps of the ''Kaiserlich-königliche Hauptarmee Hauptarmee''. After a successful skirmish at

Korneuburg Korneuburg () is a town in Austria. It is located in the state Lower Austria and is the administrative center of the district of Korneuburg. Korneuburg is situated on the left bank of the Danube, opposite the city of Klosterneuburg, and is 12&nbs ...

on 7 July, Masséna was aware that the enemy was retreating towards

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

and continued his pursuit in that direction. Leading Masséna's Corps cavalry was General Marulaz, who led the way, at the head of the Hessian ''Garde-Chevauleger'' regiment, a total of three squadrons, with a complement of 150 men.

Battle

Arriving with these men at

Stockerau Stockerau () is a town in the district of Korneuburg in Lower Austria, Austria. Stockerau has 15,921 inhabitants, which makes it the largest town in the Weinviertel.https://statistik.at/wcm/idc/idcplg?IdcService=GET_PDF_FILE&RevisionSelectionMetho ...

, around 43 kilometers from

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, on 8 July, Marulaz was attacked by the Austrian

hussar A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely ...

s of Austrian VI Korps. At the battle of Wagram, Wallmoden's command included around 1,365 cavalrymen from the 7th ''Liechtenstein'' (8 squadrons, 712 men) and 8th ''Kienmayer'' Hussars (8 squadrons 563 men), but it is unclear how many of these men Wallmoden actually engaged at Stockerau. It is certain, however, that, following a brief series of cavalry engagements, the troops of Marulaz were broken, dispersed and the regiment was almost destroyed. French military historian Alain Pigeard qualifies the cavalry combat at Stockerau as a "bloody setback" for the French under Marulaz.

Notes

References

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stockerau, Combat of Conflicts in 1809 Battles of the Napoleonic Wars Battles involving Austria Battles of the War of the Fifth Coalition 1809 in the Austrian Empire Battles involving France 1809 in France July 1809 events Austrian Empire–France relations