The Second Battle of Zurich (25–26 September 1799) was a key victory by the Republican French army in Switzerland led by

André Masséna André Masséna, prince d'Essling, duc de Rivoli (; born Andrea Massena; 6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817), was a French military commander of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original eighteen Marshal of the ...

over a Russian force commanded by Alexander Korsakov near

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

. It broke the stalemate that had resulted from the First Battle of Zurich three months earlier and led to the withdrawal of

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

from the

Second Coalition The War of the Second Coalition () (1798/9 – 1801/2, depending on periodisation) was the second war targeting revolutionary France by many European monarchies, led by Britain, Austria, and Russia and including the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, ...

. Most of the fighting took place on both banks of the river

Limmat The Limmat is a river in Switzerland. The river commences at the outfall of Lake Zurich, in the southern part of the city of Zurich. From Zurich it flows in a northwesterly direction, continuing a further 35 km until it reaches the river A ...

up to the gates of Zürich, and within the city itself. The same days saw a battle between Hotze's Austrians and Soult's French at the River Linth. It was arguably the most significant French victory of 1799.

Background

After the First Battle of Zurich Masséna had consolidated to a defensive line behind the lower reaches of the

Aare The Aare () or Aar () is the main tributary of the High Rhine (its discharge even exceeds that of the latter at their confluence) and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland. Its total length from its source to i ...

River. At this time his entire army in Switzerland consisted of around 77,000 combatants, positioned as: * 1st Division ( Turreau) in the Upper

Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...

and the

Simplon Pass The Simplon Pass (; ; ; ; ; ) is a high mountain pass between the Pennine Alps and the Lepontine Alps in Switzerland. It connects Brig, Switzerland, Brig in the canton of Valais with Domodossola in Piedmont (Italy). The pass itself and the villag ...

. * 2nd Division ( Lecourbe) in the St Gotthard and the valley of the

Reuss Reuss may refer to: *Reuss (surname) * Reuss (river) in Switzerland * Imperial County of Reuss or Reuß, several former states or countries in present-day Germany, and the People's State of Reuss * Principality of Reuss-Greiz and Principality of R ...

. * 3rd Division (

Soult Marshal General of France, Marshal General Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia (; 29 March 1769 – 26 November 1851) was a French general and statesman. He was a Marshal of the Empire during the Napoleonic Wars, and served three times as P ...

) Right wing near

Glarus Glarus (; ; ; ; ) is the capital of the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Since 1 January 2011, the municipality of Glarus incorporates the former municipalities of Ennenda, Netstal and Riedern.Linth The Linth (pronounced "lint") is a Switzerland, Swiss river that rises near the Linthal, Glarus, village of Linthal in the mountains of the cantons of Switzerland, canton of canton of Glarus, Glarus, and eventually flows into the Obersee (Züri ...

, the left near

Adliswil Adliswil is a town and a municipality in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. The official language of Adliswil is (the Swiss variety of Standard) German, but the main spoken language is the local variant of the A ...

on the

Sihl The Sihl is a Switzerland, Swiss river that rises near the Druesberg mountain in the canton of Schwyz, and eventually flows into the Limmat in the centre of the Zürich, city of Zürich, after crossing the Zürich–Winterthur railway at . It has ...

. * 4th Division ( Mortier) on the

Uetliberg __NOTOC__ The Uetliberg (also known as Üetliberg) is a mountain in the Swiss plateau, part of the Albis chain, rising to . The mountain offers a panoramic view of the entire city of Zürich (to the northeast of its summit), Zürichberg and ...

. * 5th Division ( Lorge) on the left bank of the

between

Altstetten Altstetten may refer to: *Altstetten, Erdweg, Bavaria, Germany *Altstetten, Rennertshofen, Bavaria, Germany *Altstetten (Zürich), Canton of Zürich, Switzerland {{Geodis ...

and

Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in southern Germany. In earlier times it was considered to be on both sides of the Upper Rhine, but since the Napoleonic Wars, it has been considered only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Ba ...

. * 6th Division ( Ménard) from Baden to the confluence of the

with the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

. * 7th Division ( Klein) formed the Reserve in the Frick-thal. * 8th Division ( Chabran) at

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

. Following the overall strategic plan, the Austrian army under the Archduke Charles was to be augmented by the 25,000 man Russian command of Korsakov, newly arrived at

Schaffhausen Schaffhausen (; ; ; ; ), historically known in English as Shaffhouse, is a list of towns in Switzerland, town with historic roots, a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of Schaffh ...

after a 90-day march. Masséna meanwhile was preparing an offensive on his right flank against the Austrian positions in the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

. On 15 and 16 August General Claude Lecourbe with 12,000 men drove the forces of Gottfried von Strauch and Joseph Anton von Simbschen from the St. Gotthard, Furka and Oberalp Passes in a series of violent assaults. As a distraction, on 14 August French forces under Soult made demonstrations across the

below Zürich. On the night of 16/17th Archduke Charles supported by Korsakov's troops launched a surprise attack over the river Aare at Gross-Döttingen using boats and

pontoon bridge A pontoon bridge (or ponton bridge), also known as a floating bridge, is a bridge that uses float (nautical), floats or shallow-draft (hull), draft boats to support a continuous deck for pedestrian and vehicle travel. The buoyancy of the support ...

s, but his

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

s misjudged the strength of the

current Currents, Current or The Current may refer to: Science and technology * Current (fluid), the flow of a liquid or a gas ** Air current, a flow of air ** Ocean current, a current in the ocean *** Rip current, a kind of water current ** Current (hydr ...

and depth of the river, the pontoon bridge was unable to be secured and eventually after serious fighting the attack was called off. Archduke Charles and Korsakov planned no further joint action however, as following the strategic plans of the Austrian

Hofkriegsrat The ''Hofkriegsrat'' (or Aulic War Council, sometimes Imperial War Council) established in 1556 was the central military administrative authority of the Habsburg monarchy until 1848 and the predecessor of the Austro-Hungarian Ministry of War. Th ...

under Baron Thugut, Charles had been ordered to move his main command north into southern

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Reluctantly following these instructions, he left behind a column of 29,000 men under Friedrich von Hotze, and Korsakov's command with the Swiss in the Austrian service. The plan for these two commands was to wait for the arrival of the Russian column of Suvorov penetrating north from Italy over the Alpine passes and trap Masséna in a 3-point encirclement.

French Troops

The French troops which took part in the battle included: * ''23éme Régiment de Chasseurs à Cheval (Légion de Ardennes)'' * ''9éme Régiment de Hussards (la Liberté)'' * ''2éme Demi-Brigade d'Infanterie de Ligne'' * ''37éme Demi-Brigade d'Infanterie de Ligne'' * ''46éme Demi-Brigade d'Infanterie de Ligne (Deuxieme Formation)'' * ''57éme Demi-Brigade d'Infanterie de Ligne'' * ''102éme Demi-Brigade d'Infanterie de Ligne'' * ''10éme Demi-Brigade d'Infanterie de Ligne''

Initial situation

On 22 August Korsakov and Hotze agreed that the Russians with 22,000 men would line the lower reaches of the River Limmat (Aare), and Hotze with 20,000 men would occupy the Obersee region below

Lake Zürich Lake Zurich (, ; ) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or can be used to describe the lake as a whole, or just that part of the lake downstream of the Hurden peninsula and ...

from the

Linth The Linth (pronounced "lint") is a Switzerland, Swiss river that rises near the Linthal, Glarus, village of Linthal in the mountains of the cantons of Switzerland, canton of canton of Glarus, Glarus, and eventually flows into the Obersee (Züri ...

Glarus Glarus (; ; ; ; ) is the capital of the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Since 1 January 2011, the municipality of Glarus incorporates the former municipalities of Ennenda, Netstal and Riedern.Gorchakov (Korsakov's main body in the Camp of Sihlfeld, between the Uetliberg and Limmat): Brigades of General-Major Tuchkov (6,314 men) and General-Major

Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...

(2,237 men) at Wollishofen. Total with gunners 10,330 men. * Division of Lieutenant-General Durasov: Brigade of General-Major

Markov Markov ( Bulgarian, ), Markova, and Markoff are common surnames used in Russia and Bulgaria. Notable people with the name include: Academics * Ivana Markova (1938–2024), Czechoslovak-British emeritus professor of psychology at the University of S ...

in a camp before Weiningen opposite

Dietikon Dietikon is the fifth biggest city of the canton of Zürich in Switzerland, after Zürich, Winterthur, Uster and Dübendorf. It is the capital of the same-named district of Dietikon and part of the Zürich metropolitan area. Geography The ...

(2,000 grenadiers and 300 cossacks) Brigade of General-Major Pushchin in a camp at Würenlos and in front of the village of

Wettingen Wettingen is a residential community in the district of Baden in the Swiss canton of Aargau. With a population about 20,000, Wettingen is the second-largest municipality in the canton. Geography Wettingen is located on the right bank of the Li ...

: 2,500 infantry, 1,000 cossacks (8 battalions, 10 squadrons). Along the right banks of the Limmat from

to the

(1,000 men). Total with gunners 7,052 men. * The cavalry and cossacks (3,000 men) under Major-General Gudovich were distributed on the Rhine along the line of the road from Zürich to Baden. * Reserve Division Lieutenant-General Sacken, 5,700 men initially in a camp at

Regensdorf Regensdorf is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Dielsdorf District of the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zürich (canton), Zürich, Switzerland. It is the largest city in the Furttal region. Katzensee is a lake that also i ...

, then along the north bank of

connecting to Hotze. Nauendorf, with 5,400 Austrians, on the right bank of the Rhine between Waldshut and

. Hotze with 25,000 Austrians, including 3,000 Swiss, from

Uznach Uznach is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. History Uznach is first mentioned in 741 as ''Uzinaa'' in a grant from a noble lady at Benken Abbey to the Abbey of Saint ...

Chur '' Chur (locally) or ; ; ; ; ; ; or ; , and . is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, town of the Switzerland, Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of the Grisons and lies in the Alpine Rhine, Grisonian Rhine Valley, where ...

and

Disentis Mustér (, Romansh) or Disentis (German), with its official name Disentis/Mustér is a village and a municipality in the Surselva Region in the Swiss canton of Grisons. The skiing and summer tourism resort high up in the Rhine valley is the si ...

. Suvorov with 28,000 Russians on the march from Italy through the Alps. Shortly before the battle Korsakov detached Osten-Sacken's 5,000 man Reserve Division to

Rapperswil Rapperswil (Swiss German: or ;Andres Kristol, ''Rapperswil SG (See)'' in: ''Dictionnaire toponymique des communes suisses – Lexikon der schweizerischen Gemeindenamen – Dizionario toponomastico dei comuni svizzeri (DTS, LSG)'', Centre de dial ...

to reinforce Hotze in anticipation of Suvorov's approach, consequently weakening his defensive line along the Limmat before Zürich and exposing his line of communications. The departure of Archduke Charles gave the French a momentary superiority in numbers, Masséna was determined to exploit this and the redistribution of Austrians and Russians. His aim was to beat Korsakov and Hotze before any intervention by Suvorov. On 30 August he attempted to cross the

and push back the enemy before Zürich. This river crossing was unsuccessful, and Masséna now planned a crossing near Dietikon with a subsequent attack on Korsakov in Zürich. On 19 September, Masséna revealed his plan to his division commanders. Lorge's Division and part of Ménard's would cross the Limmat from Dietikon and attack Korsakov in Zürich. The remainder of Ménard's command would occupy the enemy by demonstrating at Vogelsang. At the same time Mortier's Division was to hold the attention of Korsakov's main body in front of Zürich by attacking Wollishofen. Klein was to cover the Alstetten road, while the Division of Soult was to cross the

at Bilten and prevent Hotze from assisting the Russians. All the boats available for transportation were assembled at

Brugg Brugg (sometimes written as Brugg AG in order to distinguish it from other ''Brugg''s) is a Switzerland, Swiss Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality and a List of towns in Switzerland, town in the canton of Aargau and is the seat of the Bru ...

, while a pontoon bridge was constructed at Rottenschwil to mislead the enemy as to the point of crossing. Since June, French boats had been gathered from different waters and transported over land and water. By September, 37 boats of different types were gathered in secret near Dietikon. Under cover of the night of 23/24 September Artillery General Dedon dismantled the pontoon bridge at Rottenschwil and transported it by convoy across the mountain to Dietikon. On 24 September news came that Suvorov's troops had finally conquered the

Gotthard Pass The Gotthard Pass or St. Gotthard Pass (; ) at is a mountain pass in the Alps traversing the Saint-Gotthard Massif and connecting northern Switzerland with southern Switzerland. The pass lies between Airolo in the Italian-speaking canton of Ti ...

(see Battle of Gotthard Pass). This delayed success for the Russians made the joint attack of Korsakov, Hotze and Suvorov impossible, but it persuaded Masséna to bring forward his attack from 26 to 25 September.

The Crossing of the Limmat

On the evening of 24 September Masséna's troops concentrated at Dietikon amounted to more than 8,000 men of Lorge's infantry division and 26 guns, all laying silently in the vicinity of the river. On the other side of the Limmat between

Würenlos Würenlos is a municipality in the district of Baden in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. It lies north of the river Limmat, next to the canton of Zürich, located in the Limmat Valley (German: ''Limmattal''). Geography Würenlos has an ar ...

and

Wipkingen Wipkingen is a quarter in the district 10 in Zürich. It was formerly a municipality of its own, having been incorporated into Zürich in 1893. The quarter has a population of 15,446 distributed on an area of 2.11 km². Zentrum für M ...

they were faced by only 2,600 Russians under Major General

, including 1,100 men under Markov himself in Oetwil Würenlos, 290 men and 2 guns of the Misinov Cossack regiment between the rise of the monastery drive and the pine woods, 220 men of a Grenadier Battalion on the western edge of the pine woods and four squadrons of

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

s, with 550 men under Colonel Dmitry Dmitrievich Shepelev at Wipkingen. On 25 September at 04:45 as boats were rapidly launched across the Limmat the alarm was raised, and initial shots fired by a battalion of Gazan's Advance Guard Brigade signalled the beginning of the attack. With prompt efficiency approximately 600 men in 37 boats crossed the Limmat and formed a

bridgehead In military strategy, a bridgehead (or bridge-head) is the strategically important area of ground around the end of a bridge or other place of possible crossing over a body of water which at time of conflict is sought to be defended or taken over ...

on the opposite bank. The crossing of the boats alerted the weak Russian outposts on the opposite bank, but despite several rounds of musketry and artillery not a single boat was sunk, or a man drowned. At this point the Limmat sweeps back in a wide arc to the south, allowing Masséna's artillery to fire from both sides of the river bend on the landing and deeper beyond the bridgehead. 25 shots hit various buildings of the

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

. As more French crossed, firing from the left bank ceased in fear of hitting their own men, and all effort was placed into traversing the river. At 05:00 Dedon directed the erection of the pontoon bridge. The French bridgehead was exposed to Russian artillery fire from the heights of Kloster-Fahr and the pine woods. This plateau, defended by seven guns and Markov's reserves was forthwith attacked, and after hard fighting by 06:00 the Russians were driven back, Markov wounded and taken prisoner. Barely an hour after the first shots the French had crossed 800 men and were in possession of the pine wood and the Russian camp. Behind them the pontoon bridge was rapidly assembled and completed at 07:30. By 09:00 the entire division of Lorge was on the right side of the Limmat with 8,000 men and a total of 26 guns. Masséna aimed to prevent the Russian right wing under Durasov joining their left at Zürich, and now quickly sent Bontemps with his brigade to gain the slopes of the mountains of the Glatt and cut the communications between Regensberg and Zürich. Bontemps' left was covered by 2 battalions of Quétard's brigade on the Wurenlos road. All the other troops, some 15,000 men including the advance guard under Gazan, followed

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 supportin ...

Nicolas Oudinot Nicolas Charles Oudinot, duc de Reggio (; 25 April 1767 – 13 September 1847), was a French general of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He is known to have been wounded 34 times in battle, being hit by artillery shells, sa ...

in the direction of Höngg.

Mortier's attack

Meanwhile, at 05:00 Mortier's Division had launched its feint attacks against Korsakov's main command. His left under Brunet advanced to the small plateau at Wiedikon where they were soon pinned down by superior forces. His right under Drouet drove the Russians from Wollishofen, but were soon counter-attacked by Gorchakov's six battalions, assisted by William's

flotilla A flotilla (from Spanish, meaning a small ''flota'' ( fleet) of ships), or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. Composition A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same cla ...

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

s, and pushed back towards the Uetli. Gorchakov however, not satisfied with merely repulsing the enemy attack, pursued the French to the

and succeeded in capturing some batteries. This gain was however to contribute to the day's disaster, as the French success on the right bank, together with Klein's advance from Alstetten onto the Sihlfeld plane enfiladed the right of the Russian corps, obliging Korsakov to withdraw it at 13:00. Closely pursued as they retreated, Gorchakov's men suffered considerable loss.

Ménard's feint

The river crossing over the Limmat was successful as the Russians were too weak in their front section, and because they had been distracted away from Dietikon with feints by Mortier's Division at Wollishofen and Ménard's Division at Vogelsang. Ménard had succeeded in completely outwitting the Russians with his attack and also demonstrations against Brugg. From daybreak he had opened a barrage of artillery fire with all his guns in the vicinity of Baden and at the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

of the Aare and Limmat against Durasov's forces, spread his remaining brigade out in full view of the enemy, and put into motion the remaining boats on the river. Durasov was completely duped by this, and stationed his troops nearly the entire day between Freyenwyl and Wurenlingen. By the time he realised his mistake and marched to rejoin troops on the heights of Oetlikon he found the passage barred by Bontemp's brigade, and had to make a substantial detour to Zürich, where he arrived late at night. At Vogelsang Ménard succeeded in throwing a small detachment over the Limmat on boats transported overland from the Aare while under fire, this enabled him to re-establish a flying bridge, with which he crossed part of his command the next morning.

Battle closes on Zürich

In Zürich, Korsakov had felt his position secure to the extent that he had not made a single inspection of the line, nor had he removed his baggage or hospitals to a safe distance; instead, everything was left jumbled up in the city. Roused by the cannonade, he rode out to Höngg with a small detachment of troops and learned of Markov's defeat. Nevertheless, he was convinced that the crossing of the

was merely a demonstration, and that the main threat came from Mortier's attack on Wollishofen. By 10:00 the French were advancing on both banks of the Limmat supported by a heavy artillery barrage. Oudinot seized Höngg and the Wipkingen Heights from the weak detachment left by Korsakov, then, joined by part of the Reserve, at shortly before 15:00 he began attacking the Zürichberg, held by several Russian battalions. Gazan marched to

Schwamendingen Schwamendingen is a district in the Switzerland, Swiss city of Zürich. Formerly an independent community, it was incorporated into Zurich in 1934 to build district number 12. The district comprises the quarters Schwamendingen Mitte, Saatlen a ...

to cut the road to Winterthur. By this time Korsakov had finally become aware of his dangerous situation and withdrew troops from the right bank through Zürich to face the advancing Oudinot, however they could only do this by filing through the narrow streets of the town, jammed with wounded and baggage. A barrage of howitzer shells from the French further increased the confusion and impeded the Russians even more. By the time they had cleared Zürich it was too late, the French had gained the mountain on that side of town and on the plains took possession of the Beckenhof country house. The Russians attacked bravely, but could make no impression on the troops of Lorges, supported by the Helvetian Legion. In the meantime four Russian battalions sent back to Zürich by Hotze arrived, Korsakov put himself at their head and with the help of Bachmann's Swiss Legion drove back the French to the foot of the Heights of Wipkingen. Gazan however, held on at Schwamendingen. The Russian counterattacks against the Zürichberg, though incredibly brave, were inadequate in number and "instead of gaining the heights, the troops kept fighting before the gate, and charging the enemy with the bayonet among the vines and hedges, in a ground which did not admit of such an operation". As night drew on Korsakov shut himself up in Zürich, having conceded the plains to the French. Masséna summoned the town but received no answer.

Soult's Attack against Hotze

While all this was going on around Zürich, at the eastern end of Lake Zürich the Austrian corps of Hotze faced the French division of

Jean-de-Dieu Soult Marshal General Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia (; 29 March 1769 – 26 November 1851) was a French general and statesman. He was a Marshal of the Empire during the Napoleonic Wars, and served three times as President of the Council of ...

in the channels and marshes around the lower Linth and the Walensee. For days beforehand Soult had dressed himself in an ordinary infantryman's uniform and performed outpost duty to observe the Austrian positions. The Battle of Linth River began at 02:30 on the 25th when a small group of soldiers, stripped to their underclothes, with pistols and ammunition tied above their heads and swords in their teeth, swam across the channel near

Schänis Schänis is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of See-Gaster (Wahlkreis), See-Gaster in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of St. Gallen (canton), St. Gallen in Switzerland. History Schänis is firs ...

. They were able to pull up rafts with ropes, and under the darkness and a thick mist which lingered all day, a whole battalion was ferried across before the alarm was raised. Similar crossings were made at

Grynau Castle The Grynau Castle (Swiss German: ''Grynau'', ''Grinau'' and ''Schloss Grynau'') is the name of a castle tower in the municipality of Tuggen in the canton of Schwyz, built by the House of Rapperswil in the early 13th century AD. Geography The ...

and

Schmerikon Schmerikon is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of See-Gaster (Wahlkreis), See-Gaster in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of St. Gallen (canton), St. Gallen in Switzerland. In the local Swiss Germa ...

. At 04:00 Hotze was awakened by the noise of artillery fire and rode out to find his troops fighting bravely at Schänis. He then rode with his chief of staff towards Weesen to reconnoitre, but in the fog they ran into French troops concealed in a wood. As the two Austrians turned to flee they opened fire and both men were shot dead. News of the death of Hotze spread quickly and the dismayed Austrians now under the hapless command of Franz Petrasch fell back towards

Lichtensteig Lichtensteig is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Toggenburg in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. History Lichtensteig was founded by the counts of Toggenburg in the early 13th century, first mentioned in 1228 as ''Lie ...

, abandoning their small flotilla of boats at

. Further east on Soult's right flank,

Gabriel Jean Joseph Molitor Gabriel-Jean-Joseph Molitor (7 March 1770 – 28 July 1849) was a Marshal of France. Biography He was born in Hayingen in Lorraine. Upon the outbreak of the French Revolution, Molitor joined the French revolutionary armies as a captain in a bat ...

's brigade had been attacked by the Austrian far left flank columns under Franz Jellacic and Friedrich von Linken on the upper Linth. The two Austrians were unaware of the fate of Hotze's and Korsakov's forces and out of touch with each other. The French 84th Line Infantry demi-brigade held on behind the Linth all through 25 September, then counter-attacked on the following day. Encouraged by the defeat of Hotze, Molitor's men drove Jellacic's Austrians back towards Walenstadt. On the 25th, Linken's column appeared in the Sernftal, surprising and capturing two battalions of the French 76th Line Infantry. Linken's troops, which consisted of Joseph Anton von Simbschen's brigade, soon found themselves opposed by a battalion of the 84th Line. By 27 September, Molitor attacked Linken after being reinforced by two of Soult's battalions, but the fighting was inconclusive. On 29 September after more skirmishing, Linken gave the order to retreat to the Rhine valley after receiving a misleading note from a

double agent In the field of counterintelligence, a double agent is an employee of a secret intelligence service for one country, whose primary purpose is to spy on a target organization of another country, but who is now spying on their own country's organi ...

and not getting any other news from Suvorov or Hotze.

Actions on 26 September

During the night Korsakov was finally joined by Durasov's troops, and by the corps returned by Hotze from the Linth. Now mustering 16 battalions Korsakov was determined to hold his position at Zurich until he could be joined by Suvorov. That morning he received the news of the death of Hotze. Facing the Russians, Oudinot assembled all the troops on the right bank to attack the Zürichberg – Bontemp's brigade was to block the Winterthur road on the left. Lorge was to march along the Limmat to connect with the attacks of Klein and Mortier, who in their turn would advance by the Sihlfeld with Masséna at their head. By cutting the retreat of the Russians they would be driven into the lake. At dawn the Russians launched a powerful attack against Lorge's Division in two lines which succeeding in driving back Bontem's brigade and re-taking the Winterthur Road, thus foiling the plan to drive them into the lake. This was very fortunate for Korsakov, as at that moment Klein and Mortier were bombarding Klein Zürich, and Oudinot's ordinance breaking in the Höngg gate. Terrible confusion reigned in the confines of the town, Korsakov proposed a parley, but no one paid any attention. Instead the Russians began a general retreat, leaving only a weak rearguard in the town. Though he made no effort to prevent the withdrawal, Masséna advanced Dedon's light artillery to successive positions to fire on the left flank of the retreating column, which spread complete disorder through their ranks. Masséna then ordered Lorge, Bontems and Gazan to charge the centre of the Russians, who defended themselves with desperation. Generals Sacken and Likotsuchin were severely wounded, the troops fought in isolated pockets without cohesion of any sort. At the same time Oudinot broke through the Limmat gate, still defended by the Russian rearguard, while Klein stormed through Klein Zürich with the Reserve. There was no pursuit and the Russians were able to retreat without further interference, however Korsakov determined to continue withdrawing with undiminished speed as far as the Rhine, and beyond. Wickham claims that the greater part of the Russian command were able to reach Eglisau unmolested by the French. Nevertheless, of an original force of more than 25,000 men, Korsakov finally reached the Rhine with 10,000 remnants via Bülach and Eglisau, having lost his baggage train, guns and military chest and records.

Assessment

The defeat of Korsakov came about through a combination of careful planning by the French and poor leadership on the part of the Russians. On his arrival at the front Korsakov had made no personal reconnaissances, but gave himself over to comfortable existence in Zürich and relied entirely on a misplaced faith in the superiority of his troops to all others. Masséna described him as "more of a courtier than a soldier". Equally, the very rigid linear style of fighting the Russians had developed in their wars against the Ottoman Empire stood against them in this terrain against the more fluid French. Accustomed as they were to seize victory by aggressive bayonet advances to their front, it never occurred to them that they might be outflanked. Korsakov and Petrasch have also been strongly criticised for their rapid withdrawal over the Rhine despite very little pursuit by the French and in full knowledge that Suvorov was struggling to join them from the south. The Republican victory was undoubtedly Masséna's greatest triumph, however he too has been criticised for failing to fully exploit his success. Rocquancourt, Jomini and the Archduke Charles question why Masséna on the evening of the 25th, when it became clear the Russians were concentrating against Oudinot, did not move up all of Klein's reserve and the remains of Ménard's Division to support the left wing and hence surround the Russians. Nevertheless, the action remains a brilliant feat of arms for the French.

Aftermath

Masséna, aware of Suvorov's advance toward St. Gotthard, quickly shifted his troops southward. Lecourbe's division had already performed heroics in delaying the Russians at the St. Gotthard Pass, and later at the spectacular crossing over the Reuss at the

Devil's Bridge Devil's Bridge is a term applied to dozens of ancient bridges, found primarily in Europe. Most of these bridges are stone or masonry arch bridges and represent a significant technological achievement in ancient architecture. Due to their unusu ...

. When Suvorov finally forced the Reuss he was met by units of Soult's division blocking the route at Altdorf. Unable to break through the French lines and aware of Korsakov's disastrous defeat, the Russian general turned east through the high and difficult Pragel Pass to Glarus, where he was dismayed to find other French troops awaiting him on 4 October. Massena tried to defeat Suvorov, but the latter defeated him at Battle of Muottental, and then captured the important city of

Glarus Glarus (; ; ; ; ) is the capital of the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Since 1 January 2011, the municipality of Glarus incorporates the former municipalities of Ennenda, Netstal and Riedern.Helvetic Republic The Helvetic Republic (; ; ) was a sister republic of France that existed between 1798 and 1803, during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was created following the French invasion and the consequent dissolution of the Old Swiss Confederacy, ma ...

. After the French victory Russia pulled out of the Second Coalition. The French extended their control of the territory of the Confederation and created favourable conditions for the attack on Austria. Under accusations of looting Masséna requisitioned enormous quantities of food, livestock and feed as well as soldiers and money. Want and misery dominated in the war-affected areas. The Second Coalition War had greatly weakened the Helvetic Republic, the consequent loss of popular support led ultimately to the 1803

Act of Mediation The Act of Mediation () was issued by Napoleon Bonaparte, French Consulate, First Consul of the French Republic on 19 February 1803 to abolish the Helvetic Republic, which had existed since the invasion of Old Swiss Confederacy, Switzerland by F ...

. On the Zürichberg up a short forest trail and a monument to Masséna and the French. On the monument in the forest both battles of Zürich are briefly described. There is another commemorative memorial at Langnau am Albis south of Zürich to the defence of the Albis pass. In Paris the village names of

and Muta Thal are chiselled on the

Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, often called simply the Arc de Triomphe, is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Plac ...

. In Schöllenenschlucht (near the

) is a monument to the Alpine crossing of the Russians under Suvorov.

Notes

References

Sources

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zurich 1799-09 Suvorov's Swiss campaign Battles involving the Helvetic Republic Military history of Zurich 1799 in the Habsburg monarchy Battles inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe Battles of the War of the Second Coalition involving Russia Battles of the War of the Second Coalition involving Austria