Battle of Bassano
Feldmarschall Wurmser received a direct order from Emperor Francis II to relieve Mantua at once. The first attempt to break the siege had failed at the battles of Lonato and Castiglione in early August. This defeat forced Wurmser to retreat north up the Adige River valley. He drew up a new strategy with his chief-of-staff Feldmarschal-Leutnant Franz von Lauer. They left FML Paul Davidovich and 13,700 soldiers to defend Trento and the approaches to the County of Tyrol. Wurmser directed two divisions east then south down the Brenta valley. When he joined the large division of Johann Mészáros at Bassano, he would have 20,000 men. From Bassano, Wurmser planned to move on Mantua while Davidovich probed enemy defenses from the north. Lauer predicted that the French, having suffered recent losses, would be unable to react in time. Unknown to the Austrians, the French government desired that General Bonaparte cross the Alps to join the army of General Jean Moreau in southern Germany.
After Castiglione, Napoleon rearranged his intelligence gathering operations significantly. The French representative in Venice, Lallement, was sent money to pay for spies to check out areas between Venice and Trent. Bonaparte's station chief, Angelo Pico, based at Peschiera, sent his men forward into the Tyrol. His spy Francesco Toli had penetrated Austrian headquarters and forewarned Bonaparte that Wurmser had left Davidovich at Trento. So, Bonaparte struck first, sending Masséna and Augereau north toward Trento. Meanwhile, Vaubois advanced past Lake Idro to Riva at the north end of Lake Garda. Vaubois and Masséna converged on Rovereto on the Adige. At the Battle of Rovereto on the 4th of September, the French routed Davidovich's outnumbered troops. They inflicted 3,000 casualties at a cost of 750 killed and wounded. Finding that Wurmser had moved toward Bassano, Bonaparte abandoned the plan to link with Moreau. He ordered Augereau, followed by Masséna, to the east into the Brenta valley.
On the 8th of September, 20,000 French soldiers fell upon Wurmser from the north. First, they attacked the 3,800-man Austrian rearguard under FML Peter Quasdanovich and General-Major Adam Bajalics. Bonaparte sent Masséna down the west bank of the Brenta and Augereau down the east bank. Overwhelmed by repeated attacks and pursued by Colonel Joachim Murat's cavalry, the rearguard collapsed and Bajalics was captured. Wurmser deployed one brigade on the west bank, a second brigade on the east bank, and a third in Bassano. Colonel Jean Lannes led a successful charge which broke the Austrian lines and burst into the town. Quasdanovich later assumed command over the defeated Austrians who retreated east. But 3,500 soldiers of FML Karl Sebottendorf's division fell back to the south with their army commander. The French suffered 400 killed, wounded, and missing while Wurmser lost 600 killed and wounded. Between 2,000 and 6,000 Austrians, eight colors and 30 artillery pieces were captured.
Wurmser unexpectedly headed west toward Mantua and joined the division of Mészáros at Vicenza. Immediately, Bonaparte sent his two divisions after the Austrians, hoping to cut them off. Masséna advanced southwest from Vicenza while Augereau moved south to Padua to close the Austrian escape route to the east. General-Major Peter Ott distinguished himself by leading Wurmser's vanguard in the race for Mantua. A French battalion holding Legnago abandoned its post, allowing the Austrians passage across the Adige. Wurmser left 1,600 men to hold the city and continued his march. On the 11th of September, Masséna intercepted the Austrians at Cerea with two brigades weakened by straggling. Ott held on until Wurmser arrived with the main body, driving the French back with 1,200 casualties. Bonaparte ordered Sahuguet to take up blocking positions at Castel d'Ario and at Governolo where the Mincio River flowed into the Po River. The next day, the Austrian field marshal crossed a bridge that Sahuguet failed to destroy and led 10,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry to Mantua.
Mantua's garrison was swollen to nearly 30,000 men after the battle. But within six weeks, 4,000 Austrians died of wounds or disease in the crowded fortress. During the fighting near Mantua, 2,500 Austrians became casualties and 11 cannon and 3 colors were captured. The French lost 1,500 killed and wounded plus nine guns captured during this phase. Between 2,000 and 6,000 Austrians, eight colors and 30 artillery pieces were captured at Bassano itself. The vigorous French pursuit also seized a bridging train plus 200 limbers and ammunition wagons. One historian notes that their army commander had managed to get himself shut inside the very place he was trying to liberate. They lost more than 11,000 men in the process of the second attempt to relieve Mantua.
The victory led to Wurmser being trapped in Mantua but Napoleon found his army now badly overstretched. He held both Trento and Bassano meaning he could not support either location without being drawn too far away from the other. This situation would nearly allow the Austrians to win during the third attempt to raise the siege of Mantua in November. It was the last battle in Napoleon's perfect military career as two months later he would be defeated at the Second Battle of Bassano. The French had failed to make the link between their armies in Italy and Germany. Bonaparte was back to square one still faced with the problem of reducing Mantua which now had a much more powerful garrison. The engagement occurred during the second Austrian attempt to raise the siege of Mantua and marked a turning point in the War of the First Coalition.
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Common questions
What happened to Feldmarschall Wurmser after the Battle of Bassano?
Feldmarschall Wurmser was trapped inside Mantua with his army after the engagement. He lost more than 11,000 men during the second attempt to relieve Mantua and eventually died of wounds or disease within six weeks.
When did the French defeat Davidovich at the Battle of Rovereto?
The French routed Davidovich's outnumbered troops on the 4th of September 1796. They inflicted 3,000 casualties at a cost of only 750 killed and wounded for their own forces.
How many soldiers were captured by the French at the Battle of Bassano?
Between 2,000 and 6,000 Austrians were captured along with eight colors and 30 artillery pieces. The French also seized a bridging train plus 200 limbers and ammunition wagons during the victory.
Why did Napoleon abandon his plan to link with General Jean Moreau?
Napoleon abandoned the plan to join the army of General Jean Moreau in southern Germany because he discovered that Feldmarschall Wurmser had moved toward Bassano. This intelligence shift forced him to redirect Masséna and Augereau into the Brenta valley instead.
Who commanded the Austrian rearguard during the fighting near Bassano?
Feldmarschalleutnant Peter Quasdanovich and General-Major Adam Bajalics commanded the 3,800-man Austrian rearguard. Bajalics was captured while Quasdanovich later assumed command over the defeated Austrians who retreated east.