Battle of Cassano

Background. While Napoleon Bonaparte campaigned in Egypt, the Second Coalition launched an invasion of French-occupied Italy. General Barthélemy Schérer fought inconclusive actions against the Austrians at Pastrengo, Verona, and Legnago on 26 March 1799, and Feldmarschal-Leutnant Pál Kray defeated him at the Battle of Magnano on 4 April. The clash at Cassano formed part of the wider battle of the Adda River, the so-called forcing of the Adda.

Forces and Command. Austrians made up the bulk of the allied army: according to Christopher Duffy, Suvorov had 20,000 Russians and 30,000 Austrians at his disposal. Moreau had replaced Schérer as supreme French commander and concentrated about 15,000 men, while the Coalition commander gathered roughly 20,000 soldiers for the crossing. Moreau rode to the battlefield believing the main Coalition attack was under way there and nearly fell into the hands of Cossacks who had already reached Inzago.

Course of the Battle. The Adda battle of 26–27 April divided into three clashes: the combat of Lecco, where Suvorov sent Bagration's Russians, likely as a distraction; the decisive combats near Trezzo sull'Adda and Vaprio d'Adda, where mostly Austrians were concentrated; and the combat around the fortified position of Cassano, where Melas' Austrians flanked toward the French rear. On 27 April the key engagement was the combat at Vaprio d'Adda, pitting about 11,000 Austrians and Cossacks against 7,000 French, while at Cassano itself the Austrian Reisky regiment, 1,911 men strong, stormed the bridge-head fortifications. Moreau was thrown back everywhere, and Suvorov's assault forced a general retreat.

Aftermath at Verderio. On the early morning of 28 April an advance detachment of one Austrian battalion under Louis Victor Meriadec de Rohan-Guéméné and the Pozdneev Cossack regiment, advancing toward Paderno, overran a cavalry post behind Imbersago and unexpectedly encountered a whole French detachment. The French under Sérurier defended stubbornly at Verderio, even repelling unsupported hussars in a flank attack, but ran out of ammunition. Facing an Austrian attack in several columns and the approach of Rosenberg's main Russian troops—about 17,000 Coalition forces—Sérurier judged further resistance reckless and surrendered.