Combat of Turbigo

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Combat of Turbigo
Part of the War of the Second Coalition
CombattimentoDiTurbigo1800.jpg
Combat of Turbigo
Date31 May 1800
Location
Turbigo, Province of Milan, Lombardy
44°32′N 8°44′E / 44.533°N 8.733°E / 44.533; 8.733Coordinates: 44°32′N 8°44′E / 44.533°N 8.733°E / 44.533; 8.733
Result French victory
Belligerents
France Austria
Commanders and leaders
Napoleon Bonaparte

The combat of Turbigo was an episode of the War of the Second Coalition[1] It took place on May 31, 1800 (11 Prairial) in Turbigo between Austrians and French, the latter coming from Piedmont after crossing the Alps. On May 30, 1800 (10 Prairial) the French soldiers of the Boudet division entered Novara. Also on the 30th, General Duhesme took up position with the Boudet and Loison divisions on the banks of the Ticino river, the Boudet division was placed in front of Trecate and that of Loison in Vigevano and surroundings. On May 31, 1800 (11 Prairial) Napoleon Bonaparte was in Novara. Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul at the time, exploited the uncertainty of his adversaries and set off towards Ticino river.

Passage over Ticino river in Turbigo[]

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On May 31, Murat, under Napoleon's eyes, crossed the Ticino, while Duhesme began to cross the river in Boffalora sopra Ticino. The vanguard of Lieutenant General Murat was already in Galliate early in the morning. The Austrians, positioned on the opposite side of the Ticino, facing Galliate, were very well entrenched and defended the position with several pieces of artillery. The rifle fire coming from the French ranks immediately triggered the cannon fire reaction of the Austrians. The French light artillery, consisting only of two 4-pound pieces served by the gunners of the guard, in the presence of Napoleon himself, to the sound of the drums, very well supported the attempt by the French infantry to cross the river via rafts and four or five boats recovered on the spot, so much that they forced the Austrians to abandon the defensive positions on the opposite side of the Ticino river.[2]

Fighting and taking of Turbigo[]

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The French infantry rejects the last charge of the Austrian cavalry on the bridge of the Naviglio Grande in Turbigo (painting made for the 220th anniversary of the battle)

The Austrians quickly evacuated the side of the Ticino river and reorganized themselves to defend the bridge over the Naviglio Grande at the entrance to the town of Turbigo, a bridge on which numerous barricades were built. In the meantime, the Austrian arrived in Turbigo himself, with numerous reinforcements, especially cavalry. But his position, although formidable, was soon attacked by the Monnier division, with the , which formed the vanguard and to which many soldiers of the who had crossed the river had joined. The Austrians lost 700 men in this action, 400 of whom were taken prisoner. General , with his demi-brigade, took up a position in front of Turbigo. The Austrians attempted several cavalry charges to regain control of the bridge over the Naviglio Grande but all failed. In the end, there were more than three hundred cavalry casualties. In this juncture, the citizen Jacques , injured in the arm, was promoted on the field, by Napoleon himself, "cavalry squadron leader" and the citizen will later reach the rank of general (he lost his life heroically during the 1812 Russian campaign). Only at ten o’clock at night the village of Turbigo, completely burned, finally fell into the hands of the French troops. The night and the effort did not immediately allow the French to chase the enemy retreating towards Milan. Turbigo was raked house by house the whole night to extinguish the last Austrian resistance that had occupied the whole town. On June 1 (12 Prairial) Napoleon Bonaparte was in Turbigo. Early in the morning, while he is still in Novara, he wrote to General Lannes informing him of the victory over Ticino (Bulletin No. 5389 "Correspondance générale de Napoléon Bonaparte").[3]

Conclusion of the clashes and entry into Milan[]

On June 2 (13 Prairial), early in the morning in Turbigo,[4] where he slept, Napoleon can breathe more freely.[5] Already the day before, Murat and Boudet had taken the road to Milan. Murat, with all his cavalry, the nineteenth and thirtieth demi-brigades, made a forced march to reach the enemy, who had fled in the direction of Milan with such rapidity that he could not reach him. The relentless pursuit of General Murat ended at the gates of the city, which surrendered without bloodshed. On June 2, 1800, at 2 pm, Napoleon Bonaparte with his advisers Petiet and Bourrienne, set off from Turbigo, in a carriage, to enter triumphantly in Milan.

Curiosity[]

The French dedicated a street in Paris, the "Rue de Turbigo", to the events of arms that took place in Turbigo in May/June 1800.[6] Another war episode took place in Turbigo in 1859 during the Second Italian War of Independence, once again fought between the French and the Austrians, the so-called "Battle of Turbigo". In Turbigo there is a museum that collects information on the facts dating back to the passage over the Ticino river.

References[]

  1. ^ "Gaspar Cugnac, Campaign of the Army of the Reserve in 1800".
  2. ^ "Print, Passage du Tesin et Prise de Turbigo par l'Armé de Réserve".
  3. ^ France (1800). "Gazette nationale ou le moniteur universel, Juin 1800". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ^ Perrot, Aristide Michel (1846). Itineraire general de Napoleon chronologie du cunsulat et del'empire, A.M. Perrot, 1846.
  5. ^ Tranié et Carmignani, Napoléon Bonaparte - 2ème campagne d'Italie.
  6. ^ Leur, Thierry Van de (3 April 2013). PARISIS CODE - TOME 1, Thierry Van De Leur. ISBN 9791091289023.

External links[]

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