Battle of Csorna

Overview

The Battle of Csorna, fought on 13 June 1849, was one of the battles which took place in the Summer Campaign of the Hungarian War of Independence from 1848 to 1849, fought between the Habsburg Empire and the Hungarian Revolutionary Army. The Hungarian army was led by Colonel György Kmety, and the imperial army by Major General Franz Wyss. After liberation of the Hungarian capitals from the siege of Buda, the Hungarian commanders elaborated a plan to continue the Hungarian advance towards the Habsburg capital Vienna, before the arrival of the 200,000-strong army, sent by the Russian Empire to help the 170,000-strong Habsburg troops to crush the Hungarian revolution and freedom.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Csorna on 13 June 1849 was part of the Hungarian Summer Campaign, a strategic effort by revolutionary commanders to press westward toward Vienna following the liberation of the Hungarian capital from Habsburg siege. The urgency of the campaign was defined by the imminent arrival of a Russian expeditionary force numbering some 200,000 troops, dispatched by the Russian Empire to reinforce the Habsburg army of approximately 170,000. Hungarian commanders judged that offensive momentum toward Vienna represented the best strategic option before that combined Austro-Russian strength could be concentrated against them. The engagement under Colonel György Kmety against Major General Franz Wyss's imperial force formed one node of this broader summer offensive, through which the Hungarian Revolutionary Army sought to exploit its recent successes before the window of strategic opportunity closed.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)