ORDER OF BATTLE // January 16, 1797
Battle of La Favorite
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 44,000–47,000 estimated
French Republic
28,000
Medium-confidence figure
Habsburg monarchy
16,000–19,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
La Favorita was the concluding engagement of the prolonged French effort to capture Mantua during the Italian campaign of 1796–1797. Austrian forces under Wurmser and Provera attempted a relief operation against the besieged fortress of Mantua east of the city, bringing French commanders Napoleon Bonaparte, Masséna, Victor-Perrin, and Sérurier into action against a combined Austrian force of 16,000–19,000 men. The French, fielding approximately 28,000 troops, repulsed the operation at a cost of roughly 1,200 casualties against Austrian losses of around 1,300. By defeating this final relief attempt, French forces foreclosed any remaining Austrian option to relieve Wurmser's garrison, sealing Mantua's fate and effectively ending sustained Austrian resistance in northern Italy during this phase of the campaign.
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