ORDER OF BATTLE // May 10, 1796
Battle of Lodi
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 25,000 estimated
French Republic
15,500
Medium-confidence figure
Habsburg monarchy
9,500
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Lodi was fought during the Italian campaign of 1796–1797, one of the opening campaigns of what would become the broader Napoleonic Wars. French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte engaged an Austrian rear guard at Lodi, Lombardy, on 10 May 1796. Although the Austrian main body under Johann Peter Beaulieu was able to retreat before the French could cut it off, the rear guard under Karl Philipp Sebottendorf was defeated, and French forces secured the bridge. The action confirmed French momentum in Lombardy and continued the pressure on Habsburg positions in northern Italy. Habsburg casualties stood at approximately 1,700 against a French force of roughly 15,500 men facing an Austrian contingent of 9,500.
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