Battle of Lonato

Significance

The Battle of Lonato, fought on 3–4 August 1796, was part of a week of actions beginning 29 July in which the French Army of Italy under Napoleon Bonaparte engaged an Austrian corps-sized column led by Lieutenant General Peter Quasdanovich. The engagement resulted in the retreat of Quasdanovich's badly mauled force, with Austrian casualties roughly two and a half times those of the French. By eliminating Quasdanovich's threat, Bonaparte was able to concentrate his forces against the main Austrian army under Wurmser and defeat it at the Battle of Castiglione on 5 August. Lonato thus functioned as a necessary preliminary to Castiglione: neutralizing one Austrian column freed French operational mass for a decisive blow against the other, tying the two engagements into a single, sequenced campaign outcome.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (4)