ORDER OF BATTLE // April 15, 1809
Battle of Sacile
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 76,050 estimated
First French Empire
37,050
Medium-confidence figure
Austrian Empire
39,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Sacile and the companion Clash at Pordenone on 15 April 1809 resulted in a defeat for Eugène de Beauharnais's Franco-Italian army and forced it into retreat. Archduke John's Austrian force, numbering roughly 39,000 against a French strength of around 37,050, inflicted approximately 2,500 casualties on the French while sustaining between 3,846 and 4,100 of their own. The engagement east of the Livenza River represented the most significant victory of Archduke John's military career and demonstrated that the Austrians could contest French control of the Italian theater during the opening phase of the War of the Fifth Coalition. By compelling Beauharnais to withdraw, John temporarily reversed French operational momentum in northeastern Italy, though the wider war would ultimately turn on developments elsewhere.
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