Battle of Sassello

Overview

The battle of Sassello was a minor skirmish during the war of the Second Coalition, fought on 10 April 1800 between a 2,000-men French force under General Jean-de-Dieu Soult and a largely superior Austrian corps under the command of Prince Prince Hohenzollern. The battle took place 30 kilometers northwest of Genoa, which was at the time under French control but under siege by the Austrians. The skirmish at Sassello ended in favor of the Austrians, with either side losing about 1,000 men but with the Austrians being able to pursue their encirclement of Genoa.

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

Significance

The skirmish at Sassello, fought 30 kilometers northwest of Genoa on 10 April 1800, pitted a 2,000-strong French force under Soult against an Austrian corps of roughly 20,000 under Prince Hohenzollern. Despite comparable casualties on each side — approximately 1,000 men — the engagement ended in Austrian favor. Genoa was at the time under French control but already under Austrian siege, and the outcome at Sassello allowed the Austrians to continue and consolidate their encirclement of the city. The action illustrates the broader French difficulty in maintaining positions on the Ligurian coast during the opening phase of the 1800 campaign, and it set conditions for the tightening of the siege that would follow.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)