Battle of Assietta
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| Battle of Assietta | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the War of the Austrian Succession | |||||||
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| Combatants | |||||||
| France | Kingdom of Sardinia | ||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| Louis Charles Armand Fouquet | Count of Bricherasio | ||||||
| Casualties | |||||||
| c. 5,000 | 77 | ||||||
| War of the Austrian Succession: Italian Campaigns |
|---|
| Campo Santo – Villafranca – Casteldelfino – Velletri – Madonna dell'Olmo – Bassignano – Piacenza – Rottofreddo - Assietta |
The Battle of Assietta was fought in the Italian campaign of the War of the Austrian Succession on July 19, 1747. It resulted in a defeat for France against the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
[edit] Background
In the late phase of the War of the Austrian Succession, France had decided to eliminate the Savoy-Piedmontese army, considered dangerous due to its strong strategic position. King Louis XV had already tried to penetrate in Piedmont, besieging Cuneo and fighting at Madonna dell'Olmo and Bassignana, but had been always defeated. This time he advanced with a huge army comprising 150 infantry regiments, 75 cavalry squads and 2 artillery brigades, under the command of Marshal Charles Louis Auguste, duke of Belle-Isle, and Marquess Las Minas. The two commanders had differents views on the lead of the campaign: Belle-Isle favoured a direct menace on Turin by crossing the Alps, while his Spanish colleague preferred to send troops to relieve the Austro-Piedmontese siege of Genoa.
As the latter's ideas prevailed, the French troops occupied Antibes and the county of Nice. However, they were halted by the strong Piedmontese defence of the southern Alpine passes. Thenceforth Belle-Isle's brother, Chevalier de Belle-Isle, with an army of 50 infantry and 15 cavalry battalions, backed by numerous cannons, advanced towards the northern passes. The army was divided into two corps: one descended from the Moncenisio towards Exilles, the other advanced towards Fenestrelle from the Assietta Pass. The latter is a bare plateau at more than 2,500 meters of altitude. Having forecast that the French would move through it, Charles Emmanuel III of Savoy had fortified the area with 13 infantry battalions (9 of which Piedmontese, the remaining formed by Austrian and Swiss) taken from the troops that had unsuccesfully besieged Genoa.
French intelligence notified the marshals that the Piedmontese were fortifying the pass, and a decision to attack immediately was taken.
The forces involved amounted to 32 French against 13 Piedmontese battalions. The French troops were divided into three columns. The attack begun at c. 16:30. Despite the desperate effort of the soldiers and the personal show of valour of the French marshals, all the attacks were pushed back by the Piedmontese with heavy losses. After five hours of battle, the French retreated. The French commander, Chevalier de Belle-Isle, was killed in the fray.
Casualties amounted to 5,000 French (including 7 generals) and only 77 Piedmontese, the latter having also 50 wounded.
The beat French troops returned to France. Frederick II of Prussia, when heard of news of the Piedmontese defence at Assietta, declared that, if he had had such valorous troops, he could easily become King of Italy.
[edit] References
- Dabormida, Vittorio (1891). La battaglia dell'Assietta : studio storico.
- Alberti, Adriano (1902). La battaglia dell'Assietta (19 di luglio del 1747): note e documenti. Francesco Casanova.
- Rodolico, Niccolò (July-August 1947). "Il Centenario della Battaglia dell'Assietta". L'Universo (4.XXVII).
