Battle of Gotthard Pass

Battles at the Saint-Gotthard
Part of Suvorov's Swiss campaign in the war of the Second Coalition
Suvorov's army crosses St. Gotthard Pass in 1799 by Alexander Kotzebue
Date 23–27 September 1799 (O.S. — 12–16 September) Location Gotthard Massif, Swiss Alps, Helvetic Republic 46°33′22.5″N 8°34′4″E / 46.556250°N 8.56778°E / 46.556250; 8.56778 Result Russo-Austrian victory
Belligerents
Russia Austria	France
Commanders and leaders
Alexander Suvorov Andrei Rosenberg Iosif Trubnikov Vasily Svishchov Fyodor Trevogin Franz Auffenberg Gottfried Strauch	Claude Lecourbe Charles Gudin Louis Henri Loison Col. Daumas
Strength
21,000–23,285 19,000–21,285[a] 6,500–9,180 total[b] ~2,000 engaged[6][1] 6,700 involved in the St. Gotthard Pass and at the Devil's Bridge[7]	7,501–9,000 10,100–11,599 including 2,599 unengaged troops[c][9] 6,000 involved in the St. Gotthard Pass and at the Devil's Bridge[7]
Casualties and losses
2,000–6,000 including the St. Gotthard Pass, Oberalpsee, Hospital, Urseren valley, Devil's Bridge[d]	2,000 including the St. Gotthard Pass, Oberalpsee, Hospital, Urseren valley, Devil's Bridge[4][1][7] 10 guns[4]
class=notpageimage| Location within Europe

War of the Second Coalition:
Austria

200km
125miles

16

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Zürich

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The color black indicates the current battle.

The battle of (the) Gotthard Pass, also known as the battle of the St. Gotthard Pass or the battle of the St. Gotthard (Russian: Сражение за Сен-Готард; 24 September 1799), saw an Imperial Russian army commanded by Field Marshal Alexander Suvorov supported by two Austrian brigades attack a French division under General of Division Claude Lecourbe. The same day brought clashes at the Oberalp Pass and Hospental (archaic Hospital^[1]).

The Austro-Russian army successfully captured the Gotthard Pass after stiff fighting on the first day. Suvorov's main body was assisted by a Russian flanking column led by Lieutenant General Andrei Rosenberg and a smaller Austrian flanking column under General-major Franz Xaver von Auffenberg. The next day, Suvorov's army fought its way north along the upper Reuss River valley past the Teufelsbrücke (Devil's Bridge) in Schöllenen Gorge. By 26 September the army reached Altdorf near Lake Lucerne. The term summarises a total of five battles or engagements between Airolo and Altdorf fought against the retreating French troops over the course of three days. The main engagement of 25 September is known as the battle of the Devil's Bridge. Simultaneously, the combat of the Urnerloch took place.^[e]

Suvorov's offensive was part of a misbegotten Allied strategy that planned to unite the Russian armies of Suvorov and Lieutenant General Alexander Korsakov near Zürich. Together with Austrian and Swiss forces led by Feldmarschall-Leutnant Friedrich Freiherr von Hotze, they would sweep General of Division André Masséna's French Army of Helvetia from Switzerland. However, on 25–26 September, Masséna drubbed Korsakov in the Second Battle of Zurich and General of Division Jean-de-Dieu Soult defeated Hotze in the Battle of Linth River. Two smaller Austrian columns were also turned back by French forces. Instead of advancing to help Allied forces, Suvorov's army was marching into a mountainous country controlled by French troops.

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