| Capture of Brescia | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Italian campaigns in the War of the Second Coalition | |||||||||
 Brescia City Plan Bibliothèque nationale de France | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Russian Empire Habsburg Empire |
 French Republic | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Alexander Suvorov Pyotr Bagration Philipp Vukassovich Paul Kray Johann Zopf |
Barthélemy Schérer Gen. Bouzet | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| >20,000[1] | 1,100[1] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Absent[1] | The entire garrison and 46 cannon captured[1] | ||||||||
The capture of Brescia took place on 21 April 1799,[a] during the Second Coalition war: General Field Marshal Count A. V. Suvorov's Russian and Habsburg troops took the fortress city of Brescia, having captivated the French garrison of General Bouzet.[2]
Alexander Suvorov-Rymniksky, realising the importance of the impression of his first encounter with the French, sent here the vanguard of Kray and the division of Zopf, a total of 15,000 men assembled, and ordered Vukassovich to descend from the mountains also to Brescia; in all, more than 20,000 men. Field Marshal Suvorov ordered to assault the fortress, and not to conclude with the commandant of the honourable capitulation: "otherwise, — he said, — the enemy will hold in every blockhouse, and we will lose both time and men".[1]
The Austrians, approaching the town, opened artillery fire and occupied the dominant heights on the north side; Bagration positioned himself on the west side and blocked the French possible escape routes. Bouzet would not have been able to defend a vast city with a small force, so he retreated to the citadel. Perhaps because the inhabitants were annoyed by French extortions and force, they opened the city gates to the Russo-Austrian coalition and rushed to chop down the arbres de la liberté [fr]. Bouzet responded to an offer to surrender by firing shots. However, the French did not endure.[2] Suvorov was right: after a harmless skirmish commandant, frightened by the active preparations for the assault, agreed to send him a firm offer of unconditional surrender; 46 cannons were taken; losses killed and wounded were not. The capture of Brescia provided the Allies with a good foundry, ensured communication with Tyrol, opened a better road for communication with the Mincio and further with the Adige, made a strong moral impression on the country (the anti-Republican party raised its head) and on the troops: "the army demanded to be led to new victories".[1][2]
The Allied army would further clash with Schérer's army at Lecco.
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