After being freed in a prisoner exchange, Gavasini rejoined the army for the third relief of the Siege of Mantua. His name does not appear in the Austrian order of battle, which lists six divisions of about 4,000 men each. On the morning of 15 November 1796, the French army of Napoleon Bonaparte initiated the Battle of Arcole by crossing the Adige River behind Jozsef Alvinczi's left flank. From there, Augereau's division drove north toward Arcole village while André Masséna's division moved northwest in the direction of Belfiore. In response to orders from Alvinczi, Gavasini moved his brigade to Belfiore at 11:00 AM. Leading the "Splényi" Infantry Regiment Nr. 51 along a causeway through the marshes, Gavasini ran into Masséna's advance at Bionde, midway between Belfiore and the French crossing site at Ronco all'Adige. At first the "Splényi" Regiment drove back the French, capturing two cannons. However, a second Austrian column under Adolf Brabeck mistakenly fired into Gavasini's men from an adjacent causeway, throwing them into panic. Masséna followed the retreating Austrians and temporarily captured Belfiore.