page_title: Alois von Gavasini
section_title: Arcole
hierarchical_section_title: Alois von Gavasini / French Revolutionary Wars / Arcole
context_page_description: Alois Graf von Gavasini led a combat brigade in the armies of Habsburg Austria and the Austrian Empire during a remarkable number of battles in the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. A native of Bonn, he offered his services to Austria and won an award for bravery in 1790. While a field officer in the Italian campaign, he led the rear guard at Primolano in September 1796. Badly outnumbered by the French, he and his soldiers put up a vigorous fight until he was wounded and captured. At Arcole in November 1796, he commanded a brigade on the field of battle against Napoleon Bonaparte's French army. Promoted to general officer in the spring of 1800, he led a powerful brigade at Hohenlinden during that year's fall campaign in Bavaria. Though the battle ended in a decisive defeat, Gavasini's troops fought well before being forced to retreat. The 1805 campaign in Italy found him directing a reserve brigade at Caldiero. After briefly retiring, the warrior returned to lead a brigade at the battles of Sacile, Piave River, and Graz during the 1809 war. That year he retired from the army and did not return.
context_section_description: 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.
  On the second day of battle, Alvinczi ordered six battalions under Giovanni Marchese di Provera to advance from Belfiore while Anton Ferdinand Mittrowsky's 14 battalions attacked south from Arcole. At 5:00 AM, Provera's attack was underway, but it was quickly blunted by Masséna. The French skirmishers riddled the Austrian infantry formations and soon only the Habsburg cannoneers were holding back the enemy almost singlehandedly. Then Brabeck was killed and the entire force fled back to Belfiore, which the French captured again, along with five guns. Mittrowsky's attack also miscarried, but he managed to hang onto Arcole until nightfall after savage fighting. On the third day, Provera's attack on Masséna failed again and this time the Austrian position unraveled. The French general diverted the bulk of his division to help Augereau and the two finally seized Arcole about 5:00 PM on 17 November, thereby winning the battle.
caption: Fanciful painting by Horace Vernet showing Bonaparte leading his troops across the Arcole bridge
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