Battle of Caldiero ( 1809 ) In the Battle of Caldiero or Battle of Soave or Battle of Castelcerino from 27 to 30 April 1809 , an Austrian army led by Archduke John of Austria defended against a Franco - Italian army headed by Eugène de Beauharnais , the Viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy . The outnumbered Austrians successfully fended off the attacks of their enemies in actions at San Bonifacio , Soave , and Castelcerino before retreating to the east . The clash occurred during the War of the Fifth Coalition , part of the Napoleonic Wars . In the opening engagements of the war , Archduke John defeated the Franco - Italian army and drove it back to the Adige River at Verona . Forced to detach substantial forces to watch Venice and other enemy - held fortresses , John found himself facing a strongly reinforced Franco - Italian army near Verona . So embarrassed by his setbacks that he tried to minimize them in communications to his step - father Emperor Napoleon , Eugène determined to use his superior forces to drive the Austrian invaders from the Kingdom of Italy . Eugène probed at San Bonifacio on the 27th . On 29 April , he ordered part of his troops to make a holding attack against Soave while he sent an Italian force to seize the high ground on the Austrian right flank . On the 30th , the Austrians recaptured Castelcerino , which was lost the previous day . While this action was being fought , John ' s army began its retreat to the Brenta River at Bassano . Caldiero is located east of Verona . The towns of Soave and San Bonifacio lie along the Autostrada A4 about east of Verona . Castelcerino is a small village in the hills about north of Soave . Background . " See Sacile 1809 Order of Battle for a list of units and organizations of the Austrian and Franco - Italian armies . " At the start of the 1809 war , General der Kavallerie Archduke John had authority over Feldmarschallleutnant Johann Gabriel Chasteler de Courcelles ' s VIII Armeekorps of 24 , 500 infantry and 2 , 600 cavalry , and Feldmarschallleutnant Ignaz Gyulai ' s IX Armeekorps of 22 , 200 infantry and 2 , 000 cavalry . The VIII Armeekorps massed at Villach in Carinthia and the IX Armeekorps concentrated to the south at Ljubljana ( Laibach ) in Carniola , in modern - day Slovenia . General - major Andreas von Stoichevich was detached with 10 , 000 troops to observe General of Division Auguste Marmont ' s XI Corps in Dalmatia , which French had held since 1806 . A force of 26 , 000 Landwehr manned garrisons and defended Inner Austria . John wanted the VIII Armeekorps to march southwest from Villach while the IX Armeekorps moved northwest from Laibach . The two forces would join near Cividale del Friuli . At the start of the war , the Tyrolese people rose in revolt . Under leaders such as Andreas Hofer they started attacking the Bavarian garrisons . Hoping to aid the rebellion , Austrian commander - in - chief Archduke Charles , Duke of Teschen ordered John to detach Chasteler and 10 , 000 Austrian troops to assist the Tyrolese . Chasteler ' s replacement as the commander of the shrunken VIII Armeekorps was Albert Gyulai , Ignaz Gyulai ' s brother . Suspecting that Austria planned to initiate a war , Napoleon built up the French part of the Army of Italy to six infantry and three cavalry divisions . Actually , a good many of the so - called French soldiers were Italians , because Napoleon had annexed parts of northwest Italy to the First French Empire . In addition , Eugène assembled three Italian infantry divisions so that the Franco - Italian army numbered 70 , 000 troops . However , the army was dispersed across northern Italy . Eugène never led large formations into battle , yet Napoleon appointed him commander of the Army of Italy . To prepare his stepson Eugène for the role , the emperor wrote him many detailed letters advising him how to defend Italy . He urged Eugène to fall back from the Isonzo River line to the Piave River if the Austrians invaded in strength . Napoleon made the point that the Adige River was an extremely important strategic position . He did not believe Austria was going to attack in April and he did not want to provoke his enemy by massing his armies . Thus , Eugène ' s army remained somewhat dispersed . On 10 April 1809 , the Austrian VIII Armeekorps advanced from Tarvisio while the IX Armeekorps crossed the Isonzo River near Cividale . By the 12th they joined near Udine and pushed to the west . Eugène was compelled to detach Louis Baraguey d ' Hilliers and one Italian division to watch the Tyrol . As the Austrians moved west , they detached forces to mask the Franco - Italian fortresses of Palmanova and Osoppo . Believing that he could defeat Archduke John , Eugène ordered his divisions to concentrate at Sacile . By 14 April , he collected the five infantry divisions of Jean Mathieu Seras , Jean - Baptiste Broussier , Paul Grenier , Gabriel Barbou des Courbières , and Philippe Eustache Louis Severoli , and the light cavalry division of Louis Michel Antoine Sahuc . Eugène ' s divisions were not organized into corps , making his army more difficult to control in battle . In a preliminary action on the 15th , Sahuc ' s vanguard received a drubbing at Pordenone . Nevertheless , believing he outnumbered John , Eugène attacked the Austrian army in the Battle of Sacile on 16 April . In fact , the Franco - Italian army numbered 35 , 000 infantry , 2 , 050 cavalry , and 54 guns , while their opponents deployed 35 , 000 infantry , 4 , 000 cavalry , and between 55 and 61 guns . Eugène sent two divisions against the Austrian left flank , held by VIII Armeekorps . In the face of stubborn resistance , two more divisions were committed to the struggle . When John suddenly launched IX Armeekorps against the weakened French left flank , Eugène called off his attacks and ordered a retreat . The Franco - Italians lost 6 , 500 men and 15 guns , while the victorious Austrians counted 4 , 000 casualties . As the Franco - Italian army fell back to the Piave River , it met Jean Maximilien Lamarque ' s infantry division and Charles Joseph Randon de Malboissière de Pully ' s dragoon division moving forward . Eugène used these fresh units to cover his retreat . After holding the line of the Piave for four days , he began a withdrawal to the Adige on 21 April . At this time the army was joined by Teodoro Lechi ' s Royal Italian Guard . After a pause on the Brenta on the 24th , the retreat was resumed . Anxious for his northern flank , Eugène authorized Baraguey d ' Hilliers to fall back to Rovereto . Chasteler followed this up , taking Trento on 23 April and appearing before Rovereto on the 26th . Deeply embarrassed by his defeat , Eugène made a vague report to Napoleon . But his imperial stepfather soon found out . The infuriated emperor sent Eugène a critical letter suggesting that he ask Marshal Joachim Murat to take command of the army . Fortunately for the viceroy , events soon began to favor the Franco - Italians . After Sacile , Eugène ordered Barbou to reinforce the garrison of Venice with 10 battalions and a cavalry squadron . After detaching 10 , 000 troops to keep this large force from menacing his communications , John reached the Adige with as few as 28 , 000 soldiers . Pierre François Joseph Durutte ' s infantry and Emmanuel Grouchy ' s dragoon division rendezvoused with the Franco - Italian army near Verona . With 55 , 500 men available , Eugène prepared to take the offensive . On 23 April , there was a clash at Malghera near Venice . John ordered Oberst ( colonel ) Samuel Andreas Gyurkovics von Ivanocz to capture a bridgehead on the Dese River with his 2 , 000 troops . The Austrian force included nine companies of the " Ottocaner " Grenz Infantry Regiment , two battalions of the " Archduke Franz " Infantry Regiment Nr . 52 , and six 12 - pound guns . Gyurkovics ran into a far superior force under Austerlitz veteran , General of Division Marie - François Auguste de Caffarelli du Falga and was mauled . Caffarelli ' s troops included three battalions of the 7th Italian Line Infantry Regiment , eight battalions of the 7th , 16th , and 67th Line Infantry Regiments , and 12 guns . The Franco - Italians claimed to have inflicted 600 killed and wounded on their enemies while losing only 20 killed and wounded . Austrian records are absent . Battle . On the Adige , Eugène reorganized his army into corps under commanders that he nominated and who were approved by Napoleon . General of Division Jacques MacDonald led the V Corps with the divisions of Broussier and Lamarque and a dragoon brigade . He appointed Grenier to take charge of the VI Corps which included the divisions of Durutte and General of Brigade Louis Jean Nicolas Abbé and the 8th Hussars . Abbé was in acting command of Grenier ' s former division until General of Division Michel Marie Pacthod ' s arrival . The XII Corps was formed from the divisions of Fontanelli and General of Division Jean - Baptiste Dominique Rusca . When Severoli was wounded at Sacile , Fontanelli transferred from the 2nd to the 1st Italian Division and was replaced by Rusca . The Reserve , under Eugène ' s personal command , included the Italian Guard , the division of Seras , Jean - Barthélemot Sorbier ' s artillery reserve , and the three cavalry divisions . Grouchy was placed in command of the cavalry . With pursuit in mind , Eugène created a light brigade by forming three battalions by taking " voltiguer " companies from the line regiments , while adding a squadron of light cavalry and a section of two cannons . General of Brigade Armand Louis Debroc was appointed to lead the light brigade . On 27 April , there was a clash at San Bonifacio and Villanova . Seras defended the position with the 106th Line Infantry Regiment , one squadron of cavalry , and four guns , a total of 3 , 000 men . They were opposed by Oberst ( colonel ) Anton von Volkmann ' s 1 , 800 - man advance guard . Volkmann with eight companies of the " Johann Jellacic " Infantry Regiment Nr . 53 managed to evict the Franco - Italians from San Bonifacio . However , Oberst Ignaz Csivich von Rohr and five companies of the " Oguliner " Grenz Infantry Regiment Nr . 3 were unable to secure the adjacent village of Villanova and its bridge over the Alpone River . Darkness and a rainstorm brought the action to a close . Historian Digby Smith called casualties from both sides " light " but listed the skirmish as an Austrian victory . On the same day as the clash at San Bonifacio , Archduke John received news of his brother Archduke Charles , Duke of Teschen ' s defeat at the Battle of Eckmühl . John deployed his army in a " formidable " defensive position blocking the main highway . The army ' s right flank lay at Soave behind the Alpone while its left stood at Legnago behind the Adige . John posted three battalions north of Soave to hold Monte - Bastia . The Austrian center stood around San Bonifacio . Most of Eugène ' s army was deployed north of Arcole , though a few units lined the west bank of the Adige below the confluence of that river with the Alpone . The Franco - Italian left wing stretched north to Illasi and Cazzano di Tramigna . Eugène planned to turn John ' s right flank , pushing the Austrians toward Venice . Meanwhile Venice ' s large garrison would break out to the north . If the plan worked , the Franco - Italians might snare John ' s entire army between the two forces . Eugène ' s army occupied the same ground where the Battle of Caldiero of 1805 was fought . Macdonald ' s corps held Caldiero in the center while Seras , Abbé , one Italian brigade , and the Italian Guard were on high ground on the left at Colognola ai Colli . Pully ' s dragoon division was in reserve , while the other cavalry units were deployed on the west bank of the Adige under Grouchy . On 29 April , General of Brigade Antoine - Louis - Ignace Bonfanti ' s brigade of Fontanelli ' s division and the Italian guard attacked the Austrian detachment on the heights . Meanwhile , Grenier led the divisions of Seras and Abbé to attack Soave , with MacDonald ' s troops in support . Eugène committed 23 , 000 men to the fight , including 24 battalions , 10 squadrons , and eight pieces of artillery . The units involved were three battalions of the 1st Italian Line Infantry Regiment and one battalion of the 2nd Italian Line from Bonfanti ' s brigade , three battalions of the Royal Italian Guard , 4 squadrons each of the 20th and 30th Dragoon Regiments , plus two squadrons of the 8th Hussars . Grenier sent in two guns and four battalions of the 53rd Line from Seras ' division , and two battalions each of the 8th Light and 102nd Line Infantry Regiments from Abbé ' s division . MacDonald committed two guns and five battalions of the 9th , 84th , and 92nd Line from Broussier ' s division , and four guns and four battalions of the 29th Line from Lamarque ' s division . The defenders were 18 , 000 troops in 21 battalions and 24 guns in four batteries from Albert Gyulai ' s VIII Armeekorps . General - major Hieronymus Karl Graf von Colloredo - Mansfeld ' s brigade was made up of three battalions each of Infantry Regiments " Strassoldo " Nr . 27 and " Saint - Julien " Nr . 61 . General - major Anton Gajoli ' s brigade consisted of three battalions of " Franz Jellacic " Infantry Regiment Nr . 62 and two battalions of " 1st Banal " Grenz Infantry Regiment Nr . 10 . Johann Kalnássy ' s brigade and other units included three battalions each of Infantry Regiments " Reisky " Nr . 13 , " Simbschen " Nr . 43 , and " Johann Jellacic " Nr . 53 , plus two battalions of " Oguliner " Grenz Infantry Regiment Nr . 3 . Led by the Italian Guard , Bonfanti ' s troops stormed Monte - Bastia and seized Castelcerino . Grenier ' s attacks on Soave and San Bonifacio were repelled , however . The Franco - Italians suffered 1 , 000 casualties while the Austrians lost 400 killed and wounded , plus 300 captured . Smith called this action an Austrian victory . On 30 April , John counterattacked with 11 battalions and recaptured the lost positions . Bonfanti was forced to pull back to Colognola . Smith placed Austrian strength at eight battalions and 6 , 000 troops , including two battalions of " 2nd Banal " Grenz Infantry Regiment Nr . 11 and three battalions each from the two " Jellacic " Regiments . General of Brigade Jean Joseph Augustin Sorbier led the 5 , 000 men in seven battalions of Bonfanti ' s brigade and the Italian Guard . Italian losses numbered 409 killed and wounded while the victorious Austrians lost 300 killed and wounded , plus 572 missing . Smith expressed criticism of Eugène for neither supporting his troops at Castelcerino , nor mounting a holding attack in front . Sorbier , a different officer than Eugène ' s artillery chief , was mortally wounded and died on 21 May . Result . John received orders from Archduke Charles on 29 April . He was urged to defend the territory he had captured , but was allowed to use his discretion . John knew that with Napoleon advancing on Vienna , his position in Italy could be flanked by enemy forces coming from the north . He decided to retreat from Italy and defend the borders of Austria in Carinthia and Carniola . After breaking all bridges over the Alpone , John began his withdrawal in the early hours of May 1 , covered by Feldmarschallleutnant Johann Maria Philipp Frimont ' s rear guard . After being delayed all day repairing an important bridge , Eugène ' s army began its pursuit on 2 May . The viceroy ordered Durutte to cross the Adige at Legnago with his division and head for Padua on the Brenta . From there he would rendezvous with troops from Venice and escort a supply train to the Piave to rejoin Eugène . Meanwhile , Frimont defeated the light brigade at Montebello Vicentino and got across the Brenta in good order while destroying the bridges . In a series of actions on 2 May , the Austrians lost 200 killed and wounded while inflicting 400 casualties on their pursuers , including Debroc wounded . However , the Franco - Italians rounded up 850 sick or straggling Austrians during the day . Frimont , General - major Franz Marziani , and General - major Ignaz Splényi each led Austrian units in separate actions on the 2nd . After the rough handling of his light brigade , the viceroy expanded it into a light division and put General of Brigade Joseph Marie , Count Dessaix at its head . He added three additional " voltiguer " battalions , two more cannons , and the 9th Chasseurs à Cheval Regiment . The new division was destined to play a key role in Eugène ' s victory at the Battle of Piave River on 8 May 1809 .