Battle of Castiglione The Battle of Castiglione saw the French Army of Italy under General Napoleon Bonaparte attack an army of Habsburg Austria led by " Feldmarschall " Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser on 5 August 1796 . The outnumbered Austrians were defeated and driven back along a line of hills to the river crossing at Borghetto , where they retired beyond the Mincio River . The town of Castiglione delle Stiviere is located south of Lake Garda in northern Italy . This battle was one of four famous victories won by Bonaparte during the War of the First Coalition , part of the Wars of the French Revolution . The others were Bassano , Arcole , and Rivoli . Castiglione was the first attempt by the Austrian army to break the French Siege of Mantua , which was the primary Austrian fortress in northern Italy . To achieve this goal , Wurmser planned to lead four converging columns against the French . It succeeded insofar as Bonaparte lifted the siege in order to have the manpower sufficient to meet the threat . But his skill and the speed of his troops ' march allowed the French army commander to keep the Austrian columns separated and defeat each in detail over a period of about one week . Although the final flank attack was prematurely delivered , it nevertheless resulted in a victory . Background . " See Castiglione 1796 Campaign Order of Battle for French and Austrian units and organizations . " Plans . After being defeated at the battles of Fombio , Lodi , and Borghetto by Bonaparte , the Austrian army under Feldzeugmeister Johann Peter Beaulieu left almost 14 , 000 soldiers in the fortress of Mantua and retreated north toward Trento . Mantua was one of four famous fortresses known as the Quadrilateral . The French army occupied the other three , Legnago , Verona and Peschiera . On 31 May , Bonaparte tried to rush Mantua , but the attempt failed . By 3 June , the French army invested the place , which was defended by Joseph Franz Canto d ' Irles ' s Austrian garrison and 316 cannon . In June , Bonaparte ' s army forced the Papal States , Tuscany , Parma and Modena to make peace , extorting large contributions . By taking artillery pieces from the subdued cities , the French general assembled a siege train of 179 cannon for his siege of Mantua . The formal siege began on 4 July . Bonaparte positioned his 46 , 000 soldiers to protect the siege of Mantua . Pierre François Sauret held Brescia and the western side of Lake Garda . André Masséna guarded the northern approaches with the bulk of his force in the upper Adige River valley on the east side of Lake Garda . Masséna also garrisoned Verona . Pierre Augereau covered the lower Adige on either side of Legnago . Jean - Mathieu - Philibert Sérurier led the force besieging Mantua . Hyacinthe Despinoy had one demi - brigade at Peschiera , another with Masséna and more troops on the march . Charles Edward Jennings de Kilmaine ' s cavalry reserve lay at Villafranca di Verona , southwest of Verona . Wurmser devised a four - column plan of attack . He retained direct control over the two central columns . Leading the Right - Center ( 2nd ) Column , Michael von Melas struck south with 14 , 000 soldiers down the west bank of the Adige . Paul Davidovich led the 10 , 000 men of the Left - Center ( 3rd ) Column down the east bank . Operating west of Lake Garda , Peter Quasdanovich commanded the Right ( 1st ) Column ' s 18 , 000 men . Johann Mészáros von Szoboszló lay at Vicenza , with the 5 , 000 troops of the Left ( 4th ) Column . His orders were to occupy Verona and Legnago as soon as the French evacuated the two cities . Operations . In late July , the Austrian army advanced from Trento . Wurmser ' s two center columns defeated Masséna in the difficult rough terrain near Rivoli Veronese on 29 July . For a loss of 800 men , the Austrian inflicted 1 , 200 killed and wounded , and captured 1 , 600 men and nine cannon . One of Quasdanovich ' s brigades drove Sauret ' s men out of Salò on Lake Garda . A second Austrian brigade pushed a French force out of Gavardo . On 30 July , the other two brigades belonging to Quasdanovich surprised and captured Brescia . Augereau fell back toward Mantua . Masséna retreated to the southern end of Lake Garda . On 31 July , Bonaparte retreated to the west bank of the Mincio and began concentrating against Quasdanovich . That evening Napoleon ordered Sérurier to lift the siege of Mantua . From 31 July through 2 August , a complex series of operations occurred in the area of Brescia , Montichiari , Gavardo , Lonato del Garda and Salò . Bonaparte concentrated Augereau , Masséna , Despinoy , and Kilmaine and recaptured Brescia on 1 August , clearing his supply line to the west . Meanwhile , Wurmser dropped off a force under General - major ( GM ) Adam Bajalics von Bajahaza to lay siege to Peschiera . His center columns reached Mantua where they spent time demolishing the French siege lines and dragging the abandoned siege guns into the city . Bonaparte nearly ordered a retreat to the west , but when he realised Wurmser was not quickly following up his success , he decided to fight it out . Mészáros finally occupied Legnago on 1 August . On 2 August , Wurmser ' s 4 , 000 - man advance guard under GM Anton Lipthay de Kisfalud drove General of Brigade ( BG ) Antoine Valette ' s brigade out of Castiglione . The next day , Augereau attacked Lipthay with 11 , 000 troops . In a bitter fight , the French forced Lipthay back to Solferino where he was reinforced by Davidovich . At length , Wurmser came up with his entire field army and stopped Augereau ' s drive . The Austrians suffered 1 , 000 casualties and GM Franz Nicoletti wounded . French losses may have exceeded 1 , 000 men , including BG Martial Beyrand killed . At the time , Wurmser and Quasdanovich ' s forces were about eight kilometers apart . On 3 August , the French inflicted crippling defeats on the Austrian Right Column in the Battle of Lonato . Quasdanovich finally ordered a retreat to the north . Sending Sauret to watch the withdrawing Right Column , Bonaparte now massed against Wurmser . On 4 August , both armies skirmished . Wurmser arranged for Bajalics to send him a reinforcement of four battalions under Oberst Franz Weidenfeld . He also directed Mészáros to block Sérurier from joining Bonaparte . On this day , the French captured 2 , 000 Austrians of Quasdanovich ' s column in Lonato . Battle . By 5 August , Wurmser had concentrated 20 , 000 soldiers at Castiglione , including GM Josef Philipp Vukassovich ' s brigade from the Mantua garrison . Drawing up his army in two lines , he anchored his right flank on high ground near the village and castle of Solferino . The Austrian left held Monte Medolano , a small hilltop crowned by a redoubt and some heavy guns . Bonaparte ' s forces had swollen to 22 , 500 in the divisions of Masséna and Augereau . He was expecting to be reinforced by Despinoy during the day . While he pinned Wurmser with a frontal attack , the French army commander arranged for 5 , 000 men of Sérurier ' s division to smash into the Austrian left rear . When the Austrian lines were bent into a V - shape , Bonaparte would break the hinge of the enemy ' s front with an assault on Monte Medolano . In order to draw Wurmser further into his trap , Bonaparte ordered Masséna and Augereau to retreat . When he suddenly pulled the two divisions back , the Austrians obligingly followed . Sérurier ' s troops , commanded this day by General of Brigade Pascal Antoine Fiorella , then appeared , led by the 5th Dragoons . Wurmser switched his second line to hold off this threat to his rear . The Austrian also quickly pulled back his first line . At this point , Bonaparte launched his " masse de rupture " against Monte Medolano . " Chef de battalion " Auguste Marmont galloped his horse artillery up to point blank range and opened fire . Grenadiers then stormed the hill . As Masséna and Augereau attacked in front , two of Despinoy ' s demi - brigades led by " Chef de Brigade " Charles Leclerc arrived and captured Solferino . After tough fighting , Wurmser ordered a retreat to avoid being enveloped . Weidenfeld ' s force arrived in time to help fend off an attempt by Masséna to get around the Austrian right flank . Covered by some cavalry led by GM Anton Schübirz von Chobinin , the Austrians managed to retreat across the Mincio at Borghetto that evening . Results . In the battle , the Austrians suffered 2 , 000 killed and wounded , plus 1 , 000 men and 20 cannons captured . The French probably lost between 1 , 100 and 1 , 500 men . Lipthay was severely wounded . Determined not to let Wurmser remain near Mantua , Bonaparte feinted with Augereau ' s division against Borghetto . But the real attack was launched by Masséna through Peschiera . This effort forced back Bajalics and GM Anton Ferdinand Mittrowsky . His line of communications to the County of Tyrol threatened , Wurmser ordered a retreat to the north . Before quitting the area , the Austrian commander reinforced Mantua with two brigades under GM Ferdinand Minckwitz and GM Leberecht Spiegel , sent in much - needed food and evacuated the sick . Wurmser then retreated up the east bank of the Adige to Trento . Bonaparte invested Mantua again . But , without siege guns , he could only blockade the place and hope to starve it into surrender . In the campaign , the French lost 6 , 000 killed and wounded , plus 4 , 000 men and their siege train captured . Total Austrian casualties numbered 16 , 700 . Commentary . Historian David G . Chandler writes , The form of the battle proves beyond any doubt that Napoleon ' s master battle plan was already clear in his mind as early as 1796 . In subsequent years he might polish and improve its technique - especially the crucial matter of timing the successive stages - but all the elements of the successful attacks carried out at Austerlitz , Friedland or Bautzen were already in existence and in operation at the battle of Castiglione .