Battle of Castelfranco Veneto In the Battle of Castelfranco Veneto ( 24 November 1805 ) , two divisions of the French Army of Italy confronted an Austrian brigade led by Prince Louis Victor de Rohan - Guéméné . The Austrians had made a remarkable march from deep in the Alps to the plains of northern Italy . But , caught between the divisions of Jean Reynier and Laurent Gouvion Saint - Cyr , Rohan surrendered his command after failing to fight his way out . The event occurred during the War of the Third Coalition , part of the Napoleonic Wars . Castelfranco Veneto is located northwest of Venice . The Ulm Campaign of October 1805 resulted in an Austrian disaster when the Grande Armée of Napoleon enveloped and destroyed most of its units . Afterward , only Michael von Kienmayer ' s fleeing corps and a newly - arriving Russian army under Mikhail Kutuzov stood between Napoleon and the Austrian capital of Vienna . After hearing the news of Ulm , the main army of Archduke Charles , Duke of Teschen began withdrawing from northern Italy and Archduke John of Austria ' s smaller army pulled out of the County of Tyrol . In the confusion , Rohan ' s brigade became separated from John ' s army . First , Rohan attempted to join part of Charles ' army . Failing , he had his men move south to link up with the Austrian garrison of Venice . After an epic march Rohan ' s brigade was cornered short of Venice . The issue of the war would be determined at the Battle of Austerlitz in early December . March . One Austrian brigade led by General - major Prince Louis Victor de Rohan - Guéméné became separated from Archduke John ' s army . Hoping to join Feldmarschall - Leutnant Johann von Hiller ' s wing of Archduke Charles ' army in Italy , Rohan looked to the south . Starting from Landeck in the County of Tyrol on 10 November , he marched his men south . Missing both Hiller and Charles , he determined to cut his way to Venice . Seizing Bolzano on 18 November , he then marched his brigade south to Trento . From there , he turned east into the Val Sugana before swinging south into the Brenta River valley . Where the Brenta leaves the mountains , the Austrians surprised and ejected the French garrison of Bassano on 22 November . Marching hard , the Austrians reached Castelfranco Veneto the next evening . On 24 November , Rohan ' s epic march came to an end when his troops were trapped between the divisions of Generals of Division Jean Reynier and Laurent Gouvion Saint - Cyr . After a struggle , the Austrian soldiers surrendered . Capitulation . Reynier ' s division numbered 8 , 000 men in 11 battalions with 12 guns . His command consisted of the 1st Swiss Infantry Regiment and the 10th , 53rd , 56th , and 62nd French Line Infantry Regiments . The strength and composition of Gouvion Saint - Cyr ' s division was not given . Rohan ' s cavalry included eight squadrons of the " Archduke Ferdinand " Cuirassier Regiment Nr . 4 , and one squadron of the " Hohenzollern " Chevau - leger Regiment Nr . 2 and a combined squadron . His infantry comprised four battalions of the " Duka " Infantry Regiment Nr . 38 , the 2nd and 4th Battalions of the " Beaulieu " Infantry Regiment Nr . 58 , and one combined battalion . Altogether , 4 , 400 soldiers , five artillery pieces , and four colors were surrendered to the French . Austrian killed and wounded were not reported though Rohan was wounded . It is known that the French suffered 16 officer casualties during the fighting .