Battle of Caldiero ( 1796 ) In the Battle of Caldiero on 12 November 1796 , a Habsburg Austrian army led by Jozsef Alvinczi fought a First French Republic army commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte . The French assaulted the Austrian positions , which were initially held by the army advance guard under Prince Friedrich Franz Xaver of Hohenzollern - Hechingen . The defenders held firm until reinforcements arrived in the afternoon to push back the French . This marked a rare tactical setback for Bonaparte , whose forces withdrew into Verona that evening after having suffered greater losses than their adversaries . The action occurred during the War of the First Coalition , which was part of the French Revolutionary Wars . Caldiero is a town located about east of Verona . The battle was part of the third Austrian effort to relieve the Siege of Mantua . Two Austrian forces converged toward Mantua , the main army from the east and an independent corps from the north . Both forces enjoyed early successes , driving back the outnumbered French forces in front of them . When the main army reached a position threatening Verona , Bonaparte ordered the divisions of André Masséna and Pierre Augereau to attack . Sturdy Austrian resistance and bad weather contributed to the French defeat . Bonaparte soon embarked upon a new strategy which concluded with an Austrian defeat at the Battle of Arcole a few days later . Background . " See the Arcola 1796 Campaign Order of Battle for a list of French and Austrian units and organizations . " On 2 November 1796 , " Feldzeugmeister " Jozsef Alvinczi launched the third attempt to raise the Siege of Mantua by crossing the Piave River with an army of 28 , 000 men and advancing west . At the same time , a second Austrian column under " Feldmarschall - Leutnant " Paul Davidovich moved south against Trento with 18 , 000 men . Alvinczi hoped to break through to the relief of " Feldmarschall " Dagobert Sigismund von Würmser , who was trapped in Mantua with a 23 , 708 - man garrison . Of these , only 12 , 420 were well enough to fight . To face the twin threats , Bonaparte deployed a 10 , 500 - man division led by General of Division Claude - Henri Belgrand de Vaubois against Davidovich in the north and General of Division André Masséna ' s 9 , 500 - man division at Bassano on the Brenta River . In reserve lay General of Division Pierre Augereau ' s 8 , 300 - man division at Verona and 4 , 300 in other units . General of Division Charles Edward Jennings de Kilmaine with 8 , 800 men blockaded Würmser ' s garrison in Mantua . On 6 November , Bonaparte with 19 , 500 men , including Massena , Augereau , and a reserve brigade , attacked Alvinczi at Bassano and Fontaniva . In the hard - fought Second Battle of Bassano , Alvinczi and his two division commanders , " Feldmarschall - Leutnants " Peter Vitus von Quosdanovich and Giovanni Marchese di Provera , repelled their outnumbered opponents . French losses were 3 , 000 killed , wounded , and captured , while Alvinczi ' s army suffered about 2 , 800 casualties . Davidovich routed Vaubois in the Battle of Calliano on 7 November , inflicting 4 , 400 casualties on the French for an Austrian loss of 3 , 500 . Bonaparte focused on the threat from the north as he pulled back his eastern force to Verona . Davidovich remained inactive because he was under the mistaken impression that Masséna ' s division had reinforced Vaubois . Battle . By 11 November , Alvinczi ' s advance elements reached Caldiero , east of Verona . Believing that Verona was being evacuated , General - major Prince Friedrich Franz Xaver of Hohenzollern - Hechingen moved forward . But Bonaparte sent the divisions of Masséna and Augereau across the Adige River to engage the Austrians . Hohenzollern lost 400 men and pulled back to a ridge running north of Caldiero . Bonaparte determined to attack the Austrians the next day . Bonaparte sent a total of 13 , 000 men to attack Hohenzollern ' s position . Masséna drove against the Austrian right and Augereau attacked the Austrian left , The Austrians , who had fortified themselves in several villages , sturdily resisted the French assaults . A violent rain and hail storm blew in the faces of the French troops , making it difficult for them to prime their muskets . At mid - day , Masséna began making headway on the Austrian right . In the afternoon , the brigades of Generals - major Adolf Brabeck and Anton Schübirz von Chobinin arrived on the field . Soon the Austrians forced back Masséna . Provera also appeared and drove back Augereau . The arrival of nightfall allowed the French to pull safely back into Verona . Result . The French suffered 1 , 000 killed and wounded , plus 800 men and two artillery pieces captured . The Austrian lost 950 killed and wounded , and 350 captured . After losing three straight battles , Bonaparte contemplated a retreat behind the Adda River , abandoning the blockade of Mantua . But when the Austrians dawdled rather than taking advantage of their opportunities , the French commander determined to attack his opponent again . Stripping Vaubois and Kilmaine of every available man , Bonaparte fell upon Alvinczi at the Battle of Arcola on 15 – 17 November and defeated the Austrians .