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Battle of Custoza (1866)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Custoza took place on June 24, 1866 during the Third Italian Independence War in the Italian unification
process.
The Austrian Imperial
army with the old Venetian Army
, led by Archduke Albert of Habsburg, defeated the Italian
army led by Alfonso Ferrero la Marmora
and Enrico Cialdini
, despite the Italians' strong numerical advantage.
Kingdom of Prussia
declared war on the Austrian Empire
. The recently formed Kingdom of Italy
decided to seize the opportunity and allied with Prussia with the intention of annexing Venetia and thus uniting the Italian Peninsula
. The Italians rapidly built up a military force that was twice the size of their Austrian counterparts defending Venetia.
and accompanied by King King Vittorio Emanuele II
, and the 5 division strong Army of the Po, lead by Enrico Cialdini
. The Austrians, ysing the advantage of interior lines and the protection given by the Quadrilateral forts
, concentrated against the Army of the Mincio and left a covering force against the Army of the Po.
The King's force was to move into the Trentino region, while La Marmora
's crossed the Mincio River and invade Venetia. Meanwhile, the Austrian soldiers under Archduke Albert of Habsburg marched west from Verona
to the north of the Italians, in an attempt to move behind the Italians so as to cut them off from the rear, and thus, slaughter them. At the start of June 24, 1866, La Marmora changed the direction of his front in order to march in to the same heights, the Austrians were trying to use as launching point for their attack. Instead of an enveloping battle, the two forces collided head on, with both headquarters trying to discover what happened in the heights near Villafranca
On the Austrian left, the Austrian cavalry attacked the Italian I Corps without orders at 7 AM. Although the attack was ineffectual and only crippled the Austrian cavalry, it created a panic in the Italian rear and immobilized three Italian divisions, who for the rest of the battle only took a defensive posture. During the morning isolated fights broke out in Oliosi, San Rocco, Custoza and San Giorgio between Rodic’s V Corps and Durando’s I Corps. After fierce fighting the division of Cerale was thrown out of Oliosi, broken and fled to the Mincio. Sirtori’s division was blocked from the Monte Vento by Rodic’s other troops and by 8AM, he was thrown back by fierce bayonet attacks. By 8:30 AM however, gaps were opening in the Austrian line. Brignone’s division had taken the Belvedere hill near Custoza after fighting with Hartung’s IX Corps. By 9 AM Hartung started launching attacks up the Monte Croce, trying to dislodge Brignone but by 10:00 AM the Austrians seemed spent. The Italians however neglected reinforcing Brignone, who was ultimately forced to leave the position after a counter attack, lead by the King’s younger son Amadeo
failed, with the prince being severely wounded .
La Marmora then ordered the divisions of Cugia and Govone up the heights to relieve Brignone. This forced the Austrian brigades of Böck and Scudier out of Custoza. Scudier then retired from the field, opening another gap in the Austrian line. On the Italian left Sirtori had managed to stabilize his front after Cerale’s flight. At this point in the battle, both sides were thinking they were facing a lost battle. By 1 PM La Marmora, deciding the battle was lost and wanting to secure his bridgeheads, ordered a retreat. Unbeknownst to La Marmora, Govone’s division had beaten back the VII Corps and captured the Belvedere. By 2 PM Rodic launched an attack on the Monte Vento and Santa Lucia. When Sirtori’s division gave way, a hole appeared in the Italian line, which the Austrians exploited. With Rodic on one flank and an Austrian division making for the bridge at Monzambano, Govone, who thought he had finally broken through the Austrian line, suddenly found himself isolated near Custoza. At this point, he was attacked in his other flank by Maroicic who without orders had committed the two Austrian reserve brigades to the fight. At the same time Hartung’s Corps was ordered to restart the fight, driving of the division of Cugia and capturing six guns and many prisoners on the top of the Monte Torre, which he had earlier failed to capture. After a bombardment of 40 Austrian guns, at 5 PM the Italians were driven out of Custoza by Maroicic.
out of Venetia. It was however not a decisive defeat. To inflict a decisive defeat on the Italians, Albrecht's forces needed to drive southwest to seize the bridges across the Mincio (which the Italians had neglected to fortify). Such a pursuit would have trapped the disbanded remnants of the two Italian corps on the east bank of the river and would have enabled Albert to invade the Kingdom of Italy itself. Instead, Albert didn't order a pursuit because he thought the Austrians were too exhausted and because the Austrian cavalry had been mauled by frivolus attacks in the morning, squandering the possibility to the destroy the demoralized Army of the Mincio. On June 26, 1866, Albert shifted his headquarters back to Verona, because he was concerned about a possible French reply to an Austrian invasion of Lombardy. He ought not to have been: even the Emperor advised Albrecht to ignore all political considerations.
After their loss at Königgratz
(July 3), the Austrians were forced to transfer one corps from South Army to Austria to cover Vienna, weakening their foces in the Veneto. The Italians however only resumed their offensive mid July. Cialdini crossed the Po and occupied Rovigo (July 11), Padua
(July 12), Treviso
(July 14), San Donà di Piave
(July 18), Valdobbiadene
and Oderzo
(July 20), Vicenza
(July 21) and finally Udine
, in Friuli
(July 22). In the meantime Garibaldi's volunteers had pushed forward from Brescia
towards Trento (see Invasion of Trentino
) fighting victoriously at the battle of Bezzecca
of July 21.
Despite the victory at Custoza and a naval defeat of the Italians at Lissa
, due to Königgrätz the Austrians were forced to surrender to the Prussians and were forced to cede Venetia.
Italian unification
Italian unification was the political and social movement that agglomerated different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of Italy in the 19th century...
process.
The Austrian Imperial
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
army with the old Venetian Army
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
, led by Archduke Albert of Habsburg, defeated the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
army led by Alfonso Ferrero la Marmora
Alfonso Ferrero La Marmora
Alfonso Ferrero, Cavaliere La Màrmora was an Italian general and statesman. His brother Alessandro La Marmora founded the branch of the Italian army now called the Bersaglieri.-Biography:...
and Enrico Cialdini
Enrico Cialdini
Enrico Cialdini, Duca di Gaeta was an Italian soldier, politician and diplomat.-Biography:He was born at Castelvetro, in the province of Modena. In 1831 he took part in the insurrection at Modena, fleeing afterwards to Paris, whence he proceeded to Spain to fight against the Carlists...
, despite the Italians' strong numerical advantage.
Background
In June 1866, the GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Kingdom of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
declared war on the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
. The recently formed Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
decided to seize the opportunity and allied with Prussia with the intention of annexing Venetia and thus uniting the Italian Peninsula
Italian Peninsula
The Italian Peninsula or Apennine Peninsula is one of the three large peninsulas of Southern Europe , spanning from the Po Valley in the north to the central Mediterranean Sea in the south. The peninsula's shape gives it the nickname Lo Stivale...
. The Italians rapidly built up a military force that was twice the size of their Austrian counterparts defending Venetia.
Order of battle
- Austrian South Army (Field Marschal Archduke Albrecht)
- V Corps (General Gabriel Freiherr von Rodich)
-
- Moering, Piret Brigades
- VII Corps (General Joseph Freiherr von Maroicic)
-
- Scudier, Töply, Welsersheimb Brigades
- IX Corps (General Ernst Ritter von Hartung)
-
- Böck, Kirchsberg, Weckbecker Brigades
- Reserve Division (General Friedrich Rupprecht)
-
- Two weak brigades
- Cavalry Division (General Ludwig Freiherr von Pulz)
- Italian Mincio Army (General Alfonso Ferrero La Marmora)
- I Corps (General Giacomo DurandoGiacomo DurandoGiacomo Durando was an Italian general and statesman. His brother Giovanni was also a general of the Risorgimento and a senator.-Biography:Durando was born at Mondovì, in Piedmont...
)
-
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th Divisions
- III Corps (General Della RoccaDella RoccaDella Rocca is the name of*Bartolomeo della Rocca , Italian scholar*Giacomo della Rocca , Italian painter*Enrico Morozzo Della Rocca , Italian general*Jason Della Rocca , American software developer...
)
-
- 7th, 8th, 9th and 16th Divisions. Also a Cavalry Division
The battle
In the fourth week of May, the Italians divided their forces into two armies: the 11 division strong Army of the Mincio lead by Generals Alfonso Ferrero La MarmoraAlfonso Ferrero La Marmora
Alfonso Ferrero, Cavaliere La Màrmora was an Italian general and statesman. His brother Alessandro La Marmora founded the branch of the Italian army now called the Bersaglieri.-Biography:...
and accompanied by King King Vittorio Emanuele II
Victor Emmanuel II of Italy
Victor Emanuel II was king of Sardinia from 1849 and, on 17 March 1861, he assumed the title King of Italy to become the first king of a united Italy since the 6th century, a title he held until his death in 1878...
, and the 5 division strong Army of the Po, lead by Enrico Cialdini
Enrico Cialdini
Enrico Cialdini, Duca di Gaeta was an Italian soldier, politician and diplomat.-Biography:He was born at Castelvetro, in the province of Modena. In 1831 he took part in the insurrection at Modena, fleeing afterwards to Paris, whence he proceeded to Spain to fight against the Carlists...
. The Austrians, ysing the advantage of interior lines and the protection given by the Quadrilateral forts
Quadrilatero
The Quadrilatero is the traditional name of a defensive system of the Austrian Empire in the Lombardy-Venetia, which connected the fortresses of Peschiera, Mantua, Legnago and Verona between the Mincio, the Po and Adige Rivers...
, concentrated against the Army of the Mincio and left a covering force against the Army of the Po.
The King's force was to move into the Trentino region, while La Marmora
Alfonso Ferrero La Marmora
Alfonso Ferrero, Cavaliere La Màrmora was an Italian general and statesman. His brother Alessandro La Marmora founded the branch of the Italian army now called the Bersaglieri.-Biography:...
's crossed the Mincio River and invade Venetia. Meanwhile, the Austrian soldiers under Archduke Albert of Habsburg marched west from Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
to the north of the Italians, in an attempt to move behind the Italians so as to cut them off from the rear, and thus, slaughter them. At the start of June 24, 1866, La Marmora changed the direction of his front in order to march in to the same heights, the Austrians were trying to use as launching point for their attack. Instead of an enveloping battle, the two forces collided head on, with both headquarters trying to discover what happened in the heights near Villafranca
Villafranca di Verona
Villafranca di Verona is a town and comune in the province of Verona in the Veneto, Northern Italy.-History:The position on the ancient via Postumia and the perpendicular intersection structure of its roads suggests that the city had Roman origins....
On the Austrian left, the Austrian cavalry attacked the Italian I Corps without orders at 7 AM. Although the attack was ineffectual and only crippled the Austrian cavalry, it created a panic in the Italian rear and immobilized three Italian divisions, who for the rest of the battle only took a defensive posture. During the morning isolated fights broke out in Oliosi, San Rocco, Custoza and San Giorgio between Rodic’s V Corps and Durando’s I Corps. After fierce fighting the division of Cerale was thrown out of Oliosi, broken and fled to the Mincio. Sirtori’s division was blocked from the Monte Vento by Rodic’s other troops and by 8AM, he was thrown back by fierce bayonet attacks. By 8:30 AM however, gaps were opening in the Austrian line. Brignone’s division had taken the Belvedere hill near Custoza after fighting with Hartung’s IX Corps. By 9 AM Hartung started launching attacks up the Monte Croce, trying to dislodge Brignone but by 10:00 AM the Austrians seemed spent. The Italians however neglected reinforcing Brignone, who was ultimately forced to leave the position after a counter attack, lead by the King’s younger son Amadeo
Amadeo I of Spain
Amadeo I was the only King of Spain from the House of Savoy...
failed, with the prince being severely wounded .
La Marmora then ordered the divisions of Cugia and Govone up the heights to relieve Brignone. This forced the Austrian brigades of Böck and Scudier out of Custoza. Scudier then retired from the field, opening another gap in the Austrian line. On the Italian left Sirtori had managed to stabilize his front after Cerale’s flight. At this point in the battle, both sides were thinking they were facing a lost battle. By 1 PM La Marmora, deciding the battle was lost and wanting to secure his bridgeheads, ordered a retreat. Unbeknownst to La Marmora, Govone’s division had beaten back the VII Corps and captured the Belvedere. By 2 PM Rodic launched an attack on the Monte Vento and Santa Lucia. When Sirtori’s division gave way, a hole appeared in the Italian line, which the Austrians exploited. With Rodic on one flank and an Austrian division making for the bridge at Monzambano, Govone, who thought he had finally broken through the Austrian line, suddenly found himself isolated near Custoza. At this point, he was attacked in his other flank by Maroicic who without orders had committed the two Austrian reserve brigades to the fight. At the same time Hartung’s Corps was ordered to restart the fight, driving of the division of Cugia and capturing six guns and many prisoners on the top of the Monte Torre, which he had earlier failed to capture. After a bombardment of 40 Austrian guns, at 5 PM the Italians were driven out of Custoza by Maroicic.
Aftermath
The Austrians were victorious, both strategically and tactically. The Italians were driven back across the MincioMincio
Mincio is a river in the Lombardy region of northern Italy.Called the Sarca River before entering Lake Garda, it flows from there about 65 km past Mantua into the Po River....
out of Venetia. It was however not a decisive defeat. To inflict a decisive defeat on the Italians, Albrecht's forces needed to drive southwest to seize the bridges across the Mincio (which the Italians had neglected to fortify). Such a pursuit would have trapped the disbanded remnants of the two Italian corps on the east bank of the river and would have enabled Albert to invade the Kingdom of Italy itself. Instead, Albert didn't order a pursuit because he thought the Austrians were too exhausted and because the Austrian cavalry had been mauled by frivolus attacks in the morning, squandering the possibility to the destroy the demoralized Army of the Mincio. On June 26, 1866, Albert shifted his headquarters back to Verona, because he was concerned about a possible French reply to an Austrian invasion of Lombardy. He ought not to have been: even the Emperor advised Albrecht to ignore all political considerations.
After their loss at Königgratz
Battle of Königgrätz
The Battle of Königgrätz , also known as the Battle of Sadowa, Sadová, or Hradec Králové, was the decisive battle of the Austro-Prussian War, in which the Kingdom of Prussia defeated the Austrian Empire...
(July 3), the Austrians were forced to transfer one corps from South Army to Austria to cover Vienna, weakening their foces in the Veneto. The Italians however only resumed their offensive mid July. Cialdini crossed the Po and occupied Rovigo (July 11), Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
(July 12), Treviso
Treviso
Treviso is a city and comune in Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 82,854 inhabitants : some 3,000 live within the Venetian walls or in the historical and monumental center, some 80,000 live in the urban center proper, while the city...
(July 14), San Donà di Piave
San Donà di Piave
San Donà di Piave or, simply, San Donà, is the largest town in Eastern Veneto and comune of province of Venice, Veneto, in the North East region of Italy.- Geography :...
(July 18), Valdobbiadene
Valdobbiadene
Valdobbiadene is a town in the province of Treviso, Veneto, Italy. Valdobbiadene is a picturesque wine growing area. Just below the Alpine areas of Veneto, it provides a climate for cool varieties of grape. This area is the home of ProseccoConegliano-Valdobbiadene a dry sparkling white wine....
and Oderzo
Oderzo
Oderzo is a town and comune in the province of Treviso, Veneto, northern Italy.It lies in the heart of the Venetian plain, about 66 km to the northeast of Venice...
(July 20), Vicenza
Vicenza
Vicenza , a city in north-eastern Italy, is the capital of the eponymous province in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, straddling the Bacchiglione...
(July 21) and finally Udine
Udine
Udine is a city and comune in northeastern Italy, in the middle of Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic sea and the Alps , less than 40 km from the Slovenian border. Its population was 99,439 in 2009, and that of its urban area was 175,000.- History :Udine is the historical...
, in Friuli
Friuli
Friuli is an area of northeastern Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, i.e. the province of Udine, Pordenone, Gorizia, excluding Trieste...
(July 22). In the meantime Garibaldi's volunteers had pushed forward from Brescia
Brescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
towards Trento (see Invasion of Trentino
Invasion of Trentino (1866)
The Invasion of Trentino was a series of military operation undertaken by the Kingdom of Italy against the Austrian Empire during the Third Italian War of Independence of 1866, which was part of the larger Austro-Prussian War.-Background:...
) fighting victoriously at the battle of Bezzecca
Battle of Bezzecca
The Battle of Bezzecca was fought on July 21, 1866 between Italy and Austria, in the course of the Third Italian Independence War. The Italian force, the Hunters of the Alps, were led by Giuseppe Garibaldi, and had invaded Trentino as part of the general Italian offensive against the Austrian...
of July 21.
Despite the victory at Custoza and a naval defeat of the Italians at Lissa
Battle of Lissa (1866)
The Battle of Lissa took place on 20 July 1866 in the Adriatic Sea near the Dalmatian island of Lissa and was a decisive victory for an outnumbered Austrian Empire force over a superior Italian force...
, due to Königgrätz the Austrians were forced to surrender to the Prussians and were forced to cede Venetia.
Further reading
- Frederick Engels. Notes on the War in Germany No. III, The Manchester Guardian, No. 6197, June 28, 1866. A contemporary news paper article.
See also
- QuadrilateroQuadrilateroThe Quadrilatero is the traditional name of a defensive system of the Austrian Empire in the Lombardy-Venetia, which connected the fortresses of Peschiera, Mantua, Legnago and Verona between the Mincio, the Po and Adige Rivers...