The First Battle of Custoza
was fought on July 24 and 25, 1848, during the
First Italian War of Independence between the armies of the
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...
, commanded by Field Marshal
Radetzky
Johann Josef Wenzel Anton Franz Karl, Graf Radetzky von Radetz ( en, John Joseph Wenceslaus Anthony Francis Charles, Count Radetzky of Radetz; cz, Jan Josef Václav Antonín František Karel hrabě Radecký z Radče; sl, Janez Jožef Vencelj ...
, and the
Kingdom of Sardinia, led by King
Charles Albert of Sardinia-Piedmont.
Background
In March 1848, the city of
Milan launched an
uprising against Austrian occupation. Charles Albert supported the Milanese revolt and declared war on Austria. Venice also declared its independence from Austria. The Austrian
Field Marshal Radetzky
Johann Josef Wenzel Anton Franz Karl, Graf Radetzky von Radetz ( en, John Joseph Wenceslaus Anthony Francis Charles, Count Radetzky of Radetz; cz, Jan Josef Václav Antonín František Karel hrabě Radecký z Radče; sl, Janez Jožef Vencelj ...
withdrew his forces from
Milan to the defensive positions based on the four fortresses known as the ''Quadrilateral'':
Verona,
Mantua,
Peschiera, and
Legnago
Legnago () is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Verona, Veneto, northern Italy, with population (2012) of 25,439. It is located on the Adige river, about from Verona. Its fertile land produces crops of rice, other cereals, sugar, and tobac ...
. The Piedmontese took Peschiera after a short siege, but
Radetzky
Johann Josef Wenzel Anton Franz Karl, Graf Radetzky von Radetz ( en, John Joseph Wenceslaus Anthony Francis Charles, Count Radetzky of Radetz; cz, Jan Josef Václav Antonín František Karel hrabě Radecký z Radče; sl, Janez Jožef Vencelj ...
received substantial reinforcements.
Battle
Around July 25, the Piedmontese Army was widely dispersed on the war theatre, from the
Rivoli plateau on the north to
Governolo
Roncoferraro ( Mantovano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan and about southeast of Mantua.
Roncoferraro borders the following municipalities: Bagnolo S ...
on the south. Marshal Radetzky attacked, on July 23, the Piedmontese II Corps (commanded by General ), and forced it to retire first before Peschiera and then, after another successful attack on the 24th, behind the river
Mincio, splitting the Piedmontese Army in two.
The Piedmontese High Command reacted slowly and uncertainly to the news coming from the north, and eventually it was decided to attack the Austrian army in the rear towards the village of Staffalo, with the bulk of the I Corps (led by General
Eusebio Bava); the attack, begun in the afternoon of the 24th, was successful and the single brigade which covered this area was forced to retreat. However, this lulled the Sardinian commanders into complacency, and spurred Radetzky to stop his advance beyond the Mincio and march on these enemy forces.
For the 25th, the Piedmontese were ordered to attack the enemy further in the area, while the II Corps was instructed to support the attack from the Mincio (however General De Sonnaz refused to obey the order, claiming that his troops were too tired); but what was supposed to be an offensive soon turned into a desperate battle to hold the advancing enemy. For the whole day, the outnumbered Piedmontese were subjected to attacks by two Austrian army corps, and by the end of the day the whole line had been forced to move back; however, the retreat was done in an orderly way and with the men fighting.
[Pieri, p. 243-7]
Aftermath
While not a total victory (in fact, the Austrians had suffered higher losses than the Piedmontese and all major Piedmontese units kept their cohesion and their equipment), the battle was nonetheless a considerable reversal. On the 26th Piedmontese troops sought to prevent the Austrians from crossing the Mincio at the
battle of Volta Mantovana. Their failure to do so and a decisive Austrian victory meant that the Piedmontese were first forced to retreat westwards to a new defensive line behind the
river Oglio
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
, and then further to
Milan. After a small battle at the outskirts of Milan an armistice (originally of six weeks and then prorogued) was signed, and the Piedmontese Army retreated within the borders of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
The attempt to renew the war effort the next year resulted in another victory for Radetzky and the effective end of the
First Italian War of Independence. The Austrian marshal returned all the rebellious provinces to Austrian rule.
See also
*
Revolutions of 1848 in the Italian states
References
Sources
*
{{Coord, 45, 22, 44, N, 10, 47, 45, E, type:event_region:IT, display=title
Custoza 1848
Custoza 1848
Custoza 1848
Custoza
Custoza (; vec, Custoxa ) is a northern Italian village and hamlet (''frazione'') of Sommacampagna, a municipality in the province of Verona, Veneto. As of 2011, its population was 812.
History
The village is famous for two battles fought dur ...
1848 in Italy
1848 in the Austrian Empire
July 1848 events
Joseph Radetzky von Radetz