Battle of Occhiobello

“Just how rightly they aim!” – Murat at Occhiobello after coming under fire from Austrian Jaegers

The Battle of Occhiobello on 8 – 9 April 1815 marked the turning point of the war and was the first Austrian victory of the campaign. Together with the successful Austrian attack on Carpi on the 10th, this action caused the Neapolitans to abandon the Siege of Ferrara and withdraw south towards Ravenna, abandoning their territorial gains following the Battle of the Panaro on the 4th. This strategic reversal would prove fatal to Murat’s ambitions to conquer Lombardy and result in the ultimate defeat of his military campaign.

Other than its significance on the outcome of the campaign, the battle proved the clear superiority of the Austrian troops over their Neapolitan adversaries. Despite the bravery of the Neapolitan troops involved, the action resulted in a bloody repulse that gained almost nothing for Murat’s war effort, while Austrian casualties were negligible.

Introduction

In early April 1815, the situation in Northern Italy was by all means in Murat’s favour. The ambitious king had begun his risky campaign to dislodge Austrian control in Northern Italy earlier that year, and so far his army’s progress was admirable. General Carrascosa’s first division had defeated Austrian General Steffanini’s weak force at Cesena and forced the Austrians to withdraw towards Bologna; this was followed by a furious battle at the Sant’Ambrogio bridge over the Panaro on 3rd April, which broke the Austrian defence line and gave the Neapolitans control over Modena. The Austrians hence were forced to reestablish their positions along the Po River and abandon most of the south bank to Murat’s army, while Murat prepared to launch a decisive push into Lombardy.

Fortunately for the Austrians, their new position was excellently held by four fortified bridges at Piacenza, Borgoforte, Occhiobello, and Lagoscuro; these structures practically negated the Neapolitan numerical advantage and allowed the generally more experienced Austrian troops to outgun their adversaries. An attack on any of these bottleneck positions would prove undoubtedly costly for the Neapolitans. Nevertheless, Murat, always impatient to achieve further glory, decided to immediately attempt a crossing at one of the four locations. Such a crossing would allow him to firstly outflank the other Austrian strongpoints, while also entering Lombardy where he expected ample volunteers for his cause. Hence, the King rapidly extracted D'Aquino’s brigade of D’Ambrosio’s second division from the Siege of Ferrara and hastened to establish a position at Vallonga, at the foot of the Occhiobello bridge.

The Neapolitan forces would arrive at Vallonga on the morning of the 7th, and force the Austrians to withdraw across the river in the face of superior numbers.

Dispositions

Facing the Neapolitans was a relatively strong force in the form of Feldmarschallleutnant Johann Friedrich von Mohr’s division. These were split into three brigades under Generals Eckhardt, Baumgarten and Colonel Count Zichy respectively, and totalled around 10 battalions, 11 squadrons and 18 guns. This holding force was given orders from Bianchi to hold the bridge at all costs until reinforcements arrived; at the time of Murat's attack, Baumgarten's brigade was still en route to the bridge. Against them was D’Aquino’s brigade (3rd Light and 2nd Line regiments) and the 9th Line, some 7,000 men. Alongside them were the field artillery guns of the brigade (6 in all) and probably a number from the reserve artillery park, alongside General Colletta’s engineers. These would be under the direct command of Murat, who would join the division with his cuirassier bodyguard.

The town of Occhiobello lies on the River Po just 11km from the city of Ferrara. Directly opposite it, on the southern bank of the Po, lies the walled hamlet of Vallonga. The 400m (1,200 feet) bridge at Occhiobello was fortified on the other side by earthen lunettes linked with stone curtain walls, alongside fortified houses in the village itself and abatises at the end of the bridge. The foot of the bridge was also shored up by chevaux de frise; as General D’Ambrosio commented, the fortification was superbly constructed. On the far bank, the Austrians had also minor earthworks at Vallonga which they were forced to abandon on the 7th. The Neapolitan position on the 7th ranged between Vallonga and Crovati. The terrain adjacent to Vallonga was mainly marshy wooded plains followed by sandbanks in the river itself.

Battle

Initial Combats

The action began on the morning of the 7th, when the Neapolitan advance guard threw the Austrian advanced posts out of Vallonga and forced them to withdraw across the bridge; the Austrian artillery fire from the far bank prevented the Neapolitans from pursuing. According to D’Ambrosio, the beginning of the day saw the Austrians deliver several energetic sorties across the bridge to prevent the Neapolitans from establishing themselves on the bank of the river; these were beaten back and probably caused the majority of the Austrian casualties between April 7th and 9th. At length, the Neapolitans managed to establish a battery near the bridge and spent the night encamped under the walls of Vallonga.

Neapolitan Attack & Repulse

The following day Murat arrived at the Neapolitan camp. The Neapolitan engineers had successfully reconnoitred the area that morning and briefed the King about the terrain - the establishment of a battery on the right flank of the bridge was suggested, as this would allow the Neapolitans to bombard both the bridge and the Austrian works from the flank and rear prior to making an infantry assault. The engineers requested two days and two nights for this task, however, the impatient King would hear none of this; he immediately assembled an attack column at the foot of the bridge and prepared to assault the defences.

It is unclear what unit led the first attack; sources state that the assault stalled upon reaching the end of the bridge, coming under heavy fire from the Austrian IR. 34 and a multitude of guns. Pepe states that the assault was then renewed another five times, each failing with heavy loss. According to Austrian unit histories, the Neapolitans actually got into the village several times but were thrown back each time. The Austrians apparently also sortied during the intervals in these assaults, they themselves being repulsed by Neapolitan artillery. During the course of the action D’Ambrosio was wounded, and he and Colletta each had a horse shot from under them. Murat was in the thick of it, as always; here he exclaimed the famous phrase “Come mirano giusto costoro!” (Just how rightly they (the Austrians) aim!) after one of his aides was shot next to him by a Tyrolean jaeger from the far side of the river.

By nightfall, both sides were exhausted, and all the Neapolitan attacks had largely petered out. The Neapolitans had suffered some 2,000 casualties in killed, wounded and captured; the Austrians a mere 500. Most of the Austrian casualties were caused by the incessant sorties across the bridge, while the Neapolitans definitely lost most of their men attempting to take the fortified village by bayonet. Murat withdrew that evening to Bologna while the division encamped again at Vallonga; it would remain there on the 9th waiting for reinforcements and heavier artillery, which never arrived. The rest of the day was quiet, and Bianchi reinforced Mohr with further troops in case of further attack.

Aftermath

The defeat at Occhiobello shook the already brittle morale of the Neapolitans; news of it spread across Italy and was exaggerated thoroughly by local papers. This directly caused soldiers from all across the army to desert, already viewing the Murattian cause as lost. The battle had also cost the 2nd division the majority of their best soldiers, as most of the elite companies sent in the assault were decimated. On the contrary, the Austrians had generally taken minimal casualties in this battle, most of them coming from Neapolitan artillery; had the Neapolitans brought up heavier guns and used incendiary shells on the village, the Austrians would’ve been forced to pull back one way or another and victory would be theirs.

This turning point in the campaign made Murat lose the initiative and allowed the Austrians to launch an offensive that sent his army reeling back to its starting point in March. The defeat at Capri on the 10th forced the first and third divisions to pull back, and hence the second division’s positions at Occhiobello had to be abandoned and re-established at Malalbergo.

Neapolitan Order of Battle

Neapolitan 2nd Division

Commander-in-chief: Joachim Murat, King of Naples

Nominal Command: Lieutenant General Angelo d'Ambrosio

Total strength: 11 battalions, 12 guns (approx. 9,000 men)

1st Brigade (Prima Brigata)

Commander: Maresciallo di Campo Luigi Antonio d'Aquino

Total Strength: 6 battalions

• 3 Battalions, 3rd Light Infantry Regiment (2,335 men)
• 3 Battalions, 2nd Line Infantry Regiment (2,229 men)

2nd Brigade (Seconda Brigata)

Commander: Maresciallo di Campo Alessandro de Medici di Ottajano (detached at Siege of Ferrara)

Total Strength: 5 battalions

• 3 Battalions, 6th Line Infantry Regiment (2,425 men) (detached at Ferrara)
• 2 Battalions, 9th Line Infantry Regiment (1,611 men)

Divisional Artillery (Artiglieria)

Commander: unknown

Total Strength: 12 guns

• 2 batteries, six-pounder Foot Artillery (12 guns)
• Artillery Train (146 men)

Austrian Order of Battle

Austrian 1st Corps

Commander-in-chief: Lieutenant Field Marshal Baron Johann Friedrich von Mohr

Attached to Staff: Captain von Weingarten

Total strength: 9½ battalions, 11 squadrons, 18 guns (approx. 11,000 men)

1st Brigade (Erste Brigade)

Commander: Colonel Ferdinand Graf Zichy (later Generalmajor Peter Paul Anton Freiherr v. Taxis)

Total Strength: 2⅓ battalions, 5 squadrons, 6 guns

• 2 Battalions, Fenner Tiroler-Jaeger
• 5 Squadrons, Hungarian Hussar Regiment n.7 "Liechtenstein"
• 2 Companies, Pioniere (Pioneers)
• Horse Artillery battery (6 guns)

2nd Brigade (Zweite Brigade)

Commander: Generalmajor Christoph Ludwig Freiherr von Eckhardt

Total Strength: 5½ battalions, 6 guns

• 2½ Battalions, Infantry Regiment No. 34 "Weid-Runkel"
• 2 Battalions, Hungarian Infantry Regiment No.61 "Sankt Julien"
• 1 Battalion, Infantry Regiment No. 58 "Beaulieu"
• Six-Pounder Foot Battery (6 guns)

3rd Brigade (Dritte Brigade)

Commander: Colonel (later Generalmajor Eugen Wilhelm Graf von Haugwitz

Total Strength: 2 battalions, 6 squadrons, 6 guns

• 2 Battalions, Infantry Regiment No. 27 "Chasteler"
• 6 Squadrons, Dragoon Regiment "Grand Duke of Tuscany"
• Six-Pounder Foot Battery (6 guns)