Battle of Solferino
The largest battle since Leipzig in 1813 resulted in heavy carnage and negotiations to end the Second Italian War of Independence
One of the largest battles of the 19th century, this horrific encounter shocked the continent
For one of the final times in history, ruling monarchs faced one another on the battlefield, with Emperor Napoleon III of France and King Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmontsardinia opposing Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria at Solferino on 24 June 1859. The combined number of troops involved exceeded 300,000, and in its costly wake the Second Italian War of Independence came to an end.
The war had begun two months earlier with the Austrian Army responding to Piedmontese provocations. Franz Josef launched an invasion, but after their defeat at the Battle of Magenta on 4 June, the Austrians began a withdrawal from Lombardy. The French-piedmontese Army pursued. Both manoeuvred for advantage, and the opposing forces clashed inadvertently around the village of Solferino.
Both were also poorly led, and the battle devolved into confusion. Casualties soared as the fighting lasted for hours.
Battle joined at Medole
Early on June 24, The French-piedmontese Army moved eastward. Four French corps were to occupy Solferino and the neighbouring villages of Medole, Cavriana and Guidizzolo. Four Piedmontese divisions were to capture Pozzolengo. At approximately 4.00am, General Adolphe Niel, commanding IV Corps on the French right, engaged an Austrian infantry regiment.
Manoeuvring east of Medole, Niel was reinforced by elements of the III Corps under Marshal Francois Certain de Canrobert and drove the Austrian infantry and supporting cavalry back. In pursuit, the French encountered elements of three Austrian corps
“THE COMBINED NUMBER OF TROOPS INVOLVED EXCEEDED 300,000, AND IN ITS COSTLY WAKE THE SECOND ITALIAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE CAME TO AN END”
and were outnumbered two to one. The Austrians failed to press their advantage, and Niel’s artillery tore gaping holes in their ranks. Piecemeal Austrian attacks were repulsed, and by mid-afternoon their centre at Solferino had collapsed. When Franz Josef ordered a flank attack against the advancing French, Niel’s own advance disrupted the Austrian effort. For his adept leadership, Niel was elevated to Marshal of France.
Decision in the centre
The fighting around Solferino decided the battle. At 4.30am, troops of the French I and II Corps along with the Imperial Guard clashed with the I, III, and V Corps of the Austrian Army. Heavy fighting erupted as the French pushed the Austrians back to a ridgeline west of Solferino, where they made a heroic stand until driven back into the town around 10.00am
Further west, French Marshal Achille Baraguey d’hilliers impetuously sent his I
Corps forward without artillery support. Several assaults were repulsed with heavy casualties. While Baraguey d’hilliers troops were bloodied, the French artillery deployed. At 2.00pm a coordinated attack was launched. In half an hour the Austrians were swept from positions in the town cemetery and adjacent high ground.
Marshal Patrice de Macmahon advanced with his French II Corps alongside Baraguey d’hilliers and fought off numerous Austrian attacks while covering the gap between his command and Niel’s IV corps to the south. In the afternoon, Macmahon counterattacked, capturing the village of San Cassiano, south of Solferino. He was halted when Austrian troops stood their ground and the French Imperial Guard reinforcements compelled them to retire.
The French pressed eastward toward Franz Josef’s headquarters at Cavriana, capturing the town at 6.00pm, rupturing the Austrian centre, and forcing their withdrawal across the River Mincio as a thunderstorm limited further action.
Stalemate in the north
The four Piedmontese divisions met Austrian opposition around Pozzolengo and the villages of Madonna della Scoperta and San Martino around 7.00am. The Austrian VII Corps, entrenched on high ground, repulsed three assaults by 22,000 Piedmontese troops, leaving scores of dead and wounded. As the battle wore on, the Austrian commander ignored an order to withdraw until 8.00pm. Although the action in the north was inconclusive, the Piedmontese succeeded in pinning down large numbers of Austrian troops, preventing their movement against French forces in the centre.
Agonising aftermath
The staggering toll at Solferino shook both Napoleon III and Franz Josef I. The French and Piedmontese had suffered 17,000 killed and wounded, the Austrians 22,000. Both monarchs realised that continuing such slaughter would be intolerable. The French also worried that Prussia might intervene on behalf of the Austrians.
The war ended with the Treaty of Zurich, concluded on 10 November 1859, and Austria ceded Lombardy to Piedmont. On 17 March 1861, the Piedmontese nominally achieved their goal with the unification of the Kingdom of Italy. Still, although Italy was proclaimed a state, Rome and Venezia remained to be incorporated.