Second Battle of Zürich

The Second Battle of Zürich (also known as The Second Battle of Zurich) happened on 25th and 26th of September 1799. Three months after the First Battle of Zürich, the second and far more important battle took place. Massena, having forced the passage of the Limmat, attacked and defeated the Russians and their Austrian coalition allies. The French victory lead to the withdrawal of Russia from the Second Coalition.

Battle

The coalition forces greatly outnumbered the French, so Suvarov sent more than half his force of around 60,000 men to cut off the French line of retreat.

After sending a small force to harass Suvorov's army's progress from Italy through the St Gotthard Pass, Massena turned on the coalition army under General Alexander Korsakov, which he defeated, capturing their cannons and other supplies and inflicting about 8,000 casualties.

Most of the fighting took place on both banks of the river Limmat (which flows out of Lake Zürich) up to the gates of Zürich, and within the city itself. General Oudinot commanded the French forces on the right bank and general Mortier those on the left. At the same time General Soult attacked and defeated the Austrians on the river Linth, (the main tributary of Lake Zurich) under Field Marshal Baron Hotze, who was killed early in the day.

Massena then rounded on the Austrian commanders with a brilliant offensive operation and drove their army away; killing, wounding and capturing almost 14,000 Austrians and Russians. Betrayed by the Austrians but still undefeated, Suvorov heroically retreated across the Alps, performing a military feat unheard of since the time of Hannibal.

Aftermath

The results of this battle was the strengthening of Swiss independence, and France was saved from an imminent invasion because Russia withdrew from the Second Coalition.

External links

• details of the second battle of Zurich
• map