During the three-day battle at Trebbia, Suvorov's miracle heroes destroyed MacDonald's Neapolitan army. After the defeat of the French, the Russian-Austrian troops opposed the Italian army of Moreau, but he managed to retreat to the Genoese Riviera.
The location of the troops of Suvorov and MacDonald
On the night of June 7 (18), 1799, the Russian-Austrian troops were resting. The stragglers came up on the march and joined their units. According to Bagration's report to Suvorov, fewer than 40 people remained in the companies, the rest fell behind during the amazing march (80 kilometers in 36 hours). Most of the soldiers pulled up at night.
The Russian field marshal thought out an offensive plan. Suvorov, as always, was preparing to attack. In the center and left wing of the French, the Austrians were to be pinned down. On the right wing, the Russians had to overturn the French, go out to the flank and rear. The main blow was struck by the troops of Rosenberg (15 thousand soldiers) on the Casaligio-Gragnano front. The Austrian troops under the command of Melas delivered an auxiliary blow to Piacenza. They advanced in three columns: the right one was Bagration's detachment and Povalo-Shveikovsky's division, the central one was Foerster's Russian division, and the left one was Ott's Austrian division. Frohlich's Austrian division was in reserve.
Thus, the main attack on a front of 3 km was delivered by the main forces of the Russians and part of the Austrians (a total of about 21 thousand fighters). An auxiliary blow was delivered by the Austrian division of Ott (6 thousand soldiers) on a front 6 km away. The Russian commander-in-chief planned to overturn the main enemy forces and push them to the Po River, cutting off the French from the escape routes to Parma. The balance of forces was in favor of the enemy (30 thousand allies against 36 thousand French). But the Russian commander nullified this enemy superiority by concentrating the most combat-ready units (Russians) on a narrow sector of the front. That is, Suvorov sought superiority in a separate direction. Suvorov deeply echeloned troops in the direction of the main attack. The attack was launched by Bagration's vanguard and Foerster's division; behind them, at a distance of 300 steps, the Shveikovsky division and the dragoons advanced, in the third line was the Frohlich division. The main forces of the cavalry were located on the right wing.
The French, after an unsuccessful battle on Tydone, decided to wait for the arrival of the divisions of Olivier and Montrichard, which were to arrive in the afternoon of June 7. With their arrival, MacDonald received an advantage in forces - 36 thousand bayonets and sabers. Before the approach of two divisions, MacDonald decided to confine himself to active defense. In addition, at this time, Moro's army was supposed to go on the offensive in the direction of Tortona, in the rear of Suvorov. This put the allied army between two fires. Therefore, MacDonald decided on June 7 to hold the defense along the line of the Trebbia River and on the morning of June 8 to go on the offensive with all his might. As a result, the French command yielded the initiative to Suvorov, which was very dangerous.
The beginning of the battle on Trebbia
The offensive of the Russian-Austrian troops began at 10 o'clock on June 7 (18), 1799. Bagration's vanguard attacked Dombrovsky's division near the village of Kasalidjo and pushed the enemy back. MacDonald threw the divisions of Victor and Ryuska into a dangerous direction. A stubborn battle ensued, the advanced forces under the command of Bagration were in a dangerous position. They were attacked by the superior forces of the enemy. However, the Russian soldiers held out until the approach of Shveikovsky's division. The fierce one lasted for several hours, in the end the French yielded and began to retreat beyond the river. Trebbia.
There was also a fierce battle in the center. Foerster's troops overthrew the enemy at Gragnano and occupied this village. However, at this time, the divisions of Olivier and Montrichard began to arrive to the aid of the French. The first arriving units of Montrichard were immediately thrown into battle at Gragnano. But the Russians fought so fiercely that the French wavered and fled for Trebbia. Thus, in the course of a stubborn battle, the right and middle columns overturned the enemy, and the French fled for Trebbia.
The moment was extremely favorable for the development of success. For this, the Russian commander-in-chief planned to throw a reserve into the attack - the Frohlich division. According to the plan, she was supposed to stand behind the middle column. But she was not there. The commander of the Austrian forces, General Melas, who was instructed on the evening of June 6 to send a division to the right flank, did not fulfill it. He feared a strong French onslaught on his troops and reinforced Ott's troops on the left wing with Frohlich's division. On the left flank, the Austrian divisions of Ott and Frohlich (12 thousand men) had complete superiority over the French brigade from the Salma division (3.5 thousand men). The Austrians effortlessly developed an offensive against San Nicolo and threw the enemy back beyond Trebbia.
Thus, on June 7, due to a mistake by Melas, it was not possible to complete the turning point in the battle in favor of the allies. The battle dragged on, the fight continued on the right wing until late at night. The French organized a strong defense across the Trebbia River and repulsed all Allied attacks, preventing them from crossing the river. By midnight, the battle was quiet. The allies took up, knocked out the enemy behind Trebbia. However, the French were not defeated and were ready to continue the battle. Moreover, now their position has been strengthened. If the Allies used almost all their forces in the offensive on June 7, then the French had whole divisions of Vatren, Olivier and Montrichard.
Both sides prepared for a decisive offensive
Suvorov decided on June 8 to continue the offensive. The offensive plan remained the same. The main blow was delivered on the right flank by the main forces of the Russians. The Field Marshal again ordered Melas to transfer Frohlich's division or the Prince of Liechtenstein's cavalry to Foerster's middle column.
Meanwhile, the French command also decides that the time has come for a decisive offensive. MacDonald formed two strike teams and decided to throw all available forces into the attack. The right group included the troops of Vatren, Olivier and Salma (up to 14 thousand soldiers). They were supposed to surround and defeat the Austrians in the Saint-Nicolo area. Salma's division was supposed to pin down the enemy from the front, Vatren's division was to bypass the left flank, Olivier's division to attack the Austrians' right flank. The left strike group included the divisions of Montrichar, Viktor, Ryuska and Dombrovsky (a total of 22 thousand fighters). They were supposed to surround and destroy the enemy troops (Bagration and Povalo-Shveikovsky) in the area of Gragnano and Casaligio. The troops of Montrichard, Victor and Ryuska attacked in the center, and Dombrowski's division had to bypass the right flank of the Russians from the south.
Thus, MacDonald's army had a numerical superiority on both wings, especially on the southern one (8 thousand people). At the same time, the enemy did not know where the French were striking the main blow. And on each flank, part of the French walked around the enemy troops. MacDonald planned a two-way flanking of the enemy group, its encirclement and destruction. However, the front was long, and the French did not have a strong reserve to reinforce the first success or fend off a surprise move by the enemy. It is possible that MacDonald hoped that the offensive of Moreau's army in the rear of Suvorov's troops would cause disorganization and disintegration of the allied army.
Meeting battle on June 8 (19), 1799
At about 10 o'clock in the morning on June 8, the Russian commander-in-chief ordered the troops to form in battle formations. Meanwhile, the French themselves went over to the attack along the entire front. Dombrowski's division crossed Trebbia at Rivalta and attacked the right wing of Bagration's detachment. At the same time, the troops of Viktor and Ryuska struck at the Shveikovsky division, and parts of Montrichard - the Foerster division at Gragnano. The French advanced in several columns. Between them, the cavalry moved in front of the arrows scattered. The attack was supported by artillery located on the right bank of the Trebbia.
Suvorov, who was at Kasalidjo, ordered Bagration to attack Dombrovsky. His division consisted of Poles, rebels, fugitives from Poland, who hated Suvorov and the Russians. They fought desperately, bravely. But this time, too, the Poles were severely beaten. From the front, Russian infantrymen attacked with bayonets, dragoons and Cossacks attacked the enemy from the flanks. The enemy could not withstand the swift blow and with heavy losses was thrown back beyond Trebbia, losing only about 400 prisoners. Dombrowski's division ceased to exist as a combat unit. For three days of fierce fighting, out of 3,500 fighters, only 300 remained in the ranks.
At the same time, a fierce battle between the Shveikovsky division and two enemy divisions was in full swing. 5 thousand Russian soldiers were attacked by 12 thousand French. Ryuska's division struck at the open right flank of the Russians and went to their rear. Exhausted by marches, battles and heat, the soldiers wavered. The battle is at a critical juncture. The Russian division began to retreat under the onslaught of superior enemy forces. Rosenberg suggested that Suvorov retreat. The Russian commander, exhausted by the heat, lay on the ground, in one shirt, leaning against a huge stone. He told the general: “Try to move this stone. You can not? Well, you can't retreat either. Please hold on tight and not a step back."
Suvorov rushed to the battlefield, and Bagration's detachment followed him. Having approached the troops of Shveikovsky, the Russian genius of war joined a retreating battalion and began to shout: "lure them, guys, lure them … quickly … run …", while he was driving ahead. After taking two hundred paces, he turned the battalion and threw it into a bayonet attack. The soldiers cheered up, and Suvorov galloped on. The sudden appearance of the Russian commander on the battlefield had a tremendous effect on the Suvorov miracle heroes. According to eyewitnesses, it was as if a fresh Russian army had arrived on the battlefield. The retreating and almost defeated troops perked up and rushed to the enemy with renewed vigor. Bagration's fighters struck the flank and rear of the Ryuska division, and so rapidly that the enemy was confused and stopped. Joint attacks by the troops of Povalo-Shveikovsky and Bagration led to the defeat of the French. The enemy fled for Trebbia.
Stubborn fighting was also in full swing in the center, here the Foerster division was attacked by Montrichard. The Russians fought back with bayonet attacks, but nevertheless pushed them back. At a difficult moment, Liechtenstein's cavalry appeared from the north. This was the reinforcements that Melas, at the request of the commander-in-chief, finally, with a delay, sent to the center of the position. On the move, the Austrian cavalry struck on the enemy's flank. The French wavered and retreated across the river.
On the left flank, the Austrians wavered under the onslaught of the French and began to retreat. However, Liechtenstein's cavalry returned to the left wing and inflicted a flank attack on the enemy. The case was straightened out. The French were pushed back to the other side of the Trebbia River. By evening, the French were defeated everywhere. Attempts by the allies to cross the river were repelled by the French with artillery fire.
The death of the French Neapolitan army
Thus, in the beginning it seemed that the battle ended the same way as on June 7th. The French were defeated and retreated across the river, but retained their positions at Trebbia. Suvorov was determined to attack again the next morning. However, it quickly became clear that the French army was defeated and was no longer able to fight. On the left flank of the French army, the Russians used bayonet attacks to grind the main forces of MacDonald's army. The state of the French troops was deplorable, their morale fell: more than half of the personnel were out of action in three days of fighting (only on the 8th, 5 thousand people remained on the battlefield), more than 7 thousand people were wounded; Dombrowski's division was destroyed; the command staff suffered heavy losses - the commanders of the divisions Ryuska and Olivier were seriously wounded, Salm was wounded; thousands of people were captured; the artillery was running out of ammunition. As a result, at the French military council on the night of 9 (20), the generals declared that the army was in a terrible state, it was impossible to accept a new battle. It was decided to retreat. On the same night, the French withdrew their positions and began to go to the Nura River. They left the wounded, and they were captured. Several squadrons of cavalry were left in position to keep the camp fires and to pretend the French army was in place.
Early in the morning the Cossacks discovered that the enemy had fled. Upon learning of this, Suvorov ordered to immediately organize the pursuit. In his order, he noted: “When crossing the Trebbia River, beat hard, drive and destroy with cold steel; but to those who submit to give pardon is confirmed …”(that is, to spare). The allies marched in two columns: the troops of Melas Melas on the road to Piacenza, Rosenberg to Saint-Giorgio. Reaching Piacenza, the Austrian general stopped the army to rest, sending only Ott's division in pursuit. The Austrians reached the Nura River and stopped there, sending only light cavalry for pursuit. The Russians, led by Suvorov, continued to drive the enemy alone. In Saint-Giorgio, they overtook and defeated a semi-brigade from Victor's division, captured more than 1,000 people, took 4 guns and the entire baggage train. The Russians continued to drive the enemy almost all night. In total, during the pursuit, the Allies captured several thousand people.
As a result, MacDonald's Neapolitan army was destroyed. For three days of fighting, the French lost 18 thousand people killed, wounded and captured. Several thousand people were captured during the pursuit, others fled. The total losses of the French amounted to 23-25 thousand people. The remnants of MacDonald's troops joined the Moreau army. The total losses of the allies in the battle of Trebbia amounted to more than 5 thousand people.
On June 9, Moro's Italian army attacked and pushed Belgarde's corps. The Russian field marshal learned about this on June 11. The next day, the Allied army went to beat Moro. The soldiers moved at night, as the heat was intense. By the morning of June 15, Suvorov's troops approached Saint Giuliano. However, Moreau, having learned about the defeat of MacDonald's army and the approach of Suvorov, immediately retreated south to Genoa.
In Vienna and St. Petersburg, they rejoiced when they learned about the decisive victory of Suvorov's troops, in France there was a great grief. Sovereign Pavel granted Suvorov his portrait, framed in diamonds, a thousand insignia and other awards were sent to the army.
