The Battle of Sacile (16 April 1809) saw the Franco-Italian Army of Italy commanded by Eugène de Beauharnais face the Archduke John of Austria 's Army of Inner Austria during the War of the Fifth Coalition . Believing that he was only opposed by the Austrian VIII Armeekorps, Eugène launched his right wing in a heavy attack against it. In the morning, the Austrians successfully held off Franco-Italian assaults on their left flank as Eugène reinforced the attack with troops from his left wing. Later in the day, John counterattacked Eugène's weakened left wing with the IX Armeekorps, forcing the Franco-Italian army to withdraw from the battlefield. The battle at Sacile was preceded by the action of Pordenone on 15 April in which the Austrian advance guard mauled the French rear guard. The Austrian victory compelled Eugène to retreat to the Adige River at Verona where he gathered reinforcements and planned a counteroffensive.[1]
Franco-Italian Army at Sacile
Eugène de Beauharnais
Army of Italy : Eugène de Beauharnais [2]
Jean Broussier
2nd Division: General of Division Jean-Baptiste Broussier
1st Brigade: General of Brigade Joseph Marie, Count Dessaix
9th Line Infantry Regiment (2,800 in 4 battalions)
2nd Brigade: General of Brigade Jacques Dutruy
Attached Artillery: (12 guns)
Foot artillery company (four 8-pound cannons, two 6-inch howitzers)
Foot artillery company (four 4-pound cannons, two 6-inch howitzers)
Paul Grenier
3rd Division: General of Division Paul Grenier
1st Brigade: General of Brigade Louis Jean Nicolas Abbé
2nd Brigade: General of Brigade François-Antoine Teste
52nd Line Infantry Regiment (2,800 in 4 battalions)
102nd Line Infantry Regiment (2,800 in 4 battalions)
Napoleone Italian Dragoon Regiment (125 in the 4th Squadron)
Attached Artillery: (12 guns)
Foot artillery company (six 8-pound cannons)
Foot artillery company (four 4-pound cannons, two 6-inch howitzers)
Gabriel Barbou
4th Division: General of Division Gabriel Barbou des Courières
1st Brigade: General of Brigade Jean-Claude Moreau
8th Light Infantry Regiment (1,450 in the 3rd & 4th Battalions)
18th Light Infantry Regiment (1,400 in the 3rd & 4th Battalions)
5th Line Infantry Regiment (1,400 in the 3rd & 4th Battalions)
11th Line Infantry Regiment (700 in the 4th Battalion)[4]
2nd Brigade: General of Brigade Claude Roize
23rd Line Infantry Regiment (1,400 in the 3rd & 4th Battalions)
60th Line Infantry Regiment (1,400 in the 3rd & 4th Battalions)
79th Line Infantry Regiment (1,350 in the 3rd & 4th Battalions)
87th Line Infantry Regiment (1,400 in the 3rd & 4th Battalions)
Attached Artillery: (12 guns)
Foot artillery company (four 8-pound cannons, two 6-inch howitzers)
Foot artillery company (four 4-pound cannons, two 6-inch howitzers)
Louis Michel Sahuc
Light Cavalry Division: General of Division Louis Michel Antoine Sahuc
Brigade: General of Brigade Joseph Pagès
6th Chasseurs à Cheval Regiment (600 in 4 squadrons)
8th Chasseurs à Cheval Regiment (850 in 4 squadrons)
25th Chasseurs à Cheval Regiment (600 in 4 squadrons)
6th Hussar Regiment (750 in 4 squadrons)
Attached Artillery: (6 guns)
Horse artillery company (four 4-pound cannons, two 6-inch howitzers)
1st Italian Division: General of Division Filippo Severoli
1st Brigade: General of Brigade Antoine-Louis-Ignace Bonfanti
1st Italian Line Infantry Regiment (2,800 in 4 battalions)
2nd Italian Line Infantry Regiment (700 in the 3rd Battalion)
2nd Brigade: General of Brigade Luigi Gaspare Peyri
7th Italian Line Infantry Regiment (2,100 in the 2nd, 3rd & 4th Battalions)
Dalmatian Infantry Regiment (1,400 in 2 battalions)
Italian Chasseurs à Cheval Regiment (125 in 1 squadron)
Attached Artillery: (12 guns, 450)
Italian foot artillery company (four 6-pound cannons , two 6-inch howitzers)
Italian foot artillery company (four 6-pound cannons, two 6-inch howitzers)
Not present at Sacile
Achille Fontanelli
2nd Italian Division: General of Division Achille Fontanelli [5]
1st Brigade: General of Brigade Joseph François Benigne Julhien
1st Italian Light Infantry Regiment (1,400 in 2 battalions)
2nd Italian Light Infantry Regiment (1,400 in 2 battalions)
3rd Italian Line Infantry Regiment (2,800 in 4 battalions)
2nd Brigade: General of Brigade Antoine Marc Augustin Bertoletti
4th Italian Line Infantry Regiment (1,400 in 2 battalions)
Istrian Jagers (700 in 1 battalion)
Italian Chasseurs à Cheval Regiment (250 in 2 squadrons)
Attached Artillery: (12 guns, 450)
Italian foot artillery company (four 6-pound cannons, two 6-inch howitzers)
Italian foot artillery company (four 6-pound cannons, two 6-inch howitzers)
Jean Lamarque
Division Lamarque: General of Division Jean Maximilien Lamarque
1st Brigade: General of Brigade Léonard Huard de Saint-Aubin
13th Line Infantry Regiment (2,800 in 4 battalions)
112th Line Infantry Regiment (2,100 in 3 battalions)
2nd Brigade: General of Brigade Louis Alméras
Attached Artillery: (12 guns)
Foot artillery company (four 8-pound cannons, two 6-inch howitzers, 200)
Foot artillery company (four 4-pound cannons, two 6-inch howitzers, 140)
Emmanuel Grouchy
1st Dragoon Division: General of Division Emmanuel Grouchy
Brigade: General of Brigade François Guerin d'Etoquigny
7th Dragoon Regiment (700 in 4 squadrons)
30th Dragoon Regiment (950 in 4 squadrons)
Reine Dragoon Regiment (700 in 4 squadrons)
Attached Artillery: (6 guns)
Horse artillery company (four 4-pound cannons, two 6-inch howitzers, 125)
2nd Dragoon Division: General of Division Charles Joseph Randon de Malboissière de Pully
Brigade: General of Brigade Pierre Poinsot
23rd Dragoon Regiment (600 in 4 squadrons)
28th Dragoon Regiment (450 in 4 squadrons)
29th Dragoon Regiment (600 in 4 squadrons)
Pierre Durutte
Division Durutte: General of Division Pierre François Joseph Durutte
1st Brigade:
22nd Light Infantry Regiment (1,400 in the 3rd & 4th Battalions)
23rd Line Infantry Regiment (2,800 in 4 battalions)
2nd Brigade:
62nd Line Infantry Regiment (2,800 in 4 battalions)
Attached Artillery: (6 guns)
Foot artillery company (four 6-pound cannons, two 6-inch howitzers)
Royal Italian Guard: General of Brigade Teodoro Lechi
1st Brigade: General of Brigade Pietro Luigi Viani
Guard Velites Infantry Regiment (800 in 1 battalion)
Guards d'Honneur Squadron (175)
2nd Brigade: General of Brigade Teodoro Lechi
Guard Chasseurs Infantry Regiment (800 in 1 battalion)
Guard Grenadiers Infantry Regiment (800 in 1 battalion)
Guard Dragoon Regiment (275 in 2 squadrons)
Attached Artillery: (6 guns, 238)
Italian foot artillery company (four 6-pound cannons, two 6-inch howitzers)
Sappers (350 in 3 companies)
Schneid, Frederick C. Napoleon's Italian Campaigns: 1805–1815 . Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers, 2002. pp.71–74.
Bowden, Scotty & Tarbox, Charlie. Armies on the Danube 1809 . Arlington, Texas: Empire Games Press, 1980. pp.101–103. Bowden estimates 700-man French battalion strengths. This would have given Eugène a 10,000-man superiority, which was not the case.
Schneid, Frederick C. Napoleon's Italian Campaigns: 1805–1815 . Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers, 2002. ISBN 0-275-96875-8 . p.71. Schneid mentioned the 35th in his account of the battle but omitted it in his order of battle.
Schneid, Frederick C. Napoleon's Italian Campaigns: 1805–1815 . Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers, 2002. ISBN 0-275-96875-8 . pp.181–182. Schneid places this unit in Abbé's brigade.
Bowden & Tarbox, pp.102–103
Schneid, pp.182–183. Schneid and Smith both listed the Austrian order of battle (OOB) for Sacile. Schneid's OOB is used with cited exceptions.
Schneid, p.71. Schneid's order of battle only lists Schmidt's brigade, but his narrative lists Wetzel's brigade also. The author also gives Frimont four unnamed cavalry regiments.
Arnold, James R. Napoleon Conquers Austria. Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers, 1995. ISBN 0-275-94694-0 . p.99. Arnold stated that Fulda was killed.
Smith, Digby . The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill, 1998. ISBN 1-85367-276-9 . p.300. Bowden & Tarbox and Schneid do not list Sebottendorf's brigade.
Arnold, James R. Napoleon Conquers Austria. Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers, 1995. ISBN 0-275-94694-0
Bowden, Scotty & Tarbox, Charlie. Armies on the Danube 1809 . Arlington, Texas: Empire Games Press, 1980. OCLC 6649795.
Nagy, Istvan. napoleon-series.org Austrian Cavalry Regiments and Their Commanders 1792–1815: The Hussars
Schneid, Frederick C. Napoleon's Italian Campaigns: 1805–1815 . Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers, 2002. ISBN 0-275-96875-8
Smith, Digby . The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill, 1998. ISBN 1-85367-276-9
Smith, Digby & Kudrna, Leopold. napoleon-series.org Austrian Generals: 1792–1815