| Capture of Brescia | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theItalian campaigns in theWar of the Second Coalition | |||||||||
 Brescia City Plan Bibliothèque nationale de France | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Russian Empire Habsburg Empire |  French Republic | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Alexander SuvorovPyotr BagrationPhilipp VukassovichPaul Kray Johann Zopf | Barthélemy Schérer Gen. Bouzet | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| >20,000[1] | 1,100[1] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Absent[1] | The entire garrison and 46 cannon captured[1] | ||||||||
Thecapture of Brescia took place on 21 April 1799,[a] during theSecond Coalition war:General Field MarshalCountA. V. Suvorov's Russian andHabsburg troops took thefortress city ofBrescia, having captivated the Frenchgarrison of General Bouzet.[2]
Alexander Suvorov-Rymniksky, realising the importance of the impression of his first encounter with the French, sent here thevanguard ofKray and the division of Zopf, a total of 15,000 men assembled, and orderedVukassovich to descend from the mountains also to Brescia; in all, more than 20,000 men.Field Marshal Suvorov ordered to assault the fortress, and not to conclude with thecommandant of the honourablecapitulation: "otherwise, — he said, — the enemy will hold in everyblockhouse, and we will lose both time and men".[1]
The Austrians, approaching the town, opened artillery fire and occupied the dominant heights on the north side;Bagration positioned himself on the west side and blocked the French possible escape routes. Bouzet would not have been able to defend a vast city with a small force, so he retreated to thecitadel. Perhaps because the inhabitants were annoyed by French extortions and force, they opened the city gates to the Russo-Austrian coalition and rushed to chop down thearbres de la liberté [fr]. Bouzet responded to an offer to surrender by firing shots. However, the French did not endure.[2] Suvorov was right: after a harmless skirmish commandant, frightened by the active preparations for the assault, agreed to send him a firm offer of unconditional surrender; 46 cannons were taken; losses killed and wounded were not. The capture of Brescia provided the Allies with a good foundry, ensuredcommunication withTyrol, opened a better road for communication with theMincio and further with theAdige, made a strong moral impression on the country (the anti-Republican party raised its head) and on the Allied troops: "the army demanded to be led to new victories".[1][2]
The Allied army would further clash withSchérer's armyat Lecco.
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