The Second Battle of Zurich (25–26 September 1799) was a key victory by the Republican French army in Switzerland led by André Masséna over a Russian force commanded by Alexander Rimsky-Korsakov near Zürich, as it broke the stalemate that had resulted from the First Battle of Zurich three months earlier and led to the withdrawal of Russia from the Second Coalition. Masséna took full advantage of the incompetence of the Russian commander who had accidentally scattered his forces, and launched a bold assault. Most of the fighting took place on both banks of the river Limmat up to the gates of Zürich, and within the city itself. It was arguably the most significant French victory of 1799.
The same days saw a battle between Hotze's Austrians and Soult's French at the River Linth.
Background
After the First Battle of Zurich Masséna had consolidated to a defensive line behind the lower reaches of the Aare River. At this time his entire army in Switzerland consisted of around 77,000 combatants, positioned as:
Following the overall strategic plan, the Austrian army under the Archduke Charles was to be augmented by the 25,000 man Russian command of Korsakov, newly arrived at Schaffhausen after a 90-day march.
Masséna meanwhile was preparing an offensive on his right flank against the Austrian positions in the Alps. On 15 and 16 August General Claude Lecourbe with 12,000 men drove the forces of Gottfried von Strauch and Joseph Anton von Simbschen from the St. Gotthard, Furka and Oberalp Passes in a series of violent assaults. As a distraction, on 14 August French forces under Soult made demonstrations across the Sihl below Zürich.
On the night of 16/17th Archduke Charles supported by Korsakov's troops launched a surprise attack over the river Aare at Gross-Döttingen using boats and pontoon bridges, but his engineers misjudged the strength of the current and depth of the river, the pontoon bridge was unable to be secured and eventually after serious fighting the attack was called off. Archduke Charles and Korsakov planned no further joint action however, as following the strategic plans of the Austrian Hofkriegsrat under Baron Thugut, Charles had been ordered to move his main command north into southern Germany. Reluctantly following these instructions, he left behind a column of 29,000 men under Friedrich von Hotze, and Korsakov's command with the Swiss in the Austrian service. The plan for these two commands was to wait for the arrival of the Russian column of Suvorov penetrating north from Italy over the Alpine passes and trap Masséna in a 3-point encirclement.
French troops
The French troops which took part in the battle included:
- 23éme Régiment de Chasseurs à Cheval (Légion de Ardennes)
- 9éme Régiment de Hussards (la Liberté)
- 2éme Demi-Brigade d'Infanterie de Ligne
- 37éme Demi-Brigade d'Infanterie de Ligne
- 46éme Demi-Brigade d'Infanterie de Ligne (Deuxieme Formation)
- 57éme Demi-Brigade d'Infanterie de Ligne
- 102éme Demi-Brigade d'Infanterie de Ligne
- 10éme Demi-Brigade d'Infanterie de Ligne
Initial situation
On 22 August Korsakov and Hotze agreed that the Russians with 22,000 men would line the lower reaches of the River Limmat (Aare), and Hotze with 20,000 men would occupy the Obersee region below Lake Zürich from the Linth to Glarus.
On 28 August the bulk of the troops of Archduke Charles departed Switzerland. Korsakov himself arrived in Zürich the following day, quickly displaying a vain over-confidence in the capabilities of his troops and disregard both for the French and his allies the Austrians:
The presumption and arrogance of Korsakoff were carried to such a pitch, that in a conference with the Archduke Charles, shortly before the battle [of Zürich], when that great general was pointing out the positions which should in an especial manner be guarded, and said, pointing to the map, "Here you should place a battalion." – "A company, you mean," said Korsakoff – "No," replied the Archduke, "a battalion." – "I understand you," rejoined the other; "an Austrian battalion, or a Russian company"
At the end of August the Allied army stood as follows.
Rimsky-Korsakov with 33,000 men around Zürich and the Lower Limmat, distributed as:
- Division of Lieutenant-General Gorchakov (Korsakov's main body in the Camp of Sihlfeld, between the Uetliberg and Limmat):
- Brigades of General-Major Tuchkov (6,314 men) and General-Major Essen (2,237 men) at Wollishofen. Total with gunners 10,330 men.
- Division of Lieutenant-General Durasov:
- Brigade of General-Major Markov in a camp before Weiningen opposite Dietikon (2,000 grenadiers and 300 Cossacks)
- Brigade of General-Major Pushchin in a camp at Würenlos and in front of the village of Wettingen: 2,500 infantry, 1,000 Cossacks (8 battalions, 10 squadrons). Along the right banks of the Limmat from Baden to the Rhine (1,000 men). Total with gunners 7,052 men.
- Reserve Division of Lieutenant-General Osten-Sacken, 5,700 men initially in a camp at Regensdorf, then along the north bank of Lake Zürich connecting to Hotze.
- The cavalry and Cossacks (3,000 men) under Major-General Gudovich were distributed on the Rhine along the line of the road from Zürich to Baden.
Nauendorf, with 5,400 Austrians, on the right bank of the Rhine between Waldshut and Basel.
Hotze with 25,000 Austrians, including 3,000 Swiss, from Uznach to Chur and Disentis.
Suvorov with 28,000 Russians on the march from Italy through the Alps.
Shortly before the battle Korsakov detached Osten-Sacken's 5,000 man Reserve Division to Rapperswil to reinforce Hotze in anticipation of Suvorov's approach, consequently weakening his defensive line along the Limmat before Zürich and exposing his line of communications.
The departure of Archduke Charles gave the French a momentary superiority in numbers, Masséna was determined to exploit this and the redistribution of Austrians and Russians. His aim was to beat Korsakov and Hotze before any intervention by Suvorov. On 30 August he attempted to cross the Aare and push back the enemy before Zürich. This river crossing was unsuccessful, and Masséna now planned a crossing near Dietikon with a subsequent attack on Korsakov in Zürich.
On 19 September, Masséna revealed his plan to his division commanders. Lorge's Division and part of Ménard's would cross the Limmat from Dietikon and attack Korsakov in Zürich. The remainder of Ménard's command would occupy the enemy by demonstrating at Vogelsang. At the same time Mortier's Division was to hold the attention of Korsakov's main body in front of Zürich by attacking Wollishofen. Klein was to cover the Alstetten road, while the Division of Soult was to cross the Linth at Bilten and prevent Hotze from assisting the Russians. All the boats available for transportation were assembled at Brugg, while a pontoon bridge was constructed at Rottenschwil to mislead the enemy as to the point of crossing. Since June, French boats had been gathered from different waters and transported over land and water. By September, 37 boats of different types were gathered in secret near Dietikon. Under cover of the night of 23/24 September General of the Artillery Dedon dismantled the pontoon bridge at Rottenschwil and transported it by convoy across the mountain to Dietikon.
On 24 September news came that Suvorov's troops had finally conquered the Gotthard Pass (see Battle of Gotthard Pass). This delayed success for the Russians made the joint attack of Korsakov, Hotze and Suvorov impossible, but it persuaded Masséna to bring forward his attack from 26 to 25 September.
Battle
The crossing of the Limmat
On the evening of 24 September Masséna's troops concentrated at Dietikon amounted to more than 8,000 men of Lorge's infantry division and 26 guns, all laying silently in the vicinity of the river. On the other side of the Limmat between Würenlos and Wipkingen they were faced by only 2,600 Russians under Major General Markov, including 1,100 men under Markov himself in Oetwil Würenlos, 290 men and 2 guns of the Misinov Cossack regiment between the rise of the monastery drive and the pine woods, 220 men of a Grenadier Battalion on the western edge of the pine woods and four squadrons of dragoons, with 550 men under Colonel Dmitry Dmitrievich Shepelev at Wipkingen.
On 25 September at 04:45 as boats were rapidly launched across the Limmat the alarm was raised, and initial shots fired by a battalion of Gazan's Advance Guard Brigade signalled the beginning of the attack. With prompt efficiency approximately 600 men in 37 boats crossed the Limmat and formed a bridgehead on the opposite bank. The crossing of the boats alerted the weak Russian outposts on the opposite bank, but despite several rounds of musketry and artillery not a single boat was sunk, or a man drowned. At this point the Limmat sweeps back in a wide arc to the south, allowing Masséna's artillery to fire from both sides of the river bend on the landing and deeper beyond the bridgehead. 25 shots hit various buildings of the monastery. As more French crossed, firing from the left bank ceased in fear of hitting their own men, and all effort was placed into traversing the river.
At 05:00 Dedon directed the erection of the pontoon bridge. The French bridgehead was exposed to Russian artillery fire from the heights of Kloster-Fahr and the pine woods. This plateau, defended by seven guns and Markov's reserves was forthwith attacked, and after hard fighting by 06:00 the Russians were driven back, Markov wounded and taken prisoner. Barely an hour after the first shots the French had crossed 800 men and were in possession of the pine wood and the Russian camp. Behind them the pontoon bridge was rapidly assembled and completed at 07:30. By 09:00 the entire division of Lorge was on the right side of the Limmat with 8,000 men and a total of 26 guns.
Masséna aimed to prevent the Russian right wing under Durasov joining their left at Zürich, and now quickly sent Bontemps with his brigade to gain the slopes of the mountains of the Glatt and cut the communications between Regensberg and Zürich. Bontemps' left was covered by 2 battalions of Quétard's brigade on the Wurenlos road. All the other troops, some 15,000 men including the advance guard under Gazan, followed chief of staff Nicolas Oudinot in the direction of Höngg.
Mortier's attack
Meanwhile, at 05:00 Mortier's Division had launched its feint attacks against Korsakov's main command. His left under Brunet advanced to the small plateau at Wiedikon where they were soon pinned down by superior forces. His right under Drouet drove the Russians from Wollishofen, but were soon counter-attacked by Gorchakov's six battalions, assisted by William's flotilla of gunboats, and pushed back towards the Uetli.
Gorchakov however, not satisfied with merely repulsing the enemy attack, pursued the French to the Uetliberg and succeeded in capturing some batteries. This gain was however to contribute to the day's disaster, as the French success on the right bank, together with Klein's advance from Alstetten onto the Sihlfeld plane enfiladed the right of the Russian corps, obliging Korsakov to withdraw it at 13:00.
The Russians fought with their accustomed bravery, but they were not well directed, and it was pathetic to see them charging up the slopes of the Albis expecting to see Suvároff at the top and calling on his name
— Ramsay Weston Phipps.
Closely pursued as they retreated, Gorchakov's men suffered considerable loss.