First Battle of Komárom (1849)

First Battle of Komárom
Part of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848
The First Battle. A painting by Mór Than
Date 26 April 1849 Location Komárom, Kingdom of Hungary Result Tactical Hungarian victory; Strategically inconclusive
Belligerents
Hungarian Revolutionary Army	Austrian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Artúr Görgei  György Klapka  János Damjanich	Balthasar von Simunich  Franz Schlik
Strength
Total: 18,884+? men - I. corps: 9465 - III. corps: 9419 - a part of VIII. corps: ? 62 cannons Did not participated VII. corps: 9043 men 45 cannons	Total: 33,487 men - I. corps: 13,489 - II. corps: 12,088 - III. corps Lederer division: 7910 108 cannons
Casualties and losses
Total: 800 men	Total: 671 men - 33 dead - 149 wounded - 489 missing and captured 7 heavy siege cannons and mortars captured by the Hungarians

The First battle of Komárom was one of the most important battles of the Hungarian War of Independence, fought on 26 April 1849, between the Hungarian and the Austrian Imperial main armies, which ended, in some opinions with a Hungarian victory, while others say that actually it was undecided. This battle was part of the Hungarian Spring Campaign. After the revolutionary army attacked and destroyed the Austrian blockade around the fortress, the Imperials, because of receiving reinforcements which made them numerically much superior than their enemies, successfully counterattacked, but after they secured the situation, they retreated towards Győr, leaving the trenches and much of their siege artillery in Hungarian hands. With this battle the Hungarian revolutionary army relieved the fortress of Komárom from a very long imperial siege, and forced the enemy to retreat in the westernmost land strip of Kingdom of Hungary. After this battle, following a long debate about among the Hungarian military and political leaders, in which direction to continue their advancement: towards Vienna, the Habsburg capital, or Buda the Hungarian capital, which fortress was still held by Austrian forces, the second option was chosen.

The main purpose of the Hungarian Spring Campaign, led by Artúr Görgei was to push the Habsburg main armies out of Hungary towards Vienna. The first phase of the Spring Campaign was successful, and forced the imperial forces to retreat from the foreground of the Hungarian capitals: Pest and Buda, thanks to the victory of Isaszeg. For the second phase of the campaign on 7 April 1849 the Hungarian commanders elaborated another plan. According to this plan the Hungarian army had to split, General Lajos Aulich with the II. Hungarian Army Corps, and the division of Colonel Lajos Asbóth remained in front of Pest, doing such military maneuvers which have to make the imperials to believe that the whole Hungarian army is there, diverting their attention from north, where the real Hungarian attack had to start with the I., III. and the VII., corps which had to go westwards, on the northern bank of the Danube via Komárom, to relieve it from the imperial siege. The Kmety division of the VII. corps had to cover the three corps march, and after the I. and the III. corps occupied Vác, the division had to secure the town, while the rest of the troops together with the two remaining divisions of the VII. corps, had to advance to Garam river, than heading for the south to relieve the northern section of Austrian siege of the fortress of Komárom. After this, they had to cross the Danube and relieve the southern section of the siege. In the eventuality of finishing all of these with success, the imperials had only two chances: Or to retreat from Middle Hungary towards Viena, or face the encirclement from the Hungarian troops in the Hungarian capitals. This plan was very risky (as was the first plan of the Spring Campaign too) because if Alfred I, Prince of Windisch-Grätz had discovered that in front of Pest remained only a Hungarian corps, with an attack could destroy Aulich's troops, and with this he could easily cut the support lines of the main Hungarian army, and even occupy Debrecen, the seat of the Hungarian Revolutionary Parliament and the National Defense Committee (interim government of Hungary), or he could encircle the three corps advancing to relieve Komárom. To secure the success of the Hungarian army, the National Defense Committee sent from Debrecen 100 wagons with munitions. At 10 April the III. Hungarian army corps, led by General János Damjanich defeated in the Battle of Vác the Ramberg division led by Major General Christian Götz, who was fatally wounded.

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