First Battle of Vác (1849)

First Battle of Vác
Part of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848
Date 10 April 1849 Location around and in Vác, Kingdom of Hungary Result Hungarian victory
Belligerents
Hungarian Revolutionary Army Polish Legion	Austrian Empire
Commanders and leaders
János Damjanich	Christian Götz †
Strength
Total:11,592 men 36 cannons Did not participate: Detached troops from I. corps: 2973 men 20 cannons	8,250 men 26 cannons
Casualties and losses
Total 150 men	Total 422 men - 60 dead - 147 wounded - 215 missing or captured 1 battery

The Battle of Vác, fought on 10 April 1849, was one of the two important battles which took place in the same city in the Spring Campaign of the Hungarian War of Independence from 1848–1849, fought between the Habsburg Empire and the Hungarian Revolutionary Army. This battle was the starting point of the second phase of the Spring Campaign, which had the purpose to relieve the fortress of Komárom from the imperial siege, and with this to encircle the Habsburg imperial forces headquartered in the Hungarian capitals of Buda and Pest. The Hungarians won the battle, in which the Austrian commander Major General Christian Götz was fatally wounded, dying after the battle. His body was buried by the Hungarian high commander Artúr Görgei with military honors, this being one of the examples of gallantry and high respect for the fallen enemy hero in the Hungarian War for Independence.

With the Battle of Isaszeg the Hungarian Revolutionary Army led by Artúr Görgei managed to force the Habsburg imperial army led by Field Marshal Alfred I, Prince of Windisch-Grätz to retreat towards the Hungarian capitals (Pest and Buda), liberating the Hungarian territories between the Tisza and the Danube rivers. The imperial troops retreated to Pest, forming a defensive line before it, which was difficult to conquer. This was understood also by the Hungarian commanders, after the Hungarian army encircled Pest until the Danube, and stood in this position until 9 April, and were ready for a battle. The imperial army did not accepted to fight but retreated in the capital city. On 7 April a new campaign plan was made. 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 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. Although the president of the National Defense Committee (interim government of Hungary), Lajos Kossuth, who after the battle of Isaszeg, went to Gödöllő, the Hungarian headquarters, wanted a direct attack on Pest, finally was convinced by Görgey that his and the other generals plan is better. To secure the succes of the Hungarian army, the National Defense Committee sent from Debrecen 100 wagons with munitions.

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