Second Battle of Zurich

Second Battle of Zurich
Part of the War of the Second Coalition
François Bouchot. The Battle of Zurich, 25 September 1799. André Massena is on horseback. (Galerie des Batailles, Palace of Versailles)
Date 25–26 September 1799 Location Zurich, Switzerland Result Decisive French victory
Belligerents
France	Russia Austria Switzerland
Commanders and leaders
André Masséna	Alexander Korsakov, Friedrich von Hotze †
Strength
75,000	44,000 Russians 32,000 Austrians
Casualties and losses
3,000 dead or wounded	7,000 dead or wounded 6,000 captured

Coordinates: 47°22′0″N 8°33′0″E / 47.36667°N 8.55000°E / 47.36667; 8.55000

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 an Austrian and Russian force commanded by Alexander Korsakov near Zurich. 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. Most of the fighting took place on both banks of the river Limmat up to the gates of Zurich, and within the city itself.

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 Strauch and 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 Zurich.

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