Battle of Winterthur

Because of its position at the junction of seven roads, the army that held the town controlled access to most of Switzerland and points crossing the Rhine into southern Germany.

By mid-May 1799, the Austrians had wrested control of parts of Switzerland from the French as forces under the command of Hotze and Count Heinrich von Bellegarde pushed them out of the Grisons.

In this War of the First Coalition (1792–1798), France ranged itself against most of the European states sharing land or water borders with her, plus Portugal and the Ottoman Empire.

[5] In mid-spring, the Austrians reached an agreement with Tsar Paul of Russia by which Alexander Suvorov would come out of retirement to assist Austria in Italy with another 60,000 troops.

[9] The Army of the Danube advanced through the Black Forest and, by mid-March, established an offensive position at the western and northern edge of the Swiss Plateau by the village of Ostrach.

[10] André Masséna had already pushed into Switzerland with his force of 30,000, and successfully passed into the Grison Alps, Chur, and Finstermünz on the Inn.

Friedrich Freiherr von Hotze brought a portion (approximately 8,000) of his force west, leaving the rest to defend the Vorarlberg.

At the same time, Friedrich Joseph, Count of Nauendorf, brought the left wing of the main Austrian force across the Rhine by Eglisau.

They planned to unite with the main Austrian army, control the northern access points of Zürich and force an engagement with Masséna.

Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte and Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr were sick or claimed they were and had left the army's encampments to recover their health.

[13] Winterthur (/ˈvɪntərtʊər/; German pronunciation: [ˈvɪntərˌtuːr]) lies in a basin south and east of the Töss approximately 31 kilometers (19 mi) northeast of Zürich.

[14] The locale of a Roman settlement from 200 to 400, and the site of a medieval battle in 919, its location at seven crossroads gave it strategic importance in the effort to control north–south and east–west communication in the early days of the War of the Second Coalition.

Protecting the northern access to Zürich, Masséna gathered some of the best commanders he had available; eventually, three of them would become Marshals of France, and Tharreau, a dependable General of Division.

Not only had they been trounced in southwestern Germany, the legendary Alexander Suvorov was on his way to northern Italy with 60,000 Russians to take command of Coalition forces there.

Most threatening, Archduke Charles' main army lay less than a day away; in size alone, it could overwhelm him, or, if he withdrew to the west, its position cut off his avenue of withdrawal toward France.

[17] To prevent this merger of the Austrian forces, Masséna established a forward line centred at Winterthur, and under overall command of the experienced Jean Victor Tharreau.

Ney arrived with the reputation for boldness considered typical of cavalry officers, but with minimal experience in commanding mixed forces.

Anxious to prove himself but aware of protocols, he had hurried to Tharreau's headquarters, but had to wait for his letters of service before he could take command.

The Swiss-born Hotze had entered the military service of the Duke of Württemberg in 1758 and had been promoted to Rittmeister, or captain of cavalry; he had campaigned briefly in the Seven Years' War, but saw no combat.

[20] To prevent these two forces from joining with Archduke Charles' 100,000 men, on 22 May, Masséna and 23,000 troops of the Army of the Danube marched from Zürich in the direction of Winterthur.

Opposite him, Michel Ney, newly in command of his division of approximately 3,000 men, deployed his force around the heights, the so-called Ober-Winterthur, a ring of low-lying hills some 6 km (3.7 mi) north of the city.

[25] By mid-morning, Hotze's advanced guard had encountered moderate French resistance first from Roget's brigade, and then, almost immediately, from Gazan's.

[26] The Austrian advance troops quickly overran Gazan's weak brigade and took possession of the woods surrounding the village of Islikon.

[26] By mid-morning, Ney had moved toward the front with Gazan's brigade and he could see the enemy advancing toward him; still expecting Soult's reinforcements on his flanks, he anticipated an easy victory, like the one three days earlier in which Masséna's force had pounded Hotze's column at Frauenfeld.

From the ridge, Ney's rear guard maintained a steady stream of cannon fire on any of the Austrians who crossed the bridge and attempted to advance up the hill.

This proved effective, for Ney was again injured, this time in his left hand, and his second horse was killed; he relinquished command to Gazan, who organised the continued withdrawal from the position.

[32] Nicolas Oudinot, whose men had secured Neftenbach as part of the French forward line, held out for most of the day, but was forced to retreat 4 km (2.5 mi) to Pfungen in the late afternoon; his position there was not defensible and he was pushed further back to the outskirts of Zürich.

Late snow covers a meadow and brook bank.
At Elgg, Hotze established his forward posts; although the winter snows had melted, the ground was still soggy and the streams were still in full spring flow.
Formal full-length portrait of Masséna in dress military uniform, comprising white breeches with knee length black boots, dark cutaway coat with high collar and gold embroidery, a red shoulder sash and gold waist sash. He wears a large star of honour on his breast. He is a tall dark man with a long face and thick eyebrows. He looks quizzically at the observer and holds a marshal's baton, and sabre.
André Masséna commanded French forces in northern Switzerland.
The rivalry between Michel Ney ( pictured ) and Jean-de-Dieu Soult that was born at Winterthur endured throughout the Napoleonic Wars
Formal full-length portrait of a Tharreau in uniform, in a rocky landscape. He is a short, solidly built man with a round face and alert dark eyes. His pale skin contrasts with his black curly hair and heavy cheek whiskers. He looks out of the picture to the left while gesturing backward with his right hand. He holds a sword in his left hand.
Jean Victor Tharreau commanded the French forward line near Winterthur and ordered Soult to support Ney's defence of the city.
Formal full-length portrait of Soult in uniform, in a coastal landscape with military barracks and beacon post. He is a sturdily built man with swarthy skin, short black hair, a cleft chin and prominent ears. Both his facial expression and his stance express arrogance. He holds a marshal's baton and hat.
Jean-de-Dieu Soult's ( pictured ) refusal to aid Ney cost the French a victory and, ultimately, a city
Half-length oil portrait of the Archduke Charles by Georg Decker. Charles wears a white high-collared military jacket of the Austrian army and has a red and white sash over his right shoulder. He wears two decorations, a cross on his breast and another medal at his neck. He has a long fleshy face, short brown hair, and light eyes, and gazes calmly towards the viewer. His arms are folded across his chest.
Archduke Charles, brother of the Holy Roman Emperor, crossed the Rhine and awaited Hotze's arrival before he would attack the French at Zürich. Portrait by Georg Decker
Miniature portrait of Hotze. He has white hair and dark eyebrows, a large nose and prominent chin. He wears a cross of honour on a ribbon of the Austrian colours around his neck and passed through a buttonhole of his civilian jacket.
The Swiss-born Hotze forced the French from Winterthur, and later played a key role in chasing Masséna and his army from Zürich in early June.
Engraved reproduction of a formal portrait of Bellegarde. He is an elderly man with wispy grey hair and long eyebrows, bony features and an imperious expression. He wears military uniform and numerous decorations. His gloved hands are folded over the hilt of a sword.
Heinrich Bellegarde, a Saxon count, guarded the passes to the south and east of the French force.
A full-length portrait of Alexander Suvorov. He is shown as a dynamic elderly man with aquiline features, windblown hair and eyebrows that are raised quizzically. He wears a military cape and clasps his sword hilt.
Alexander Suvorov, the new ally of Austria, commanded 60,000 Russian troops in northern Italy.
Aerial picture showing a small walled city dotted with red tile roofs and steeples; a wide river runs between it and another city. The farmlands on the far side are bathed in sunlight.
Part of Nauendorf's wing crossed the Rhine at Stein on the Rhine (foreground) and Eglisau and by 26 May had reached Andelfingen , establishing contact with Charles' main army.
Topographical map of modern Switzerland shows the geographic details of the Swiss plateau, and general locations of the Austrian and French positions.
Hotze's troops arrived in the morning at the outskirts of Winterthur and immediately attacked Ney's position. By afternoon, his troops had joined those of Nauendorf and Archduke Charles, marked in yellow.
Outline map of northern Switzerland, showing location of armies in relation to one another; the French army is more than half encircled by the Austrians.
The armies of Austria (yellow) and France (red) position themselves to capture key crossroads by the city of Zürich
A mid-sized river flows through a forest; small rapids cascade over rocks.
The Töss , a Rhine tributary, ran through the main part of the battleground; holding a bridge across the river proved impossible for the French, but cannon fire made it impossible for the Austrians to cross