Battle of San Pietro

"(For the engagement during World War II, see Battle of San Pietro Infine; and the film about this battle, see The Battle of San Pietro.)"

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of San Pietro


caption=
partof=the War of the Polish Succession
date=June 29, 1734
place=near Parma, present-day Italy
result=Franco-Piedmontese victory
combatant1=flagicon|France|royal France
combatant2=flag|Austria|empire
commander1=de Broglie and Coigny
commander2=Florimund Mercy (+) and Frederick of Württemberg
strength1=60,000 men
strength2=50,000 men
casualties1=4,400 dead and wounded
casualties2=6,200 dead and wounded

The Battle of San Pietro, Battle of Crocetta or Battle of Parma was a battle fought on june 29 1734, between Franco-Piedmontese and Austrian troops as part of the War of Polish Succession, in La Crocetta, just outside Parma, Italy.

Prelude

The Franco-Piedmontese allies had marched on Milan in 1733, and occupied Lombardy without significant losses. After the conquest of Tortona in February 1734, the fighting season slowed and the army camped for the winter. When the 81-year-old Marshal de Villars died on June 17 1734, command of the French troops in Italy was assumed by generals de Broglie and Coigny, who were made Marshal. The Piemontese troops where commanded by King Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia.

In 1734, Charles Emmanuel returned to Turin, because his wife Polyxena Christina of Hesse-Rotenburg was sick. He asked the French Marshals to stay put until he returned. In reality he voluntarily thwarted the expedition, because any further gains like Mantua, would be assigned to the new ally Spain, his old neighbor and enemy.

The Austrians were under command of another duo, Marshal Florimund Mercy and Frederick of Württemberg. Their preparations for battle were very slow, due to important differences of opinion between both commanders. The Austrians finally moved towards Parma, crossing the Po River at Portole and Monte di San Benedetto on May 2. The French took up positions on the Sacca heights, north of Parma. The Austrians tried to break this line near Colorno, but were unsuccessful.

Then 68-year-old Marshal de Mercy had a stroke, depriving him from sight and speech. He gave temporary command to the Prince of Wurtemberg, and the operations stopped. May and June passed with only occasional raids from both sides.

The Battle

On June 29, fifty-two companies of French infantry, headed by de Broglie, moved to Parma. They stopped at 7 a.m. at Crocetta, just west and under the walls of the city. Here the army formed four lines, three French, and one Piedmontese.

The Count de Mercy crossed the Taro canal at the head of the vanguard and at about 10 a.m. fired on the French advance posts, who withdrew. At this juncture, de Mercy ordered the Prince of Wurtemberg to attack without delay. The Prince objected that he first had to cross more troops over the river and align them. Then de Mercy said "Je vous laisse faire et je ferai la chose à ma mode (Do what you want, I will do it my way)" and led the attack himself.

At 1 p.m. the French were pushed back, but de Mercy was killed, creating much confusion amongst the Austrians. The battle continued until the fighting subsided between 7 and 9 p.m. At that point, the Austrians left the battlefield under the cover of gunfire on the Piacenza road, leaving behind many wounded. The battle was considered finished at midnight.

The Austrians withdrew to present-day Reggio Emilia province. The Prince of Wurtenberg found refuge in the Montechiarugolo castle, where he wrote a report of the battle to the Emperor, blaming the failure on de Mercy's recklessness.

Aftermath

The battle was witnessed by the population of Parma and in particular by Venetian playwright Carlo Goldoni, who happened to be in the city.

The Austrians lost 6,172 killed and wounded, including Marshal de Mercy and 6 generals. There were also a great number of deserters. The French lost 4,000 killed and wounded and the Piedmontese 400.

The Austrians left the battlefield. The allies controlled all the terrain up to the Secchia River, as well as Guastalla, Reggio, and Modena, where the Duke of Modena, Rinaldo d'Este, fled to Bologna. Nevertheless, the battle was not considered a great allied victory. The two armies would meet again on September 19, 1734, for the Battle of Guastalla.

Sources

* "la battaglia di Parma" Atti del Congresso Internazionale di Scienze Storiche, du Prof. Dott. Ludovico Oberziner (1906)
* "Parma" Edition Quaderni Parmensi, de Gianfranco Stella (1988)
* "Parma e Vienna" Edition Artegrafica Silva - Parma, de Adele Vittoria Marchi (1988)
* "la battaglia di San Pietro" Edition Aurea Parma, de Giancarlo Gonizzi (2004)
* [http://www.kuk-wehrmacht.de/gefechte/17340629parma.html Die Schlacht bei Parma (in German)]