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Battle of Gotthard Pass 1799

Battle of Gotthard Pass: Sen-Gotard by Suvorov troops in 1799
Image: Alexander von Kotzebue, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.

Key facts

Date26 September 1799Wikidata
Year1799Wikidata P585 (point in time)
EraEarly modern (1500–1799)derived from year
LocationSwitzerlandNatural Earth (modern borders)
ContinentEuropeNatural Earth
War / conflictWar of the Second CoalitionWikidata P361
Coordinates46.5562, 8.5678Wikidata P625

About the battle

The battle of (the) Gotthard Pass, also known as the battle of the St. Gotthard Pass or the battle of the St. Gotthard (Russian: Сражение за Сен-Готард; 24 September 1799), saw an Imperial Russian army commanded by Field Marshal Alexander Suvorov supported by two Austrian brigades attack a French division under General of Division Claude Lecourbe. The same day brought clashes at the Oberalp Pass (Oberalpsee) and Hospental (archaic Hospital).

The Austro-Russian army successfully captured the Gotthard Pass after stiff fighting on the first day. Suvorov's main body was assisted by a Russian flanking column led by Lieutenant General Andrei Rosenberg and a smaller Austrian flanking column under General-major Franz Xaver von Auffenberg. The next day, Suvorov's army fought its way north along the upper Reuss River valley past the Teufelsbrücke (Devil's Bridge) in Schöllenen Gorge. By 26 September the army reached Altdorf near Lake Lucerne. The term summarises a total of five battles or engagements between Airolo and Altdorf fought against the retreating French troops over the course of three days. The main engagement of 25 September is known as the battle of the Devil's Bridge. Simultaneously, the combat of the Urnerloch took place.

Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Gotthard Pass (revision 1370110988), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.

Location

46.5562, 8.5678 · Switzerland

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Nearby battles

Other battles of the War of the Second Coalition

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Browse more: battles in Switzerland · Europe · Early modern battles

Further reading