Castiglione Delle Stiviere

a city in Northern Italy, Lombardy, Mantua Province. During Napoleon’s Italian Campaign of 1796–97, his troops defeated the Austrian army of Field Marshal D. Wurmser near Castiglione (Aug. 5, 1796). In late July the Austrian forces left Tirol in order to raise the blockade of the fortress of Mantua, which was besieged by the French troops. The offensive was conducted by two columns. The column of General P. Quasdanovich (Kvazdanovic), consisting of approximately 18,000 men, advanced west of Lake Garda toward Brescia. Wurmser advanced with more than 24,000 men east of Lake Garda toward the Mincio River. Napoleon lifted the seige of Mantua and concentrated his troops, about 30,000 men, west of the Mincio River. Between July 31 and Aug. 3, he defeated Quasdanovich’s troops east of Brescia, and on August 5 he defeated the main force of the Austrians, who were advancing towards Castiglione. Wurmser reinforced the Mantua garrison and retreated toward Trent.