Third Battle of Komárom (1849)
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The main aim of the third Battle of Komárom was to push back the Austrian army, easing the task of the Hungarian army to retreat towards South-East. The Hungarian Government agreed on a Hungarian attack against the Austrian troops led by Julius Jacob von Haynau, which was stationing to East and South-East from the fortress of Komárom. On 11 July the Hungarian army started to attack the Austrians. Although General Artúr Görgei was the commander of the Hungarian Army of the Upper Danube, General György Klapka took over the command of Görgey's army because of Görgey's injury in the Second Battle of Komárom from 2 July 1849. New Hungarian troops arrived under the command of Ármin Görgey, and from Bátorkeszi under József Nagysándor, decreasing the Hungarian numerical disadvantage in relation to the Austrian army led by Julius Jacob von Haynau.
Third Battle of Komárom | |||||||
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Part of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Hungarian Revolutionary Army |
Austrian Empire Russian Empire | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
György Klapka Károly Leiningen-Westerburg Ernő Poeltenberg |
Julius Jacob von Haynau Franz Schlik Ludwig von Wohlgemuth Feodor Sergeyevich Panyutyin Ivan Paskevich | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Total: 43,347 men - I. corps: 8,573 - II. corps: 5,925 - III. corps: 7,766 - VII. corps: 11,046 - VIII. corps: 5,702 - Other units: 4,335 180 cannons[1] |
Total: 56,787 men - I. corps: 18,224 - III. corps units: 4,923 - Reserve corps: 15,008 - Cavalry division: 4,254 - Panyutyin division: 11,672 - Other units: 2,706 242 cannons[1] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Total: 400/500/800/1,500 men[1] |
Total: 813 men - 124 dead - 608 wounded - 81 missing and captured[1] |
The Hungarian army's (comprising 58 infantry battalions, 68 cavalry battalions, and 200 cannon) corps which participated in the attack against the Austrian positions were under the command of Colonel Ferenc Aschermann, Ernő Poeltenberg (II. corps), Károly Leiningen-Westerburg (III. corps), József Nagysándor (I. corps) and General Gusztáv Pikéthy (the Pikéthy cavalry division). The right flank fought with Schlik's corps. Although Leiningen was successful in pushing back the Austrian troops around Csém, as well as the II. corps too, which advanced through the Meggyfa- and Ács forests, the Hungarians could not turn these successes to their advantage because of the inactivity of Nagysándor and Pikéthy. At Csém there was a fierce artillery fight with great losses.
The battle finished at 5 pm with the retreat of the Hungarian troops. The Austrians lost 800 men, while the losses of the Hungarians are uncertain. This battle was the bloodiest fight during the revolution. Although the Hungarians did not achieve the victory, they still managed to start their retreat from Komárom, leaving a contingent of nearly 20 000 soldiers to defend the fortress under General Klapka.