A Hungarian victory at Szolnok on 5 March 1849 expelled Austrian forces from the city and undermined Field Marshal Windisch-Grätz's overconfidence after his earlier reported triumph.
Key Facts
- Date
- 5 March 1849
- Conflict
- Hungarian War of Independence 1848–1849
- Hungarian commanders
- Maj-Gen. János Damjanich & Maj-Gen. Károly Vécsey
- Austrian commanders
- Maj-Gen. Leopold Edler von Karger & Gen. Ferenc Ottinger
- Outcome
- Hungarian victory; Austrians driven from Szolnok with heavy losses
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the Battle of Kápolna (26–27 February 1849), Austrian Field Marshal Windisch-Grätz declared the Hungarian rebel forces scattered and destroyed, claiming he would soon capture the revolutionary capital Debrecen. This overconfidence left Austrian brigades under Karger and Ottinger holding Szolnok without adequate preparation for a determined Hungarian counterattack.
On 5 March 1849, two Hungarian divisions commanded by Major-General János Damjanich and Major-General Károly Vécsey launched a coordinated assault on Szolnok against Austrian brigades led by Major-General Leopold Edler von Karger and General Ferenc Ottinger. The Hungarian forces prevailed, expelling the Austrians from the city and inflicting heavy casualties on them.
The Second Battle of Szolnok provided a significant morale boost to the Hungarian revolutionary cause and directly challenged Windisch-Grätz's public assertions of imminent victory. His credibility as Austrian commander was shaken, demonstrating that the Hungarian army retained the offensive capacity to contest and recapture key positions despite the earlier setback at Kápolna.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
János Damjanich, Károly Vécsey.
Side B
1 belligerent
Leopold Edler von Karger, Ferenc Ottinger.