French forces secured two Ticino River crossings, enabling the Allied advance into Austrian Lombardy ahead of the decisive Battle of Magenta.
Key Facts
- Date
- 3 June 1859
- River crossed
- Ticino River
- Crossing point (north)
- Turbigo, ~5 miles northwest of Magenta
- Ticino crossing method
- By boat then pontoon bridge
- Crossing completed
- Between 2 and 3am on 4 June
- Conflict
- Second Italian War of Independence
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the Piedmontese victory at Palestro on 30–31 May 1859, Austrian commander Gyulai began retreating east across the Ticino into Lombardy to defend Milan. Napoleon III had ordered his army to wheel left and strike the exposed Austrian right flank, necessitating rapid seizure of Ticino crossing points before the Austrians could consolidate their defenses.
On 3 June 1859, French General Camou's Guard Voltigeurs division, followed by MacMahon's II Corps and Fanti's 2nd Division, advanced to Turbigo to outflank Austrian positions. Crossing the Ticino by boat in the early hours of 4 June, the French secured the eastern bank and immediately laid a pontoon bridge, while simultaneously threatening the fortified Austrian bridgehead at San Martino near Magenta.
With two crossing points over the Ticino secured, the French gained a foothold in Austrian Lombardy and rendered the Austrian defense of the Naviglio Grande untenable. This maneuver set the stage directly for the Battle of Magenta on 4 June 1859, a major Allied victory that opened the way to Milan and decisively shifted the war's momentum against Austria.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
General Camou, Marshal MacMahon, General Fanti.
Side B
1 belligerent
Eduard Clam-Gallas, Franz Count Gyulai.