Key Facts
- Date
- 13–14 August 1799
- Total forces engaged (approx.)
- ~6,000 per side
- French casualties
- 500 killed, wounded, or missing
- Austrian casualties
- 3,000 men and 2 guns lost
- Location
- Canton Valais, at source of the Rhône River
Strategic Narrative Overview
On 13–14 August 1799, French forces under General of Division Jean Victor Tharreau clashed with elements of Prince Rohan's Austrian corps, commanded at the regimental level by Colonel Gottfried von Strauch. Approximately 6,000 men engaged on each side in difficult Alpine terrain near the village of Oberwald. The fighting proved costly for both sides, though the Austrians suffered disproportionately heavier losses of around 3,000 men and two artillery pieces.
01 / The Origins
The Battle of Oberwald took place within the broader context of the War of the Second Coalition (1798–1802), in which Austria, Britain, Russia, and other powers sought to check French Revolutionary expansion. By mid-1799, southern Switzerland had become a contested theater as French and Austrian forces maneuvered through Alpine passes, including the Grimsel and Furka, to control strategically vital mountain routes in Canton Valais.
03 / The Outcome
The engagement ended with Austrian forces sustaining severe casualties—3,000 men and two guns—against French losses of approximately 500. The outcome left French forces in a stronger position in the upper Rhône valley, though the broader War of the Second Coalition continued until the Treaty of Lunéville in 1801 confirmed French dominance over much of continental Europe and secured Swiss territory under French influence.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Jean Victor Tharreau.
Side B
1 belligerent
Gottfried von Strauch.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.