The Battle of Solferino was fought on 24th June
1859 between imperial Austria and a combined force of French and Piedmontese
troops. It was an exceptionally bloody affair but one from which a lasting and
unexpected benefit accrued.
In March of that year King Victor Emmanuel II of
Sardinia/Piedmont saw an opportunity to renew the campaign for Italian
independence from Austria. He had been promised French support and this was
forthcoming as soon as Austria demanded that Piedmont back down and the latter
refused to do so.
The Battle of Solferino was the third clash between the
opposing forces and by far the most serious. Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria
took personal command of an army of about 160,000 men, and was met by a
comparable force, led by King Victor Emmanuel and Emperor Napoleon III of
France. The battle took place near Lake Garda in northern Italy.
The emperors did not prove to be particularly good as
generals and soon lost control of their forces, which continued to pummel each
other all day in a series of engagements strung out along the Mincio River.
The end result was victory for the French-Piedmontese army,
but at huge cost in terms of casualties. It is estimated that both sides had
around 15,000 men killed or wounded.
Politically, the battle was a step closer towards Italian
reunification and independence, and France gained control of Nice and Savoy.
One of the stretcher-bearers with the unpleasant task of
retrieving broken bodies from the battlefield was a Swiss man named Henri
Dunant. He was deeply affected by the horrors he had witnessed and later wrote
a book that described them. More than that, he went on to found an organization
devoted to the task of helping the victims of war and conflict. This became the
International Red Cross, which continues this work – and more - to the present
day.
© John Welford
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