France: 81 killed 492 wounded 69 missing Kingdom of Sardinia: 52 killed, wounded or prisoners Total: 694
331 killed 785 wounded 307 missing Total: 1,423
Close
Because of this battle, the Austrian commander-in-chief was obliged to keep troops to cover the southern part of the front.
Prelude to Battle
FeldzeugmeisterFerenc Gyulay, commanding the Austrian 2nd Army, deployed the VII Korps along the Sesia, the II and III Korps at Mortara, VIII Korps at Pavia, and V Korps between Pavia and Mortara.
Gyulay anticipated a Franco-Piedmontese offensive consisting of a flanking maneuver south of the Po. Marshal Achille Baraguey d'Hilliers' I Corps advanced from Voghera, while Garibaldi advanced from the north. Gyulay assumed they were pressuring his flanks in a manoeuvre sur la derriére.[3]
Field Marshal-Lieutenant Karl von Urban's IX Korps and Stadion's V Korps moved to stop the French offensive. On 20 May, in the first battle of the war, Forey's division, accompanied by three Piedmontese cavalry regiments commanded by General de Sonnaz, engaged the IX Korps at Montebello. After three hours, failing to stop Forey, Urban withdrew.[3]
Aftermath
On 21 May, Napoleon III received a telegraph stating, "The Austrians have attacked, on the 20th, with approximately 15,000 men the advanced posts of Marshal Baraguey d'Hilliers. They have been repulsed by Division Forey, which conducted itself admirably and liberated the village of Montbello, already famous..." Disconcerted, Gyulay deployed his corps further south.[3]