BATTLE OFSANTA LUCIA 3rd part

VERONA.

Graf Strassoldo's brigade of 2,100 men were the best. They had six guns. It was made up of Germans and Italians. Six companies.Kopal's sixth Jagers and the Lombard/Venetian 3rd battalion of Archduke Sigismund. These Italians died for Austria notwithstanding the calls of their countrymen..The whole Italian line advanced.The General took his place in front of the men.The roll of drums and the whole brigade advanced in full ceremonial order.The Tri-colours flew and men fell but they never stopped advancing. Fabris said "Not since the days of Federick the Great had there been such a spectacle" . Here was courage,discipline and although formal one of iron.And there died a myriad.

This seems to be the Kaiser jager uniform at Santa Lucia . I've been trying to find the correct uniforms of both sides at Santa Lucia but its no easy task if you can help please do .The wars lasted from 1847 until the late 1880's so the changes in unform are important.finding the reference material is difficult but I'll try.

The Italian troops were cut to piecs .The Aosta brigade suffered 350 dead or wounded. The Italian formation was a gift from heaven to the Jagers and their artillery. The Jagers in the cemetery took a man down with each shot.. But Strassoldo had only two squadrons of cavalry so d'Aspre sent him four companies of d'Antons Grenadiers taken from Clam's brigade at Tombetta.

The Aostans proved to be the great troops that the Austrians had heard about:it was a terrible shame that the shambles of the attack had left them no chance to take Verona .

COINTINUED ABOVE IN SANTA LUCIA 4

This uniform was adopted in 1859 .Austrian

This uniform was the norm for Kaiser Jagers in 1850 but not it seems at the Santa Lucia battle

Various Austrian units

The Kaiser Jagers in the Late Victorian period on A huntley and Palmers biscuit tin

An Austrian sniper hidden behind a village wall at Santa Lucia (by M.Rota) . The uniform seems about 1848.

New 15 mm models out by Milan company

Sardinian Guards from 1833 until 1843

THE BATTLE OF SANTA LUCIA

We got sidetracked after Pastrengo with the celebrations of Marengo for the 150th anniversary re-enactment of the battle but now we carry on as if nothing happened.After Pastrengo there was Santa Lucia . The Austrians fell back on Verona: it was a good position, they could come out at any time to harry the Piedmonts and thus keep Rivoli safe (this was vital to supplies from Vienna). The fort at Peschiera was blocked by Charles Albert's troops so Verona was the key. It was too strong for him to take so he decided to fight an action in front of its walls. This was the Battle of Santa Lucia. Santa Lucia was then a village outside the city but is now a suburb of Verona.
It is the saddest battle of all, sad that it revealed the cause of Italy, a united Italy to be useless, hopeless.It showed the widespread ineptitude of Italian senior officers and therefore a waste of manpower in the ranks below.
Verona at the time had 52,ooo people.
It lies on the Adige as if in a loop facing West with both ends resting on the river. It bristled with "guns" on the ramparts but a mile and a quarter outside the walls there was another strong line of defence known as the Rideau. This needs explanation.
To visualise the Rideau let us imagine ourselves to be Piedmontese officers marching towards Verona. When we arrive at 3,000 yards from the City we are confronted by and standing on the edge of a vast quarry, fifty feet deep with a circumference of five miles. When we halt here we look down onto Verona. From where we stand we can rain continuouys fire down into Verona without much comeback. The Rideau is a natural line of attack BUT also defence..
If the Italians occupied these elevated positions Verona was doomed so the great Radetsky put up fortifications in front of it. Verona , it was said, was ready to rise against Radetsky but only if Piedmont attacked