The annulment is impossible with two living children and a divorce will put him at greater odd with the church. Thus I think that the ideal solution for him would be being a widower; In my hopinion being a fundamentally good human being and being able to be brave in a war and to not make an ass ofhimself at the convention plus a bit of legitimacy in a part of the territory are more then enought to qualificate for the crown of constitional monatchy; a constitutional monarch, in my hopinion, must be appreciated by the subjects (check), be brave and take decisions in moment of emergency (check) and not make an ass of himself while parliament works (check). For the mentioned reasons I think Ferdinando Carlo would be perfect for the job.
Primavera d'Italia: War, Love and Revolution
- Thread starter Tarabas
- Start date
- Status
As it happened in the past, we shall have to agree to disagree on this topic.
In any case, it's not a problem for today. For the time being, Ferdinando Carlo is in Friuli and quite happy, while Marie Louise is in Florence and quite unhappy.
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof
A teaser from next installment to whet your appetite 
Enjoy!
Endgame in Friuli - Part 3
Near Aquileia Bridge, 6 May 1848, Early Morning
General d'Orleans had called his commanders for a last briefing before the battle.
"Gentlemen, good news first: Gen. De Sonnaz has completely defeated the strong Croat column which we knew was marching towards the Isonzo, and, according to his latest dispatch, we can be confident that no news of this defeat has reached Nugent in Gorizia. Our spies in Gorizia confirm that the garrison is still preparing for a sortie: today we have the opportunity to fight a decisive battle against the last significant Austrian forces in Friuli. It may well be the last battle of the war, since the liberation of Istria is completed, Pola has fallen and gen. La Marmora has occupied Fiume with his bersaglieri, repulsing a Croat counterattack with heavy losses."
Henri d'Orleans stopped for a moment, leaving time for the appreciative murmur of his officers to subside, then continued:
"No battle is ever without risk, but today we will fight from prepared position, our artillery is much stronger than the enemy's and we also have a slight advantage in numbers. Our troops have had the time to rest and prepare for the battle, and their morale is high.
Our assumption is that the enemy will try to force the Ponte di Aquileia (1): our earthworks and trenches are located at a distance of some 600 meters from the bridge, and the Austrians will have to cover a little over 1 kilometer to reach them, more than enough time to winnow them before they get close. I also anticipate a cavalry feint towards the Ponte del Torrione (2), north-west of Gorizia: this will be covered by our Carabinieri, supported by a regiment of bersaglieri, companies of Jaegers and two batteries of horse artillery. The Austrian artillery will be arranged in a traditional Grand Battery, but if they do not advance towards the earthworks, their fire will not be effective; if they advance, the masked batteries of 6" howitzers (3) on the right bank of Isonzo will fire in counterbattery to silence them. The 12 pounders covering our earthworks will fire only on the attacking columns: start firing at 800 meters, switch to grapeshot at 400 meters; canisters only when the enemy is at 200 meters or less. Our engineers have managed to plant ranging stakes starting at 800 meters from our lines: the artillerymen will not have to guess. The brunt of the attack will be on our center, but your troops, General Bava, will have the opportunity to shoot on enfilade. Leave a regiment of regulars and the volunteers to mask the fortress of Gradisca and to protect our siege guns. A sortie from the fortress is unlikely, there are less than one thousand men there, but it never pays to neglect some reasonable precaution.
No heroics, please: follow the plan and be steady, and always remember that our duty today is not to die for our country, but rather to force the enemy to die for their own. Dismissed, gentlemen. God be with you, your men and Italy."
Enjoy!
Endgame in Friuli - Part 3
Near Aquileia Bridge, 6 May 1848, Early Morning
General d'Orleans had called his commanders for a last briefing before the battle.
"Gentlemen, good news first: Gen. De Sonnaz has completely defeated the strong Croat column which we knew was marching towards the Isonzo, and, according to his latest dispatch, we can be confident that no news of this defeat has reached Nugent in Gorizia. Our spies in Gorizia confirm that the garrison is still preparing for a sortie: today we have the opportunity to fight a decisive battle against the last significant Austrian forces in Friuli. It may well be the last battle of the war, since the liberation of Istria is completed, Pola has fallen and gen. La Marmora has occupied Fiume with his bersaglieri, repulsing a Croat counterattack with heavy losses."
Henri d'Orleans stopped for a moment, leaving time for the appreciative murmur of his officers to subside, then continued:
"No battle is ever without risk, but today we will fight from prepared position, our artillery is much stronger than the enemy's and we also have a slight advantage in numbers. Our troops have had the time to rest and prepare for the battle, and their morale is high.
Our assumption is that the enemy will try to force the Ponte di Aquileia (1): our earthworks and trenches are located at a distance of some 600 meters from the bridge, and the Austrians will have to cover a little over 1 kilometer to reach them, more than enough time to winnow them before they get close. I also anticipate a cavalry feint towards the Ponte del Torrione (2), north-west of Gorizia: this will be covered by our Carabinieri, supported by a regiment of bersaglieri, companies of Jaegers and two batteries of horse artillery. The Austrian artillery will be arranged in a traditional Grand Battery, but if they do not advance towards the earthworks, their fire will not be effective; if they advance, the masked batteries of 6" howitzers (3) on the right bank of Isonzo will fire in counterbattery to silence them. The 12 pounders covering our earthworks will fire only on the attacking columns: start firing at 800 meters, switch to grapeshot at 400 meters; canisters only when the enemy is at 200 meters or less. Our engineers have managed to plant ranging stakes starting at 800 meters from our lines: the artillerymen will not have to guess. The brunt of the attack will be on our center, but your troops, General Bava, will have the opportunity to shoot on enfilade. Leave a regiment of regulars and the volunteers to mask the fortress of Gradisca and to protect our siege guns. A sortie from the fortress is unlikely, there are less than one thousand men there, but it never pays to neglect some reasonable precaution.
No heroics, please: follow the plan and be steady, and always remember that our duty today is not to die for our country, but rather to force the enemy to die for their own. Dismissed, gentlemen. God be with you, your men and Italy."
I'm really curious. I wonder how much this croat loss will negatively influence the ability of Vienna to reconquer Budapest.
Thanks. As a matter of fact, it's a quote attributed to George S. Patton, who expressed himself in cruder terms: "The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his". I did polish it a bit, since Henri comes from a different and more polished background. This said, it expresses my feelings too.
Well, the endgame in Vienna is still shrouded into the mists of future. There is a number of different outcomes which could eventuate ITTL.
While I like how @LordKalvan keeps the future of Habsburg veiled in mystery, their loss of Italy and Jelacic's forces - while not militarily absolutely decisive - weakens their position massively. Croatia becomes much less of a stronghold of loyal forces. That, together with Italy's bold newe union, will embolden Kossuth et al, even though Hungary of course remains a powderkeg.
Bohemia is still in a difficult position, much depends on German developments. And Vienna's revolutionaries are bolder, too, and their national-liberal wing has one argument less to keep them from jumping the Habsburg ship for a Paulskirche-based union: the profitable Italian provinces are lost now, keeping the poor Slavic ones is much less attractive. Plus, Schwarzenberg's whole vision is shattered even on the government's side before he's even chancellor. Heads will roll. The Empire has never IOTL been as vulnerable as it is now, not until 1918...
Bohemia is still in a difficult position, much depends on German developments. And Vienna's revolutionaries are bolder, too, and their national-liberal wing has one argument less to keep them from jumping the Habsburg ship for a Paulskirche-based union: the profitable Italian provinces are lost now, keeping the poor Slavic ones is much less attractive. Plus, Schwarzenberg's whole vision is shattered even on the government's side before he's even chancellor. Heads will roll. The Empire has never IOTL been as vulnerable as it is now, not until 1918...
Glad to see this back! I'll go a bit in the opposite direction and say that I hope the Habsburgs are not done for in this timeline. The world needs more Hasburgs. But of course it's your story and I'll follow it regardless of your plans for Austria.
Maybe Austria would be forced to give autonomy to Hungary earlier in this timeline,of course if the russians manage to give them some leverage,I don't think the Hasburgs are able to suppress so many revolutions at this point. About the slavs of the empire I can see Bohemia and Croatia remaining with the empire but with much more autonomy,and maybe galicia becomes independent a buffer state?
It's....complicated. There is no perfect solution, for sure. Possibly there are not even good ones.
The empire has lost all the Italian provinces, including Dalmatia and the County of Gorizia-Gradisca. has lost access to the Adriatic and has been humbled on the battlefield.
To further complicate things, Hungary is in a very ambiguous position: formally has not rebelled, everything they have made up to now has been rubberstamped by the imperial government (which has also been proactive in covertly supporting anti-Magyar sentiment in Croatia, Banate and Transylvania).
The problem with Hungary, though, is that they see their future as a drive to turn all the ethnic minorities into Magyars and have already sown the seeds of endless ethnic strife (it's quite similar to when the French decided to annex substantial swaths of German and Italian lands, and turn all the inhabitants into French: it didn't work well, did it?).
Bohemia will never accept to become part of a Greater Germany (which is why they are among the most faithful lands of the empire, and their goal is just a constitution and some autonomy, with protection of the Bohemian language and culture).
Vienna's revolutionaries are bolder, but are less than united in their goals. If we see what happened IOTL, the militancy of Vienna's revolutionaries pushed most of Viennese into the arms of the imperial government, in particular when the emperor left Vienna and the word "republic" started to be banded around. Which is also why, IMHO, a Paulskirche solution will never work . Vienna has been for too long the capital of an empire to accept to be merged into a Greater Germany, where it would be just a province (and by the same token, I do not see feasible a Greater Germany centered in Vienna: the Northern German states would never accept, and Austria would not have the strength to impose such a solution. It would also mean that at least Hungary and the Slavic lands would have to go on their own).
When I said that the future of the Austrian empire (and I would add also the future of Germany) are shrouded into the mists of future, I was not just being coy: I truly do not have yet a solution which works for everyone. My best guess, as of today, is that he next quarter of a century will be a time of wars in Central and Eastern Europe (which is not such a hard guess, since we are talking of Europe
). Possibly the most realistic approach will end up in some regions gaining stability and prosperity, and other ones getting the dirt end of the stick. I doubt that it will be as bad as the century between 1850 and 1950 was in OTL, but that is a very low bar.
Narrative Interlude #52: Endgame in Friuli #2
Endgame in Friuli - Part 3
Near Aquileia Bridge, 6 May 1848, Early Morning
General d'Orleans had called his commanders for a last briefing before the battle.
"Gentlemen, good news first: Gen. De Sonnaz has completely defeated the strong Croat column which we knew was marching towards the Isonzo, and, according to his latest dispatch, we can be confident that no news of this defeat has reached Nugent in Gorizia. Our spies in Gorizia confirm that the garrison is still preparing for a sortie: today we have the opportunity to fight a decisive battle against the last significant Austrian forces in Friuli. It may well be the last battle of the war, since the liberation of Istria is completed, Pola has fallen and gen. La Marmora has occupied Fiume with his bersaglieri, repulsing a Croat counterattack with heavy losses."
Henri d'Orleans stopped for a moment, leaving time for the appreciative murmur of his officers to subside, then continued:
"No battle is ever without risk, but today we will fight from prepared position, our artillery is much stronger than the enemy's and we also have a slight advantage in numbers. Our troops have had the time to rest and prepare for the battle, and their morale is high.
Our assumption is that the enemy will try to force the Ponte di Aquileia (1): our earthworks and trenches are located at a distance of some 600 meters from the bridge, and the Austrians will have to cover a little over 1 kilometer to reach them, more than enough time to winnow them before they get close. I also anticipate a cavalry feint towards the Ponte del Torrione (2), north-west of Gorizia: this will be covered by our Carabinieri, supported by a regiment of bersaglieri, companies of Jaegers and two batteries of horse artillery. The Austrian artillery will be arranged in a traditional Grand Battery, but if they do not advance towards the earthworks, their fire will not be effective; if they advance, the masked batteries of 6" howitzers (3) on the right bank of Isonzo will fire in counterbattery to silence them. The 12 pounders covering our earthworks will fire only on the attacking columns: start firing at 800 meters, switch to grapeshot at 400 meters; canisters only when the enemy is at 200 meters or less. Our engineers have managed to plant ranging stakes starting at 800 meters from our lines: the artillerymen will not have to guess. The brunt of the attack will be on our center, but your troops, General Durando, you will have the opportunity to shoot on enfilade. Leave a regiment of regulars and the volunteers to mask the fortress of Gradisca and to protect our siege guns. A sortie from the fortress is unlikely, there are less than one thousand men there, but it never pays to neglect some reasonable precaution.
No heroics, please: follow the plan and be steady, and always remember that our duty today is not to die for our country, but rather to force the enemy to die for their own (4). Dismissed, gentlemen. God be with you, your men and Italy."
Near Aquileia Bridge, 6 May 1848, Late Morning
Trumpet started peeling inside Gorizia, and the gates of the city started to open, infantry streaming out and starting to arrange in columns. Then the field guns were towed out.
Captain Riccardo Broglia run to break the news to his commander: "The Austrians have started to deploy, Sir. They have been pretty sluggish in starting, if I may say so."
"There is no reason to criticize them for being late to the party, Riccardo. They are obviously trying to coordinate their attack with the Croat column, being unaware of what happened yesterday in the woods of Dobardo'. " D'Orleans looked across the plain with a spyglass, before continuing "It looks like they are going to form five columns. A tactic straight out from the Napoleonic playbook, and probably the only one they can use. Of course they know that there will be a hell of a butcher's bill to play, and they are ready to pay it. Unfortunately for them, they have to attack earthworks, and the rifled guns of our men will be a nasty surprise: their effective range is quite higher than smoothbores, and their rate of fire better as well. I would say it will be at least another half-hour before they will attack, anyway."
Colonel of artillery Amedeo Scarampi, commander of the 1st and 2nd masked batteries on the right bank of Isonzo, was carefully inspecting the deployment of Austrian artillery from an observation tower: it looked like they were going to form two batteries at 600 meters from the earthworks. Which meant that they would be more or less 1500 meters from his guns, well within effective range of his guns. He signaled to two of his runners: "Urgent message for Colonel Pelletti and Colonel Garretta. Their batteries will start ranging shots 15 minutes after receiving this message. One gun from each battery, explosive shell. Once they have found the range, fire for effect".
It did not take more than 3 shots from each battery to find the range. Two minutes later, twelve 6-inch howitzers fired together, raining explosive shell on the Austrian batteries. The shells fired were not excessively powerful, being filled with black powder, and a few fuses did not work properly: still the shrapnel mowed the artillery crews, and the guns had to be re-aligned before they could shoot. More artillerists came running from the reserve, and the Austrian batteries fired against the earthworks. The 12-pounders were however firing round shot, and the effect on the earthworks was not very significant. Then a lucky shot of Masked Battery #1 hit an ammunition caisson, and a ball of fire enveloped the left Austrian battery.
D'Orleans was still observing the battlefield through his spyglass, and saw the infantry columns starting their advance at a double step. When they passed the 800 meter stakes, the 12-pounders on the earthworks started to fire: grazing shots, thought Henri with appreciation. The cannon balls hit the ground short of the advancing columns, and rebounded hitting the advancing men waist high. The Austrian infantry closed the gaps after each it, and continued their advance.
There was a disturbance at the north-west gate of Gorizia, and the Austrian cavalry came out boiling, raiding at a fast canter towards the Ponte del Torrione: the second sortie, as anticipated. The Austrian cavalry spurred their horses, towards the bridge, and Henri d'Orleans attention was fixed on this arresting pageant. The trumpets sounded the charge, which looked unstoppable. Then suddenly all changed: the muzzles of 6-pounders appeared on top of a low earthworks, and their volleys of grapeshot stopped abruptly the charge. While the Austrian cavalrymen were milling around trying to start again the charge, rifle volleys raked them: the bersaglieri and the jaegers were shooting from a tenement at the right of the bridge, while the carabinieri were shooting from the earthworks. Then a squadron of carabinieri, hidden behind the tenement, countercharged, completing the rout of the Austrians, who retired in disorder towards Gorizia.
"C’est magnifique, mais ce n’est pas la guerre: c'est de la folie (5)" d'Orleans murmured.
"Did you say something, Sir?" his aide asked.
"I said that it is magnificent, but it is not war; it is madness. At least the timing of our men was perfect, and the countercharge was carried out smartly. Even more importantly, there was no attempt to pursue the fleeing enemy, and I know by experience how this must have been attractive for our Carabinieri." His attention was again on the main front.
The Austrian columns had just passed the 400 meter mark, and the sound of the guns changed: they were shooting grapeshot now, cutting swaths through the attackers.
300 meters, and the riflemen started to shoot themselves: 3 crisp volleys, before the first Austrian crossed the 200 meter mark.
At 200 meters, the guns switched to canister: the attack began to falter. The Austrians reached the 100 meter mark, and stopped for a volley of their own. Some casualties on the earthworks, but the volleys and the canister never stopped, and suddenly the enemy broke, and turned to run towards Gorizia, still pursued by grapeshot and rifle volleys, leaving hundreds and hundreds of dead and wounded on the ground.
Henri d'Orleans made up his mind, and turning to the trumpeter at his side ordered: "Sound cease fire!"
As the notes started to ring across the front, the general spoke to his aide: "Are you surprised by my order, Riccardo?"
"Sir, it is not for me to show surprise or comment your orders in any way. I admit being puzzled, though: we could be inside Gorizia in less than an hour, though."
"It is very simple. I am a general and not a butcher, the battle is won and kill more men without any need would be just a stain on my honor, and the honor of the flag under which I serve. Prince Ferdinando told me these words after the battle of the Goito bridge: it is good that war is so horrible, or we might grow to like it (6). He said this after a great victory, and his words rang so true that I will never forget them, or act as if I did. I suggest you remember them too, Riccardo: they will help you to become a better officer and a better man. Now take a couple of troopers and a white flag, and ride to Gorizia. Arrange for a parley with general Nugent, and a two-hour truce. Maybe the general will see that there is no alternative to a honorable surrender."
The two generals met at a table arranged in front of Gorizia main gate, each one of them accompanied by a single aide. Captain Broglia could not fail to remark the striking differences between them. Even leaving aside the difference in age (one was not yet thirty, the other in his seventies), d'Orleans was impeccably groomed, relaxed but conveying confidence; Laval Nugent was a bit disheveled, with a bandage on his left arm, his face grayish and sagging (a favorite saying of his own grandmother came to Broglia's mind: he looks like death warmed over).
D'Orleans spoke first: "Good morning, General Nugent. Let me congratulate you and your troops for a gallant sortie: your men fought well and with outstanding courage, against impossible odds. No one could have done better. However, the sortie towards the bridge of Aquileia has been repulsed with heavy losses to the attackers, and the sortie against the Tower bridge has not fared better. The battle has been decided by now, and I do believe that all the requirements of honor and duty have been complied in full. Let me add that the relief column you were looking for will never arrive: the Croats were completely defeated yesterday afternoon near the lake of Dobardo'. I do not want to go on killing without no need or purpose: this is the reason for which I asked for a ceasefire and a parlay. I want to offer you the possibility of a honorable surrender, which would spare your remaining men."
Nugent was silent for a moment, before answering: "General d'Orleans, I thank you for your kind words, also on behalf of my men who paid dearly during today's fight. You are right: I was advised that a relief column would have arrived today, and the sortie was part of the plan." Nugent stopped for a moment, an expression of disgust on his face "I made very clear to Vienna that this strategy would fail, and that it would have been better to evacuate Gorizia and save our troops, but no one listened. In truth, I wrote that even if the relief column had arrived on schedule , it would be very unlikely that we might achieve a decisive victory. No one listened, I had my orders and so, against my better judgment, I had to order the sortie. I do accept your offer of a honorable surrender: Gorizia is yours. I only ask you to help taking care of my wounded men."
"I do appreciate your moral courage, general Nugent. I had already ordered that your wounded should be taken care of during the truce, and that will continue now. I will release you and your top officers on parole, and an escort will accompany you to the Austrian border in Cadore. I would also suggest you might argue for a general ceasefire, once you reach Vienna. Dalmatia, Istria, Trieste, Fiume and now Gorizia are in our hands. My orders are to secure the border of the County of Gorizia: I have already troops in Postumia, and tomorrow Tolmino will be in our hands. Within a few days, we'll reach the Idria river (7). My orders are to stop there, for now. But, as you may well understand, orders may change."
By late afternoon, Italian troops had entered Gorizia, and the command post of the army was moved to Gorizia castle.
Footnotes
Near Aquileia Bridge, 6 May 1848, Early Morning
General d'Orleans had called his commanders for a last briefing before the battle.
"Gentlemen, good news first: Gen. De Sonnaz has completely defeated the strong Croat column which we knew was marching towards the Isonzo, and, according to his latest dispatch, we can be confident that no news of this defeat has reached Nugent in Gorizia. Our spies in Gorizia confirm that the garrison is still preparing for a sortie: today we have the opportunity to fight a decisive battle against the last significant Austrian forces in Friuli. It may well be the last battle of the war, since the liberation of Istria is completed, Pola has fallen and gen. La Marmora has occupied Fiume with his bersaglieri, repulsing a Croat counterattack with heavy losses."
Henri d'Orleans stopped for a moment, leaving time for the appreciative murmur of his officers to subside, then continued:
"No battle is ever without risk, but today we will fight from prepared position, our artillery is much stronger than the enemy's and we also have a slight advantage in numbers. Our troops have had the time to rest and prepare for the battle, and their morale is high.
Our assumption is that the enemy will try to force the Ponte di Aquileia (1): our earthworks and trenches are located at a distance of some 600 meters from the bridge, and the Austrians will have to cover a little over 1 kilometer to reach them, more than enough time to winnow them before they get close. I also anticipate a cavalry feint towards the Ponte del Torrione (2), north-west of Gorizia: this will be covered by our Carabinieri, supported by a regiment of bersaglieri, companies of Jaegers and two batteries of horse artillery. The Austrian artillery will be arranged in a traditional Grand Battery, but if they do not advance towards the earthworks, their fire will not be effective; if they advance, the masked batteries of 6" howitzers (3) on the right bank of Isonzo will fire in counterbattery to silence them. The 12 pounders covering our earthworks will fire only on the attacking columns: start firing at 800 meters, switch to grapeshot at 400 meters; canisters only when the enemy is at 200 meters or less. Our engineers have managed to plant ranging stakes starting at 800 meters from our lines: the artillerymen will not have to guess. The brunt of the attack will be on our center, but your troops, General Durando, you will have the opportunity to shoot on enfilade. Leave a regiment of regulars and the volunteers to mask the fortress of Gradisca and to protect our siege guns. A sortie from the fortress is unlikely, there are less than one thousand men there, but it never pays to neglect some reasonable precaution.
No heroics, please: follow the plan and be steady, and always remember that our duty today is not to die for our country, but rather to force the enemy to die for their own (4). Dismissed, gentlemen. God be with you, your men and Italy."
Near Aquileia Bridge, 6 May 1848, Late Morning
Trumpet started peeling inside Gorizia, and the gates of the city started to open, infantry streaming out and starting to arrange in columns. Then the field guns were towed out.
Captain Riccardo Broglia run to break the news to his commander: "The Austrians have started to deploy, Sir. They have been pretty sluggish in starting, if I may say so."
"There is no reason to criticize them for being late to the party, Riccardo. They are obviously trying to coordinate their attack with the Croat column, being unaware of what happened yesterday in the woods of Dobardo'. " D'Orleans looked across the plain with a spyglass, before continuing "It looks like they are going to form five columns. A tactic straight out from the Napoleonic playbook, and probably the only one they can use. Of course they know that there will be a hell of a butcher's bill to play, and they are ready to pay it. Unfortunately for them, they have to attack earthworks, and the rifled guns of our men will be a nasty surprise: their effective range is quite higher than smoothbores, and their rate of fire better as well. I would say it will be at least another half-hour before they will attack, anyway."
Colonel of artillery Amedeo Scarampi, commander of the 1st and 2nd masked batteries on the right bank of Isonzo, was carefully inspecting the deployment of Austrian artillery from an observation tower: it looked like they were going to form two batteries at 600 meters from the earthworks. Which meant that they would be more or less 1500 meters from his guns, well within effective range of his guns. He signaled to two of his runners: "Urgent message for Colonel Pelletti and Colonel Garretta. Their batteries will start ranging shots 15 minutes after receiving this message. One gun from each battery, explosive shell. Once they have found the range, fire for effect".
It did not take more than 3 shots from each battery to find the range. Two minutes later, twelve 6-inch howitzers fired together, raining explosive shell on the Austrian batteries. The shells fired were not excessively powerful, being filled with black powder, and a few fuses did not work properly: still the shrapnel mowed the artillery crews, and the guns had to be re-aligned before they could shoot. More artillerists came running from the reserve, and the Austrian batteries fired against the earthworks. The 12-pounders were however firing round shot, and the effect on the earthworks was not very significant. Then a lucky shot of Masked Battery #1 hit an ammunition caisson, and a ball of fire enveloped the left Austrian battery.
D'Orleans was still observing the battlefield through his spyglass, and saw the infantry columns starting their advance at a double step. When they passed the 800 meter stakes, the 12-pounders on the earthworks started to fire: grazing shots, thought Henri with appreciation. The cannon balls hit the ground short of the advancing columns, and rebounded hitting the advancing men waist high. The Austrian infantry closed the gaps after each it, and continued their advance.
There was a disturbance at the north-west gate of Gorizia, and the Austrian cavalry came out boiling, raiding at a fast canter towards the Ponte del Torrione: the second sortie, as anticipated. The Austrian cavalry spurred their horses, towards the bridge, and Henri d'Orleans attention was fixed on this arresting pageant. The trumpets sounded the charge, which looked unstoppable. Then suddenly all changed: the muzzles of 6-pounders appeared on top of a low earthworks, and their volleys of grapeshot stopped abruptly the charge. While the Austrian cavalrymen were milling around trying to start again the charge, rifle volleys raked them: the bersaglieri and the jaegers were shooting from a tenement at the right of the bridge, while the carabinieri were shooting from the earthworks. Then a squadron of carabinieri, hidden behind the tenement, countercharged, completing the rout of the Austrians, who retired in disorder towards Gorizia.
"C’est magnifique, mais ce n’est pas la guerre: c'est de la folie (5)" d'Orleans murmured.
"Did you say something, Sir?" his aide asked.
"I said that it is magnificent, but it is not war; it is madness. At least the timing of our men was perfect, and the countercharge was carried out smartly. Even more importantly, there was no attempt to pursue the fleeing enemy, and I know by experience how this must have been attractive for our Carabinieri." His attention was again on the main front.
The Austrian columns had just passed the 400 meter mark, and the sound of the guns changed: they were shooting grapeshot now, cutting swaths through the attackers.
300 meters, and the riflemen started to shoot themselves: 3 crisp volleys, before the first Austrian crossed the 200 meter mark.
At 200 meters, the guns switched to canister: the attack began to falter. The Austrians reached the 100 meter mark, and stopped for a volley of their own. Some casualties on the earthworks, but the volleys and the canister never stopped, and suddenly the enemy broke, and turned to run towards Gorizia, still pursued by grapeshot and rifle volleys, leaving hundreds and hundreds of dead and wounded on the ground.
Henri d'Orleans made up his mind, and turning to the trumpeter at his side ordered: "Sound cease fire!"
As the notes started to ring across the front, the general spoke to his aide: "Are you surprised by my order, Riccardo?"
"Sir, it is not for me to show surprise or comment your orders in any way. I admit being puzzled, though: we could be inside Gorizia in less than an hour, though."
"It is very simple. I am a general and not a butcher, the battle is won and kill more men without any need would be just a stain on my honor, and the honor of the flag under which I serve. Prince Ferdinando told me these words after the battle of the Goito bridge: it is good that war is so horrible, or we might grow to like it (6). He said this after a great victory, and his words rang so true that I will never forget them, or act as if I did. I suggest you remember them too, Riccardo: they will help you to become a better officer and a better man. Now take a couple of troopers and a white flag, and ride to Gorizia. Arrange for a parley with general Nugent, and a two-hour truce. Maybe the general will see that there is no alternative to a honorable surrender."
The two generals met at a table arranged in front of Gorizia main gate, each one of them accompanied by a single aide. Captain Broglia could not fail to remark the striking differences between them. Even leaving aside the difference in age (one was not yet thirty, the other in his seventies), d'Orleans was impeccably groomed, relaxed but conveying confidence; Laval Nugent was a bit disheveled, with a bandage on his left arm, his face grayish and sagging (a favorite saying of his own grandmother came to Broglia's mind: he looks like death warmed over).
D'Orleans spoke first: "Good morning, General Nugent. Let me congratulate you and your troops for a gallant sortie: your men fought well and with outstanding courage, against impossible odds. No one could have done better. However, the sortie towards the bridge of Aquileia has been repulsed with heavy losses to the attackers, and the sortie against the Tower bridge has not fared better. The battle has been decided by now, and I do believe that all the requirements of honor and duty have been complied in full. Let me add that the relief column you were looking for will never arrive: the Croats were completely defeated yesterday afternoon near the lake of Dobardo'. I do not want to go on killing without no need or purpose: this is the reason for which I asked for a ceasefire and a parlay. I want to offer you the possibility of a honorable surrender, which would spare your remaining men."
Nugent was silent for a moment, before answering: "General d'Orleans, I thank you for your kind words, also on behalf of my men who paid dearly during today's fight. You are right: I was advised that a relief column would have arrived today, and the sortie was part of the plan." Nugent stopped for a moment, an expression of disgust on his face "I made very clear to Vienna that this strategy would fail, and that it would have been better to evacuate Gorizia and save our troops, but no one listened. In truth, I wrote that even if the relief column had arrived on schedule , it would be very unlikely that we might achieve a decisive victory. No one listened, I had my orders and so, against my better judgment, I had to order the sortie. I do accept your offer of a honorable surrender: Gorizia is yours. I only ask you to help taking care of my wounded men."
"I do appreciate your moral courage, general Nugent. I had already ordered that your wounded should be taken care of during the truce, and that will continue now. I will release you and your top officers on parole, and an escort will accompany you to the Austrian border in Cadore. I would also suggest you might argue for a general ceasefire, once you reach Vienna. Dalmatia, Istria, Trieste, Fiume and now Gorizia are in our hands. My orders are to secure the border of the County of Gorizia: I have already troops in Postumia, and tomorrow Tolmino will be in our hands. Within a few days, we'll reach the Idria river (7). My orders are to stop there, for now. But, as you may well understand, orders may change."
By late afternoon, Italian troops had entered Gorizia, and the command post of the army was moved to Gorizia castle.
Footnotes
- The Ponte di Aquileia (Aquileia bridge) is on the road from Gorizia to Udine. It was built in the 1830s, and also a railway bridge was planned to be built parallel to it.
- The Ponte del Torrione (Tower bridge) is much older, and dates back to medieval times. It was rebuilt in the current version during the XVI century. It is located near the hamlet of Piuma (Pium in Slovene)
- The 6" howitzer (or more properly the Obusier de 15 cm Valee) was developed in the early 1830s in France, according to the new Systeme Valee which replaced the older Gribeauval technique).
- The quote is attributed to George S. Patton, USA general in WW2
- The quote is attributed to Pierre Bosquet, a French general during the war of Crimea: the comment was referring to the Charge of the Light Brigade during that war.
- The quote is attributed to Robert E. Lee, Confederate general during the American Civil war
- The Idria river is named Idrijca in Slovene. In strict terms, the district of Idria (on the far bank of the river) was also part of the County of Gorizia, but the river itself looks to be a more defensible border.
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Fully in agreement. The problem is that the Viennese ostriches must pull out their heads and make the first move: ask for a general ceasefire.
However, there is just one big guy which has shown some interest in putting an end to the war: UK.
France is still in a shy mood, Prussia has its own problems, internal and external, and Russia is still in isolationist mood.
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I believe that a portrait of Henri d'Orleans has never been posted in the thread
It's a portrait by Franz Xaver Winterhalter (taken from Wiki).
I apologize for being unable to locate a portrait in the Carabinieri uniform
It's a portrait by Franz Xaver Winterhalter (taken from Wiki).
I apologize for being unable to locate a portrait in the Carabinieri uniform
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It's just like I imagined him,just thinner and with blonde hair instead of brown
And luckily for us the UK seems to be friendly towards the Italians (plus the situation on the ground means any sort of peace deal is bound to favour the new nation anyway).
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