Pastrengo
The Battle of Pastrengo
On the morning of April 30, 1848, the Austrian general Josef Radetzky attacked De Sonnaz with a frontal assault, while another Piedmontese column was surprised and attacked by Garibaldi's troops from Lombardy-Veneto. The battle was fierce and lasted for hours, with continuous counterattacks from both sides.
But in the end, the Austrians were defeated. The Garibaldian column was forced to retreat, while Radetzky was forced to withdraw to the left bank of the Adige. However, the Austrians managed to escape the defeat without suffering too many casualties thanks to a well-organized gradual retreat strategy.
Consequences of the Battle
Although the Piedmontese victory at Pastrengo was important, it was not sufficiently exploited. Carlo Alberto did not take advantage of the success to advance towards Verona, where he would have found strong difficulties in conquering the city, or to continue the march against the Austrians up to Vienna.
Instead, Carlo Alberto chose to stop and besiege Peschiera del Garda, waiting for reinforcements from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the Papal States. Radetzky took advantage of this temporary stall in operations to organize a counterattack.
The Battle of Santa Lucia
On May 6, 1848, the regal Piedmontese army was defeated in the fruitless battle of Santa Lucia, south of Verona. The defeat saw the withdrawal of Piedmontese troops from the Verona area, but the Kingdom of Sardinia managed to maintain control of many cities and towns in Lombardy and Veneto.
Conclusion
The Battle of Pastrengo represented a defeat for the Austrians and an important victory for the Kingdom of Sardinia. However, the failure to exploit the victory and the subsequent defeat in the Battle of Santa Lucia ended Carlo Alberto's hopes of conquering Veneto and Lombardy. The First Italian War of Independence continued until 1849, when the defeat of Novara forced Carlo Alberto into exile and put an end to Italian political unity for several more decades.
