Warmatrix

The Battle of Solferino, fought in 1859 CE, was a decisive battle in the Second Italian War of Independence, paving the way for the Italian Risorgimento (unification). It also was the last European battle were all armies were personally commanded by kings and it inspired Jean-Henri Dunant to establish the Red Cross.
Since the Middle Ages Italy was divided into small states. Many of these had been ruled by Europe's great powers for shorter or longer periods. In 1848 CE several of them, then ruled by Austria, rebelled, demanding democracy and Italian unification. They were joined by the largest independent Italian state, the kingdom of Sardinia, but defeated. 11 years later the Italians cemented an alliance with France and tried again. After some skirmishes and small battles the three armies, Sardinan, French and Austrian, stumbled upon each other at Solferino and fought the largest battle of the war.
All armies had recently adopted the rifled musket, though were still learning how to use it effectively. Most of the infantry relied on old-fashioned line infantry tactics and bayonet charges; only a handful of sharpshooter regiments made good use of the new firearms. The cavalry still relied on shock tactics and close combat. It had little appreciation for long distance fire.
The French advance was a chaos, with many troops arriving way ahead of equipment and supplies, and with frequent miscommunication. This gave the Austrians a chance to knock out the Italians before the latter could link up with the French. However the Austrian commander Gyulai instead failed to scout properly, moved cautiously and waited for reinforcements. At the end of May the armies started to engage each other, leading to several battles in a few weeks. The Italians and the French were most successful and captured Milan. When emperor Franz Joseph arrived he relieved Gyulai and took command himself, seeking to engage his rivals Victor Emmanuel and Napoleon III.
The two opponents met at Solferino and engaged in battle on the 24th of June. The Austrians probably numbered around 120,000 men, the French and Italians combined 130,000. Both attacked, unaware of each other's movements. The Austrians were the first to reach the hills around Solferino that Napoleon III had wanted to occupy. He decided to attack anyway, but there was little cohesion among his forces. The Austrians had an opportunity to split the French in two, though were attacking equally uncoordinated and failed to do so.
Meanwhile in the north, near San Martino, the Italians repeatedly tried to dislodge the Austrians, but could not break through. On the plains in the south the situation was reversed, the French holding Austrian attacks at bay. In the center, the French slowly pushed forward, losing many men to gunfire from Austrians who were entrenched in and around Solferino. When Napoleon III finally threw in his imperial guard in the early afternoon, the balance was tipped. Franz Joseph ordered his flanks to come to the aid of the center, but they lacked the strength to do so. The French were so weakened that they could not exploit their thrust either.
In the late afternoon the Austrian positions had become untenable. Then a great downpour started, halting the fighting for about an hour. This allowed the Austrians to retreat in relative good order. During the battle they lost 22,000 men; the French and Italians 17,000. Care for the wounded was appallingly bad, prompting Jean-Henri Dunant to help them as best as he could. Later he founded the International Red Cross amd initiated the Geneva Convention.
Napoleon III, anxious of Prussia siding with Austria, quickly made peace, gaining Lombardy for the Piedmontese and making Tuscany and Modena independent again. However he did so without consulting Victor Emmanuel, who wanted to get more out of the deal. The Risorgimento was not completed until the Third War of Italian Independence and the capture of Rome.
Solferino painfully showed the amateurism of the inexperienced kings in military matters and the need for a professional general staff like that of the Prussian army. The lack of proper reconnaissance and poor coordination of the forces could have cost both sides victory at several points. The atrocities committed during and immediately after the battle were grievous.