Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, Revolutionary and Napoleonic

First Battle of Zurich

First Battle of Zurich was a battle fought on 7 June 1799 at Zurich, in what is now Switzerland. It was part of the War of the Second Coalition, which ran from 1798 to 1802. The recorded result: Austrian victory; (see #Aftermath). Recorded strength: 59,000 (in total) against 72,000 (in total).

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Oben rechts "N. V.", unter dem Bild 5 Zeilen Legende, Französische und Russische Truppen auf dem Zürichberg in der ersten Schlacht von Zürich 4.-6. Juni 1799, die mit der Niederlage Massénas endete
Oben rechts "N. V.", unter dem Bild 5 Zeilen Legende, Französische und Russische Truppen auf dem Zürichberg in der ersten Schlacht von Zürich 4.-6. Juni 1799, die mit der Niederlage Massénas endete. anonymous, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought7 June 1799
WhereZurich, Switzerland47.367N, 8.550E
OutcomeAustrian victory; (see #Aftermath)
BelligerentsFranceagainstAustria
Part ofWar of the Second Coalition1798 to 1802

Where it sits in the War of the Second Coalition

Action of 15 July 1798, 1798Battle of Salahieh, 1798Battle of St. George's Caye, 1798Siege of Butrint, 1798Battle of Nicopolis, 1798Siege of Corfu, 1798Battle of Trebbia, 1799Siege of Ancona, 1799Battle of Ostrach, 1799Battle of Feldkirch, 1799Battle of Stockach, 1799Siege of Mantua, 1799Battle of Magnano, 1799Battle of Cassano, 1799Battle of Frauenfeld, 1799Battle of Winterthur, 1799First Battle of Zurich, 1799Battle of Modena, 1799Siege of Alessandria, 1799Battle of Oberwald, 1799Battle of Schwyz, 1799Battle of Novi, 1799Battle of Krabbendam, 1799Battle of Mannheim, 1799Second Battle of Zurich, 1799Battle of Gotthard Pass, 1799Battle of Muottental, 1799Battle of Alkmaar, 1799Battle of Genola, 1799Battle of Obrigheim, 1799Battle of Wiesloch, 1799Battle of Walserfeld, 1800Battle of Sassello, 1800Siege of Genoa, 1800Rhine crossing near Rheinklingen (1800), 1800Battle of Stockach, 1800Battle of Engen, 1800Battle of Messkirch, 1800Battle of Erbach, 1800Battle of Montebello, 1800Battle of Höchstädt, 1800Battle of Neuburg, 1800Battle of Hohenlinden, 1800Battle of Pozzolo, 1800Battle of Copenhagen, 1801First Battle of Algeciras, 1801Second Battle of Algeciras, 1801Battle of Suriname, 180417981804First Battle of Zurich, 1799
48 placed engagements of the War of the Second Coalition in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date7 June 1799
to 5 June 1799
PlaceZurich, Switzerland
47.367N, 8.550E
KindBattle, Revolutionary and Napoleonic
Strength59,000 (in total)72,000 (in total)
Casualties and losses1,300–1,600: 500 killed; 800 wounded; 300 captured 28 guns captured; 150 guns left in Zurich3,400–4,400: 730 killed; 1,470 wounded; 1,200–2,200 captured
Commanders
First Battle of ZurichFirst Battle of ZurichSecond Battle of ZurichBattle of St. Jakob an der SihlMassacre of GreifenseeBattle of KappelSiege of RegensbergBattle of KappelSiege of RegensbergBernLausanneFreiburgMulhouseUlmVaduzBielChur100 km47.367N, 8.550E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 3 times between 1443 and 1799.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1799

Combat data (CDB90)

Attacker: AUS ARMYDefender: FR ARMY
Strength40,00025,000
Casualties3,400 (8.5%)1,600 (6.4%)
Mission accomplishment, 1 to 1046
Outcomedefender won
Duration2 days
Front width8 km10 km
Attacker advanced0 km

From the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency Database of Battles (CDB90, battle 111), public domain, in the CC0 tidy edition by Jeffrey B. Arnold. Figures are the database's estimates, compiled in 1990 from published histories, and may differ from the Wikipedia infobox above.

First Battle of Zurich is one of 2,009 engagements of the 18th century in the atlas and one of 66 in present-day Switzerland.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q575973, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article First Battle of Zurich, revision 1370619060, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.