Course
The prelude to the Second Battle of Zurich, the successful river crossing of Dietikon over the Limmat formed after Unterengstringen on the 25th of September, 1799. Since June, the French boats were brought from different waters. On the evening of 24 September, she wore the infantry division Lorge quietly in the vicinity of the river. On the night of 23 the 24th September, the pontoons were in Rottenschwil removed from the Reuss and brought about the Mutschellen to Dietikon. Massena's troops concentration to Dietikon with more than 8,000 men of the Division Lorge and artillery with 26 guns were on the other side of the Limmat between Würenlos Wipkingen and only 2,600 Russians over under General Markow, including 1,100 men under Markov himself in space Oetwil Würenlos, 290 men and 2 guns of the Cossack regiment Misinow between the rise of the monastery drive and the hard woods, 220 men of the Grenadier Battalion good blood on the western edge of the hard woods and four squadrons of dragoons, with 550 men under Major General Schepeleff at Wipkingen.
On 25 September at 04:45 clock led the betting action on the first battalion of the brigade Gazan off the attack. Approximately 600 men in 37 boats crossed the Limmat and formed the bridgehead. The crossing of the boat alerted the weak Russian outposts near the Limmat. The Limmat brought back in a wide arc to the south, allowing the Massena artillery to fire from both sides of the river bend on the landing and in the depth of the later bridgehead. 25 bullets hit from 5 clock, various buildings of the monastery driving.
To 5 o'clock for the start of the installation of the pontoon bridge was commanded. Meanwhile, put the French a second battalion of the brigade Gazan over the Limmat. Then put the brigade Bontemps on the Limmat.
By 6 o'clock reached the French advance guard the monastery driving and ransacked it. At 07:30 clock the pontoon bridge was built. In the brigade marched Quétard, artillery and cavalry. At 9 clock, the entire division was Lorge with 8,000 men a total of 26 guns on the right side of the Limmat. Further reinforcements crossed the pontoon bridge. The weakened by artillery fire, the hard woods, at the height of mountain splendor and whether the monastery driving fighting Russians were defeated. The command of the French troops on the right bank of the Limmat was chief of staff of Oudinot, who was advancing with 15,000 men and over Engstringen Höngg against Zurich. Masséna led himself with the small brigade a successful counterattack against the advancing from the Sihlfeld Waldegg against the Russians.
The river crossing was successful as the Russians were too weak on its front section, and because they had been deceived by feints Division Ménard at Vogelsang / Stilli and by the Division Mortier at Wollishofen the main thrust in Dietikon. The section commander of the Russians in space Oetwil Würenlos, Major General Markow, was wounded right at the start of the attack and captured. His superior, Lieutenant General Durassow, who was on the lower reaches of the river Aare and on the Limmat jurisdiction, dealt at length with the simulated attacks at Vogelsang / Stilli and realized too late that the French had locked the connecting roads to Zurich Korsakov. This enabled Oudinot, quickly push forward against Höngg and the Zurich mountain. There were heavy losses in the fighting compartment Milchbuck.
The attack on the division Soult Linth between Upper Lake Walen and led to the withdrawal of the Austrians over the Ricken. On 26 September Korsakov received the news of the death of Hotze, who had been shot during the morning reconnoitring at Schänis of French skirmishers from his horse. Reinforcement by Suvorov could not reach Zurich within a reasonable period. Suvorov looked after descending from the Gotthard by Schöllenenschlucht by the news from Zurich and French troops at Uri forced to leave over the Kinzig pass through the embattled Muotathal, over the Pragelpass, Elm, over the Panixerpass and through the Rhine Valley Helvetia. Korsakov now threatened the encirclement in Zurich. He tried to fight their way across the Milchbuck direction Winterthur. With a desperate attack succeeded Korsakov break out of Zurich. However, he lost most of his troops, equipment and inventories.
The French had sold the remnants of the Second Coalition in the area of Confederation. The loss of the French in the second battle of Zurich were around 6,000 men, those of the coalition in 3,000 men and 8,000 prisoners.
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