- Battle of Dessau Bridge
Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Dessau Bridge
caption=
partof=theThirty Years' War
date=April 25 ,1626
place=Dessau , present-dayGermany
result=Catholic victory
combatant1=German Protestants
combatant2=Catholic League
commander1=CountErnst von Mansfeld
commander2=GeneralAlbrecht von Wallenstein
strength1= 12,000
strength2= 20,000
casualties1= 4,000 dead, wounded, or captured
casualties2= Unknown|The Battle of Dessau Bridge ( _de. Schlacht bei Dessau) was a
battle of theThirty Years' War nearDessau onApril 25 1626 . The Imperial Roman Catholic forces ofAlbrecht von Wallenstein defeated the Protestant forces ofErnst von Mansfeld in the battle.With the entrance of King
Christian IV of Denmark into the Thirty Years' War in 1625, Protestant forces that had been dealt one defeat after another were suddenly infused with fresh hope asDenmark became the first major European nation to formally enter the war since the Austrian defeat in the early years. With the new alliance came ambitious plans involvingChristian of Brunswick , fresh from his victory atFleurus in the previous year. The projected campaign assigned Christian to assault the forces of Tilly in theRhineland , and forErnst von Mansfeld to challengeAlbrecht von Wallenstein in theArchbishopric of Magdeburg .Moving first, Mansfeld began his march towards Dessau in early spring, 1625. Wallenstein learned of his movements though, and hurried his troops, some 20,000 strong, to Dessau as well and established a bridgehead on the eastern side of the
Elbe River . The two sides met soon after and, onApril 25 , Mansfeld began the battle against the inexperienced Wallenstein. With his infantry and artillery skilled to give illusion that his army was smaller than the Catholics, Mansfeld attempted to use the sheer weight of the number of his men to push across the river. This proved a great mistake as when the full extent of Wallenstein's forces was exposed, the assault quickly proved to be a deathtrap for Mansfeld. Before he managed to retreat, Mansfeld's casualties numbered at some 4,000 men, a third of his army. He hastily retreated up the Oder River intoSilesia , and began a march for theDalmatia n coast to offer his army and its services to theRepublic of Venice . En route, he died and his army disbanded. Wallenstein, who at this point was pursuing Mansfeld, sent 8,000 troops to assist Tilly who was stationed near Brunswick.
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