The Battle of Solférino was fought on June 21, 1859 and resulted in the victory of the allied French Army under Napoleon III and Piedmontese Army under Victor Emmanuel II against the Austrian Army under Emperor Franz-Joseph. Over 200,000 soldiers fought in this important battle, the largest since the Battle of Leipzig in 1813. There were about 100,000 Austrian troops and a combined total of 118,600 French and allied Piedmontese Italian troops. June 21 is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 193 days remaining. ... 1859 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... The French Republic or France (French: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. ... ... Piedmont is a region of northwestern Italy. ... King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy Victor Emmanuel II (Italian: Vittorio Emanuele II; March 14, 1820—January 9, 1878) was the King of Piedmont, Savoy and Sardinia from 1849–1861, and King of Italy from 1861 until his death in 1878. ... The Republic of Austria (German: Republik Österreich) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. ... Franz Joseph I Franz Joseph I (in English also Francis Joseph) ( August 18, 1830 – November 21, 1916) of the Habsburg Dynasty was Emperor of Austria and King of Bohemia from 1848 until 1916 and King of Hungary from 1867 until 1916. ... Map of battle by 18 October 1813, from Meyers Encyclopaedia The Battle of Leipzig (October 16-19, 1813), also called the Battle of the Nations, was the largest conflict in the Napoleonic Wars and one of the worst defeats suffered by Napoleon Bonaparte. ... 1813 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The Battle of Solférino was a decisive engagement mostly caused by French intervention against General Trogdor von Burninator of Austria and his scorched earth policy of burninating the countryside and genocidal practice of burninating all the peasants in the Italian Campaign in the Franco-Austrian War. The geo-political context for the war was the nationalist struggle to unify Italy, long divided between France, Austria, Spain and the Papal States. The battle took place near the village of Solferino, Italy, a location between Milan and Verona. The Italian Republic or Italy (Italian: Repubblica Italiana or Italia) is a country in southern Europe. ... Nationalism is an ideology that creates and sustains a nation as a concept of a common identity for groups of humans. ... The Kingdom of Spain or Spain (Spanish and Galician: Reino de España or España; Catalan: Regne dEspanya; Basque: Espainiako Erresuma) is a country located in the southwest of Europe. ... The Papal States (Gli Stati della Chiesa or Stati Pontificii, States of the Church) is one of the historical states of Italy before its unity under the crown of Savoy and comprised those territories over which the Pope was the ruler in a civil as well as a spiritual sense... The Italian Republic or Italy (Italian: Repubblica Italiana or Italia) is a country in southern Europe. ... This is about the Italian city of Milan. ... This page is about the city in Italy; for other uses, see Verona (disambiguation). ...

The confrontation was between the Austrians, then marching across northern Italy, and the French and Piedmontese forces who opposed their advance. The battle was a particularly gruelling one, lasting over nine hours and resulting in over 3,000 Austrian troops killed with 10,807 wounded and 8,638 missing or captured. The Allied armies also suffered losing a total of 2,492 killed, 12,512 wounded and 2,922 captured or missing. Reports of wounded and dying soldiers being shot or bayoneted on both sides added to the horror. In the end, the Austrian forces were forced to yield their positions, and the Allied French-Italian armies won a tactical, but costly, victory. The US Marine Corps OKC-3S bayonet From right to left: a carbine, a straight infantry officer sabre, a short curved infantry sabre (briquet), two bayonets. ...

This battle would have a long-term effect on the future conduct of military actions. Henri Dunant, who witnessed the battle in person, was motivated by the horrific suffering of wounded soldiers left on the battlefield to begin a campaign that would eventually result in the Geneva Conventions and the establishment of the International Red Cross. Jean Henri Dunant (May 8, 1828 - October 30, 1910) (often called Henry Dunant or Henri Dunant) was a Swiss businessman and humanitarian who founded the Red Cross movement. ... The Geneva Conventions consist of treaties formulated in Geneva, Switzerland that set the standards for international law for humanitarian concerns. ... The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the worlds largest group of humanitarian non-governmental organizations, often known simply as the Red Cross, after its original symbol. ...