The Battle of Aspern-Essling was fought from 21 to 22 May 1809 between the Austrian Empire and the French Empire during the War of the Fifth Coalition. Archduke Charles' Austrian army prevented Emperor Napoleon from crossing the Danube near Vienna, inflicting Napoleon's first major defeat and his first battle defeat since the Siege of Acre in 1799.
After capturing the Austrian capital of Vienna, Napoleon moved to engage Archduke Charles' army near the Bisamberg hill on the left bank of the Danube. After a crossing attempt on the Schwarze Lackenau was repelled with 700 losses on 13 May, Napoleon decided to cross the Danube at the island of Lobau on 20 May. The Archduke allowed much of the French army to cross before deciding to attack it before the rest of the French army could come to its assistance. In a battle fought at the villages of Aspern and Essling, the French were unable to capture Aspern and Essling after fierce fighting. On the second day of the battle, Marshal Andre Massena captured Aspern, while the Austrians took Essling. Marshal Jean Lannes resisted the Austrian attack of Essling desperately, while Massena was eventually driven back by an Austrian counterattack. Napoleon led an attack on the Austrian center, breaking the Austrian line, but Archduke Charles averted defeat by bringing up his reserve. The Austrians concurrently sent heavy barges down the Danube to destroy the French army's bridges, forcing Napoleon to order a retreat to save his army. Essling fell to the Austrians, and Lannes was mortally wounded by a cannonball. The French eventually retired across the bridges, having lost 20,000 men. Lannes and General Louis-Vincent-Joseph Le Blond de Saint-Hilaire were mortally wounded, while Jean-Louis-Brigitte Espagne was killed. The Austrians suffered similar casualties, but they won a victory over the French, Napoleon's first loss since Acre ten years and one day earlier. One month later, Napoleon's new attempt to cross the Danube resulted in a costly victory at the Battle of Wagram.
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