Battle of Klöntal

The battle of (the) Klöntal or Claenthal was fought near Lake Klöntal (in the namesake valley) on 30 September – 1 October 1799 during the Revolutionary Wars (Second Coalition, Suvorov's Swiss campaign).

Suvorov came up with 'Napoleonic plans' to get out of the difficult strategic situation in which he found himself. Suvorov's operational goal was to reach Glarus through the Klöntal. His Russians and Austrians under Bagration's tactical control, numbering plus or minus 2,100, were pressing against the French frontline troops in rounded numbers 3,800 men, or up to 6,500 in all, under Molitor. Masséna sought to completely surround Suvorov's forces, and as a result, he reinforced Molitor in the process to block Suvorov's escape. The number of Frenchmen who participated in this battle before Masséna's reinforcements arrived is unknown. The battle ended in an Allied victory. In total, the Allies had greater than or equal to 4,160 men, but it was not only those who participated; also, it is not specified that the given French numbers were all involved. One way or another, Suvorov managed to concentrate enough forces in the Klöntal to displace the French troops present there.

Suvorov stopped his advance following the "Glarus" battle (1 October), where the future French Marshal Soult would manage to stop Bagration and his reinforcements, but only around Näfels, which was not Suvorov's operational objective at the time. The capture of Glarus proved to be the limit of Suvorov's availability, and he preferred not to try to advance further.