Lithograph of Mac Mahon, Duke of Magenta
Lithograph
Having distinguished himself in the Crimean War, Edme Patrice Maurice de Mac Mahon (1808 – 1893) was sent by Napoleon III to head the II French Army Corps fighting in northern Italy in support of the Piedmontese troops in the 2nd War of Independence. On 4 June 1859, he led the Franco-Sardinian operation against the Austrians at Magenta, winning a major victory which enabled the French and Piedmontese forces to enter Milan.