Faced with 50,000 men in his front and 23,000 men still at his rear in Mantua, a despairing Bonaparte wrote to the Directoire: ‘Perhaps the hour of the brave Augereau, of the intrepid MassŽna, of my own death is at hand. Scar-lipped Jean Mathieu Philibert SŽrurier, adventurous Pierre Franois Charles Augereau, and calculating AndrŽ MassŽna were all smirking as they prepared to meet this political soldier who had gained his rank not by heroism in war, but by firing his cannons at the Parisian mob, thereby saving the Revolutionary government–and by marrying the discarded mistress of Paul Barras, an influential member of France’s executive Directoire. MassŽna and SŽrurier would mount a diversionary operation at Valenza while a special Corps d’Elite of select grenadiers, commanded by General Claude d’Allemagne, rushed to Piacenza and established a bridgehead there. Bonaparte stationed Vaubois’ 10,000 men at Lavis to block the Lake Garda approaches. Gen. A.E.F. Quasdanovitch was also threatening to seize the important Osteria Gorge, while General Franois-Joseph, Marquis de Lusignan’s column closed in on Bonaparte’s rear from the south. On May 22, Bonaparte left Milan, again in pursuit of Beaulieu, but returned to Milan and Pavia two days later to put down local revolts. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by Historynet LLC, the world's largest publisher of history magazines. By brilliantly concentrating his forces at critical places and times, Bonaparte had driven one of his Austrian opponents into Lombardy, while forcing Piedmont to sue for peace. On the Austrian side, Alvintzy had been reinforced in Bassano and now had 45,000 men. John Mayall, singer, songwriter, musician; founder of John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers band. To achieve a successful attack, SŽrurier would create a diversion around Ormea to occupy Colli’s attention. Vaubois rallied his fleeing men at Rivoli. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., politician and Civil Rights leader. Wurmser attacked again in September, but Napoleon flanked and ravaged him before Wurmser finally managed to merge some of his force with the defenders of Mantua. With his rear positions threatened, and having suffered 7,000 casualties in three days, Alvintzy retired to Vincenza. Robert Wilde is a historian who writes about European history. However, Napoleon managed to force him right back—Charles’ morale was low—and after getting to within sixty miles of the enemy capital Vienna, he decided to offer terms. As the Army of Italy advanced up the Adige River, Vaubois and MassŽna forced back 14,000 of Davidovitch’s troops at Rovereto on September 4. The Kingdom of Italy was born on 17 March 1805, when the Italian Republic, whose president was Napoleon Bonaparte, became the Kingdom of Italy, with the same man (now styled Napoleon I) as King of Italy, and the 24-year-old Eugène de Beauharnais his viceroy. de La Harpe’s division would move toward Sasello, linking up with French Brig. I will lead you into the most fertile plains on Earth. In 1798, French forces took Rome and Switzerland, turning them into new, revolutionary styled states. Ignoring Beaulieu, Bonaparte moved immediately against Argenteau, hoping to secure an initial victory that would give the French the freedom to attack Colli’s Piedmontese troops. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. On the morning of April 13, Augereau struck the left wing of the Piedmontese forces at Millesimo. Leaving General Macquart with Vaubois’ 3,000 men to defend Verona, Bonaparte set off on the night of November 14 to Ronco with 18,000 men. He spent the time intimidating cash and submissions from the rest of Italy. During that period of military inactivity, the French commander turned his attention to administrative matters and began the unification of Italy by establishing three new republics: the Cisalpine, centered on Milan; the Cispadene, combining Modena and Reggio; and the Transpadene, joining Bologna and Ferrara. Combined, those forces would have been overwhelming. On that same day, however, the first Austrian push to relieve Mantua began with Field Marshal Dagobert Sigismond Graf von WŸrmser taking command of Beaulieu’s army and a force of 50,000 soldiers. Bonaparte ordered Augereau to attack the right and MassŽna the left on November 12. During one skirmish, the most experienced French cavalry officer, General Henri C.M. Meanwhile, on the left flank, SŽrurier and Augereau succeeded in driving Colli back from Montezemolo to Ceva. The Army of Italy was not intended to be the main focus of France in the coming campaign—that was to be Germany—and the Directory may have been just shunting Napoleon off somewhere he couldn’t cause trouble. The patience and courage which you have displayed among these rocks are admirable, but they bring you no glory–not a glimmer falls upon you. Those reinforcements raised the city garrison to 23,000 men but proved to be a mixed blessing because now there were more mouths to feed from rapidly dwindling food supplies. His wild dash was so effective that he was later mentioned with honor in the victor’s dispatch to the Directoire. Bonaparte, having reinforced his army to 36,000 men by acquiring the troops of Generals Macquart and Garnier, also opened a new line of communications with French forces on the Col di Tende. Sarah Jones, Tony and Obie award-winning playwright, actress, poet (Bridge & Tunnel). On November 17, the French unleashed all their fury against Alvintzy’s army, which was in two unconnected parts. Augereau confided to MassŽna that this ‘little bastard of a General’ frightened him. Bonaparte consolidated his forces to the left and opened a new line of communications along the Tanaro Valley to Ormea. MassŽna and Augereau were ordered to move on to Carcare. At noon, MassŽna’s troops attacked Dego. Vaubois was routed by Davidovitch on November 4, however, and Trent and Rovereto also fell to the Austrians. Mildred Elizabeth Sisk, aka Axis Sally, Nazi propagandist. One month and two days after opening the campaign, Bonaparte entered Milan to a hero’s welcome. On April 28, the Armistice of Cherasco ceded control of Piedmont to the French. Moving on the west shore of Lake Garda, Austrian General Peter Quasdanovitch was checked by Augereau at Brescia on August 1. On June 1, Austrian scouts surprised him and his staff in the village of Valeggio, and he only escaped capture by vaulting over several garden walls, with one boot missing. The town of Sacile on the Tagliamento River was taken on March 16 after Guieu, who replaced Augereau, and Bernadotte surprised the Austrians. Those political problems were soon overshadowed when a new Austrian army of 46,000 men under Feldzeugmeister (General of Infantry) Joszef Alvintzy, Freiherr de Berberek, moved against the French. Leaving MassŽna to occupy Dego, Bonaparte retraced his steps westward with La Harpe, hoping to meet SŽrurier’s division near the town of Ceva. The next morning, April 14, the situation improved. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, War of the First Coalition in 1790s France, The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Biography of Napoleon Bonaparte, Great Military Commander, Napoleonic Wars: Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte. Bonaparte eventually planned to unite those three states into a single North Italian Republic, but he faced hostility from various vested interests: the church, the nobility and the well-connected. The War of the First Coalition broke out in autumn 1792, when several European powers formed an alliance against Republican France. Kellerman graciously sent 10,000 reinforcements, together with his own son to serve on Bonaparte’s staff. On the same day, at Lonato, MassŽna was hotly engaged with Quasdanovitch, who lost one division. Janet Napolitano, politician, lawyer; first woman to serve as US Secretary of Homeland Security (2009-2013). Although he had been taken by surprise, Cervoni managed a masterful retreat before Beaulieu’s vastly superior force, while French Colonel Antoine Guillaume Rampon held off attacks by Argenteau’s troops. Afte… Bonaparte now faced a difficult problem: He had to cross the Po without a bridging train while facing Beaulieu’s army. Leaving 3,000 men to garrison Verona, Bonaparte and the entire French army hurried north to Rivoli. Although the fall of Milan was certain, Bonaparte pushed his men onward toward Lodi, hoping to finish off Beaulieu’s force. The enemy is, no doubt, more numerous than we are, but half his troops are recruits; if we beat him, Mantua must fall, and we shall remain masters of everything.’. Argenteau ordered a retreat, but it turned into a rout, leaving him with only 700 men when he arrived at Dego. Bonaparte ordered Vaubois to hold his ground while he drove Alvintzy out of the Brenta Valley, after which he would fall upon Davidovitch’s rear. It also established Napoleon as a key political figure and redrew the map of Italy. All three divisional generals were impressed by their commander’s energy and commitment to their future success. The young French general had achieved his great objective, but now the Austrian Archduke Charles began assembling 50,000 troops in the Frioul and the Tyrol.

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