Italian campaign of Napoleon 1796 -1797. interesting in that it was he who allowed Bonaparte to express himself for the first time. This was the first, but not the last military company of the future French emperor. They admired him, they hated him. Even today, his personality leaves few indifferent. The commander left many secrets behind him. The significant date of the Italian campaign of Napoleon Bonaparte is considered to be April 12, 1796. On this day the Battle of Montenota took place. As the great conqueror himself later admitted: "My nobility begins from Montenot." However, first things first.
Napoleon Bonaparte Family
Napoleon Bonaparte was born on the island of Corsica on August 15, 1769. His father Carlo Maria Buonaparte came from a seedy aristocratic family. Nevertheless, Carlo was educated as a lawyer at the University of Pisa. When his family thought the young man was ripe forcreating a family, they fussed and arranged his marriage to Lititia Romolino, who had a good dowry.
Letizia was a brave, determined woman. She even had to take part in the fighting, fighting for the independence of Corsica and see the horrors of war, caring for the wounded. She and her husband were real Corsicans. Honor and independence were valued above all else.
The biography of the parents of Napoleon Bonaparte does not differ in particularly striking events during their stay in Corsica. The father of the family did not deny himself anything: huge card debts, dubious transactions, transactions, banquets and many other things of this kind that destroy the family budget. True, he made sure that his sons Napoleon and Joseph received a scholarship from the French government for their studies.
The Buonaparte family was large: 12 children, of whom 8 survived to adulthood. His father died, leaving a large family penniless. Only the courage of the mother, her pressure, energy did not allow them all to die.
In the home circle, Napoleon was called Nabulio. He was a very impulsive child who easily fell into anger. For him there were no authorities. He endured any punishment with firmness. Once he even bit his teacher, who decided to call the boy to order.
The photo of Napoleon Bonaparte's family does not exist, but many paintings have come down where he, surrounded by relatives and friends, is depicted as loving, caring. You can't call him an open person. He has been accustomed to proud loneliness since childhood. It is hisnot burdensome, but there were books. The young man loved to read, being carried away by the exact sciences, and felt a strong disgust for the humanities. He wrote all his life with grammatical errors, which did not prevent him from doing great things.
On the eve of Napoleon's first Italian campaign
French society became more and more radical. Any attack from European states that denounced the revolution infuriated the National Convention. It was for France that there was now no question of a future military confrontation. Her opponents didn't want to go that far, but the spark they ignited with their judgments could ignite the fire of war with their judgments.
This war was longed for by everyone in France. Political parties only carried out the will of the people. Thousands and thousands of volunteers joined the army with the desire to get even with the offenders of their fatherland as quickly as possible and to free all the other peoples of Europe. The diplomat Caulaincourt, who left invaluable memoirs about Napoleon's campaign in Russia, saw him as a liberator and destroyer of the existing system of oppression of the common man. The French emperor, in his opinion, brought progress, freedom for all of Europe, thereby expressing the will of his people.
The attempt of the Prussian-Austrian interventionists to crush the revolution in the bud failed thanks to the competent coordinated actions of the French artillerymen in the Battle of Valmy in 1792. This slap so stunned the invaders that they had no choice but to retreat. But there was another important event that predetermined the further course of historical events. The governments of many states have becomemore serious about France and unite, seeing in it the main threat to their power.
After a few years, many military theorists believed that the main front should take place in western and southwestern Germany. Only Napoleon Bonaparte considered the Italian campaign as the main direction that would turn the tide of the war.
Appointment to the post of Commander-in-Chief
The invasion of Northern Italy was mostly of little interest. By that time, the ambitious French officer of Corsican origin had been noticed. The Vicomte de Barras entrusted him to suppress the revolt of the supporters of the monarchy, which they staged on October 3-5, 1795 against the National Convention. The Corsican did not stand on ceremony: volleys of buckshot swept away the rebels. The ambitious upstart proved that he is ready for anything for the sake of power.
Viscount de Barras made a gift for his protégé, which can be assessed very ambiguously. If we characterize those resources and opportunities for the Italian campaign of Napoleon Bonaparte briefly, it turns out that it was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, despite the fact that this 106,000-strong grouping was assigned a secondary role to distract the Coalition, and the brilliant French General Moreau was to make the main blow, Napoleon was given a chance. Inspired, he arrived in Nice on March 27, 1796. There he was in for an unpleasant surprise.
Dead Souls
It would seem that fate favors the ambitious commander. The grandiose Italian campaign of Napoleon is a project that hebeen preparing for the last two, years is about to become a reality. Moreover, Bonaparte had been to Italy, he knew this area. Only the commander-in-chief of the French troops in Italy, Scherer, who was supposed to be replaced by the protégé of the Viscount de Barras, lowered his successor to the ground.
The first unpleasant surprise was that it was only on papers that there were over a hundred thousand personnel, and in fact there were not even forty, and eight thousand of them were the garrison of Nice. You can't take it off for a trip. Taking into account the sick, the dead, deserters, prisoners, no more than 30,000 people can be taken on a campaign.
Second problem: personnel on the brink. The supply does not spoil them. These hungry ragamuffins are the "indestructible fist" of the shock group allocated by the Directory for the offensive in Italy. From such news, anyone could fall into despair, lay down their hands.
Putting things in order
If we briefly describe the preparation of the Italian campaign of Napoleon Bonaparte, then the new commander-in-chief did not stand on ceremony. To begin with, to the delight of many soldiers, he shot several stealing quartermasters. This strengthened discipline, but did not solve the supply issues. The young 27-year-old general solved it according to the principle: “The motherland gave you a rifle. And then be smart, just don't overdo it. Experienced front-line soldiers really liked this initiative - the general won their hearts.
But there was another problem, much more significant. His senior officers were not taken seriously. Here he showed will, inflexibility,rigidity. He forced himself to be reckoned with. Order has been restored. Now it was time to start the hike.
Company start
The success of the French could only be achieved if they could defeat the Austrians and the Piedmontese army separately. And for this it was necessary to have good maneuverability. Appear where the enemy probably does not expect them. Therefore, the French command made a bet on the route along the coastal edge of the Alps because of the audacity of the plan. They could well have been hit by the fire of the English fleet.
Date of the Italian campaign of Napoleon, its beginning - April 5, 1796. In a few days, a dangerous section of the Alps was passed. The French army successfully invaded Italy.
Bonaparte strictly followed the strategy. Here are a few moments that allowed him to win bright victories:
- the defeat of the enemy took place in parts;
- the concentration of forces for the main strike was carried out quickly and covertly;
- war is a continuation of state policy.
In short: Napoleon's Italian campaigns demonstrated his skill as a commander, who could covertly concentrate troops, misleading the enemy, and then break into his rear with a small group, sowing horror and panic.
Montenot Battle
On April 12, 1796, the Battle of Montenot takes place, which was the first serious victory of Napoleon as commander in chief. Initially, he decided to take Sardinia out of the game as quickly as possible. For this purposehe needed to capture Turin and Milan. The French brigade in the amount of 2,000 people under the command of Chervoni advanced to Genoa.
In order to push back the advancing Austrians allocated 4.5 thousand people. They were supposed to deal with the Chervoni brigade, and then, regrouping, strike at the main forces of the French. The fighting began on 11 April. Being outnumbered, the French managed to repel three powerful enemy attacks, and then retreat and link up with La Harpe's division.
But that was not all. At night, another 2 additional divisions of Napoleon were transferred through the Kadibon Pass. In the morning the Austrians were already outnumbered. They did not have time to react in any way to the changed conditions. The French lost only 500 men, and the enemy division under the command of Argento was destroyed.
Battle of Arcola November 15-17, 1796
There was a situation when active offensive actions were necessary to keep the initiative. Delay, on the contrary, could negate all the successes that were achieved during Napoleon's Italian campaign. The problem was that Bonaparte clearly did not have enough strength. He was outnumbered: 13,000 of his fighters against 40,000 enemy troops. And they had to fight on the plain with a well-trained enemy, whose morale was very high.
Therefore, attacking Koldiero, where the main forces of the Austrians were located, was a futile undertaking. But try to get around it through Arcole, being in the reartroops of Alvici, Napoleon could. This area was surrounded by swamps, which made it difficult to deploy battle formations. The Austrians did not believe that the main forces of the French would climb into these impenetrable swamps, expecting that their path would lie through Verona. Nevertheless, 2 divisions were allocated to counterattack to disperse this "small" French detachment.
It was a big mistake. As soon as the soldiers of Alvici crossed the bridge, losing the fire support of their comrades from the other side, they were immediately met by the fighters of the Napoleonic army. With a bayonet attack, they threw the enemy into the swamps. Despite huge losses, the Austrians continued to be a formidable force.
The only bridge was guarded by 2 battalions. One of the attacks on him was led by Napoleon Bonaparte personally.
Battle for the bridge across the Alpone River
To develop a decisive success, it was necessary to capture the bridge. Alvitsi, realizing its importance, sent additional forces to protect an important area. All French attacks were repulsed. Throughout the history of Napoleon's Italian campaign, maneuver was of exceptional importance; marking time meant losing the initiative. Understanding this made Bonaparte grab the banner and personally lead the assault.
This desperate attempt ended in the death of many glorious soldiers of France. Wheezing with rage, Napoleon did not want to give up. His fighters had to forcefully pull their restless commander, removing him away from this dangerous place.
The defeat of the Austrians at Arcola
At this time, Alvici realized the danger of his being in Coldiero. He hastily left it, ferrying the convoy, reserves across the bridge. Meanwhile, Augereau's division, having crossed to the left bank of the Alpone River, hurried with all its might to Arcola. There was a threat to the communications of the Austrian troops. Not tempting fate, they retreated behind Vincenza. The victory went to the French, who lost about 4-4.5 thousand people. For the Austrians, it was a rout. In stubborn bloody battles, they lost about 18,000 soldiers. This became possible due to the weak interaction of their troops. While Napoleon, not afraid of risk, was transferring his troops to the point of the main attack, leaving weak barriers as guards, his opponents were inactive, which he took advantage of.
Battle of Rivoli January 14-15, 1797
On the eve of this significant battle, Napoleon Bonaparte found himself in a very difficult situation. Despite the fact that the course of the company in 1796 was successful for him, Piedmont capitulated. The Austrians were left alone, but they posed a serious threat. The fortress of Mantua, considered impregnable, was in their hands, and most of northern Italy was controlled by Napoleon. The reinforcements that the French so desperately needed could not appear before spring. Robbery of the local population turned him against the French invaders.
And most importantly, the famous Austrian commander Alvintzi was going to unblock Mantua. The main blow of his troops will be carried out in the Rivoli area. The first who grappled with the Austrians was the French commander Joubert. On January 13, 1797, he almost gaveorder to retreat, the fate of Napoleon's Italian campaign was decided these days. The commander-in-chief, who arrived at the position, forbade the retreat. Bonaparte, on the contrary, ordered Joubert's troops to attack the Austrians early in the morning.
The bloodshed has resumed. It would have been very difficult for the French troops if General Massena had not arrived in time to help them. The battle was a turning point. Napoleon took advantage of this and inflicted a crushing defeat on the Austrians. Having 28,000 bayonets under his command, he resisted and defeated the 42,000th enemy grouping.
With this decisive victory, he didn't just crush the Austrians. The Pope soon begged for mercy and capitulated. The most dangerous enemies of Napoleon - the government of France (Directory) - powerlessly watched the rise of the national hero, but could not do anything.
Egypt
There was also the inglorious Egyptian campaign of Napoleon Bonaparte, which refers to adventurous undertakings. It was undertaken by Napoleon in order to further ex alt himself in the eyes of his own nation. The Directory supported the campaign and reluctantly sent the Italian army and fleet to the country of the pyramids only because, thanks to their victory in the First Italian Company of 1796-1797. this commander has already set the teeth on edge for many.
Egypt did not submit, and France lost the fleet and many dead. Kleber was left to disentangle the results of his adventure, which was launched mainly because of vanity. The Commander-in-Chief, accompaniedthe most devoted officers withdrew. He understood the gravity of the army's situation. Not wanting to be involved anymore, he simply ran away.
Second Italian company
One more touch to the portrait of the "virtuoso of war" - Napoleon's Second Italian Campaign of 1800. It was undertaken in order to prevent the intervention of the Austrians, who had significant forces. 230 thousand people who joined the ranks of the French army improved the situation, but Napoleon waited. He needed to decide where to send this army.
The position of the French in Italy was much more dangerous, so another crossing over the Alps was coming. Skillfully maneuvering, he, using knowledge of the terrain, was able to go to the rear of the Austrians and take the famous position at Stradella. Thus, he cut off their escape routes. They had excellent cavalry and artillery, but it was not possible to use this advantage against the French, who were seated and holding Stradella.
And then Napoleon made a mistake that historians still defy.
Battle of Marengo June 14, 1800
He leaves on June 12 his magnificent position in Stradella, going in search of the enemy. There are two main versions of why he did this:
- succumbed to impatience, wanting to defeat the enemy as quickly as possible;
- his rivalry with another great French commander, General Moreau, spurred Bonaparte to prove to everyone that he alone is the greatest strategist.
Nevertheless, it happened: the vantage points were abandoned, and the positions of the enemynot found due to poor exploration. The Austrian army, which had superior forces (40,000 people) in its presence, decided to fight at Marengo, where there were no more than 15,000 French. Having hastily crossed the Bramida, the Austrians attacked. The French were out in the open. They had some fortifications only on the left flank.
A fierce battle broke out. When Napoleon learned that the enemy had suddenly appeared at Marengo and was now pressing his few troops, he hurried to the battlefield. He had nothing but a small reserve. Despite heroic resistance, the French were forced to retreat. Their opponent believed that victory was already in their pocket.
Feat of the General
The situation was saved by General Desaix, who took the initiative. Hearing the sounds of gunfire, he directed his troops towards the rumble, finding the Austrians pursuing the retreating troops. The position of the French units was critical. Desaix ordered to hit the enemy with buckshot and rushed into a bayonet attack. Confident in their victory, the enemies were taken aback. The furious pressure of Desaix, who arrived in time, and the competent actions of Kalerman's cavalry sowed panic in the ranks of the pursuers. The hunters themselves had become victims and were now fleeing. The Austrian general Zach, who was entrusted with the pursuit of the defeated troops of Napoleon, surrendered.
As for the main character of that battle, General Desaix died.
The Battle of Marengo, won by the French, did not decide the outcome of the war. An armistice was signed and Napoleon returned to Paris. Only the battleHohenlinden on December 3, under the leadership of the great General Moreau, granted the long-awaited victory in the Second Italian Campaign of Napoleon in 1800 and the signing of the Peace of Luneville.
