Napoleon's Consular Guard held its position in the middle of the plain, despite the repeated Austrian cavalry charges. Castel-Ceriolo was occupied by Carra St. Cyr's two demi-brigades. Rivaud's brigade advanced down the road from Sale. Desaix's Division was formed before San-Giuliano. The French left collapsed and withdrew. Their center still held, but the line folded at Castel-Ceriolo. The Austrian cavalry was in pursuit of the withdrawing French wing, supported by the Hungarian grenadiers. Gardanne's division reformed and became the first line while that of Chambarlbac formed the second line. Desaix's division, now on the field, assumed a position on the right and launched a vigorous attack. H i s attack was supported by 15 guns and the French cavalry reserve, which was ready to charge through the intervals in the French line. The center of the French line, Lannes' corps, was reinforced by the arrival of the 72nd Demi-Brigade and supported on the right by the Consular Guard, which linked the French to Castel-Ceriolo. The French line, now organized obliquely by echelons, passed over to the offensive. Desaix's division charged the head of the Austrian pursuit column and Napoleon launched his cavalry against their flanks. The Austrian column was disordered and broken. Lieutenant General Lannes struck Kaim's corps and threw them back. The Austrians fell back on Marengo, where they attempted a final stand, but were thrown back on Bormida where they crossed the river under cover of darkness. The victorious French remained in possession of the battlefield. Jumbo Plate 3: The Climax (monstrously slow: 464K) Battle of Marengo 14 June 1800 The Battle Berthier's Plates: Introduction Berthier's Plates: Plate 1: 8:00 am Berthier's Plates: Plate 2: Noon Berthier's Plates: Plate 3: The Climax Berthier's Plates: Plate 4: The Morning After Back to Empire, Eagles, & Lions Table of Contents Vol. 2 No. 3 Back to EEL List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1993 by Emperor's Headquarters This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com