Prologue

In the spring two hundred years ago, a group of French army officers would provide the beginning of an adventure which we today watch unfold on many gaming tables. Around the Mediterranean coastal villages of Loano, Sportorno, and Savona, you'd find the core of the future Marshalate and their benefactor. The names are numerous. Second-Captain Duroc and Captain Bessieres. Lieutenant Colonel Suchet and Colonel Lannes. Brigade Commanders Victor and Joubert. Divisional Commanders Augereau, Messena, and Serurier. A.D.C.'s Captain Marmont, Junot, and Colonel Murat. Chief of Staff Berthier. And of course the lead artiste in this production, General Napoleon Bonaparte.

Not yet an exulted personality rating that singular nom de guerre 'Napoleon', he was to lead these men and the Army in pursuit of not only the Austro-Sardinian forces arrayed in the region, but also towards his and their glory, destiny, and history.

How did we get here? Four years prior, political upheavals began to undermine the power of the ancient regime of the ruling Bourbons in France. The French Legislature Assembly assumed the authority and power of the state. In 1791, the Declaration of Pillnitz is issued by Leopold II of Austria and William II of Prussia challenging and antagonizing the energized members of the French Legislature. Within months of a formal Austro-Prussian alliance in February 1792, the Legislative Assembly declares war. Initially, this growing First Coalition of allies has marginal successes against the disordered republican ranks. The Coalition's successes are limited by their commanders' ability to exploit victories on the battlefield and an operationally crippling inability to coordinate their objectives and resources. Shocked into action by a series of defeats, the Assembly declared a 'Levee en Masse' on 23 August 1793 providing their armies on the frontier with unmatchable manpower.

Campaigns and battles shift back and forth across the main theater of operations along the Rhine. Neither side is able to exploit their particular advantages to gain a decisive resolution to the conflict. Secondary operations were concurrently conducted along the Spanish and Sardinian (Italian) frontiers along with an bloody suppression of Royalist uprisings in the Vendee (Western France). Into one of these 'obscure' theaters, rides an equally obscure officer with a new appointment from the recently formed Directory government in Paris.

Napoleon Takes Command

It is March 1796. On the 27th Napoleon Bonaparte takes command of the Armee d'Italie. The Armee d'Italie will be the tool when united with this uniquely driven personality provides the decisive conclusion to the war with the First Coalition. This army is the product of the years of war.

The 'amalgame' of 1794-5 is complete. The revolutionary levees have integrated with the old royalist professionals in the ranks of the demi-brigades. Ineffective and unlucky officers have either been shipped out or buried. Bonaparte is about to inherit an instrument of war built by the conflict and War Minister Nicolas Carnot. Carnot is instrumental in this particular command appointment.

The new commander maybe unknown to the Armee d'Italie, but the Armee is something known to Bonaparte. At the Topographical Bureau of the Committee of Public Safety, he drafts the plan sent to the Armee's previous commander, General Scherer, for an offensive against the Coalition forces in the region. General Scherer abandons the offensive after initial but minor successes pleading he lacks the resources to continue. These Revolutionary Armees must move as they are not supported by elaborate stores and magazines of supplies. Their logistical support is based upon what they can draw from the land around them. Wasting in the narrow confines between the Mediterranean Sea and the coastal range of the Apennines mountains, the Armee d'Italie has sat since the Battle of Loano in the previous November. Upon his arrival, Bonaparte inspects his new command. He finds the army ill paid, ill clothed, and half-starved. Worst, he writes 'la misere y a autorise l'indiscipline, et, sans discipline, point de victoire!' He must quickly advance.

On the 27th, Bonaparte finds his command dispersed. Messena's command of two divisions is arrayed from Voltri in the east to San Giacomo, with outpost upon the mountainous crests in between. Augereau is centered at Pietra with elements stretching down the Mediterranean to Alassio and inland to Calizzano. Serurier commands from Ormea with his units in positions from Garessi back to the Colli di Tenda. The entire command musters a mere twenty-four mountain guns. These must be concentrated for an offensive. Here he will first employ his strategy of the central position [for further elaboration on centre d'operations see Chandler, p.170-174]. However, before all this could be enacted, the Austrians move first.

The Austrian element of the Austro-Sardinian forces are commanded by General Johann Beaulieu, victor of Arlon. He too has an offensive plan. In the first phase, Austrian forces will march over the Apennine crests at Montenotte towards Savona and cut off the extended French forces along the coast to Voltri. Concurrently, another element will strike directly at Voltri with support from an English naval squadron commanded by Nelson. The troops are advancing by 10 April.

Map of Campaign Area: Northern Italy

Austrian Forces Under Beaulieu 10 April 1796

Infantry
(1) Deutschmeister 822; (2) Huff 1,561; (3) Reisky 1,788; (3) Terzy 1,848; (2) Alivintzy 1,643; (1) Toskana 755; (1)Preiss 811; (1) Brechainville 607; (1) Schroder 509; (2) Strassolodo 1,199; (2) Nadasdy 1,518; (3) Thurn 2,233; (2) Lattermann 1,200; (1) Pellegrini 806; (1) Stain 869; (2) Anton 1,156; (2) Colloredo 1,497; (1) Szluiner 928; (2) Carlstadter 2,208;
Cavalry: 20 squadrons, 3,139
Artillery: trains, staff, 1,117

Positions:
(towns are in itallics)

(I) Argenteau: 11 battalions, 2 squadrons.

Preiss, Toskana, Brechainville, 1 Alivintzy - Sassello;
1 Carlstadter - south of Sassello;
2 Anton - Mioglia and Squaneto (between Dego and Sessello);
1 Terzy - Malvicino, Ponzone, and Morbello (between Spigno and Acqui);
1 Terzy - Acqui;
Stain - Dego;
Pellegrini - Cairo;
with 2 Piedmontese battalions La Marina at Spigno.

(II) Pittoni: 9 battalions, 2 squadrons.
3 Reisky, 1 Nadasdy - Bochetta;
Szluiner - Campomoreno (between Bochetta and Genova);
1 Terzy - Voltaggio and Fiaccone (just north of Bochetta towards Gavi);
1 Lattermann - Gavi;
1 Latermann - Lerma (West of Gavi and south of Capriata);
1 Nadasdy - Marcarolo (West of Bochetta and north of Voltri);
with two Colloredo to support Vukassovich at Ovada (east of Molare)

(III) Sebottendorf: 9 battalions
2 Huff- Capriata;
Deutschmeister - Basaluzzo (near Capriata);
Schroder - Cassine;
2 Thurn - Alessandria;
1 Thurn - Tortona;
2 Strassoldo - Casteggio and Montebello (east of Tortona)

North of the Po River towards Milan are three other battalions: Jordis, Wallis, and Banal.

[Austrian figures complied from Kuhl. Specific Sardinian disposition can be obtained from the Nafziger Collection, G. Nafziger, P.O. Box 1522, West Chester, OH 45069-1522, OoB 796BBP and OoB 796LBS.]

French Forces 12 April 1796: