One Final Victory:
Rivoli

Napoleon Bonaparte
Finally Conquers Mantua

Initial French Success Turns Into Misfortune

by John Giessmann


In the darkness of the early morning hours of 14 January, Thiebault, an aide-de-camp for Massena, arrived at Rivoli with the advanced guard of Massena's columns from Verona. In his memoirs Thiebault recounted:

"...we could see in the darkness the fires of Joubert's outposts and those of the enemy, like a belt of stars on the reverse flank of [Monte Baldo]." Thiebault had arrived in Italy in late 1796 and had missed the great battles of Castiglione and Arcola. He was itching for action, but, according to his memoirs, was cursed by an unlucky star. Throughout Thiebault's military career, his highest hopes for military glory would be thwarted [thus giving many historians the motive for Thiebault's occasional lapses in credibilityÑ editor].

Joubert spent a sleepless night. He attempted to place his men in the most advantageous positions possible. He hoped that soon after sunrise Massena would arrive to protect the left of his line. Joubert's left was not secured on any geographic feature. Massena's timely arrival would extend the French line to the west where Liptay's and Lusignan's columns threatened to outflank them.

Alvintzy's columns had struggled down from Monte Baldo and occupied the villages at its base, which offered meager shelter for the cold and hungry troops. Many of the Austrians had not eaten in 24 hours. The cold was taking its toll as well. The men had lit a multitude of fires by stripping the farm buildings of wood and cutting down some of the trees on the plain. In the pre-dawn cold, Ocksay, Koblos, Liptay, and Lusignan were busy organizing their assaults. In the Adige valley, the Austrian columns labored through the night.

Advance Guard

The advance guard of these columns, consisting of Quasdanovitch's troops, were approaching the point where the highway turned and snaked its way up into the Osteria gorge. Behind this advance guard, a multitude of men, horses, wagons, and camp followers plodded on through the night.

Bonaparte had arrived at Rivoli around 2:00 A.M. After listening to reports, he ordered Joubert to take virtually his entire command and drive the Austrians from the villages under Monte Baldo. His reasons for doing this were two-fold. First, this would give the French a series of advanced strong points come the light of day. Second, it would deprive the Austrians of their much-needed shelter during the night and disrupt what little sleep they had been able to get.

Joubert sent the 1st Battalion of the 14th Demi-brigade supported on its right by the 33rd Demi-brigade forward against a screen of Austrian light troops that formed the link between Liptay and Koblos's columns. The 17th and 4th Light Demi-brigades advanced on the chapel of San Marco. On the right flank, the 22nd, 85th, and 29th Demi-brigades advanced against Lubiara. The 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 14th advanced along Monte Magnone, engaging Ocksay's Croatian troops.

The attack was successful beyond Joubert's expectations. The Austrians were thrown back all along the line, and the chapel of San Marco fell into the hands of the light troops of the 17th and 4th Demi-brigades. Years later, the veterans of these units would argue over who had first taken the chapel. At least one battalion of the 33rd Demi-brigade also claimed the credit. One battalion of the 17th Light remained in the churchyard and erected a breastwork that faced the Austrian lines, while the rest of the troops pressed the assault on towards Caprino.

Lubiara was also taken, although the 22nd, 85th, and 29th Light lagged somewhat behind Joubert's left and center. These men encountered fierce resistance from Koblos's troops in front of San Giovanni. The two battalions of the 14th Demi-brigade drove Ocksay's troops off of Monte Magnone and pursued them towards Monte Baldo. As the sun rose over the field, the Austrians were falling back, and Massena's column, composed of the 32nd, 75th, and 18th Demi-brigades, was clearly visible approaching from the south.

Far From Defeated

The Austrians were, however, far from defeated. While it is true that they had been surprised by the French assault, they had not broken. They also outnumbered Joubert's command. The 14th Demi-brigade had in fact placed itself in danger by its own success as it had advanced ahead of the other demi-brigades. This gave the Austrians a chance to throw themselves into the exposed flank of this demi-brigade. Several Austrian units began to work their way around to cut it off from the rest of the French. But the 14th wheeled about to the right and fell back to its compatriots.

During this episode that,
according to Thiebault,
Massena was almost captured
by the Austrians.

It was around 10:00 in the morning that Massena began to make his presence felt on the field. He was just in time. Joubert's hard-pressed command was reeling from an Austrian counter-attack, which was gaining the initiative all along the line, and had retaken Monte Magnone and the chapel of San Marco. Thiebault also had arrived on the field, and he was riding along the line behind the 85th and 29th when he was accosted by Bonaparte, who ordered him to take a battalion of the 85th and charge the flank of an Austrian column that was bearing down on the 29th.

"But the devil had his finger in everything that could do me good, and when I was three hundred paces from the 85th it broke into a regular stampede. I hastened to the commander to tell him my orders and point out how far they involved his responsibility; he could do nothing to obviate the mischief and none of the officers were any better. I was making, however, several more efforts to rally a few men and form a nucleus, when General Massena came up, though I do not know how he happened to be there. I reported the whole to him; he at once ordered what I had been only able to request, but his orders had no more effect than my words. He began to swear, then to heap insults on the commanding officer.

At last he drew his sword, a thing I never saw him do but once in my life, and brought the flat of it down, not only on the men who were running away, but on the officers who, instead of standing in their way and rallying them, were following in their wake. It was the second time that the 85th had disgraced itself with the army of Italy, and showed that it was not qualified to belong to that army, as, indeed, General Bonaparte wished to inscribe on its flags."

Flank Turned

The Austrians had succeeded in turning the flank of the 85th by concealing a column of men in a small ravine. The Austrians emerged and the 85th and 29th both reeled backwards. The Austrian advantage was short-lived, however. As the 85th streamed to the rear, several battalions of the 75th and 32nd Demi-brigades moved up behind it. A fierce hand-to-hand fight ensued in which the Austrians were repulsed. The French battalions successfully covered the retreat of the 29th and the 85th, giving them time to rally. The Austrians, in the meantime, were driven back towards San Giovanni.

It was Massena who had directed the 32nd and the 75th to fill out the French line. He also directed several battalions of the 32nd to move off to cover the French left flank. At least one battalion of the 75th was held in reserve. The 18th, Massena's other demi-brigade, had turned off towards Lake Garda and was advancing through Affi.

It was during this episode that, according to Thiebault, Massena was almost captured by the Austrians. Massena had ordered the two battalions to plug the hole created by the retreat of the 85th. While awaiting their arrival, Massena found himself all alone with Thiebault; who reports saying: "'General, it is not a general's place to be acting as vedette.' He made no answer, but began to whistle, while he looked at the skirmishers who were coming up to us shouting, 'Prisoners! Prisoners!' Then suddenly making up his mind, he went as fast as his horse would gallop to meet the troops whom he was expecting. As for me, I was nearly taken, my horse being unable to jump a bit of rock which the general's had cleared without hesitation."

As the morning wore on, the French line stabilized. The arrival of Massena's men had prevented defeat. Victory, however, was within the grasp of either side. The chapel of San Marco remained in Austrian hands, and Ocksay's skirmishers on top of Monte Magnone were firing down into the trenches of the 39th Demi-brigade in the Osteria gorge.

To the French left, Lusignan had been advancing since daylight. His men had moved along the shores of Lake Garda shielded from the sight of the French by Monte Belpo, an extension of Monte Baldo that divided the plain of Rivoli from the lake. At midmorning they emerged in front of Costermano relatively even with the French left flank. Two battalions of Massena's 18th Demi-brigade attempted to stem this advance but they were thrown back, and Lusignan moved on towards Affi. If this village fell, Lusignan could place himself across the French line of retreat and then turn north to envelop the French.

Pontoon Bridge

Meanwhile, across the Adige valley, Austrian engineers had been hard at work erecting a pontoon bridge across the Adige near Dolce. Dolce was located slightly northeast of the Osteria gorge. Quasdanovitch, whose column was on the west bank of the Adige, covered this construction and moved to the entrance of the Osteria gorge below the trenches of the 39th Demi-brigade. At the same time, Wukassuvich, whose troops had moved down the east bank of the Adige, arrived opposite Dolce.

Both commanders realized that they must move quickly against the French right sitting at the top of the gorge. Accordingly, around 10:30, several battalions of Austrian grenadiers were sent up the gorge to seize the little village of Osteria. Meanwhile, the Austrian artillery, desperately needed by the infantry on the plain above, was moved into position on the east side of the Adige to fire up the gorge into the French right flank.

Shortly after 11:00, the 39th Demi-brigade was thrown back out of the gorge and the Austrian grenadiers took Osteria. The sudden attack by the Austrians, coupled with the fire of the massed Austrian artillery, had been too much for the 39th. They fled, leaving the village in enemy hands.

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