I have been researching this battle since December 1996, including trips to Rivoli, Vienna, and the invaluable help of an Austrian historian & wargamer, Herbert Zima, who is working in a book on the subject. I researched this battle to produce a wargame, Rivoli 1797, which hopefully will be released next month. (CHV: This from Simtac I believe). Lasalle and the 22nd Chasseurs marched from Mantua to Rivoli during the morning, and reached the battlefield shortly before noon. The entry hex for Brune is correct (he marched from Verona), but that of Monnier is not, as he marched during the night to Garda. He started out from Garda to Rivoli during the morning, arriving about 12:30 p.m. to the heights of Brojare (hexes 1015-1017). He left one-third of his force back in Garda. Therefore he should enter the map through hex 0217 at the 11:30 game turn. Masséna arrived to Rivoli ahead of his division, between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., and immediately was given the command of Leblay's brigade. Actually he could witness the rout of Leblay's battalions, which occurred between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. (he was almost trampled to the ground by the fugitives!). The entry hex for Rey's division should be hex 0922. He had marched from Desenzano, and at 2 p.m. his division was deployed in battle just to the south-east of Affi, at Orza (off map). Rey thought that Bonaparte had been defeated, and was waiting to cover the retreat. At that hour he received his first despatch from Bonaparte (Lusignan had intercepted all former ones), ordering that he must march on Mt. Branizzi (hex 1422) and attack Lusignan's rear. Murat's entry is correct, but one day too early. He embarked at Salo on the afternoon of January 14, crossed the lake of Garda on small boats and disembarked at Torri (5 km. from the west mapedge) during that night. His 12th demi-brigade participated just in the battle of the following day at La Corona, during the pursuit to Alvinczy. Murat´s 8th dragoons accompanied d'Hilliers 58th demi-brigade in his march from Desenzano to Affi. Therefore, this counter should make its entry at hex 0922. During the night of the 13th-14th, Ocskay's column was to the rear of Köblös and Liptay, and did not enter into the fray till half past eight in the morning, attacking San Martino, which had been seized by the 14th demi brigade. At the start of the game there were no Austrian forces on the plateau south of the Tasso stream, other than Köblös' and Liptay's outposts. The bulk of these columns was in no disposition to attack till approximately. 8 a.m. Joubert's easy advance at dawn was just opposed by the advance guard of these columns. At 4 a.m. there was an Austrian detachment in the chapel at hex 2409, which was defeated by a small French task force. Joubert began his general attack around 7 a.m. Lusignan's column should be at Pesina at the start of the game. Lusignan had bivouacked at Pesina the night of the 13-14. He started out for Caprino before dawn, but then received new orders, and at 6.30 he left the environs of Caprino and countermarched to Pesina, marching on towards Affi and Mt. Pipalo (hex 1920). From Pesina he sent 4 companies to the west, to Garda, to keep Monnier at bay; but about noon these were beaten by the 18th demi-brigade near Calcino (off map, half a mile from the west map edge). In hex 2418 there should be the fort of Chiusa Veneta, barring the road to Verona, which was stormed by surprise during the battle by the Grenz infantry of Vukassovich. Provisions should me made to represent the field fortifications erected by the French in hex 2312 (the Dogana entrenchments), which had to be demolished by Austrian sappers before horses and carriages could get through. There were no croats in Ocskay´s 4th Column. All Croat light infantry in the plateau belonged to Liptay, Köblös and Lusignan. This mistake is due to the fact that most non-Austrian sources put Ocskay to the left of the Austrian line, where there were croats fighting Vial's brigade. These croats belonged to Köblös, who formed the Austrian left; Ocskay was to his right rear, between him and Liptay. There were no Austrian cuirassiers at Rivoli. Quosdanovich should have 11 cavalry strength points: 8 hussars, 1 lancers, 2 dragoons. Vukassevich's 6th column should have just 1/2 strength point (hussars). Rivoli Review Back to Perfidious Albion #96 Table of Contents Back to Perfidious Albion List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1998 by Charles and Teresa Vasey. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com