suspicions of Bonaparte could not be sustained. They promised him full
support and gave him virtual carte blanche in Italy- psychologically of the
greatest importance, for in January 1797 the Austrians exerted themselves
for one final effort to wrest the peninsula from the French grasp. As a
result of a nationwide recruiting campaign in Austria, Alvinzi was able to
put 70,000 troops in the field. It was fortunate for Napoleon that the
Directory finally made good their promise to send reinforcements to the
Army of Italy. Napoleon reorganized his forces so as to put them in five
different divisions (the germ of the later corps system), led by Generals
Massena, Augereau, Rey, Serurier and Joubert.
The success story of this part of the campaign was Barthelemy Joubert,
who had replaced the disgraced Vaubois in November 1796. Tall and
thin, with a weak constitution which he strengthened by deliberate
hardship, Joubert was intrepid, vigilant and active, the perfect comple
ment to Massena. It was on these two most of all that Napoleon relied
when Alvinzi launched his offensive in January 1797, this time aiming at
Rivoli between the river Adige and Lake Garda, with diversionary attacks
from Bassano and Padua.
Napoleon waited at Verona to make sure he knew where the weight of
the attack would fall. Joubert's division came under heavy pressure at
Rivoli, so on 13 January Napoleon decided to ignore the supplementary
offensives and concentrate his forces there. He arrived on the plateau of
Rivoli at 1 a.m. on 14 January and attacked at dawn, at first running into
stiff resistance and once almost being outflanked. But he timed the
playing of his trump card perfectly. Massena completed another of the
gruelling night marches that were becoming legendary on this campaign
and covered the fifteen miles to the platea� of Rivoli by dawn, marching
on a fine moonlit night but sloshing through snow and ice. Alvinzi had
nearly succeeded in outflanking Joubert, even though he had thereby
separated his infantry from his cavalry. The arrival of Massena
transformed the situation. The Austrians were blasted off the outflanking
positions on two hills, then Massena ruptured the Austrian centre. Next
Joubert's men counter-attacked to recover ground already lost. But the
Austrians bitterly contested every inch of ground, and Napoleon had
several horses shot under him during the day.
At dusk on 14 January Napoleon and Massena left the scene to
intercept another Austrian army trying to relieve Mantua. At Rivoli
Joubert won another victory next day. Total Austrian losses on the two
days were 14,000 as against 2,180 French casualties. Massena's division,
meanwhile, performing prodigies, marched another thirty miles to catch
up with General Provera, who was bearing down on Serurier and the
marcin
(Marcin)
#1