were expected which, combined with Massena's r8,ooo in Genoa, would
give France virtual military parity with Austria in Italy. From Aosta,
where he had Duroc and Bourrienne in attendance he wrote to Joseph:
'We have fallen like a thunderbolt, the enemy did not expect us and still
seems scarcely able to believe it.' Overconfidence was nearly his undoing
next day for he was surprised by an Austrian patrol, which called upon
him to surrender. Fortunately his escort came up in the nick of time and
it was the Austrians who had to surrender.
On the 26th Napoleon moved on to Ivrea, where the artillery had been
taken on its nocturnal journey past Fort Bard, then proceeded by quick
stages through Vercelli, Novara and Turbico to the occupation of Milan,
which he entered in triumph on 2 June. After receiving a spontaneous
and touching welcome by the Milanese, he spent a week building up his
strength for the coming encounter with Melas. 5 June brought the
welcome news that Fort Bard had fallen and therefore that needed
reinforcements of artillery would soon be arriving. Meanwhile his forces
spread out to take Pavia and Piacenza before concentrating at Stradella,
which Napoleon had earmarked as his fallback position if defeated. While
taking Piacenza Murat intercepted dispatches from Melas which revealed
that Genoa had surrendered on 5 June.
When Napoleon arrived in Milan, Melas did as expected and marched
back to meet him, in order to keep his lines of communication open. But
if Napoleon hoped he had thereby saved Massena in Genoa, Murat's
news soon disabused him. Napoleon has been criticized for tarrying in
Milan instead of marching to Massena's aid. This shows a misunder
standing of his strategy, but the First Consul can be criticized for his
peevish remarks when he heard that Genoa had fallen. In fact, Massena
by holding out a day longer than Napoleon had ordered him to, had far
exceeded expectations. Melas moved back towards Milan when he was
confident that the fall of Genoa was imminent; the valiant Massena,
obedient to his chief, had opened negotiations on 2 June and dragged
them out for three priceless days.
The Austrian capture of Genoa was worrying to Napoleon .on two
grounds. In the first place, with the spectre of Acre always in the
unconscious, he feared that the Austrians might turn the city into an
impregnable fortress; this was not an unreasonable presumption, for the
Royal Navy began supplying the city as soon as it fell into Austrian
hands. Secondly, the very fact of British supply and reinforcement meant
that Napoleon could no longer wait at Stradella in the certain knowledge
that Melas would have to come to him to reopen his communications
with Mantua; he had to go to the Austrian.
marcin
(Marcin)
#1