CHAPTER I GENOA

I Au commencement du printemps. — In the campaign of 1799, whilst Bonaparte was away in Egypt, the Russians and Austriaus of the Second Coalition had completely overpowered the French in Italy. At the end of the year it was only along the strip of coast from Nice to Genoa that a weak French force, ill clothed and ill fed, still maintained a precarious foothold. On the other side of the mountaius lay the Austrian army under Mêlas, ready to open the new campaign as soon as the winter was over. True, there would he no Suvoroff to help the Austrians this time ; for the Czar Paul, disgusted with the conduct of the war hy his allies, had now withdrawn from the league. But the Emperor Francis and his advisers were perfectly confident. They had pushed a second army, under Kray, into the bend of the Rhine near Basle, to prevent auy possible interférence with Mêlas by way of Switzerlaud. Thèse Austrian armies might hâve been more than sufficient, if the government of France had continued in the hands of the feeble Directory. But the return of Bonaparte, and his seizure of suprême power, had wholly chauged the outlook.

Bonaparte's plan was this : — Moreau, with the Army of the

Rhine, might be trusted to force back Kray to the Upper

Danube. This done, the way through Switzerlaud would

be open ; and Moreau was then to content himself with an

attitude of observation, detaching a strong division across the

St. Gothard to joiu the Army of Reserve, led by Bonaparte

in peison over the St Bernard. Meantime the indomi-

table Massera was sent to the Army of Italv, to keep Mêlas MS

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occupied till Bonaparte should hâve fallen across his line of communications.

The dramatic resuit of Bonaparte's conception served to disguise its real rashness. When the day of battle came, success or failure turned on a haïr. Too much was risked for the sake of display ; and both Moreau and Masséna were sacrificed to secure the First Consul's personal glory.

8 les Autrichiens nous attaquèrent. — This was on April 5th. The left of the long French line was under Suchet, whose quarters were at Nice ; the centre was under Soult, in and near Savona ; the right was under Miollis, at Genoa. Each gênerai had before him one of the three passes that lead from the northern slopes of the Western Apennines to the southern — the Col di Tenda, the Cadibona, the Bocchetta. The brunt of the attack was naturally along the central pass. Strictly speaking, Marbot should hâve said that the left wing was eut oif from the centre and the right. Bonaparte's despatches had urged Masséna to concentrate on Genoa ; but thè want of supplies made this impossible. In the end, it was just as well that more of the French were not shut up there. After investing Genoa, Mêlas entrusted the blockade to Ott, while he himself endeavoured to force Suchet's position ou the Var. Lord Keith maintained the blockade by sea.

9 la troisième division. — Marbot's father was gênerai of this division ; Colonel Sacleux was chief of his staff; Colindo Trepano was a young civilian from Parma, who had been acting as secretary to Colonel Sacleux.

14 Quanta moi. — When lie was just seventeen years old Marbot had enlisted, in September 1709, as a trooper in the lst Hussars, forming part of the division that his father was going to command. He was fortunate in an early chance of distinguishing himself, and was sub-lieutenant by the end of the year. For want of forage almost ail the cavalry had lately been sent back into France ; but Marbot had remained as aide de camp to his father.

22 les célèbres positions. — It was in April 1796, at the opening of the first and most masterly of ail the Napoleonic campaigns, that thèse positions becanio famous. By a succession of rapid movements and hard blows Bonaparte thiust

i.] GENOA

himself betweeu the Sardinian and Austrian armies. The Sardinians were compelled to make separate ternis, and a safe basis was secured for the subséquent opérations against the

Austrians.

27 du centre et de Taile gauche. — As has been mentioned, this is not quite correct. Most of the centre under Soult was driven back upon the right wing.

121 en lllfi. — An incident in Maria Theresa's war against the French and Spaniards in North Italy. A certain Sardinian marquis, with an Austrian force, had reduced Genoa ; but after a few mouths the townsfolk rose in revolt.

144 Gênes pesait alors d'un poids immense. — Two purposes of Masséna's defence are stated in this paragraph : first, that of preventing the Austrians from pushing on into France ; >econd, that of occupying the enemy with the siège, till Bonaparte should hâve had time to seize the line of their communications. The first of thèse two purposes was sufficiently attained as soon as the Army of Reserve appeared in the field ; the second continued to be of vital importance, as will appear farther on.

152 une année de réserve. — The mystification had been admirablv kept up. While the army was actually Crossing the Alps, the Austrians were still incredulous of its existence.

243 M. Lachèze. — Not a doctor, but a former French Consul at Genoa, and a personal friend of General Marbot.

364 Monte-Corona. — This hill, which is commonly called Monte C'reto, rises on the north -east of Genoa. The attempt to capture it was made on May 13th. The French attacking party suffered more than their enemy from the weather, and returued thoroughly disheartened, though bringing some prisoners. Soult was conveyed to the Archbishop's palace at Alessandria.

435 Masséna exécuta ce qu'il avait annoncé. — Thus, on the one hand, the French kept as prisoners men whom they could not feed ; on the other, the Austrians condemned their own Boldien to uutold misery, in order to increase Masse'na's difliculties.

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470 Le chef d' escadron Franceschi. — Major Franceschi had a narrow escape on his return : he saved himself by plunging from the boat and swimming. Le 6 prairial would be May 25th.

487 le premier Consul aurait désiré. — Marbot crédits Bonaparte with more anxiety to relieve Genoa than he really felt. Years afterwards, at St. Helena, Napoléon ungenerously disparaged Masséna's defence : " He should hâve held out longer; should hâve seen a snare in the flatteries of the enemy," and so on.

489 qu'il réunit toutes ses troupes. — French troops were crossing the passes of the Mont Cenis, Little St. Bernard., Great St. Bernard, Simplon and St. Gothard. The main army was, of course, that on the Great St. Bernard, which was joined at Aosta by the division from the Little St. Bernard. Moving to its left on reaching the plain, this army picked up the detachment from the Simplon and the strong division of Moreau's army from the St. Gothard. Ail the French forces were thus collected, except the corps on the Mont Cenis. This corps belonged to the Army of Italy rather than to the Army of Reserve. It had been pushed forward to the Italian end of the pass, in order to mislead the Austrians. Indeed this was the only use to be made of the Mont Cenis ; for that pass leads down to Turin, and would not hâve served Bonaparte's purpose of placing his army behind Mêlas.

No doubt Bonaparte could hâve relieved Genoa by a direct march without rallying ail his divisions. But he might fairly argue that by concentrating on the Austrian communications he was raising the siège, while also securing a larger object. If the Austrians continued the siège, they would only be weakening themselves for the battle that was inévitable ; and if they captured the town, the loss of the battle would at once restore it to the French. When similarly threatened in 1796, Bonaparte promptly abandoned ail his siege-works at Mantua, won the battle of Castiglione, and presently got Mantua as well. But, in the présent campaign, the Austrians sacrificed the battle to the town, only to find that they lost both.

532 pont de Oonegliano. — Or rather, Cornigliano. The ternis of évacuation were signed on the evening of June 4th.

chap. i.] GENOA 153

544 se rouirait à Xice.— The garrison were, at any rate, to take the coast-road to Savona. This was a compromise between Masséna's wish to march north through the Bocchetta pass, and Ott's demand that the French should be carried to Nice by sea.

Shortly before this date disquieting reports of French forces seen in the Alpine passes had recalled Mêlas to Turin. Taking with him a detachment from the advanced corps on the Var, he had left the rest under Elsnitz. When he found how serions things were, he had sent urgent orders from Turin, that Elsnitz should cross the mountains and make forced marches to Alessandria. This had set Suchet free, and he wu moving along the coast-road, when he met the garrison from Genoa. Masséna himself was later in arriving ; for he had left Genoa by boat, thinking to reach Suchet more quickly, and so, as it happened, had overshot the mark. The Army of Italy now moved over the mountains towards Acqui in the valley of the Bormida. Hère they paused, but their présence in the neighbourhood, by obliging Mêlas to detach a strong body of cavalry to watch for them, had a distinct influence on the battle of Marengo.

577 le général Ott ne put rejoindre. — Hère, and in similar remarks farther on, Marbot's memory is at fault. After issuing from the mountains, Bonaparte turned in an easterly direction, secured the line of the Ticino, and entered Milan on June 2nd. Escape for Mêlas was now becoming impossible. In fact his only remaining chance was to anticipate the French at Piacenza. Orders had accordingly been sent to Ott to abandon the siège. He was to return to Tortona and push on by forced marches to secure the bridge at Piacenza. He would thus become the vanguard to the rest of the Austrians, who were concentrating on Alessandria to follow him. It is impossible to say at what moment thèse orders reached Ott. Anyhow he was forty-eight hours too late. He despatched one light division by mountain paths into the valley of the Trebia, and marched with the rest by the road that descends the Scrivia. But Lannes had got across the Po a little helow Pavia on the 6th, and next day Murât, followed by Victor, had crossed farther down, and seized Piacenza. Ott's light division was driven back into the

154 NOTES [chap. i.

hills on the 7th ; on the 9th the rest of his divisions were defeated at Montebello, and thrown back upon Alessandria. Thus it was that Ott, who took his share in the hattle of Marengo, had missed doing something still more important.

598 commandant. — This word is frequently used as a synonym for chef d 'escadron or chef de bataillon, équivalent to Major.

622 Nous suivîmes le premier Consul. — Bonaparte himself left Madrid on the 8th, and reached Montebello on the evening of the next day, just as the engagement was over. Montebello is a little to the west of the pass of Stradella, where the northern spurs of the Apennines reach within a mile or two of the Po. Hère Lannes faced the army from Genoa under Ott, and mamtained his ground under terrifie fire until the arrivai of Victor's leading division enabled him to win the victory. Lannes became Duke of Montebello presently.

In 1706 Prince Eugène, crossing the river unexpectedly, seized the pass of Stradella, got behind the French, and raised the siège of Turin.

In 1859 the French and Piedmontese opened the war against Austria by a successful combat at Montebello.

623 le champ de bataille de Marengo. — During the lOth and llth the French were concentrating in the pass of Stradella. It was on the llth that Desaix arrived from Egypt, and took over the divisions that Murât had temporarily commanded. On the 13th Bonaparte advanced towards Alessandria, and a badly executed reconnaissance made him believe that Mêlas was escaping to Genoa. Accordingly Desaix, fortunately with onlv one of his two divisions, was sent into the mountains in that direction. Next morning he lieard the guns of Marengo, and hurried back just in tinie to turn defeat into victory. He was magnificently seconded by Kellermann, whose cavalry dashed into the flank of the leading Austrian columns at the very moment when tliey were recovering from the shock of Dcsaix's infantry.

By the conditions of the armistice the Austrians retired

chap. i.] GENOA 155

to the Mincio, surrendering every fortress to the west of it. Later in the year the ni was renewed, but was settled by Moreau's great victory at Hohenlinden, December 3rd. The Peace of Lune'ville, February 1801, confirmed the ternis settled at Campo Formio after Bonaparte's previous Italian campaign. Austria abandoned ail clainis to the Netherlands; she ceded afresh her possessions in Lombardy to the Cisalpine Republic, but retained the compensation of Venetia, as in 1797- As Emperor of Germany, Francis again ceded the German states west of the Rhine ; but this time it was stipulated that the compensation to be found by the Empire for the dispossessed lay princes should be submitted to the approval of France. The Empire, too, was to find German subjects for the Duke of Tuscany, who had to abdicate. Thus it was at the expense of the Empire, not of the House of Austria, that peace was made. Venice, with Venetia east of the Adige, was no mean équivalent for the loss of Lombardy. As for the betrayal of the cause of Italy, this had been Bonaparte's doing when he was the masterful gênerai of the Directory : as First Consul he had no more scruples than befure, and no inclination to undo his own work.