Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/276

* NAPOLEON I. 236 NAPOLEON I. road followcil tlio latter noilhwcst to Turin, the other road followed the Boriiiida to the northeast to ililan; between the two was an almost im- passable mountain country. A successful blow would compel the Sardinians to retreat on their capital, Turin, and the Austrians on .Milan, their headquarters in Italy, witlKJUt hope of reuniting their forces. This army of .')2. men was some- what scattered and could not be used in full force at any one point, and many of the men were sick. The French .rmy of Italy was no better ort'. There were 42.000 poorly erpiipped. worse clad, and unpaid men scattered in detachments along the Kiviera from Xice to Savona. Their new commander. Huonaparte, was a slender, delicate- looking youth of twenty-six. who was known only for some skill shown in handling artillery at Toulon and in Paris. Rumor said he owed his ap- pointment to a discreditable intrigue between .losephine and harras. Certainly there was little to promise one of the greatest military campaigns in all history, the most dazzling success of mod- ern times. Bonaparte (as he now spelled his name) from the moment of his arrival took hold of things with the grasp of an e.vperieneed gen- eral skilled in the management of men. His address to his army kindled their imagination: "Soldiers, you are half-starved and half-naked; the Government owes you nuieii. but can do noth- ing for you. I am about to lead you into the most fertile valleys of the world: there you will find nourishing cities and teeming provinces; there you will reap honor, glory, and riches. Soldiers of the Army of Italy, will you lack courage?" Keenforccments arrived which raised the army to about r>l).000 men. whom Bonaparte concen- trated at Savona. The campaign oijcncd at Montcnotte on .pril 11th. Three successive at- tacks compelled the Sardinians under Colli to retreat toward Turin, while the Austrian com- mander, Beaulieu, fell back toward Milan. Bona- parte pressed on against Colli, and, though he had no power to negotiate, compelleil him to sign the armistice of C'herasco (April "iSth), which gave France military control of Piedmcmt and left Bonaparte free to attack Beaulieu. From this mo- ment Bonaparte showed the Directory that they had no ordinary general to deal with, lie did not wait for orders. He did things and then re- ported; he preferred no recpiests. but presented demands couiiled with an ultinnitum. Hnmedi- ately after tlie signature of the armistice with Colli, Bonaparte reassembled his forces, which had scattered to forage and plunder, and prepared to attack Beaulieu. who had re- treated across the Po and the Ticino. Beaulieu expected Bonaparte's attack near Pavia. The French commamler turned his (lank, seized Pia- eenza on May 7th. and comi)clled Beaulieu to retreat across the Adda, leaving .Milan to the French. Bonaparte |iirsued the retreating Austrians and ilefeated them at the bridge of Lodi across the Adda, on May 10th. After this battle it is said the troops gave Bonaparte the endearing name of the T.ittle Corporal ; from this time they were thoroughly devoted to him. Bonaparte promptly occu|iic-d Milan and there dis- played his characteristic qualilie-*. He appealed to the popular enthusiasm, and led the Milanese to believe that he was their deliverer. He estab- lished a temporary administration, welcomed ar- tists and writers, and showed an interest in the University of Pnvia. On the other hand, he ex- torted a war contrilnitiou of 20,000,000 francs and seized and sent to Paris numerous literary and art treasures. The young general did not dally. In a few days he was again pushing on against the Austrians, and on June 3d the siege of Mantua was bcgiui. This strongly fortified town was the key to Northern Italy. While the siege was in progress Bonaparte paid his respects to the Dukes of Modena :ind Parma, to the firaml Duke of Tuscany, and to the Pope, each of whom he compelled to buy peace with large sums of money and with treasures of art and literature. The Austrians raised army after army for the relief of Mantua, but in vain. The first, under Wurmser, advanced from Tyrol in three divi- sions, and compelled the raising of the siege of Mantua by Bonaparte, who marched to meet the Austrians and defeated them at Castiglione on August 5th. Wurmser made a second attempt by the valley of the Brcnta, but was defeated at Bassano on September 8th, and driven into ilantua, the siege of which was resumed by the French. Alvinczy, by the way of the Brcnta, and Davidovich, by the way of the Adige, brought the second Austrian army into Italy, planning to concentrate tiO.OOO men at "erona. Bonaparte had to meet them with about 40.000, and at Cal- (liero, on Xovember l'2th. he met a severe check; but, driven to desperation, he put forth super- human ett'orts. and after three days of fighting defeated the Austrians at the bridge of Arcole and forced them to retreat. Alvinczy. from the wreck of his army and with rcenforcements, cre- ated the third Austrian army and advanced southward between Lake Ciarda and the Adige. Bonaparte hastened to meet him. seized the im- portant strategic position at Rivoli. repulsed -Mvinczy on .lanuary 14, 1707. and hurled him back into Tyrol. Turning back on ilantua, Bonaparte captiired at La Kavorita two days later an important detachment of Alvinczy's force which by a (lank movement had almost suc- ceeded in r'eaeliing Mantua. Wurmser sur- rendered Mantua on February 2d. In this fa- mous campaign of 1700 Itonaparte relied on three important maxims to which he held fast •throughout his career: divide for foraging, con- centrate for fighting; unity of command is essen- tial for success; and time is everything. Quick- ness to divine his enemy's plans; a thorough knowledge of geography which produced com- binations that were executed wilh bewildering audacity: an ability to get a maxinuim amount of marching ami fighting out of an army of young veterans who were poorly shod and clad "and ill-fed; and the loyal support of his subor- dinates. Augercau. Massena. .loubert. Lannes, Marmont. Victor. Murat. and .Tunot. combiniil to enable Bonaparte to compicr Northern Italy fiu' France. The campaign of 1707 was an act of ccdossal audacity. With less than .')0.000 men Bonaparte drove the Archduke Charles and the Austrians from Italy, forced the passes of the .Mps in .March, and pressed on directly for Vienna witlumt waiting for Moreati (q.v.) to cooperate. At Leoben. within one hundred miles of Vienna, he signed preliminaries of peace with Austria on .pril ISth. Bonaparte the conqueror began to take wider views of the part he was to play, and played it wilh a boldness and a skill that dazzled France into eomplaisancy. He organized the Italian conquests into the Cisalpine Kepublic and con-