The Battle of Marengo 1800

by Hollins, David; Hook, Christa

• ISBN13: 9781841761176
• ISBN10: 1841761176
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-11-25
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing

Summary

Marengo holds a special place in Napoleonic mythology. In a bold move, Napoleon took 22,000 men across the Alps. Fighting snow, avalanches and winds, he marched horses, troops, and supply sleds across the Great St. Bernard Pass. Exhausted, hungry, and frozen, his army arrived at Marengo, only to be surprised by the Austrians. By the afternoon of June 14, 1800, it looked as if the battle was lost, but a miraculous last-minute turnaround thanks to the arrival of reinforcements led by Desaix, gave victory to the French. If the Emperor had been defeated his life, and the course of history, might have been very different.

Table of Contents

The Road to War	7	(3)
The Commanders	10	(5)
The Austrian Commanders
The French Commanders
The Armies	15	(4)
The Austrian Army
The French Revolutionary Army
Opposing Plans	19	(2)
The Coalition Plan
French Plans
Opening Moves	21	(9)
The Siege of Genoa
Melas' Advance to the Var
Bonaparte's Advance Into Italy	30	(10)
The Val d'Aosta
Battle of Romano-Chiusella 26 May - The Armies Realign The Fall of Genoa
Suchet's Advance from the Var
Napoleon in Milan
The Race for Piacenza
The Stradella Position
The Battle of Casteggio-Montebello, 9 June	40	(11)
The Val d'Aosta
Battle of Romano-Chiusella 26 May - The Armies Realign The Fall of Genoa
Suchet's Advance from the Var
Napoleon in Milan
The Race for Piacenza
The Stradella Position
The Battle of Marengo, 14 June	51	(14)
Final Plans - Final Preparations 13 June
Evening Battle for Marengo Village
14 June Morning - The Austrian Advance The First Assault
The Second Austrian Assault
The Austrian Breakout	65	(20)
A Change of Plan
The Third Assault
Marengo Falls
Bonaparte's Last Gamble The Guard Destroyed 4pm
The Austrian Pursuit 4.30pm To the south
The French Counterattack	85	(11)
Changes of Fortune 5-7pm
Panicked Flight
Final Rearguard
AFTERMATH	96	(1)
CHRONOLOGY	97	(2)
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING	99	(1)
WARGAMING THE BATTLE OF MARENGO	100	(6)
THE BATTLEFIELDS TODAY	106	(5)
The Battlefields
The Surrounding Area and Tourist Guide
Index	111