Battle of Arcole

• 1. Strategic Context And Objectives

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  The siege of Mantua held the fate of Italy in its grip during November 1796. Emperor Francis II of Austria appointed Feldzeugmeister József Alvinczi to lead a reconstituted field army for the third attempt to relieve the fortress. Inside the city, General Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser commanded 23,708 soldiers but only 12,420 remained capable of taking the field. Disease and hunger exacted a serious toll on the garrison after Wurmser reached there with 16,000 soldiers on the 12th of September 1796. The Austrian plan required a two-pronged offensive to link up and break the French encirclement. Feldmarschall-Leutnant Paul Davidovich advanced south along the Adige River valley with one corps while Alvinczi led the main army from the east. If the columns linked up and Wurmser's troops were released, French prospects turned grim immediately.

• 2. Austrian Force Composition And Deployment

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  Feldmarschall-Leutnant Peter Vitus von Quosdanovich commanded the Friaul Corps numbering 26,432 men as it moved west on Mantua from the Piave River. This force formed into a 4,397-man Advance Guard under General-major Friedrich Franz Xaver Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen. A 4,376-strong Reserve followed under General-major Philipp Pittoni von Dannenfeld. The Main corps supervised by Feldmarschall-Leutnant Giovanni Marchese di Provera contained a 9,380-man First line and an 8,279-strong Second line. The Tyrol Corps numbered 18,427 infantry and 1,049 cavalry on the 1st of November 1796. Six brigade-size columns operated under Generals-major Johann Loudon, Joseph Ocskay von Ocsko, Sporck, and Josef Philipp Vukassovich. Poor communications plagued the Austrian commanders throughout the campaign due to wide separation between wings. Many of Alvinczi's men were indifferently equipped raw recruits who straggled badly.

• 3. Bonaparte's Audacious Flanking Maneuver

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  After two sharp defeats, Napoleon Bonaparte became very despondent about his chances of survival. He deployed Macquard and 3,000 men to hold Verona while Masséna and Augereau marched along the west bank of the Adige. They reached a bridging site at Ronco all'Adige behind Alvinczi's left flank. Unknown to the French, Alvinczi planned to throw a pontoon bridge across the Adige below Verona at Zevio on the 15th of November at nightfall. The terrain forced movement onto causeways or dikes because marshy land blocked direct penetration. The Alpone River flowed into the Adige from the north and was only 18 meters wide and 2 meters deep. Dikes along the Alpone near Arcole stood 26 feet high with very steep faces. This restricted battlefield prevented Austrians from using their superior numbers effectively against the French.

• 4. The Three Days Of Combat At Arcole

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  By dawn on the 15th of November, Bonaparte's troops reached the intended crossing where engineers had a pontoon bridge in operation. Augereau's division crossed first and headed east and north toward Arcole while Masséna took a causeway leading north and west toward Belfiore di Porcile. Oberst Wenzel Brigido posted four battalions to defend the village with two cannons. Most French soldiers lay in the lee of the causeway to shelter from searing fire. At mid-day, Austrian reinforcements led by General-Major Anton Ferdinand Mittrowsky began arriving to help defenders. Jean-Antoine Verdier, Pierre Verne, and Jean Lannes all became wounded during the fighting. Bonaparte grabbed a flag and stood in the open about 55 paces from the bridge. His aide-de-camp Jean-Baptiste Muiron died under intense fire while an unknown officer dragged Bonaparte into a muddy ditch. The battle raged across three days with repeated assaults failing until Alvinczi withdrew on the third day.

• 5. Casualties And The Battle Of Rivoli

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  French losses at Arcole numbered 3,500 dead and wounded plus 1,300 captured or missing. The Austrians suffered only 2,200 dead and wounded but lost 4,000 men and 11 guns to capture. On the 17th of November Davidovich attacked Vaubois at Rivoli after driving French soldiers steadily back. The 85th Line Infantry Demi Brigade panicked again alongside other units during the afternoon stampede. Vaubols' division suffered 800 killed and wounded plus 1,000 captured including Generals of Brigade Pascal Antoine Fiorella and Antoine Valette. Austrian casualties reached 600 men total. Davidovich pulled back to Rivoli on the 20th before receiving an encouraging note from Alvinczi. The French caught up with him at Rivoli where they inflicted losses of 250 killed and wounded. An additional 600 Austrians, three guns and a bridging train fell into French hands. Altogether Davidovich's retreat cost him as many as 1,500 men and nine guns.

• 6. The Birth Of A Military Legend

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  Napoleon's actions at the bridge of Arcole quickly turned legendary among French artists and newspapers. One warship built in Venice was named the Muiron in honor of Bonaparte's aide who died at his side on the 15th of November. When Napoleon returned from Egypt in 1799 he escaped to France aboard that same vessel. The battle became widely regarded as the beginning of the Napoleonic legend which lasted until 1815. Observers inside Mantua heard cannon fire for three days yet Wurmser failed to act despite seeing empty French camps. The third relief attempt failed by the narrowest of margins after Alvinczi withdrew his field army to the Brenta. Public announcements revealed Bonaparte vented fury at poor performance of specific infantry units during the campaign. The victory permitted him to concentrate against Davidovich and chase him up the Adige valley.