Battle of Millesimo
Napoleon Bonaparte took command of the French Army of Italy in late March 1796. The force consisted of around 40,000 men under arms. General Johann Beaulieu led the left wing of the Habsburg army and attacked near Genoa on the 10th of April. This attack triggered the Montenotte Campaign. Napoleon advanced through the Cadibona Pass to defeat Eugène-Guillaume Argenteau at the Battle of Montenotte on the 12th of April. The French then moved further inland toward Dego. Their goal was to increase the separation between the Habsburg army and its ally, Piedmont-Sardinia.
On the 13th of April, Pierre Augereau attacked Giovanni di Provera's weak Austrian Auxiliary Corps east of Millesimo. Provera retreated to Cosseria Castle with part of the Hasbsburg Gyulai Freikorps. Two grenadier companies of the Strassoldo Infantry Regiment # 27 joined him. Colonel Filippo Del Carretto's newly arrived Sardinian 3rd Grenadier battalion soon followed. Napoleon ordered the partly ruined hilltop castle to be taken. Augereau and Meynier's divisions mounted repeated assaults against stout resistance. Colonel Barthélemy Joubert wrote that nothing more terrible could be imagined than the assault. He was wounded passing through a loophole while his carabiniers held him up in the air. That evening, Augereau invested the castle while Bonaparte regrouped his forces. Early the next morning, Provera capitulated because his men were out of food, ammunition, and water.
Napoleon wrote a report to the French government regarding actions around Millesimo. He called this event The Battle of Millesimo. The report is confusing and perhaps deliberately misleading. It is probable that Bonaparte did not want to reveal how serious French casualties had been. He also wanted to hide how close he had been to having his plans seriously compromised. There was no real battle at Millesimo itself. A confused action occurred on the 13th of April where small enemy units were driven back. This was followed by a short but very costly siege of Cosseria Castle. The defenders numbered only about a thousand Austrians and Piedmontese under Provera and Del Carretto. Napoleon later admitted to Colonel Joseph Costa that the siege was a mistake due to his impatience. He likely crafted the misleading report to cover up this error.
The French lost 700 men in their fruitless attacks on the 13th of April. Provera's 988 men suffered only 96 killed and wounded. The remainder became prisoners of war. Boycott-Brown gives Sardinian losses as 150. The French Adjutant General Jean Quenin died during the fighting. General of Brigade Pierre Banel was also killed. Sardinian commander Del Carretto fell in the attack. Louis Suchet received promotion when his colonel was killed. Losses in the brief action earlier in the day remain unknown. These specific deaths marked the human toll of the engagement.
The surrender of the castle allowed the French offensive to continue. On the 14th of April, Masséna won the Second Battle of Dego. Soon after, Bonaparte launched his army in a relentless westward drive against Colli's Austro-Sardinian forces. The capture of Cosseria removed a key obstacle from the path inland. This victory enabled the continuation of the French campaign across Liguria. The strategic situation shifted decisively in favor of France following these events.
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Common questions
What was the outcome of Napoleon Bonaparte's actions at Millesimo on the 13th of April 1796?
The French forces captured Cosseria Castle after a costly siege that lasted from the evening of the 13th of April until early the next morning. Provera capitulated because his men were out of food, ammunition, and water.
How many casualties did the French Army of Italy suffer during the engagement near Millesimo on the 13th of April 1796?
The French lost 700 men in their fruitless attacks on the 13th of April 1796. Specific deaths included Adjutant General Jean Quenin, General of Brigade Pierre Banel, and Sardinian commander Del Carretto.
Why does historical analysis suggest Napoleon Bonaparte wrote a misleading report about the Battle of Millesimo?
Napoleon likely crafted the misleading report to cover up serious French casualties and how close he had been to having his plans seriously compromised. He later admitted to Colonel Joseph Costa that the siege was a mistake due to his impatience.
Who commanded the Austrian Auxiliary Corps that defended Cosseria Castle against Augereau's attack on the 13th of April 1796?
Giovanni di Provera led the weak Austrian Auxiliary Corps east of Millesimo on the 13th of April 1796. His forces numbered only about a thousand Austrians and Piedmontese under Provera and Del Carretto.
What strategic result followed the capture of Cosseria Castle by the French Army of Italy?
The surrender of the castle allowed the French offensive to continue toward Dego on the 14th of April 1796. This victory enabled the continuation of the French campaign across Liguria and shifted the strategic situation decisively in favor of France.