拿破仑战争系列 拿破仑在意大利：阿尔科莱战役

An Epic History TV PMF Productions collaboration. In 1796, at the height of the French Revolutionary Wars, a young French general took charge of a ragged, demoralised army in northern Italy. It was his first command. Many expected him to fail. Instead, in just one month, he won his first brilliant campaign. With astonishing self-confidence, boldness and energy, he led his army to victory after victory, transforming the war in Europe, winning praise from a grateful republic, and forging a legend. This is the story of Napoleon Bonaparte's first campaign, and the dawn of a new age. October 1796. Six months have passed since General Napoleon Bonaparte took command of the French army of Italy. In that time, he's led a series of brilliant operations against the Austrians, and won a string of battles. Now he appears close to final victory. He's driven Austrian field forces off the plains of northern Italy, back towards the Alps. While his troops have the great fortress city of Mantua, the key to Italy, under close siege. Mantua's oversized Austrian garrison is nearing starvation, and riddled with disease. Napoleon appeals to its commander, Field Marshal von Wormser, to surrender. The brave should be facing danger, not swamp plague, he jibes. But Wormser is a tough old veteran. He will not yield while any glimmer of hope remains. And he knows that to the north, Austria is gathering fresh troops to march to his aid. True, many are Grenz-battalions, a type of Habsburg frontier militia, poorly drilled and short of officers. But they help raise the strength of the Austrian field army to 44,000. And they have a new general to lead them, Feldzeugmeister, or Lieutenant-General, Joseph Alvinzi. The 61-year-old Hungarian was once military tutor to Emperor Francis himself, and is regarded as diligent, sharp, and brave. He and his staff draw up plans for a fresh offensive to rescue Wormser and Mantua. Alvinzi and Kostanovic will lead the main column, 26,000 strong, from Friuli to Bassano, then onwards to Mantua. Davidovic's corps, reinforced to 18,000, will retake Trento, and push south through the Adige Valley. The two forces will link up at the earliest opportunity. Meanwhile, Wormser, who can muster just 12,000 fit men from the Mantua garrison, will launch powerful sorties to pin down as many French units as possible. Napoleon, by contrast, has received very few reinforcements from France. His weary divisions are suffering from shortages and sickness, and will be outnumbered on every front. Alvinzi begins his advance on 22nd October. The following day, the heavens open, drenching troops, swelling rivers, and reducing roads to mud. For the time being, Napoleon is content to observe the enemy struggle forward in such conditions, knowing the effort will exhaust his infantry and disrupt supplies. On 2nd November, fighting breaks out north of Trento, where Napoleon has ordered Vaubois to attack. He wants to keep Davidovic bottled up, but Vaubois is heavily outnumbered, and his attack fails. Vaubois begins pulling back to Caliano, while Massena gives up Bassano, and withdraws towards Vicenza. But now Alvinzi's advance becomes strung out, slowed by the heavy rain and poor fitness of his recruits. And it is against Napoleon's nature to remain passive for so long. As the Austrians cross the Brenta, he orders Massena to attack General Liftey's division at Fontaniva, while Augereau attacks Hohenzollern at Bassano. The French launch dozens of separate assaults. But for all their poor march discipline, the Austrian recruits stand their ground and fight hard. With around 3,000 casualties on each side, the Second Battle of Bassano is the bloodiest day's fighting so far in the Italian campaign, and a failure for Napoleon. Hours later, he receives dire news from Vaubois. During heavy fighting at Caliano, some Croatian troops get behind the French line, triggering panic and a rout. Vaubois loses nearly half his division, killed, wounded or missing, before he can regroup at Rivoli. The French are falling back on all fronts. And unless Napoleon can conjure something remarkable, he seems destined to suffer a major strategic defeat. Napoleon's position is perilous, but his enemy's cautious pursuit affords him some respite. Four whole days pass while Alvinzi and Davidovich coordinate their next moves. It's not a delay Napoleon would have tolerated if the shoe had been on the other foot. When the Austrians finally advance, it's bungled. Hohenzollern's vanguard approaches Verona to investigate reports of a French retreat. This isolated division is too tempting for Napoleon to ignore. He orders Augereau and Massena to attack. They inflict 400 casualties, but Hohenzollern escapes to a ridge near Caldiero. The next day, Napoleon orders renewed attacks. But conditions are atrocious. The French struggle uphill into driving rain and hail, their boots slipping in the mud, under fire from Austrians dug in on the ridgetop. Around noon, Colonel Dupuy's 32nd Demi-Brigade finally gets onto the ridge. It looks like the French may be able to lever the Austrians out of their position. But then the Austrian army begins to arrive in force, to support Hohenzollern's hard-pressed division. The French are in danger of being outflanked on both wings. They take up new defensive positions, and hold the line until darkness, when Napoleon cuts his losses, and orders a retreat to Verona. It has been an unequivocal French defeat – Napoleon's first in battle. The following day, he writes furiously to the Directory in Paris. He has no doubt that they are to blame for his defeat, for repeatedly failing to send reinforcements. We may be on the verge of losing Italy. None of the expected help has arrived. The army of Italy, reduced to a handful of men, is worn out. The heroes of Lodi, Milesimo, Castiglione and Bassano have died for their country, or are in the hospitals. The men have nothing left but their reputation and their pride. We are abandoned in the depths of Italy. But despite his apparent despair, Napoleon has already devised a plan to strike back. A breathtakingly bold move, that will spawn one of the greatest of Napoleonic legends. With the Austrians converging on Verona, Napoleon decides to risk everything on a daring surprise attack. Leaving Macard to cover Verona, he will circle south with the rest of the army, cross the Adige River, and swing north, threatening to cut Alvinci's lines of communication, and capture his artillery, baggage and supplies. Such losses will force Alvinci to abandon his advance. Marching overnight, Augereau and Massena arrive undetected at Ronco. Augereau's men cross the Adige on a pontoon bridge, and begin moving north. But with marshland on all sides, they have to stick to the narrow, raised causeway, just 20 yards wide. And when they reach Arcole, where they must cross the bridge to continue north, they find it held by two Croatian battalions. Horribly exposed on the causeway, and under heavy fire, the French troops take cover behind its reverse slope. Reinforcements are sent up, but they too are pinned down by the weight of fire from the far bank. Colonel Lannes had discharged himself from hospital that morning, in order not to miss the battle. He now attempts to lead a charge, but is hit in the leg. The fiery Augereau refuses to accept defeat, and orders another attack. But his men are exhausted and demoralised, with three generals wounded. The attack at Arcole has stalled. When Alvinci hears gunfire from the south, he assumes the French are making a feint to divert him from his own planned attack on Verona. But then comes alarming news that the French have crossed the Adige in force, and are behind his left flank. He sends two brigades to attack the French bridgehead, and diverts Mitrovsky to reinforce Arcole. Massena's division, moving north-west to protect the flank of the advance, runs straight into the Austrians at Bionde. At first, the Austrians have the better of it. But a disastrous friendly fire incident triggers panic, and Massena drives the Austrians back up the causeway. Napoleon is increasingly concerned by the hold-up at Arcole. If they cannot break through, Alvinci will have ample time to redeploy, and prevent any advance. He now orders General Guyer to take two regiments, cross the Adige at Albaredo, and lead them up the eastern bank of the Alpone River, to hit Arcole from the south. He himself rides to the bridge, to try to get the attack moving. He finds hundreds of French troops sheltering behind the causeway, unwilling to face the Austrian fire. General Augereau grabs a standard, and begins to advance. This highly romanticised depiction was painted two years later. Grenadiers, he cries, come and seek your colour! In reality, none had the courage to follow him. Then the commander of the Army of Italy himself draws his sabre, picks up a standard, and runs forward. There is withering fire all around. Several men fall wounded. His aide-de-camp, Colonel Murand, is killed. Another aide-de-camp, a Polish officer named Sulkowski, recalls, The soldiers saw him, and none of them imitated him. I was witness to this extraordinary cowardice, and I cannot conceive it. With the French infantry refusing to follow their officers, the assault on the bridge ends in abject failure. A well-timed Austrian counter-attack drives them back down the causeway. In the rout, Napoleon's horse loses its footing. He tumbles into the swamp, and has to be hauled out by his aides. That evening, General Guyre launches his attack on Arcalet from the south. The defences are less formidable on this side, and his men fight their way into the village. Arcalet, at last, has fallen. But that night, Guyre's men are ordered to pull back. Napoleon is preparing to retreat. If, as he expects, Davidovich has continued his advance down the Adige Valley, Napoleon must withdraw now, or face encirclement. His bold manoeuvre appears to have failed. Then, at 4am, Napoleon receives a report from Rivoli that changes everything. Not only does Vaubois still hold the town, he hasn't even been attacked yet. Napoleon's line of retreat remains secure for at least a few days more. It's all the reassurance he needs. He immediately cancels his retreat, and issues orders to attack. Napoleon has lost the element of surprise, and Dalvinci is now planning his own counter-attack. Overnight, his troops edge forward. Provera to Belfiore di Porcille, Mitrovsky back into Arcalet. Both armies are on the move before dawn. Massena sends skirmishers into the marshland. When the Austrians arrive, bunched up on the causeway, they make easy targets. After a sharp fight in which an Austrian general is killed, Massena's men are driving the enemy before them. Augereau, however, cannot get close to Arcalet. The causeway is still swept by Austrian musket fire and canister from across the Alpone. Napoleon orders troops to cross downstream at Albaredo. But the Austrians now have two battalions guarding the crossing point. French attempts to float or swim across the river come to naught. Day two of the battle ends in stalemate. Many soldiers have to camp amid the marshes, and get what food and rest they can. Napoleon will try once more to break through, but he is running out of time. Davidovich, who by now has received several urgent requests from Dalvinci to advance, finally attacks on 17th November. Vaubois' outgunned division breaks. The Austrians take Rivoli and 1,000 prisoners, and nearly catcher Vaubois himself. With Davidovich on the move at last, Napoleon must force a decision at Arcalet, or retreat. The bridge at Arcalet has proved too tough to crack. So Napoleon switch his tactics. Augereau's division will cross the Alpone, and attack Arcalet from the south in force. A column is sent 10 miles south to cross at Legnago, and then race back up the eastern bank to support him. Masséna will advance up the causeway in support, while also protecting the left flank. That night, the French assemble a pontoon bridge over the Alpone. Augereau's division begins crossing before dawn. But at sunrise, Austrian gunners in Albaredo spot the bridge, and score a hit, knocking it out of action. Only the 51st Demi-Brigade is across, though it gamely begins to advance on Arcalet. Masséna's advance is also hamstrung by a broken pontoon bridge. To add to the crisis, the Austrians launch an attack on the fragile French bridgehead. Napoleon gathers every available gun to blast the Austrians, who fall back under a withering barrage. The bridges are quickly repaired. But as the French advance, they encounter stubborn opposition on both sides of the Alpone. A bloody, seesaw battle surges back and forth along the causeways. Neither side can deploy its troops, nor gain an advantage. Around 3pm, the French column from Legnago arrives, threatening to turn the Austrian flank. Just as Arcalet seems about to fall, the Austrians launch a ferocious counter-attack across the bridge. Brigadier-General Robert is killed. His troops fall back in disarray. The panic is contagious. Augereau's men lose their nerve, and fall back to the bridge. The moment of crisis has arrived. But while the enemy has just used his last reserves, Napoleon can call on Masséna's unengaged troops, including the elite 32nd Demi-Brigade. Their sudden counter-attack turns the tide. Masséna's men sweep up the causeway, taking scores of prisoners, as Augereau's division resumes its advance. As they approach Arcalet, Napoleon arranges a small ruse de guerre. 25 of his elite escort sweep in from the east, blowing bugles to feign a mass cavalry charge. In the evening light, it's enough to scare the remaining garrison into abandoning the village. As the French continue their advance, Alvinci orders his exhausted, demoralised army to retreat east, to Montebello, to protect its lines of communication. The three-day Battle of Arcalet has been a messy, bloody affair, with no great tactical flourishes. Napoleon's margin of victory is narrow, and a third of his army are casualties. But he has done enough… for now. Alvinci may be withdrawing, but Davidovich remains a threat. The next day, Napoleon sets off at his customary pace, with Masséna's division to reinforce Vaubois. Augereau takes a different route, to threaten the Austrians' line of retreat. The confusion that follows, between Alvinci and Davidovich, verges on farce. Alvinci writes to his corps commander, informing him that he will support him by resuming his advance. But Davidovich, having heard of the defeat at Arcalet, and now directly menaced by Napoleon, is already retreating. On receiving Alvinci's letter, however, he tries to turn his army around, leading to such chaos, that he has to immediately countermand that order, and resume his retreat. The end result is that both Austrian armies are soon withdrawing. And with exquisitely poor timing, gallant old Wormser chooses this moment to launch his supporting attack from Mantua. He does at least secure some much-needed supplies, at a cost of 800 casualties. It has been a bruising campaign for Napoleon. By some estimates, he has lost more men than the Austrians. He has suffered his first defeat in battle, and won a costly, messy victory at Arcalet. But he has beaten the odds, and thrown back the enemy. What's more, his heroic conduct at the bridge at Arcalet will soon take on a life of its own. Artists and pamphleteers turn a slightly embellished version of events into a sensational piece of personal PR that captivates France. With Napoleon's active encouragement, the world is witnessing the birth of the Napoleonic Legend, a powerful force that will inspire loyalty and devotion for many years to come. For now, both armies settle into winter quarters, as December brings bitter cold and heavy snow to northern Italy. In Mantua, the Austrian garrison is near its limit. Starvation beckons, though Wormser is determined to hold out to the last. The Austrians will have one last chance to save the city. A final offensive to decide the outcome of the war in Italy. for creating the Arcalet battlefield map used in this episode. You can enjoy many more excellent military history videos on his own YouTube channel. Thank you also to artist Keith Rocco for kind permission to use his artwork in this series. You can find more of Keith's brilliant Napoleonic art via the link in our video description. And thanks most of all to the Epic History TV Patreon supporters who make this channel possible. Visit our Patreon page to find out how you can support our work, help choose future topics, and get ad-free early access to new videos.