This was the situation of the new army that Napoleon had taken over in the recently conquered Nice. He then inspected the team. He checked every officer and soldier, every cannon, and all the ammunition. This was undoubtedly a long and painful torture for him. His adjutant quickly recorded all kinds of problems that needed to be solved. It was not entirely his junior officers who were to blame, for the Italian Army, considered the least significant of the five armies of the French Republic, was extremely neglected. The soldiers lacked proper military uniforms. Some soldiers could only wear old-fashioned blue military coats and the daily clothes of ordinary people. A large number of soldiers did not even have rifles or bayonet. It was common for military salaries to be delayed for months. There were very few cannons, and they were in tatters. Due to the lack of food, the horses were starving and weak.
After the conclusion of the officers 'meeting, Napoleon carefully asked about the number and condition of the cannons, as well as the supply of ammunition, chariots, horses, mules, military rations and uniforms. Only then did the officers realize that their contempt for Napoleon might be too naive. In a further demonstration of his boldness, Napoleon set out to disband the rebel army, leaving only 37,000 elite troops. His officers also learned an embarrassing lesson at the meeting: When Napoleon Bonaparte gave an order, he wanted it to be carried out without the slightest delay-when the whip in his hand snapped, all smug and contemptuous smiles vanished from the faces of the officers.
In this way, after less than a week of reorganization, the impatient Napoleon led the Italian army from Nice on April 2, 1796, and marched towards the Piedmont Plain.
Soldiers! Before they set off, he encouraged the soldiers. The Republic owes us a lot, but they are unable to repay it…I am here to lead you into the richest plains in the world. Rich provinces and rich towns are at your disposal. There, you will reap honor, glory, and wealth. Napoleon promised the demoralized army the right to dispose of the spoils of war and aroused their sense of honor as soldiers. The salary of the French soldiers, even the salary of the junior officers, was difficult to make a living. The spoils of war were naturally the standard substitute for the salary. They would return triumphantly loaded with wealth and honor, as Napoleon had told them.
Napoleon himself only considered two things: The intoxicating Joseph who broke up on the third day of their marriage and the upcoming battle. The plan to attack Italy was unpredictable, but Napoleon made it a gamble of his life. Indeed, almost everyone opposed him to command the battle instead of a battle-hardened veteran, especially the extreme revolutionary. The angry Army Minister Carnot argued with Napoleon everywhere. But Ballas denied Carnot, so Napoleon became commander. Therefore, when Napoleon wrote to Joseph, he was marching on the rugged mountain road along the coast, full of thoughts of the woman in his life, determined to defeat fate.
On April 9, the troops reached Savona and decided to concentrate near Sasello. It was there that the two armies met. Napoleon's desire was for a quick victory-this would be a feature of his military career.
Paris could hardly help Napoleon, and he had to find money for his army while fighting. To this end, he sent an army to invite the parliament and wealthy merchants of the Republic of Genaya to France to fund the war, and at the same time asked them to allow their troops to pass through their territory to attack their neighboring country Lombardy (Genaya and Lombardy were peaceful neighbors).
Napoleon faced an allied force of about 52,000 men from Austria and Piedmont. His first goal was to cut off all communication with the allied forces and then defeat them one by one. First, they would take down the smaller and less powerful Sardinian army led by the 58-year-old veteran General Colley. Then, he would deal with the 70-year-old general, the belgian, Bollier. The commander of the Austrian army, Collie, was also under the command of Bollier. When Bolio heard the news of Napoleon's invasion, he was very surprised. He quickly left the headquarters in Milan and went to Novi. He ordered two divisions to move north and west to form a defensive line with him. The Austrian army was divided into three parts: the right wing was commanded by Colley, whose task was to guard the Stura River and the Tanaro River; The middle was commanded by Argeto, whose mission was to attack the left wing of the French army and cut off the coastal road of Savona to cut off the French army's retreat. Bolio personally led the left wing army to attack Wolteri. However, from the beginning of the battle, Bolio suffered from the fact that his army was too scattered. It was difficult to communicate with each other, and even with the headquarters. The mountains were not of much help to them.
While Napoleon and his main force were still marching along the rugged coastal roads, the Austrian Middle Route Army, Algeto, had already occupied Montenette on April 9, 1796, and began to attack the French vanguard in Nigino. Meanwhile, on the same day, Bolio arrived at Genaya and headed for Voltri, where he launched a surprise attack on Lahap, who was forced to retreat to Savona.
After being attacked by the Austrian army instead of launching an attack, Napoleon ordered Masséna and Augeiro to immediately head to Montenotte on April 10 - 11. At dawn on the 11th, the 2,000 men of Algeto were surrounded by nearly 10,000 French soldiers. Algeto couldn't hold on any longer and had to break out of the encirclement and retreat, fleeing north towards Spino.
Napoleon had won his first battle at Montenotte, and considering the great weakness of his army-no transport, no artillery, no ammunition, no money, no food, no shoes, socks, and boots-he had to fight to the death in Italy quickly. Speed was crucial, and Napoleon decided to pursue.
Beaulieux had defeated the French army on the coast, and after learning of the small defeat at Montenotte, he went to Dego on the 12th. In Sasello, Napoleon reorganized and studied the changes in the situation of the war. He paid special attention to the Piedmontese army currently deployed in Mirissimo and the Austrian army assembled in Dego. These two towns were of great importance to the French, as they were the main roads leading from the mountains to the Piedmontese plains that bordered the Lombardy plains in the north. Bolio was determined to stop the French army here, and the terrain was advantageous for them. On the other hand, Napoleon was also determined to defeat the Austrian army here. He ordered Augero to lead the left wing army into Mirisimo, and Massena to attack Dego from the middle. Lahap marched to the high ground south of Daigo.
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