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MARENGO

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Originally appearing in Volume V17, Page 700 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MARENGO , a See also:

village of See also:north See also:Italy, on the road between See also:Alessandria and See also:Tortona, and 44 M. E.S.E. of the See also:gates of the former. It is situated on the Fontanone See also:brook, a small affluent of the Tanaro which marks the western edge of the See also:plain of Marengo, the See also:scene of the See also:great victory won by See also:Napoleon over the Austrians under See also:Baron Melas (1729–1806) on the 14th of See also:June 1800. The antecedents of the See also:battle are described under See also:FRENCH REVOLUTIONARY See also:WARS). The French See also:army, in See also:ignorance of its opponent's position, had advanced westward from the Scrivia towards Alessandria on the See also:Emery mane s 12th, and its outposts had reached the Bormida on the evening of the 13th. But contact with the See also:main See also:Austrian army was not obtained, and on the See also:assumption that it was moving towards either Valenza or See also:Genoa Napoleon weakened his army by considerable detachments sent out right and See also:left to find the enemy and to delay his progress. Unknown, however, to Napoleon Melas's army was still at Alessandria, and on the See also:morning of the 14th of June it filed out of the fortress and began its advance into the great plain of Marengo, one of the few favourable See also:cavalry battle-grounds in north Italy. The See also:dispersion of the French army allowed only a fragmentary, though most energetic, resistance to be offered to the Austrian onset. The latter, considerably delayed at first by the See also:crossing of the See also:river Bormida, See also:broke up into two columns,' which advanced, the right by the main road on Marengo, the left on See also:Castel Ceriolo. The former, personally commanded by Melas, was 20,000 strong, and See also:General See also:Victor, its immediate opponent, about ro,000, or including some 5000 of See also:Lannes' See also:corps who fought on his right, about 15,000 strong; the Austrians were, moreover, greatly See also:superior in guns and cavalry. The French disputed every yard of ground, holding their first See also:line until they had by See also:fire and See also:counter-attack forced practically the whole of the Austrian right to deploy, and two See also:hours passed before the Austrians managed to reach the Fontanone brook. But Victor's troops, being disorganized and See also:short of See also:ammunition, had then to retire more rapidly across the plain.

The See also:

retreat was orderly, according to Victor's See also:report, and made in See also:echelon from the centre, ' A third See also:column was sent out to the extreme right (3000 under O'Reilly). This destroyed a small French detachment on the extreme left, but took little or no See also:part in the main battle.and it is certain that at any See also:rate the regiments held together, for the 6000 Austrian sabres found no opportunity to See also:charge See also:home. Many guns and wagons were, however, abandoned. On the French right, opposed to the column of Lieut.-See also:Field-See also:Marshal Ott, was Lannes, with some 4000 men (excluding Watrin's See also:division which was with Victor) against 7500. He too was after a See also:time forced to retire, with heavy losses. Thus, about II a.m. the First See also:Consul, who was at some distance from the field, was at last convinced that he had to See also:deal with Melas's army. At once he sent out his See also:staff See also:officers to bring back his detachments, and pushed forward his only reserve, See also:Monnier's division, to support Lannes and Victor. But before this help arrived Lannes had been driven out of Castel Ceriolo, and Victor and Watrin forced back almost to See also:San Giuliano. A little after 2 p.m. Monnier's division (3500) came into See also:action, and its impetuous advance drove the Austrians out of Castel Ceriolo. But after an See also:hour it was forced back in its turn, and by 3 p.m. therefore, the 20,000 French troops, disordered and exhausted, and in one line without reserves,% held a ragged line of battle to the right and left of San Giuliano. The best that could be expected was a prolongation of the struggle till nightfall and a fairly orderly retreat.

The Austrian general, believing that the battle was won, returned to Alessandria, leaving a younger See also:

man, his See also:chief of staff See also:Zach, to organize the pursuit. Then followed one of the most dramatic events in military See also:history. Of the two detachments sent away by Napoleon in See also:search of the enemy, one only received its orders of recall. This was Boudet's division of Desaix's corps, away to the See also:south at Rivalta and at See also:noon heading for Pozzolo-Formigaro on the Alessandria-Genoa road. At 1 p.m. a brief See also:message, " Revenez, au nom de Dieu!" altered the direction of the column, and between 4 and 5, after a forced See also:march, the division, headed by Desaix, came on to the battle-field. It was deployed as a unit and moved forward at the word of command along the main road Alessandria-Tortona, the sight of their closed line giving fresh courage to the men of Lannes and Victor. Then, while on the other See also:side Zach was arraying a deep column of troops to pursue along the main road, Napoleon and Desaix, themselves under fire, hastily framed a See also:plan of attack. All arms were combined. First, See also:Marmont with eight of Boudet's guns and ten others (the See also:rest had been abandoned in the retirement) came into action on the right of the road, replying to the fire of the Austrian guns and checking their advanced See also:infantry; See also:close in See also:rear of the See also:artillery was Desaix's infantry with the remnants of Lannes' and Victor's troops rallying on its right and left; on Lannes' right, still facing Ott's column, was Monnier, supported by the Consular Guard of See also:horse and See also:foot; lastly 400 sabres of See also:Kellermann's cavalry See also:brigade, which had already been engaged several times and had lost heavily, formed up on the right of Desaix. About 5 p.m. Desaix advanced against the See also:head of the Austrian main column formed by Zach. He himself See also:fell in the attack, but the onset of his intact troops drove back the leading Austrians upon their supports, and at the See also:critical moment when the attack of Boudet's single weak division had almost spent its force, Kellermann with his 400 sabres sallied out of the French line.

Marmont had brought up two guns to assist the infantry, and as he fired his last See also:

round of See also:case-shot the cavalry raced past him to the front, wheeled inwards against the flank of the great column, and rode through and through it. Zach was taken prisoner with more than 2000 men, and Kellermann, rallying some of his troopers, flung himself upon the astonished Austrian cavalry and with the assistance of the Consular Guard cavalry defeated it. The " will to conquer " spread along the whole French line, while the surprise of the Austrians suddenly and strangely became See also:mere panic. Lannes, Victor and Monnier advanced afresh, pushing the Austrians back on Marengo. A few Austrian battalions made a gallant stand at that See also:place, while Melas himself, as See also:night came on, rallied the fugitives beyond. Next See also:day the completely exhausted, but victorious, % The Austrians, too, fighting in " linear " formation had few reserves. About one-third only of the imperial forces in Italy was actually engaged in the battle. French army extorted from the dazed Austrians a See also:convention by which all Italy up to the Mincio was evacuated by them. The respective losses were: French about 4000, Austrians 9500. See the b rench See also:official Campagne de l'armee de reserve, vol. ii., by C. de Cugriac.

End of Article: MARENGO

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