Chapter 156 Battle Of Marengo



In the days that followed, Napoleon issued an order to his corps commander, General Lannes, to launch an offensive against Ott's forces stationed at Turin. The objective was clear - to force Ott into a retreat and regroup with the main Austrian army led by General Melas.

Napoleon aimed to deal a crushing blow to the Austrian forces in one swift stroke, concentrating his own army of sixty thousand soldiers.

On June 9th, 1800, General Lannes, supported by division commander Victor, executed the offensive attack against the Austrians in Turin. The clash of bayonets and the deafening sound of musket fire filled the plains as the Battle of Montebello erupted.

Despite the Austrians' formidable resistance, Lannes and Victor displayed exceptional tactical prowess and courage, leading their troops with unwavering determination. The French forces fought fiercely, driven by the determination to achieve victory and support Napoleon's grand strategy.

As the sun began to set, the French gained the upper hand. General Lannes boldly led a cavalry charge that shattered the Austrian lines, causing chaos among their ranks. Simultaneously, Victor's division executed a well-timed flanking maneuver, catching the Austrians off guard.

With coordinated attacks, the French turned the tide of the battle decisively in their favor. Ott's forces were left with no choice but to retreat. The victory at Montebello was a pivotal step in Napoleon's plan to isolate and defeat the main Austrian force.

News of the triumph swiftly reached Napoleon at his headquarters. He received the reports with satisfaction, knowing that his commanders had executed his orders with precision.

"General Lannes and Victor have performed admirably," Napoleon remarked to his General Staff. "Now, with Ott in retreat, it is time to execute the next phase of our plan."

Without delay, Napoleon ordered his forces to march towards Alessandria. The French troops moved swiftly, buoyed by the triumph at Montebello, drawing ever closer to a momentous encounter with the main Austrian army, commanded by General Melas.

June 14th, 1800, saw the arrival of the French forces at Marengo, where they prepared for the impending confrontation.

The difference of this battle from the battle of Marengo in his original world is that the initial confrontation was a French defeat. The reason is that they were outnumbered due to Napoleon scattering his forces, blocking roads to cut off General Melas' retreat.

At that time, Napoleon didn't know where General Melas' forces were located, his absence had led him to believe that Melas was escaping, so he detached his forces to more than a half in an effort to block all possible escape routes. Unfortunately, this strategy backfired, when he realized that Melas is not escaping, but rather would face him head-on.

But in this world, Napoleon knew that Melas would try to fight him, as confirmed by his intelligence reports. So, he did not scatter his forces as he did in his real world; instead, he gathered them all—fifty-seven thousand soldiers.

His infantry commanded by his Corps commanders, Lannes, Victor, and Desaix, already formed a formidable line, stretching across the plains. The cavalry, under the leadership of Joachim Murat, stood ready on the flanks, prepared to execute swift maneuvers.

The French held a clear numerical advantage as the Austrian forces numbered only 30,000 men with 100 cannons, whereas Napoleon's forces comprised 57,000 men with 200 cannons. The odds seemed to favor Napoleon, but he was not one to underestimate his opponents.

As the morning sun rose on June 14th, 1800, the French forces at Marengo braced themselves for the impending battle.

Napoleon stood atop a small hill, overlooking the vast plains where the armies were arrayed. His keen eyes scanned the terrain, evaluating every possible advantage and identifying potential pitfalls. He was determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past but to lead his troops to a decisive victory.

A satisfied smile spread across Napoleon's lips as he heard those words. He turned to Marmont again and signaled to change their target, this time, the Austrian infantry.

The French artillery crews acted swiftly, recalibrating their cannons as per Napoleon's instructions. With a well-coordinated effort, the cannons were now aimed directly at the Austrian infantry lines.

As the thunderous barrage resumed, the Austrian infantry found themselves under a relentless assault of shot and shell. The once-ordered ranks began to crumble, and chaos ensued within the enemy ranks.

"They are routing," Napoleon remarked as he peered through his spyglass. "Murat, prepare your men, you will join Lannes, Desaix, and Victor, and cross that river."

"Understood, Your Excellency."

***

Meanwhile, the Austrian war council in Alessandria was shocked at the turn of events on the battlefield. General Melas and his advisors were now facing the grim reality of their precarious situation.

"I have never seen the French use cannons that accurately. It disabled our cannons! Without them, this battle is as good as lost," a senior Austrian officer voiced out.

"There's just no way we can defeat the French; they have the numbers, and they are now threatening to cross the river as we speak," Ott interjected. "Now I understand why they didn't pursue me in Montebello. They want to crush our main army here."

As things were about to get depressing, a young Austrian messenger entered the war council.

"Urgent news! The French forces in Genoa are now reorganizing and are heading towards us," he exclaimed, trying to catch his breath from the haste of his journey.

A shocked expression crossed the war council's faces as they processed the information. In order to counter Napoleon, they had to raise the siege of Genoa, where they would hopefully defeat Napoleon and turn their attention back to Genoa, waiting for reinforcements. But now, with the French forces in Genoa marching towards them, their situation has become even more dangerous. With two forces converging upon them from both sides, their chances of winning the battle seemed increasingly slim.

"What should we do?" One of the senior officers asked worriedly.

"Surrender?" Ott suggested. "That's the only logical option I see, General Melas. Instead of having thirty thousand men be slaughtered here, why not negotiate terms of surrender? We might still have a chance to salvage something from this situation."

"And the Austrian Empire is going to suffer another defeat from the French?" Melas retorted sharply.

"Be reasonable, Melas, you can't go on, not in this condition," Ott replied, dissuading Melas from taking unreasonable risks. "We must face the reality of the situation. We have been defeated. Offer a ceasefire and negotiate terms of surrender before it's too late. This is the most pragmatic approach to salvage what we can from this dire situation."

The weight of Ott's words settled on the war council, and a heavy silence filled the room. General Melas, despite his initial reluctance, realized that further resistance would only lead to unnecessary loss of life and the potential destruction of what remained of the Austrian forces.

"So I too will fall before Napoleon," Melas sighed in resignation.

"We still have an army in Germany, as long as they are not defeated, Austria can still fight," Ott said.

"Fine..." Melas conceded. "Let's talk to the French."