Napoleon's First Campaign: The Bridge at Arcole

break. The Austrians take Rivoli and 1,000 prisoners and almost capture Vaubois himself. With Davidovich finally on the move, Napoleon must force a decision at Arcole or retreat. The Arcole

bridge

has proven very difficult to break. Then Napoleon changes tactics. Augereau's division will cross the Alpone and attack Arcole from the south in force... A column is sent 10 miles south to cross to Legnago, then rushes back up the east coast to support it. Masséna will advance on the road in support... also protecting the left flank. That night, the French build a pontoon

bridge

over the Alpone. Augereau's division begins crossing before dawn.

But at dawn, the Austrian gunners in Albaredo detect the bridge and hit it, knocking it out of action. Only the 51st demibrigade is in front, although it bravely begins to advance towards Arcole. Massena's advance is also hampered by a broken pontoon bridge. To compound the crisis, the Austrians launch an attack on the fragile French bridgehead. Napoleon gathers all the weapons at his disposal to destroy the Austrians, who retreat under a withering volley. Bridges are repaired quickly. But as the French advance, they encounter stubborn opposition on both sides of the Alpone. A bloody battle of saws is fought in the streets.

Neither side can deploy their troops or gain an advantage. Around 3:00 p.m., Legnago's French column arrives, threatening to double the Austrian flank. Just as Arcole seemed about to fall, the Austrians launch a fierce counterattack across the bridge. Brigadier General Robert dies and his troops become disorganized again. Panic is contagious. Augereau's men lose their temper and retreat onto the bridge. The time of crisis has arrived. But while the enemy exhausts his last reserves, Napoleon can turn to Massena's uncommitted troops, including the elite 32nd Demi-Brigade. His sudden counterattack turns the tide. Massena's men sweep the road, taking dozens of prisoners, while Augereau's division resumes its advance.

As they approach Arcoli, Napoleon organizes a small 'rue de guerre': 25 of his elite escort enter from the east, blowing bugles to fake a massive cavalry charge. In the evening light, it is enough to scare the remaining garrison into abandoning the village. As the French continue their advance, Alvinczi orders his exhausted and demoralized army to retreat east to Montebello to protect his lines of communication. The Battle of Arcole, which lasted three days, was a bloody and confusing affair with no great tactical flourishes. Napoleon's margin of victory is narrow and a third of his army are casualties. But he's done enough, for now.

Alvinczi may be retiring, but Davidovich is still a threat. The next day, Napoleon leaves at his usual pace, with Massena's division, to reinforce Vaubois. Augereau takes another route, to threaten the Austrian line of retreat. The resulting confusion between Alvinczi and Davidovich leads to a farce. Alvinczi writes to his corps commander informing her that he will support him by resuming his advance. But Davidovich, having heard of the defeat at Arcole and now directly threatened by Napoleon, is already retreating. However, upon receiving Alvinczi's letter, he attempts to drive his army back, resulting in such chaos that he must immediately reverse that order and resume his retreat.

The end result is that both Austrian armies will soon be in retreat. And in extremely poor timing, brave old Wurmser chose this moment to launch his support attack from Mantua. He provides at least some much-needed supplies... at a cost of 800 casualties. It has been a tough

campaign

for Napoleon. By some estimates, he lost more men than the Austrians. He suffered his

first

defeat in battle and won a costly and difficult victory at Arcole. But...he beat the odds and drove the enemy back. Furthermore, his heroic behavior on the Arcole bridge 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 public relations that fascinates France. With the active encouragement of Napoleon, the world witnesses the birth of the 'Napoleonic legend'... a powerful force that will inspire loyalty and devotion for many years to come. For now, both armies are housed in winter quarters, as December brings bitter cold and heavy snow to northern Italy. In Mantua, the Austrian garrison is close to its border. Hunger calls... although Wurmser is determined to stay until the end. The Austrians will have one last chance to save the city: a final offensive that will decide the outcome of the war in Italy.

Many thanks to PMF Productions for their help in creating this series and for depicting Napoleon's movements throughout northern Italy. We highly recommend his YouTube channel, which features his in-depth series on Napoleon's Italian

campaign

s, which you can find by searching PMF Productions or using the link in our video description. Many thanks also to our long-time collaborator, HistoryMarche, for creating the map of the Arcole battlefield used in this episode. You can enjoy many fantastic military history videos on his YouTube channel. Thanks also to artist Keith Rocco for his kind permission to use his artwork in this series. You can find more of Keith's excellent Napoleonic art via the link in our video description.

And thanks especially to the Epic History TV Patreon followers who make this channel possible. Visit our Patreon page to find out how you can support our work, help us choose future topics, and get ad-free early access to new videos.