Italian campaign General coverage of events , April 1799; by
Adolf Charlemagne In February 1799, Paul I, worried about the victories of
France in Europe during the
French Revolutionary Wars and at the insistence of the
coalition leaders, was forced to reinstate Suvorov as field marshal. Alexander Suvorov was given command of the Austro-Russian army and sent to drive France's forces out of
Italy. For subordination of the Austrian soldiers to a general of foreign service, it was deemed necessary to place him a step above the most senior Austrian generals of the army of Italy, also granting the
field-marshal of the
HRE. Suvorov and
Napoleon never met in battle because Napoleon was
campaigning in Egypt and Syria at the time. However, in 1799, Suvorov erased practically all of the gains Napoleon had made for France in
northern Italy during
1796 and 1797, defeating some of the republic's top generals:
Moreau and
Schérer at the
Adda River (
Lecco,
Vaprio d'Adda,
Cassano d'Adda,
Verderio Superiore), again Moreau at
San Giuliano (
Spinetta Marengo),
MacDonald near the rivers of
Tidone,
Trebbia,
Nure at the
Trebbia battle, and
Joubert along with Moreau at
Novi; but the Russians lost the
battle of Bassignana. All the major battles (Adda, Trebbia, Novi) are of the most decisive nature. Besides, the following Italian fortresses fell before Suvorov:
Brescia (21 April);
Peschiera del Garda,
Tortona,
Pizzighettone (April);
Alessandria,
Mantua (July). Suvorov captured
Milan and
Turin, as well as
citadels of these cities, and became a hero to those who opposed the
French Revolution. Allied forces also took the towns of
Parma and
Modena, the capitals of the
Duchies of
Parma–Piacenza and
Modena–Reggio respectively. The British drawn many
caricatures dedicated to Suvorov's expedition. The French
client states
Cisalpine Republic and
Piedmontese Republic collapsed in the face of Suvorov's onset.
Admiral Ushakov, sent to the
Mediterranean for support to Suvorov, in 1799 completed the five-month
siege of Corfu (1798–1799) and put an end to the
French occupation of the Ionian Islands in Greece. On receiving news of the capture of
Corfu, Suvorov exclaimed: Our
Great Peter is alive! What he, after defeating the Swedish fleet
near Åland in 1714, said, namely that nature has produced only one Russia: she has no rival, — we see it now. Hooray! To the Russian fleet!.. I now say to myself: why wasn't I at least a
midshipman at Corfu?
Two resounding victories: Trebbia and Novi . Painting by
Alexander Kotzebue.
Hermitage Museum , 15 August 1799. Painting by Alexander Kotzebue.Hermitage Museum The
sister republic in the south, the
Parthenopean, also fell before the
British Royal Navy,
Ushakov's naval
squadron, and the local rebels, since Jacques MacDonald at the head of the
Army of Naples was forced to abandon
southern Italy to meet Suvorov at the Trebbia, leaving only weak
garrisons in the Neapolitan lands. MacDonald attacked
Ott's small force, whereupon Suvorov quickly concentrated most of his army against MacDonald and threw his men into the fray immediately after a hard march. This confrontation near the Trebbia proved to be the toughest French defeat of Suvorov's Italian campaign: by the end of the retreat, MacDonald had barely 10,000 to 12,000 men left out of an army of 35,000. The battle of Novi, on the other hand, is the most difficult victory in Suvorov's career, largely because the French had strong defensive positions and the Allies could not fully deploy their superior cavalry as a consequence; however, the Russo-Austrian victory turned into a complete
rout for the French army. Its troops lost 16,000 of their comrades-in-arms (in total) and were driven from Italy, save for a handful in the
Maritime Alps and around
Genoa. But the
Hofkriegsrat did not choose to take advantage, and sent Suvorov with his Austrian and Russian forces to
Switzerland. Suvorov himself gained the title of "Prince of the
House of Savoy" and the rank of
grand marshal of the Piedmont troops from the
King of Sardinia, and after the
Trebbian battle – the title of "Prince of Italy" (or
Knyaz Italiysky).
Detailed assessment of all battles Like
Gustavus Adolphus,
Turenne,
Frederick II the Great,
Alexander the Great,
Hannibal, and
Caesar, in military affairs Alexander Vasilyevich was not vulnerable at any point, rushing with speed to the most important places, and carefully observed the principle of
force concentration all his life: at
San Giuliano Vecchio (1st Marengo), for example, his troops gathered more than double superiority, and at Novi not so considerable, but at least reaching about 38 per cent, which was still offset by the French army's favourable position. The combat of Lecco, fought as a diversionary maneuver, brought virtually no advantage to either side, but at the beginning, before the reinforcements, the Russian troops were far inferior in numbers. At the combat of Vaprio (part of Cassano), passing through a river obstacle, the
Coalition eventually managed to concentrate four thousand more troops in practice than the French did, largely also at the expense of the Cossacks; although in the middle of the battle the French had a twofold preponderance in numbers. In the end there were about 11,000 Austrians and Cossacks versus 7,000 French; but French troops began to give up their footholds before the remaining Austrian battalions arrived. Notwithstanding all, the outcome of the combat at Vaprio d'Adda could have been the only outcome: the timely arrival of 3,000 from
Sérurier's division, 6,000 from
Victor's division (2,000 he could have left at Cassano d'Adda on the way), would be 16,000 French, led by Moreau, against 11,000 of the enemy. At Cassano d'Adda, Suvorov allocated about 13,000 Austrians against approximately 3,000 French from the divisions of
Paul Grenier and Claude-Victor (along with reinforcements), who had taken up strong defences behind the stream; but it was the combat of Vaprio that was decisive and pivotal. At
Verderio the Sérurier detachment, cut off during the combat at Vaprio d'Adda, was surrounded and pinned down by the river. Thus, with roughly equal strength overall, having a minimum of 65,000 men at his disposal against the 58,000 available for active operations in the field as part of the French
Army of Italy, Suvorov was able to use every advantage he had in the
theater to win a complete victory at the battle of Cassano. The blame lies with Barthélemy Schérer: he scattered an even cordon along the whole river; on the more important stretch from Lecco to Cassano d'Adda, , there were no more than 12,000; meanwhile Suvorov had 42,000 on the same stretch. Near the Trebbia, in contrast to the above, MacDonald had one and a half superiority; this circumstance is explained by the fact that
Kray, despite the order of Suvorov, did not send him reinforcements, based on the direct command of
Holy Roman Emperor Francis II not to separate any forces before the surrender of
Mantua. It was too late for the commander-in-chief to find out. At the battle of the Trebbia on the first day at the
Tidone River, the French had 19,000 men against his 14–15,000, and were thrown back. By the Trebbia River itself on the second day the forces were equal, and on the third day Suvorov, with some 22,000 men, beat MacDonald's force of 33,000–35,000. Suvorov then rushed into a fighting pursuit, and at the
Nure River, similar to Verderio, an entire
Auvergne Regiment was captured after a short battle. Despite the restraining influence of the
Hofkriegsrat, Suvorov always held the initiative in his hands when dealing with the enemy. If the French sometimes tried to catch him (e.g., the movements of Moreau and MacDonald to join at Tortona), the Allies concentrated and dealt brutal blows like at the Trebbia. As for Novi, Joubert, advancing from Genoa to Tortona and expecting to catch the
Allied Field Army scattered, unexpectedly met Suvorov and his "strike fist" behind
Novi Ligure. But perseverance in the battle of Novi came to the point that when the Russian attacks were unsuccessful, Suvorov got off his horse and, rolling on the ground, shouted: "dig a grave for me, I will not survive this day", and then resumed his attacks. Moreau spoke of Suvorov in this way: "What can you say of a general so resolute to a superhuman degree, and who would perish himself and let his army perish to the last man rather than retreat a single pace."
Campaign environment As a disadvantage to his decisiveness,
Field Marshal Suvorov, famous for the storming of Izmail, did not want to storm the citadels of Italian cities, and preferred to resort, in accordance with the situation, to blockade and siege. Nevertheless, during the Italian campaign of 1799 Suvorov's talent expressed itself fully and comprehensively.
Nikolay Orlov describes: "When assessing Suvorov's actions, one must always keep in mind the unfavourable situation for the commander, the environment in which he was:—meaning mainly the inconvenience of commanding the Allied troops, originating from the difference in political aspirations of the Allied governments, and the binding influence of the
Hofkriegsrat". The Polish forces had a no small quantity of
militias, and the Turks and Tartars were largely "unstable hordes". True, "all these opponents were characterised by fanatical bravery, it was not easy for Suvorov to overcome them; the wars brought Suvorov practice, from which he took out extensive experience, his talent gradually developed and strengthened in this fight, the commander learned the essence, the spirit of war". In 1799, Suvorov's enemies were troops purely
regular, crowned with the glory of victories over the
German armies (considered themselves the best in Europe), and were led by some of the best generals of the time, including Jean Victor Moreau, "a man in the prime of life" (35), who was generally respected in the army, distinguished by his theoretical knowledge of the art of war and combat experience, affability and high intelligence. "He was not a high-minded genius, but the presence of mind and unwavering equanimity gave him the ability to come out with honour from the most critical circumstances. At any rate, after Bonaparte, he was the best French general of the time" (the talented
Lazare Hoche was no longer alive), winning the famous victory
at Hohenlinden a year later. The theater of war was not like those
steppes, swamps and forests, among which the commander had hitherto fought. In the war with the French Suvorov was not only commander-in-chief, independently acting in the theater of operations, but in addition he was in charge of the allied army – a matter even more difficult for a commander, and in the battles of Cassano and Novi the Austrians formed the bulk of the army, while at Cassano only
irregular Cossack troops participated from the Russian side, including the encirclement of the French detachment at Verderio. It should also be noted that Suvorov, being fiery and irritable, was able to restrain himself in many cases.
Swiss campaign '' (by
Vasily Surikov, 1899)
Defeat of the allied armies After the victorious Italian theater, Suvorov planned to march on Paris, but instead was ordered to Switzerland to join up with the Russian forces already there and drive the French out. The Russian army under
General Korsakov was defeated by
André Masséna at
Zürich, and
Friedrich von Hotze's Austrian army was defeated by
Jean-de-Dieu Soult at the
Linth River before Suvorov could reach and unite with them all. "…I have defeated myself
Jelačić and Lincken who are now pinned down in
Glarus. Marshal Suvorov is surrounded on all sides. He will be the one forced to surrender!"—said
Gabriel Jean Joseph Molitor to
Franz von Auffenberg and
Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration. Surrounded by Masséna's 77,000 French troops, Suvorov with a force of 18,000 Russian regulars and 5,000 Cossacks, exhausted and short of provisions, led a strategic withdrawal from the
Alps while fighting off the French. , by Adolf Charlemagne
Early achievements Early on in the path, going to join with the not yet defeated Korsakov, he struggled against general
Claude Lecourbe and overcame the
St. Gotthard and
Oberalp (that goes round
Oberalpsee)
mountain passes. Suvorov's troops beat the French out of
Hospental (situated in the
Urseren valley), followed by the so-called
Teufelsbrücke, or "Devil's Bridge", located in the
Schoellenen Gorge, and the
Urnerloch rock tunnel. All these interventions were not without great losses for Suvorov; but in his main attack, where he concentrated some 6,700 against 6,000 Frenchmen, he suffered relatively the same casualties as his opponent. However, Suvorov's troops were at their wits' end. Russian troops of
Andrey Grigoryevich Rosenberg crossed the
Lukmanier Pass, Austrian troops of Franz Auffenberg overcame the
Chrüzli Pass, while Suvorov himself also later traversed more remote passes such as
Chinzig and
Pragel (Bragell), before climbing the 8,000-foot mountain
Rossstock. Marching over rocks had worn out the soldiers' inadequate footwear, of which many were now even deprived, uniforms were often in tatters, rifles and bayonets were rusting from the constant dampness, and the men were starving for lack of adequate supplies,—they were exhausted, surrounded by impassable mountains in freezing cold, and, one way or another, faced a French army far superior in numbers and equipment. Cossack reconnaissance units instead of the Austrians of Lincken found the French there. France's forces, meanwhile, blocked off many important places for troop movements; and on September 29 (18
OS), still uncertain but informed about the fate of Korsakov and Hotze (from the testimony of French prisoners), Suvorov assembled a
council of war in the refectory of the
Franciscan monastery of
Saint Joseph, which decided to pave the way for the army toward Glarus. During the council the Russian commander showed himself extremely resolute not to surrender, blamed the Austrian allies for all the hardships they were forced to suffer, and proposed what appeared to him to be the only possible solution. Suvorov dictated the disposition: in the vanguard appointed to go Auffenberg, who came out on the 29th, and the next day the rest of the troops, except for Rosenberg's corps and division, which remained in the rearguard and must hold the enemy coming out of
Schwyz until all the
packs had passed over the mountain Bragell. Rosenberg was ordered to hold firm,—to repel the French with all his strength, but not to pursue him beyond Schwyz. Alexander Suvorov's speech was written down from the words of Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration, made a huge impression on everyone who attended (especially angry and menacing looked
Derfelden and Bagration Meanwhile, on the same days, the rearguard of 7,000 men out of a total of 14,000, commanded by Andrey Rosenberg, who, according to plan, was assigned the task of deterrence,
met with Masséna's forces, which numbered up to 15,000 men out of 24,000 in the
Muotatal (
Muota valley), formerly Muttental. Suvorov ordered to hold on there at all costs, and the rearguard, suffering 500 to 700 casualties, routed the French by inflicting them between 2,700 and 4,000 losses in two days. More than 1,000 prisoners alone were taken, including a general and 15 officers. Suvorov reported to Paul 6,500 French dead, wounded and prisoners of war in two days of fighting: 1,600 – September 30 and 4,500 – October 1. While Suvorov was fighting the French, the short-lived
Roman sister republic had also fallen before the troops of the restored
Kingdom of Naples. Despite all the Russian successes on the battlefield, they were not going to win the campaign. Suvorov hoped to make the way for his exhausted, ill-supplied troops over the Swiss passes to the Upper (
Alpine) Rhine and arrive at
Vorarlberg, where the army, much shattered after a lot of crossing and fighting, almost destitute of horses and artillery, went into winter quarters. When Suvorov battled his way through the snow-capped Alps his army was checked but never defeated. Suvorov refused to call it a retreat and commenced a trek through the deep snows of the
Panixer (Ringenkopf) Pass and into the 9,000-foot mountains of the
Bündner Oberland, by then deep in snow. Thousands of Russians slipped from the cliffs or succumbed to cold and hunger, eventually escaping encirclement and reached
Chur on the
Rhine, with the bulk of his army intact at 16,000 men. After the troops reached Chur, they crossed another pass in the form of the
St. Luzisteig, and hence left the territory of present-day Switzerland. He was officially promised a military
triumph in Russia, but Emperor Paul cancelled the ceremony and recalled the Russian armies from Europe, including the
Batavian Republic after the unsuccessful
Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland; and ultimately the French would regain all of their captured possessions on the
Italian Peninsula, though with heavy casualties. == On the road from Switzerland to Russia ==