Battle of Novi

The August 15th 1799, the army austro-Russian, under the orders of Alexandre Souvorov, gains in Ligurie, the battles of Novi , against the French troops of the general Barthélemy Catherine Joubert. Those, which are with their third defeat in six months, are then driven out of Italy which they occupied from the countryside of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798.

Context

The armies of Souvorov entered to Italy in spring 1799. They gained the victory with Cassano against the general Moreau and with Trébie against the general Macdonald, taking again ansi most of the north of Italy to the French.

Sieyès names the Joubert general with the head of the French Army of Italy, because he believes it able to rectify the situation. He takes along with him a reinforcement of 20 000 conscripts, thus carrying his army with 30 000 men. Theoretically, Souvorov has 70 000 soldiers with his service, but several of them were left in garrison in various places of Italy of North. In Novi, for the battle which is announced, it has only 45 000 men.

Generals

The reputation of Alexandre Souvorov is not any more to make. Since 1768, date where it beat the Confédération of Bar in Poland, it forever lost a battle. Its reputation of invincibility reaches its zenith at the time of the Russo-Turkish war, whereas it seizes the fortresses considered impregnable of Otchakov and Izmaïl. In 1794, it crushes the Polish insurrection at the time of the battles of Majociewice and Praga. It is the emperor of Austria which insisted near the tsar Paul Ier, so that it is named with the head of the forces austro-Russian charged to reconquer Italy.

The general Barthélemy Catherine Joubert is hardly thirty years old but he is not beginner in the war. In 1798, it assisted brilliantly Napoleon Bonaparte in his countryside of Italy, being illustrated with Montenotte, Millesimo, Mondovi and especially Rivoli. Named commander-in-chief in Italy, in October 1798, it forces the king of Sardinia to abdicate, but gives its resignation when it learns that the civil police chiefs of the Directoire want to restrict its independence. After the defeat of Trébie, Sieyès restores it in its functions with the full powerss.

Take care of the battle

When Souvorov learns the nomination from Joubert, it makes the error to underestimate it while declaring: It is a youth who comes to the school, we will give him a lesson .

Instead of joining together its forces in only one point, it decides that each of the three army corps will have different objectives and will have to fight without being concerned with what the two others do. Its right wing, ordered by the Austrian general Kray, will have to insert the French left wing and to take Novi of reverse. The left wing, under the orders of the Russian Pierre Bagration, receives the order to contain the French right wing. Souvorov will order the army of the center and will deal with seizing Novi.

French side, Joubert took the command of its left wing, giving the center to the general Moreau and the right wing with the general Watrin.

Course of the battle

The combat starts at five o'clock in the morning with a striking down attack of Souvorov. On the right, the Kray general tries to seize the heights of Pasturana in order to take the French with reverse. He is stopped by Joubert, but succeeds in all the same inserting the 20th light one. Joubert is put at the head of a pomegranate column, goes to their assistance and prepares to counter-attack when it is mortally reached ball. Evacuee, it will die before the end of the battle.

Moreau, with the head of the sector centers, takes then the supreme command and sends the general Pérignon to replace Joubert on the left side to try to push back Kray. Itself in has full the arms against the army with Souvorov, trying to seize Novi. The offensive of Kray ends in a failure.

On the left, Bagration, which has just learned the difficulties from Kray, tries to operate a diversion while going on the station of Novi. Watrin, which saw the operation, pushes back it and launches at once a counter-offensive.

At the beginning of afternoon, Souvorov knows that its plan of attack did not function. Itself succeeded in pushing back Moreau in Novi but the place is not taken yet.

An operation of the Austrian general Mélas changes gives it when he manages to occupy a plate between Novi and the right wing of the French Army. At five o'clock in the evening, he manages to take it reverse, which had made a success of neither Kray nor Bagration. Seeing the danger, Moreau decides to evacuate Novi and gives the signal of the retirement. This one is transformed into rout when a new offensive of Kray drives back the left wing. The French troops disperse in all the directions in spite of the efforts of Moreau to rejoin them. In evening, Souvorov enters as a winner Novi.

Among French, the assessment of the battle of 1500 is killed, 5000 wounded and 3000 prisoners. Among the Russians and Austrians, it of 1800 is killed, 5200 wounded and 1200 prisoners.

Consequences

Following the battles of Novi , the French Army must evacuate Italy. In the medium term, it has few consequences however because Napoleon Bonaparte returns in spring 1800 to restore the situation there.

Random links: