Battle of the Bridge of Arcole
Part of the French Revolutionary Wars
Napoleon Bonaparte leading his troops over the bridge of Arcole, by Horace Vernet
Date November 15-17, 1796 Location North Italy Result Coalition prevented from lifting French siege of Mantua
Combatants
French Revolutionary Army	Austrian Empire
Commanders
General Napoleon Bonaparte	General Alvinczy
Casualties
Unknown, three days of heavy fighting	Unknown, much of the Austrian army had moved to safety.

The Battle of Arcole (November 15-17, 1796) was the result of a bold attempt by Napoleon to outflank the Austrian army under General Alvinczy and cut its line of retreat before it could lift the siege of Mantua. It was a complex engagement that concerned much more than the crossing of a bridge, though the bridge tends to figure largely in paintings of the battle, probably for dramatic reasons. Combatants Great Britain Austria Prussia Spain[1] Russia Sardinia Ottoman Empire Portugal Dutch Republic[2] France The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states. ... Image File history File links Arcole_vernet. ... Bonaparte as general Napoleon Bonaparte ( 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des... Self-portrait Judas and Tamar, 1840. ... November 15 is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 46 days remaining. ... 17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece, coinciding with the anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. ... Year 1796 (MDCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... The standard of the Revolutionary 1ére Demi-Brigade dInfanterie de Bataille, 1794 pattern. ... Anthem: Volkshymne (Peoples Anthem) Capital Vienna Language(s) German Religion Roman Catholic Government Monarchy History  - Established 1804  - Disestablished 1867 Flag of the Habsburg Monarchy The Crown of the Austrian Emperor The Austrian Empire (German: ) was an empire centred on what is modern day Austria that officially lasted from 1804... Napoléon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte, became Napoléon I, Emperor of the French)[1] (15 August 1769; Ajaccio, Corsica – 5 May 1821; Saint Helena) was a general during the French Revolution, the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from 11 November 1799... b. ... The name First Coalition (1793–1797) designates the first major concerted effort of multiple European powers to contain revolutionary France. ... 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Bonaparte as general Napoleon Bonaparte ( 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des... b. ...

Prelude

After having the worst of some damaging engagements in the country east of Verona, and retreating through that city and across the river Adige, Bonaparte doubled back and force-marched along its south bank to a place where he knew he could throw a pontoon bridge across the river. On the far bank was an area of marshy land that troops could not penetrate, which meant that all movement was limited to the causeways on the banks of the river Adige, and the banks of a small tributary, called the Alpone, that flowed into it from the north. Bonaparte’s plan was to establish a bridgehead on the northern bank of the Adige, and to protect this from the main Austrian army by sending some troops along the causeway to the west. The narrowness of the causeway would mean that the Austrians could not use their superior numbers to advantage against this holding force. Another part of his army would move along the causeway to the east, then turn due north as it bent to follow the course of the Alpone.

Battle

About a mile along this lay a bridge over the Alpone, on the other side of which was the village of Arcole, and the road that went north and intersected the Austrian lines of communication, which Bonaparte hoped to be able to cut. However, it proved to be difficult even to reach the bridge at Arcole, never mind capture it, as the Austrians were able to line the east bank of the Alpone and enfilade the French troops as they marched along the causeway towards the bridge. Before long, most of the French soldiers were lying in the lee of the causeway to shelter from the fire. One eye-witness describes Bonaparte holding a colour and trying to incite his troops to advance, but says that they were still fifty paces from the bridge at the time. It seems likely, therefore, that the paintings that show Bonaparte actually crossing the bridge owe more to artistic interpretation than fact. Not that being on the bridge itself would have been any more heroic: several of the men standing around Bonaparte at the time were killed and wounded, and he was extremely lucky to escape unharmed, though according to one source he was toppled from his horse and ended in the mud at the edge of the marsh. Although the French did manage to cross the bridge on the first day of the battle, they had to retire again. Another two days of heavy fighting ensued before Bonaparte and his commanders managed to solve the conundrum of how to dislodge the Austrian defenders and cross the Alpone to Arcole, which they finally achieved in gathering darkness on 17 November.

Aftermath

By the time the French managed finally to cross the bridge over the Alpone, the Austrians had managed to move the bulk of their army to safety, but Bonaparte could still count himself successful in that he had forced the Austrians to abandon their plan of advancing to Mantua and relieving the garrison that the French were besieging there. Alvinczy withdrew to the east again, while Bonaparte switched his attention to his northern flank and defeated a second Austrian corps that had advanced from the Tyrol.

Note on the spelling: some English language texts use "Arcola", for some reason. The proper Italian spelling is "Arcole".

References

• Boycott-Brown, M. The Road to Rivoli: Napoleon's First Campaign, London, Cassell, 2001
• Schels, J. B. “Die Schlacht bei Arcole, am 15, 16 und 17 November 1796.” Oesterreichische Militärische Zeitschrift, no. Bd. 2 (1829): 35-103
• Reinhard, M. Avec Bonaparte en Italie; d’après les lettres inédites de son aide de camp Joseph Sulkowski. Paris, 1946
• Napoleon. Correspondance de Napoléon Ier publiée par ordre de l’empereur Napoléon III. Paris, 1858-69
• Kryn, J. Le petit tambour d’Arcole. Cadenet, 1987

External links

• The French Army 1600-1900
• Photos of sites of the 1796 campaign
• Paintings of the 1796 campaign

Coordinates: 45°21′N, 11°17′E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...