The Road to Rivoli: Napoleon's First Campaign - Hardcover

Boycott-Brown, Martin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0304353051 ISBN 13: 9780304353057

Publisher: UNKNO, 2001

Synopsis

In the spring of 1796 the 26-year-old Napoleon took command of the Army of Italy - a collection of some 60,000 ill-fed, poorly-clothed and disillusioned men. He had never even served through a whole campaign, nor been involved in a major battle, much less conducted one as the commander of an army. Yet within just two months he and his scarecrow army had knocked the Piedmontese out of the war, driven the Austrians half way across Italy, and laid siege to the fortress of Mantua, the capture of which was essential for the control of northern Italy. Over the course of the next ten months Napoleon led his men to victory after victory, making them virtual masters of northern Italy, and marching them to within 95 miles of Vienna. It was a campaign of such audacity, skill and ingenuity that it entirely baffled his opponents, and firmly established for the first time the strategic and tactical genius of the young Bonaparte.
In this new account, Martin Boycott-Brown follows the campaign from the first Austrian attack on Napoleon's troops right through to the climactic battle of Rivoli, which at one time Napoleon said he prized more highly than any other of his victories. Using eyewitness accounts from the memoirs and letters of participants and observers, he describes the war from both the Austrian and French sides, from the highest strategic level right down to the experience of the front line soldier, and even of the civilians caught in the cross-fire. The result is a comprehensive and gripping description of the campaign which first created the legend of Napoleon Bonaparte.

About this title

About the Author

Martin Boycott-Brown taught English Language and Literature at the University of Verona.

Reviews

Boycott-Brown is an independent Napoleonic scholar who has rendered a detailed account (the first since 1957) of young Napoleon Bonaparte's Italian campaign of 1796-97. An often overlooked offensive that began in the mountains leading into the Piedmont-Sardinia kingdom, it constitutes one of Napoleon's most remarkable achievements. He took command of an underfed and dispirited army and turned it into a magnificent fighting force that overcame incredible hardships before crushing the Austrians at Rivoli. Boycott-Brown's exciting account is not always easy to read. The bewildering matrix of tiny Italian villages that played a part in Napoleon's slippery maneuvers may overwhelm the reader. Indeed, the novitiate to the Little General's campaigns may become as confused as his opponents did in the rugged terrain of northwest Italy. Fortunately, good maps accompany the text, and the persevering reader will soon be in rhythm with Napoleon's deadly minuet with the Austrian and Piedmontese armies. Libraries that strive to include the definitive works on Napoleon's campaigns should purchase this work, which impressively incorporates Austrian and Italian sources that have been translated into English for the first time. Jim Doyle, Sara Hightower Regional Lib., Rome, GA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: UNKNO
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0304353051
• ISBN 13: 9780304353057
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 560