According to the Digest, a mortgage took effect as long as both parties agreed on "physical" collateral; no written form was required, and documentation served only as proof.
That discharged corporal had no "physical" collateral. All he had was himself. When they crossed the Alps in 1800, he had been one of those responsible for organizing the sleds used to haul the cannons. Marmont had commanded them at the time, but they soon discovered a problem.
Trees did not grow legs and walk over by themselves, but what were they supposed to use to saw them down?
Fortunately, someone among them knew of a nearby place called Saint-Pierrebourg, where there were many lumberjacks. With their help, they found suitable timber and made sleds to transport the cannons.
Napoleon's original plan had not been to cross the Great St Bernard Pass, but to make a wide detour through the mountains. Never mind that it was snowing in the mountains—even without snow, taking so many men on such a detour through the Alps would make it difficult to regroup the troops, and there was no guarantee that no one would fall behind in the blizzard and lose their way in the mountains.
The year before the Battle of Marengo, Suvorov had done just that. He had wanted to cross the Ligurian Alps—every military commander wanted to conquer the Alps. But Suvorov lacked Napoleon's luck. He had not encountered guides willing to lead the way, and later retreated to train Austria's army.
Paul I trained Russia's army according to Prussian methods. Though many Russians fond of vodka disliked it, some accepted it.
Though Suvorov was getting on in years, he had not adopted the Austrians' outdated linear tactics and cordon strategy. He organized cooperation with the navy; in 1798, Lieutenant General Ushakov had