Chapter Summaries

Napoleon led the French Army across the Great Saint Bernard Pass, using monastery provisions and a hidden path to get his artillery past Bard Fortress. As he reached the Lombardy Plain, Dimoubin arranged an agreement with Genoa’s envoy to help drive out the Austrians while respecting Genoa’s neutrality.

• Napoleon reassured his quartermaster that the army could obtain provisions from Saint Bernard Monastery and said the Crown Prince had already resolved the problem of Bard Fortress.
• Marmont’s artillerymen packed cannon barrels into hollowed logs and hauled them up the snowy mountain slopes.
• Napoleon accepted grain, dried meat, and money from the monastery, then distributed 150,000 Francs to the soldiers as allowances.
• Napoleon’s army used hay mixed with manure to muffle its passage along the hidden path and got its troops, cannon, and vehicles past Bard Fortress.
• Roberto Vanoni confirmed with Dimoubin that France would sign an agreement with Genoa to help expel the Austrian Army while respecting the city’s status as a neutral port.

Dimoubin secured Genoa’s support and ordered an assault on the harbor while Austrian commanders planned to encircle him. The chapter left the French Army attacking Genoa as Bonaparte’s unseen legion prepared to serve as the “Right Hook.”

• Dimoubin persuaded Vanoni to guarantee French logistical supplies and join in defending Genoa.
• Melas and Beaulieu learned that Dimoubin’s army was advancing on Genoa and decided to encircle it with Austrian-Sardinian forces.
• Melas ordered troops toward Cattibona Pass and Novi Ligure, leaving much of Lombardy stripped of its forces.
• Joubert urged Dimoubin to keep Cattibona Pass open, but Dimoubin said reinforcements had already joined Bonaparte’s legion and ordered an all-out assault on Genoa.

Dimoubin’s French forces captured Genoa but were soon encircled by the Austro-Sardinian Army, while Napoleon weighed his next move in Novara. The chapter ended with Marmont urging Napoleon to prioritize rescuing Dimoubin.

• Argentau’s troops faced the Moulins Legion at Turchino Pass, while Genoese nobles burned an Austrian supply warehouse and threatened the defenders’ food supply.
• Argentau withdrew east to wait for reinforcements, and Joubert’s troops entered Genoa as Dimoubin took control of the city and promised to support its neutrality.
• Koli’s Sardinia Legion arrived at Novi Ligure, and Cervoni’s Corps approached Turchino Pass, completing the encirclement of Dimoubin’s Legion before the allies attacked Genoa.
• Napoleon considered attacking Turin, Genoa, or Milan, and Marmont advised him to prioritize Dimoubin’s safety.

Napoleon chose to march on Milan while relying on General Dimoubin to hold Genoa, forcing Beaulieu to organize Milan’s defenses. At the Po River, Napoleon avoided an immediate assault and ordered his troops to stage a show of strength outside Austrian cannon range.

• Napoleon rejected the choice between Genoa and Milan and decided to attack Milan, expecting the Austrians to divert troops and ease the siege of Genoa.
• Beaulieu learned that more than ten thousand French soldiers were approaching Milan and appointed Leptai to defend Valenza Ferry with additional infantry and skirmishers.
• Napoleon inspected the flooded Po River and learned that Austrian artillery guarded the opposite bank and might destroy the bridges.
• Napoleon ordered nearly all his soldiers to form up along the riverbank and keep the drums beating beyond the enemy’s cannon range.

Napoleon staged a noisy show of force at Valenza while leading a small force south to cross the Po River at Lodi. His men occupied Lodi without resistance and were poised to advance on Milan.

• Napoleon ordered the French force to assemble at the river while artillery fired across it, then instructed Victor to prepare a forced march and appointed Marcelin to delay the Austrians with negotiations.
• Napoleon left Marmont in command of the main force and led three thousand soldiers south, explaining to Victor that he intended to seize Milan by crossing at Lodi.
• Napoleon reasoned that the Po River would hinder Austrian reports and that Milan was lightly defended because Melas had concentrated troops at Genoa.
• Napoleon promised escalating bonuses for reaching Lodi quickly, prompting the soldiers to increase their marching pace.
• Two and a half days after leaving Valenza, Napoleon's force crossed the Po, occupied Lodi without a fight, and faced Milan.

Beaulieu abandoned Milan as Napoleon’s army approached, and Napoleon entered the city before turning his reduced force toward Pavia to intercept Leptai. At the Po River, Napoleon reached Marmont’s troops after they had already defeated the Austrians and taken many prisoners.

• Beaulieu learned French troops were nearing Milan and withdrew with his remaining soldiers toward Mantua.
• Count Reale told Napoleon that Beaulieu had left Milan, and Grouchy confirmed the city’s defenders were gone.
• Napoleon left four companies to control Milan and led the rest of his force toward Pavia to intercept Leptai.
• Napoleon’s troops heard cannon fire near Pavia, and a Ranger reported that Marmont’s forces were fighting the Austrians.
• Napoleon and Victor reached the Po River and found Marmont’s soldiers gathering prisoners and captured equipment.

Napoleon arranged a triumphant entry into Milan after Marmont’s troops captured thousands of Austrian soldiers. At a banquet, Napoleon pressured Milan’s officials for three million francs, supplies for his army, and valuable artworks.

• Napoleon praised Marmont, who explained that his small force had captured more than four thousand Austrian soldiers after the Austrians surrendered.
• Napoleon ordered Marmont to have the main French force wait outside Milan so the prisoners could lead a grand entry into the city.
• French troops marched thousands of Austrian prisoners through Milan as citizens celebrated and Napoleon entered with a ceremonial escort.
• At the city hall banquet, Napoleon demanded three million francs from Vice Speaker Giuseppella, who agreed to provide the money.
• Napoleon also demanded a week’s supplies for 15,000 soldiers and asked Giuseppella about Raphael’s Marriage of the Virgin and another artwork by Michelangelo.

Napoleon rejected the Milanese nobles’ claims that he had Italian blood and submitted an application to change his surname, while delaying aid to besieged Genoa to secure Lombardy first. Genoa remained under heavy attack, with Dimoubin’s forces running short of food and still receiving no response from Napoleon.

• At a banquet, Napoleon angrily insisted that he was French after Count Gonella claimed his surname made him Italian, and Gonella falsely raised his donation from 8,000 to 100,000 Francs to placate him.
• Napoleon drafted an application to change his surname from “Bonaparte” to “Bonaparte” and sent copies to the Royal Committee at Versailles Palace and the Minister of Census.
• At a war council, Marmont urged Napoleon to relieve Dimoubin in Genoa, but Napoleon ordered Grouchy and Marmont to capture towns in Lombardy before Melas’s reinforcements arrived.
• In besieged Genoa, Dimoubin learned that Napoleon had not responded to three attempts to send messages and that his troops had less than a week of food remaining.

Dimoubin struggled to hold Genoa as his troops faced shortages and a renewed Austrian attack. Ten days earlier, Lord Hood pursued the French Toulon Fleet after it sailed away from Genoa, leaving Hood unsure of its destination but determined to block its route back.

• Dimoubin learned that food supplies had not arrived and ordered his staff to report any ship entering the harbor as Junot warned him of a major Austrian attack.
• Lord Hood sent Nelson to watch the sea route between Toulon and Genoa and ordered Hotham’s squadron to hold the French fleet if it appeared.
• Hood learned that the Toulon Fleet had sailed southwest, then ordered Louis’s squadron to search near Valencia and led the British fleet west.
• Longtooth Shark reported that the French had turned south toward the Barbary Coast, and Nelson advised Hood to stay north of them and block their route to Genoa.

The French Toulon Fleet used itself as bait to draw Lord Hood’s English Mediterranean Fleet away from Genoa while the Mediterranean Fast Squadron approached to break the blockade. The French squadron closed on Hotham’s force, which formed a battle line to meet it.

• Nelson persuaded Lord Hood that the Toulon Fleet would eventually be forced into a decisive battle, and Hood ordered his ships to spread toward Sardinia Island.
• Bruix and Ganteaume planned to mislead Hood with the Toulon Fleet while Blanqui Di Chiara led the steam-powered Fast Squadron to attack the English blockade at Genoa.
• Hotham waited off Genoa with his squadron, hoping to capture French transport ships and recover lost military merit.
• A French scouting galley signaled that an enemy fleet was approaching, and Hotham ordered his ships to prepare for battle.
• Hotham identified the approaching French force as eight Cruisers and more than twenty Frigates, then formed his English warships into a battle line.

Major General Hotham’s British fleet encountered a French steam fleet and sent the Four-Wheeled Carriage and other auxiliary ships to intercept it. The French ships’ extraordinary turning speed let them cross the British ships’ path and trap them under concentrated fire, while Hotham watched from the Theseus.

• More than thirty French warships approached, and Hotham ordered the Four-Wheeled Carriage and other ships to disrupt their route.
• Ed Byrne brought the British ships within range, but the French fleet abruptly turned left and cut across their path.
• Burn ordered his ships to turn away, but they could not correct their course before entering the French ships’ cannon range.
• The Tunis and the other French warships fired broadsides at the Four-Wheeled Carriage and the British ships caught in the arc-shaped encirclement.
• Hotham watched the French steamships’ speed, turning ability, and concentrated formation with a grim expression.

The French Steam Warships used their speed and maneuverability to devastate Hotham’s Cruiser formation, then repeatedly harassed the slower United Kingdom line of battle. The French fleet withdrew at night after damaging several ships, leaving Hotham unable to catch or decisively engage them.

• Hotham ordered his line of battle east to support the battered Cruiser formation after the French destroyed or disabled several ships.
• The French fleet evaded Hotham’s approaching battleships, then turned back and raced to seize the windward position.
• The French Steam Warships swept along the United Kingdom line of battle and crippled the Roughfin Shark with a concentrated attack on her stern.
• Hotham moved another ship to shield the damaged Roughfin Shark, but the French ships opened a gap and damaged the Caesar’s bowsprit.
• The French fleet ended its harassment after dark and sailed southeast beyond the horizon.

Hotham left Genoa and maneuvered near Marseille to intercept French supply ships, capturing two of the first three transports sent toward Genoa. With General Dimoubin's supplies running low, Diciayela heard a young sailor offer a possible way to get supplies through.

• After the French damaged four English warships with repeated attacks, Hotham ordered his fleet to sail toward Marseille and intercept the French transports.
• Diciayela found the English fleet gone from Genoa and reported that the blockade had been lifted, prompting three transports to leave Marseille.
• Hotham's fleet intercepted the transports near the Côte d'Azur; one escaped back to Marseille, while the English captured the other two.
• Diciayela rejected the suggestion that his Steam Warships escort future transports because they could not stand against the English Battleships.
• Demu Weier told Diciayela that he might have a way to deliver supplies to Genoa.

Diciayela sent a request to Port of Piraeus for supplies to reach the French troops in Genoa, despite the dangers and lack of prepared cargo. When the shipowners refused Styler’s offer, Leon Troc agreed to transport flour and fund the shipment, urging the others to help defend Genoa for the sake of their livelihoods.

• Demu Weier suggested sending supplies from Port of Piraeus by steamship, and Diciayela ordered someone to contact Baron of Memac.
• Styler gathered shipowners in Port of Piraeus and offered high interest and insurance for transporting supplies to Genoa, but most refused.
• Leon Troc volunteered his ship and offered to advance the money to load it with flour.
• Troc recounted his family’s losses after France’s defeat in the Seven Years' War and warned that Genoa’s fall would ruin Mediterranean merchants.
• Troc called on the shipowners to help supply the French soldiers in Genoa, and the chapter ended before anyone answered.

Styler persuaded Greek shipowners to send supplies to the besieged French forces in Genoa, while Melas pressed his attack despite Napoleon’s threat near Pavia. Genoa’s defenders were down to half a day’s rations when Troc’s ships arrived with supplies, leaving Dimoubin’s army with renewed hope.

• Styler secured eight Steam Paddle Wheel Ships and supplies from shipowners, promising tax reductions after the Genoa crisis was resolved.
• The ships, led by the frigate Cape Parrot, sailed from Port of Piraeus toward Genoa.
• Melas ordered the Cervoni Corps to retake Pavia and insisted the Austro-Sardinian Army continue attacking Genoa.
• Dimoubin’s officers warned that the French forces had only half a day’s rations left, while Dimoubin rejected a breakout toward La Spezia.
• Junot announced that eight Steamships had reached Genoa, and Troc’s party delivered supplies to the harbor in less than six days.

French supplies reached Genoa, allowing Dimoubin’s troops to counterattack and forcing Melas to reconsider his position in Northern Italy. Napoleon prepared to strike the Austrians before reinforcements arrived, while Joseph approved his plan and decided to send Talleyrand and the Count of Provence to Turin.

• French steamships delivered flour and supplies to Genoa, lifting Dimoubin’s spirits and enabling his soldiers to push Argentau’s encirclement back a kilometer.
• After learning that Genoa had been resupplied, Melas rejected a retreat through Parma and ordered the Austrian Army to assemble at Alexandria and prepare to retake Pavia.
• Napoleon predicted that Melas would choose Alexandria and ordered Dimoubin to delay any Austrian withdrawal while Victor assembled troops to cross the river from Pavia.
• Joseph approved Napoleon’s operation plan and, reconsidering how France could use its advantage in Italy, told Eman to arrange for Talleyrand and the Count of Provence to travel to Turin.

Joseph ordered an investigation into Napoleon’s coercive collection of money and art, then welcomed more than 1,300 American volunteers to the French army. As the vastly outnumbered Anglo-Austro-Prussian forces advanced near Antwerp, the French Royal First Artillery Battalion opened fire, leaving the battle poised for a devastating clash.

• Joseph wrote orders commending Napoleon and secretly directing Duke of Broglie to send Gendarmerie to Italy to investigate his conduct.
• Lefebvre reported that more than 1,300 American volunteers had arrived, and Joseph decided to welcome them personally.
• Duke of York’s Allied army gathered near Brussels with sixty-three thousand troops, while Joseph’s French forces had about thirty thousand soldiers fit to fight.
• The Americans approached the English lines to provoke them, then withdrew as Duke of York ordered a frontal attack and the Prussians moved to outflank the French.
• The French Royal First Artillery Battalion fired from 1.3 kilometers away, striking the English infantry line with devastating accuracy.

The French artillery and infantry repelled the Allied assault on Brussels with accurate fire and superior weapons. As Harris’s English troops struggled against the French line, Georg’s Prussian vanguard was thrown into confusion and fled downhill, leaving Kalkreuth to face the failed flank attack.

• The French artillery bombarded the advancing English and Prussian forces, forcing the Prussians to retreat and ending the Allies’ first day of attack.
• The Duke of York sent English artillery forward to suppress the French guns, but French salvos drove it back and captured four Cannons.
• The Duke of York ordered General Harris to lead the English Infantry, supported by Austrian Skirmishers, against the French high ground while the Prussians moved to outflank them.
• The French Royal Infantry Division used its Percussion Cap Guns and elevated position to inflict heavy casualties on Harris’s advancing Redcoats.
• Harris heard the Prussian attack bugles and urged his troops to hold, while Major Georg’s vanguard reached the slope and tried to form a line.
• The French fired orderly volleys into Georg’s disorganized Prussians, and the Georg Regiment fled downhill as Count Kalkreuth watched.

Joseph’s French forces used the Thin White Line and reverse-slope tactics to rout the English at Mechelen and repel a renewed Allied attack. As Allied cavalry faltered before the French defenses, American troops appeared and taunted them, leaving the battle poised for another turn.

• Joseph’s Royal 4th Infantry Division used staggered two-rank formations and skirmishers to outstretch and defeat Kalckreuth’s western flank.
• General Harris ordered Austrian skirmishers to cover the retreat as the English center broke, and Mura led Hussars in a charge that scattered the fleeing infantry.
• Duke of York regrouped the Allies after two days and renewed the assault, sending cavalry against the French artillery while English and Austrian infantry attacked the slope.
• French troops formed a four-rank hedge of bayonets and guns, while neighboring formations held the cavalry off in a hollow-square variation.
• More than a thousand American soldiers appeared on the eastern slope carrying the Stars and Stripes and shouting insults at the Allied cavalry.

The British cavalry’s undisciplined charge ended in a rout, while Duke of York’s attacks against the French position failed. In Belgium, Walloon forces captured Brussels as Flemish forces advanced toward Leuven, where Joseph used Sean Hayes’s pledge of allegiance to deepen the break with Austria and prepare for Flemish independence.

• British cavalrymen charged the Americans, allowing Mura’s 500 cavalrymen to ambush them and capture five or six hundred riders.
• Duke of York’s artillery withdrew under French bombardment, and his infantry were driven back by French guns; he ordered another attack in three days.
• Gaayar led the Walloon Defense Force in repeated assaults on Brussels as Flemish independence activists undermined the Dutch defenders’ morale and supplies.
• Brussels residents opened the eastern gate, and Gaayar’s troops entered the city, taking control by noon despite Davidovich’s brief resistance.
• Sean Hayes led 4,000 Flemish Defectors toward Leuven, where Joseph intended his attack to bind the Flemings to the conflict with Austria and advance independence.