The Battle
On 15 August, the Austro-Russian army, led by Suvorov, attacked French positions. In the early moments of the battle, Joubert died, shot in a skirmish line action, but the French resisted the Austrian attack and counter-attacked. The battle is characterized by several coalition attacks, repelled by French forces, until afternoon, when a final blow ordered by Suvorov caused the French to retreat in disorder through the mountains to the Ligurian coast.
Russian and Austrian forces under Suvorov swept across the Po River valley, in effect recapturing lands that had previously been taken by Napoleon. All that lay in the Allies way were scattered French forces around Genoa and the fortress of Tortona. On August 4th Joubert and his reinforcements landed at Genoa and gathered at Novi. The French Directory had chosen Joubert to command as they saw him as a potential rival to Napoleon's tactical genius. Thinking Joubert was advancing to Tortona, Suvorov and the Allies attacked.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Novi (1799)
Famous quotes containing the word battle:
“In a time of war the nation is always of one mind, eager to hear something good of themselves and ill of the enemy. At this time the task of news-writers is easy, they have nothing to do but to tell that a battle is expected, and afterwards that a battle has been fought, in which we and our friends, whether conquering or conquered, did all, and our enemies did nothing.”
—Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)
“It is a pleasure to stand upon the shore, and to see ships tossed upon the sea: a pleasure to stand in the window of a castle, and to see a battle and the adventures thereof below: but no pleasure is comparable to standing upon the vantage ground of truth ... and to see the errors, and wanderings, and mists, and tempests, in the vale below.”
—Francis Bacon (1561–1626)