Bonaparte had hoped that Moreau would mass the Army of the Rhine in Switzerland and cross the river at Schaffhausen to turn the Austrian left in strength and obtain a decisive victory before dispatching some of his army to join the force descending on the rear of the Austrians in Italy. In Italy André Masséna’s 30,000–40,000 outnumbered troops were to face the Austrians in the Apennines and in the Maritime Alps until the army of reserve, marching to the south of the Army of the Rhine, should cross the Alps, fall upon the Austrians’ lines of communication, cut off their retreat from Piedmont, and bring them to battle.
Until he had engaged this force in the south, Bonaparte would be able, should the need arise, to take it to Moreau’s assistance. Nevertheless, Bonaparte was busy with the creation of an army of reserve which was to be concentrated around Dijon and was destined to act under his command in Italy. It proved impossible to increase Victor Moreau’s Army of the Rhine to more than 120,000-too small a margin of superiority to guarantee the success required. Dagli Orti-Musée de L'Armée Paris/The Art Archiveīonaparte’s plan was to treat Italy as a secondary theatre and to seek a decisive victory in Germany. Napoleon and his generals, detail of The Trophy of the 4th Dragoons, oil on canvas by Édouard Detaille, 1898 in the Musée de l'Armée, Paris. This Time in History In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history.#WTFact Videos In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find.Demystified Videos In Demystified, Britannica has all the answers to your burning questions.Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.Britannica Classics Check out these retro videos from Encyclopedia Britannica’s archives.