Battle of Saorgio
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Saorgio was fought from 24 to 28 April 1794 between a First French Republic army commanded by Pierre Jadart Dumerbion
and the armies of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont and the Habsburg Monarchy
led by Joseph Nikolaus De Vins
. It was part of a successful French offensive designed to capture strategic positions in the Maritime Alps
and Ligurian Alps
, and on the Mediterranean coast. Tactical control of the battle was exercised by André Masséna
for the French and Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchi
for the Coalition. Saorge
is located in France, about 70 kilometres (43 mi) northeast of Nice
. At the time of the battle, the town was named Saorgio and belonged to Piedmont.
Since September 1792, the Piedmontese defenses around Saorge had resisted capture. In early April 1794, the French struck northeastward along the Italian Riviera
, quickly seizing the small port of Oneglia
. From there, Masséna struck north to capture two towns in the upper Tanaro valley before turning west to outflank the positions around Saorge. After some fighting, the Austro-Piedmontese withdrew to the north side of the Col de Tende (Tenda Pass)
which the French occupied. Dumerbion's troops also seized a large portion of the Italian Riviera
. The action occurred during the War of the First Coalition, part of the French Revolutionary Wars
. The engagement is significant in military history because a newly-appointed artillery general by the name of Napoleon Bonaparte drew up the plans for the offensive.
on the Mediterranean coast and the Duchy of Savoy
in the north. Aware of his awkward situation, King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia
attempted to secure an alliance with Habsburg Austria at the same time as he held diplomatic talks with the French. In spring 1792, war broke out between the First French Republic and Sardinia. The French government ordered General Anne-Pierre, marquis de Montesquiou-Fézensac
to invade Savoy on 15 May, but that officer decided that he needed more time to prepare. During the summer, King Victor Amadeus frantically haggled with Austria to get military assistance. On 22 September, Austria finally agreed to provide an Auxiliary Corps of 8,000 troops under Feldmarschallleutnant Leopoldo Lorenzo Count of Strassoldo. However, the Convention of Milan
came too late.
On 21 September 1792, Montesquiou invaded Savoy and resistance collapsed. The general reported to his government that the people welcomed his army. The town of Chambéry
was occupied on 24 September. Sardinian General Lazary, a 70 year-old relic, proved unable to mount an effective defense. A second French force captured Nice
without bloodshed on 27 September and went on to seize Villefranche-sur-Mer
two days later. At the behest of its leaders, Savoy was incorporated into France on 27 November. On 23 September, a French naval squadron under Rear Admiral Laurent Jean François Truguet
sailed to the Piedmontese port of Oneglia
where an 800-man battalion disembarked. The troops sacked the town and murdered some monks before taking to their ships again. On 18 November 1792, the Sardinians repulsed their adversaries at Sospel (Sospello)
. The French retreated to L'Escarène
and went into winter quarters.
Dismayed by the incapacity of his generals, King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia
begged the Austrians to send a commander to direct the combined Austrian and Piedmontese armies. The Austrian government appointed Feldzeugmeister
Joseph Nikolaus De Vins
to fill the post on 21 December 1792. Even so, Austria was aware that the French were trying to negotiate a peace with the Sardinians, and the Austrians did not fully trust their ally. The execution of King Louis XVI of France
on 21 January 1793 appalled the other crowned heads of Europe and further isolated France.
,_french_nobleman.jpg)
On 28 February 1793, 12,000 French troops under Lieutenant General
Armand Louis de Gontaut, Duke of Biron
battled with 7,000 Sardinian soldiers under the Count of Saint-André at Levens
. In this French success, each side lost 800 casualties. In addition, the French captured two of their enemy's six cannons. The Sardinian army held a powerful defensive position at Saorge (Saorgio)
, blocking access to the strategically important Col de Tende (Tenda Pass)
. On 8 June 1793, the Army of Italy
under General of Division Gaspard Jean Baptiste Brunet won a minor victory over the Sardinians in the area of L'Aution Peak west of Saorge. The forces clashed again in the same area at the Col de Raus on 12 June. This time the French were defeated. The Sardinian units involved in these fights were two battalions each of the Cacciatori and Swiss Christ Infantry Regiments, one battalion each of the Saluzzo, Sardinia, and Lombardy Infantry Regiments. Also engaged were two companies of French volunteers, the Cacciatori de Canale, Light Infantry, 1st, 3rd, and 5th Grenadier Battalions, and the Vercelli, Casale, and Acqui Provincial Regiments. The attack was "ill-conceived" and ended in "disaster".
The allies tried to mount a counteroffensive, but this effort was crippled by the new commander's slowness. De Vins planned to recapture both Savoy and Nice, which a number of officers objected to. Because he suffered badly from gout, De Vins planned to control both offensives from the capital of Turin
. The Duke of Montferrat
, who led the counter-invasion of Savoy, was follow strict daily orders from De Vins. Since Turin was 45 miles (72 km) distant, the arrangements were impractical. In the event, a French force under General of Division François Christophe de Kellermann
repulsed Lieutenant General Gordon's Savoy column at Épierre
on 15 September 1793. The French suffered 500 casualties out of 8,000 troops, while the Sardinians lost 1,000 men out of 6,000 engaged.
The Count of Saint-André was directed to advance on Nice from Saorgio. This effort was made difficult by tension between Saint-André and his Austrian subordinate Feldmarschallleutnant Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchi
. Meanwhile, De Vins' chief of staff
, Eugène-Guillaume Argenteau
managed to get himself on bad terms with the Piedmontese officer corps. At this time, portions of southern France rebelled against the revolutionary government. Large French republican forces had to be sent to suppress the revolt at the Siege of Toulon
, giving Piedmont a chance to recover its lost territory. King Victor Amadeus and De Vins left the capital in August to oversee the southern front where they planned to start operations on 7 September. On 18 October, six Piedmontese battalions of the Aosta, Guardia, and Piedmont Infantry Regiments defeated the French at Gilette
. Three days later there was an inconclusive skirmish at Utelle
involving the 5th Grenadiers. The offensive ended when heavy snow fell in the mountains, forcing the king to give up the campaign and return to his capital in November.
on the west through the Col de Raus, L'Aution Peak, and Colle Basse to Saorge. From Saorge, the line ran northeast to Cima di Marte, Col Argente, and Monte Saccarello. The line was so strong that an outflanking move to the east seemed the obvious move. Sardinian General Dellera feared that the French might seize the Colle di Nava northwest of Oneglia. He wanted to occupy Briga Alta
northeast of Saorgio but De Vins refused to authorize it. However, Dellera convinced the army commander to move an Austrian force from the Po River valley to Dego
. In addition, De Vins ordered 4,000 Sardinian troops to protect the area around Oneglia.
French General Pierre Jadart Dumerbion
commanded the Army of Italy. Competent but old, he had seen too many generals sent to the guillotine for failing or for having the wrong political views. Two of his predecessors suffered this fate, Brunet on 15 November 1793 and Biron on 31 December 1793. In order to stay out of trouble, Dumerbion determined to consult the all-powerful Representatives on mission before acting. At this time, the representatives were Augustin Robespierre
and Antoine Christophe Saliceti
and both were influenced by freshly-promoted General of Brigade Napoleon Bonaparte, the army's new artillery chief. Bonaparte drew up a strategic plan and Dumerbion listened. Bonaparte planned to launch a drive northeast along the coast to capture Oneglia, a nest of Sardinian privateers that preyed on the Genoa
-to-Nice grain trade. From Oneglia, the French would turn north to seize Ormea
, outflanking the enemy's defenses from the east. While these moves were implemented, the main army would distract the Coalition defenders by advancing directly on Saorge. Of Dumerbion's 43,000-man field army, 20,000 men formed the attacking force, divided into three columns and a reserve.
On 6 April 1794, Dumerbion opened the offensive. Crossing neutral territory belonging to the Republic of Genoa
, the French seized the port of Oneglia
on the 9th. Argenteau, who commanded the local Piedmontese division, occupied Ormea and strung out his 10 battalions in an attempt to link the Saorge defenses in the west with Dego in the east. The French advance, led by General of Division André Masséna
, brushed aside Argenteau's men and captured Ormea around 17 April and Garessio
on the 19th. Colli, the newly appointed commander at Saorge, now found that his position was outflanked. De Vins advised Colli to hold the position but to send back any forces not needed for immediate defense. Relations between the allies were so bad at this time that some Piedmontese officers believed that De Vins was plotting to betray them. On the French side, Auguste Marmont
claimed that the ailing Dumerbion stayed in Nice during the entire operation.
On 24 April there was a clash at Saorge, as the French main army advanced north. Colli's defenders included three battalions of the Alvinczi Infantry Regiment Nr. 19, the 3rd Battalion of the Strassoldo Infantry Regiment Nr. 27, the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Archduke Anton Infantry Regiment Nr. 52, and the 2nd and 9th Battalions of the Karlstadt Grenz Infantry
Regiment. On the same day, Masséna successfully attacked the Col Argente with General of Brigade Amédée Emmanuel Francois Laharpe
's division. On 27 April, the French seized La Brigue
, inflicting heavy losses on the Sardinians. These belonged to the Cacciatori, Guardia, and Tortona Infantry Regiments, the 1st Grenadier Battalion, two companies of French volunteers, and the Cacciatori di Pandini company.
, just north of the pass. In early May, Colli fell back to Borgo San Dalmazzo
near the fortress of Cuneo
. On the coast, the French advanced to seize Albenga
and Loano
. General of Division François Macquard
occupied the Col de Tende, while farther east Masséna deployed his troops to hold the ridges between Ormea and Loano. In the fighting near Saorge, historian Digby Smith
stated French losses as 1,500 killed and wounded, while the allied casualties numbered 2,800. Losses for the other battles are not given.
Bonaparte and the representatives on mission proposed a new operation to exploit the victory, but it was vetoed by Lazare Carnot
. The defeat shocked the Austrians and Sardinians into signing a treaty on 29 May. The Sardinians promised to hold the Alpine passes while the Austrians pledged to defend the coast. The next action in the area was the First Battle of Dego
on 21 September 1794.
Pierre Jadart Dumerbion
Pierre Jadart Dumerbion or Pierre Jadart du Merbion joined the French army as a junior officer in 1754 and fought in the Seven Years War. As an experienced officer, he was promoted to colonel in 1792 at the start of the French Revolutionary Wars. He soon became a general officer and found himself...
and the armies of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont and the Habsburg Monarchy
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
led by Joseph Nikolaus De Vins
Joseph Nikolaus De Vins
Joseph Nikolaus Freiherr De Vins or Joseph De Wins , joined the army of Habsburg Austria and fought in the Seven Years War where he was decorated for bravery. By 1773 he earned promotion to general officer. From 1783 he held important posts on the Military Frontier and led an independent corps in...
. It was part of a successful French offensive designed to capture strategic positions in the Maritime Alps
Maritime Alps
The Maritime Alps are a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps. They form the border between the French département Alpes-Maritimes and the Italian province of Cuneo. The Col de Tende separates them from the Ligurian Alps; the Maddalena Pass separates them from the Cottian Alps...
and Ligurian Alps
Ligurian Alps
The Ligurian Alps are a mountain range in northwestern Italy. A small part is located in France. They form the south-western extremity of the Alps, separated from the Apennines by the Colle di Cadibona. The Col de Tende separates them from the Maritime Alps...
, and on the Mediterranean coast. Tactical control of the battle was exercised by André Masséna
André Masséna
André Masséna 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d'Essling was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
for the French and Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchi
Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchi
Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchi, or Michele Angelo Alessandro Colli-Marchei or Michael Colli, joined the Austrian army, became a general officer, and led the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont for three years, including its unsuccessful campaign against Napoleon Bonaparte in...
for the Coalition. Saorge
Saorge
Saorge is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Highway E74 which runs north from Menton, passes through Saorge on its way to the Col de Tende where it crosses into Italy....
is located in France, about 70 kilometres (43 mi) northeast of Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
. At the time of the battle, the town was named Saorgio and belonged to Piedmont.
Since September 1792, the Piedmontese defenses around Saorge had resisted capture. In early April 1794, the French struck northeastward along the Italian Riviera
Italian Riviera
The Italian Riviera, or Ligurian Riviera is the narrow coastal strip which lies between the Ligurian Sea and the mountain chain formed by the Maritime Alps and the Apennines...
, quickly seizing the small port of Oneglia
Oneglia
Oneglia was a town in northern Italy on the Ligurian coast that was joined to Porto Maurizio to form the Comune of Imperia in 1923....
. From there, Masséna struck north to capture two towns in the upper Tanaro valley before turning west to outflank the positions around Saorge. After some fighting, the Austro-Piedmontese withdrew to the north side of the Col de Tende (Tenda Pass)
Col de Tende
Col de Tende is a high mountain pass in the Alps, on the border of France and Italy.It separates the Maritime Alps from the Ligurian Alps. It connects Nice and Tende in Alpes-Maritimes with Cuneo in Piedmont....
which the French occupied. Dumerbion's troops also seized a large portion of the Italian Riviera
Italian Riviera
The Italian Riviera, or Ligurian Riviera is the narrow coastal strip which lies between the Ligurian Sea and the mountain chain formed by the Maritime Alps and the Apennines...
. The action occurred during the War of the First Coalition, part of the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
. The engagement is significant in military history because a newly-appointed artillery general by the name of Napoleon Bonaparte drew up the plans for the offensive.
Background
The Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont stood at a disadvantage in a war with France because two of its territories lay on the French side of the Alps. These lands were the County of NiceCounty of Nice
The County of Nice or Niçard Country is a historical region of France, located in the south-eastern part, around the city of Nice.-History:Its territory lies between the Mediterranean Sea , Var River and the southernmost crest of the...
on the Mediterranean coast and the Duchy of Savoy
Duchy of Savoy
From 1416 to 1847, the House of Savoy ruled the eponymous Duchy of Savoy . The Duchy was a state in the northern part of the Italian Peninsula, with some territories that are now in France. It was a continuation of the County of Savoy...
in the north. Aware of his awkward situation, King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia
Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia
Victor Amadeus III was King of Sardinia from 1773 until his death. Although he was politically conservative, he carried out numerous administrative reforms until declaring war on revolutionary France in 1792...
attempted to secure an alliance with Habsburg Austria at the same time as he held diplomatic talks with the French. In spring 1792, war broke out between the First French Republic and Sardinia. The French government ordered General Anne-Pierre, marquis de Montesquiou-Fézensac
Anne-Pierre, marquis de Montesquiou-Fézensac
Anne-Pierre, marquis de Montesquiou-Fézensac was a French general and writer.He was born in Paris, of an ancient family of Armagnac. He was brought up with the children of the king of France, and showed some taste for letters...
to invade Savoy on 15 May, but that officer decided that he needed more time to prepare. During the summer, King Victor Amadeus frantically haggled with Austria to get military assistance. On 22 September, Austria finally agreed to provide an Auxiliary Corps of 8,000 troops under Feldmarschallleutnant Leopoldo Lorenzo Count of Strassoldo. However, the Convention of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
came too late.
Chambéry
Chambéry is a city in the department of Savoie, located in the Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France.It is the capital of the department and has been the historical capital of the Savoy region since the 13th century, when Amadeus V of Savoy made the city his seat of power.-Geography:Chambéry...
was occupied on 24 September. Sardinian General Lazary, a 70 year-old relic, proved unable to mount an effective defense. A second French force captured Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
without bloodshed on 27 September and went on to seize Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera.-Geography:...
two days later. At the behest of its leaders, Savoy was incorporated into France on 27 November. On 23 September, a French naval squadron under Rear Admiral Laurent Jean François Truguet
Laurent Jean François Truguet
Laurent Truguet was a French admiral.-Youth up to the Revolution:Of arisocratic origins, and the son of a chef d'escadre, Laurent de Truguet entered the...
sailed to the Piedmontese port of Oneglia
Oneglia
Oneglia was a town in northern Italy on the Ligurian coast that was joined to Porto Maurizio to form the Comune of Imperia in 1923....
where an 800-man battalion disembarked. The troops sacked the town and murdered some monks before taking to their ships again. On 18 November 1792, the Sardinians repulsed their adversaries at Sospel (Sospello)
Sospel
Sospel is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France near the Italian border and not far from Monte Carlo.-History:...
. The French retreated to L'Escarène
L'Escarène
L'Escarène is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.It was part of the historic County of Nice until 1860 as Scarena.-Population:-References:*...
and went into winter quarters.
Dismayed by the incapacity of his generals, King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia
Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia
Victor Amadeus III was King of Sardinia from 1773 until his death. Although he was politically conservative, he carried out numerous administrative reforms until declaring war on revolutionary France in 1792...
begged the Austrians to send a commander to direct the combined Austrian and Piedmontese armies. The Austrian government appointed Feldzeugmeister
Feldzeugmeister
Feldzeugmeister was a military rank in various European armies , especially in the artillery. It was commonly used in the 16th or 17th century, but could even be found in the beginning of the 20th century in some European countries...
Joseph Nikolaus De Vins
Joseph Nikolaus De Vins
Joseph Nikolaus Freiherr De Vins or Joseph De Wins , joined the army of Habsburg Austria and fought in the Seven Years War where he was decorated for bravery. By 1773 he earned promotion to general officer. From 1783 he held important posts on the Military Frontier and led an independent corps in...
to fill the post on 21 December 1792. Even so, Austria was aware that the French were trying to negotiate a peace with the Sardinians, and the Austrians did not fully trust their ally. The execution of King Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
on 21 January 1793 appalled the other crowned heads of Europe and further isolated France.
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Armand Louis de Gontaut, Duke of Biron
Armand Louis de Gontaut
Armand Louis de Gontaut, Duc de Lauzun, later duc de Biron, and usually referred to by historians of the French Revolution simply as Biron was a French soldier and politician, known for the part he played in the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars.-Early titles:Born in...
battled with 7,000 Sardinian soldiers under the Count of Saint-André at Levens
Levens
Levens is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.Its inhabitants are called Levensans .-Origin and evolution of the name:...
. In this French success, each side lost 800 casualties. In addition, the French captured two of their enemy's six cannons. The Sardinian army held a powerful defensive position at Saorge (Saorgio)
Saorge
Saorge is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Highway E74 which runs north from Menton, passes through Saorge on its way to the Col de Tende where it crosses into Italy....
, blocking access to the strategically important Col de Tende (Tenda Pass)
Col de Tende
Col de Tende is a high mountain pass in the Alps, on the border of France and Italy.It separates the Maritime Alps from the Ligurian Alps. It connects Nice and Tende in Alpes-Maritimes with Cuneo in Piedmont....
. On 8 June 1793, the Army of Italy
Army of Italy (France)
The Army of Italy was a Field army of the French Army stationed on the Italian border and used for operations in Italy itself. Though it existed in some form in the 16th century through to the present, it is best known for its role during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic...
under General of Division Gaspard Jean Baptiste Brunet won a minor victory over the Sardinians in the area of L'Aution Peak west of Saorge. The forces clashed again in the same area at the Col de Raus on 12 June. This time the French were defeated. The Sardinian units involved in these fights were two battalions each of the Cacciatori and Swiss Christ Infantry Regiments, one battalion each of the Saluzzo, Sardinia, and Lombardy Infantry Regiments. Also engaged were two companies of French volunteers, the Cacciatori de Canale, Light Infantry, 1st, 3rd, and 5th Grenadier Battalions, and the Vercelli, Casale, and Acqui Provincial Regiments. The attack was "ill-conceived" and ended in "disaster".
The allies tried to mount a counteroffensive, but this effort was crippled by the new commander's slowness. De Vins planned to recapture both Savoy and Nice, which a number of officers objected to. Because he suffered badly from gout, De Vins planned to control both offensives from the capital of Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
. The Duke of Montferrat
Montferrat
Montferrat is part of the region of Piedmont in Northern Italy. It comprises roughly the modern provinces of Alessandria and Asti. Montferrat is one of the most important wine districts of Italy...
, who led the counter-invasion of Savoy, was follow strict daily orders from De Vins. Since Turin was 45 miles (72 km) distant, the arrangements were impractical. In the event, a French force under General of Division François Christophe de Kellermann
François Christophe de Kellermann
François Christophe Kellermann or de Kellermann, 1st Duc de Valmy was a French military commander, later the Général d'Armée, and a Marshal of France...
repulsed Lieutenant General Gordon's Savoy column at Épierre
Épierre
Épierre is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.-External links:*...
on 15 September 1793. The French suffered 500 casualties out of 8,000 troops, while the Sardinians lost 1,000 men out of 6,000 engaged.
The Count of Saint-André was directed to advance on Nice from Saorgio. This effort was made difficult by tension between Saint-André and his Austrian subordinate Feldmarschallleutnant Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchi
Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchi
Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchi, or Michele Angelo Alessandro Colli-Marchei or Michael Colli, joined the Austrian army, became a general officer, and led the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont for three years, including its unsuccessful campaign against Napoleon Bonaparte in...
. Meanwhile, De Vins' chief of staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
, Eugène-Guillaume Argenteau
Eugène-Guillaume Argenteau
Eugène-Guillaume Argenteau, comte de Mercy or Eugen Gillis Wilhelm Graf Mercy d'Argenteau joined the Austrian army in 1760, became a general officer, and led large formations of soldiers in several actions during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.-Early career:Born at Huy in...
managed to get himself on bad terms with the Piedmontese officer corps. At this time, portions of southern France rebelled against the revolutionary government. Large French republican forces had to be sent to suppress the revolt at the Siege of Toulon
Siege of Toulon
The Siege of Toulon was an early Republican victory over a Royalist rebellion in the Southern French city of Toulon. It is also often known as the Fall of Toulon.-Context:...
, giving Piedmont a chance to recover its lost territory. King Victor Amadeus and De Vins left the capital in August to oversee the southern front where they planned to start operations on 7 September. On 18 October, six Piedmontese battalions of the Aosta, Guardia, and Piedmont Infantry Regiments defeated the French at Gilette
Gilette
Gilette is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-Population:The inhabitants are called Gilettois.-References:*...
. Three days later there was an inconclusive skirmish at Utelle
Utelle
Utelle is a commune about northeast of Nice in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-Geography:It is perched on a hill along the Vesubie Gorge not far from the Mercantour National Park.-Sights:...
involving the 5th Grenadiers. The offensive ended when heavy snow fell in the mountains, forcing the king to give up the campaign and return to his capital in November.
Battle
At the start of 1794, the Piedmontese occupied a formidable defensive position that ran from RoquebillièreRoquebillière
Roquebillière is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-Population:- External links : &...
on the west through the Col de Raus, L'Aution Peak, and Colle Basse to Saorge. From Saorge, the line ran northeast to Cima di Marte, Col Argente, and Monte Saccarello. The line was so strong that an outflanking move to the east seemed the obvious move. Sardinian General Dellera feared that the French might seize the Colle di Nava northwest of Oneglia. He wanted to occupy Briga Alta
Briga Alta
Briga Alta is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 80 km south of Turin and about 13 km southeast of Cuneo, on the border with France...
northeast of Saorgio but De Vins refused to authorize it. However, Dellera convinced the army commander to move an Austrian force from the Po River valley to Dego
Dego
Dego is a comune in the Province of Savona in the Italian region Liguria, located about 50 km west of Genoa and about 20 km northwest of Savona....
. In addition, De Vins ordered 4,000 Sardinian troops to protect the area around Oneglia.
French General Pierre Jadart Dumerbion
Pierre Jadart Dumerbion
Pierre Jadart Dumerbion or Pierre Jadart du Merbion joined the French army as a junior officer in 1754 and fought in the Seven Years War. As an experienced officer, he was promoted to colonel in 1792 at the start of the French Revolutionary Wars. He soon became a general officer and found himself...
commanded the Army of Italy. Competent but old, he had seen too many generals sent to the guillotine for failing or for having the wrong political views. Two of his predecessors suffered this fate, Brunet on 15 November 1793 and Biron on 31 December 1793. In order to stay out of trouble, Dumerbion determined to consult the all-powerful Representatives on mission before acting. At this time, the representatives were Augustin Robespierre
Augustin Robespierre
Augustin Bon Joseph de Robespierre was the younger brother of French Revolutionary leader, Maximilien Robespierre....
and Antoine Christophe Saliceti
Antoine Christophe Saliceti
Antoine Christophe Saliceti was a French politician and diplomat of the Revolution and First Empire.-Early career:...
and both were influenced by freshly-promoted General of Brigade Napoleon Bonaparte, the army's new artillery chief. Bonaparte drew up a strategic plan and Dumerbion listened. Bonaparte planned to launch a drive northeast along the coast to capture Oneglia, a nest of Sardinian privateers that preyed on the Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
-to-Nice grain trade. From Oneglia, the French would turn north to seize Ormea
Ormea
Ormea is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 100 km south of Turin and about 40 km southeast of Cuneo...
, outflanking the enemy's defenses from the east. While these moves were implemented, the main army would distract the Coalition defenders by advancing directly on Saorge. Of Dumerbion's 43,000-man field army, 20,000 men formed the attacking force, divided into three columns and a reserve.
On 6 April 1794, Dumerbion opened the offensive. Crossing neutral territory belonging to the Republic of Genoa
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
, the French seized the port of Oneglia
Oneglia
Oneglia was a town in northern Italy on the Ligurian coast that was joined to Porto Maurizio to form the Comune of Imperia in 1923....
on the 9th. Argenteau, who commanded the local Piedmontese division, occupied Ormea and strung out his 10 battalions in an attempt to link the Saorge defenses in the west with Dego in the east. The French advance, led by General of Division André Masséna
André Masséna
André Masséna 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d'Essling was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
, brushed aside Argenteau's men and captured Ormea around 17 April and Garessio
Garessio
Garessio is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 100 km south of Turin and about 40 km southeast of Cuneo.The Reggia di Valcasotto is located in the communal territory.- Notable people:...
on the 19th. Colli, the newly appointed commander at Saorge, now found that his position was outflanked. De Vins advised Colli to hold the position but to send back any forces not needed for immediate defense. Relations between the allies were so bad at this time that some Piedmontese officers believed that De Vins was plotting to betray them. On the French side, Auguste Marmont
Auguste Marmont
Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont, 1st Duke of Ragusa was a French General, nobleman and Marshal of France.-Biography:...
claimed that the ailing Dumerbion stayed in Nice during the entire operation.
On 24 April there was a clash at Saorge, as the French main army advanced north. Colli's defenders included three battalions of the Alvinczi Infantry Regiment Nr. 19, the 3rd Battalion of the Strassoldo Infantry Regiment Nr. 27, the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Archduke Anton Infantry Regiment Nr. 52, and the 2nd and 9th Battalions of the Karlstadt Grenz Infantry
Grenz infantry
Grenz infantry or Grenzers were light infantry troops who came from the Croatian and Transylvanian Military Frontier in Habsburg Monarchy . This borderland formed a buffer zone between Christian Europe and the Ottoman Empire, and the troops were originally raised to defend Austria against the...
Regiment. On the same day, Masséna successfully attacked the Col Argente with General of Brigade Amédée Emmanuel Francois Laharpe
Amedee Emmanuel Francois Laharpe
Amédée Emmanuel François Laharpe fought in the armies of the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars, led a division in Italy under Napoleon Bonaparte, and died after being hit by friendly fire.-Early career:...
's division. On 27 April, the French seized La Brigue
La Brigue
La Brigue is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.Brigue became part of France after the World War II, when Italy was forced to hand it over in September 1947 under the terms of the 1947 Peace of Paris. Before the hand over, it was part of Province of Cuneo...
, inflicting heavy losses on the Sardinians. These belonged to the Cacciatori, Guardia, and Tortona Infantry Regiments, the 1st Grenadier Battalion, two companies of French volunteers, and the Cacciatori di Pandini company.
Results
The French seized Saorgio on 28 April after Colli withdrew. He abandoned the Col de Tende and retreated to Limone PiemonteLimone Piemonte
Limone Piemonte is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 100 km south of Turin and about 20 km south of Cuneo, on the border with France...
, just north of the pass. In early May, Colli fell back to Borgo San Dalmazzo
Borgo San Dalmazzo
Borgo San Dalmazzo is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 80 km south of Turin and about 8 km southwest of Cuneo...
near the fortress of Cuneo
Cuneo
Cuneo is a city and comune in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the third largest of Italy’s provinces by area...
. On the coast, the French advanced to seize Albenga
Albenga
Albenga is a city and comune situated on the Gulf of Genoa on the Italian Riviera in the Province of Savona in Liguria, northern Italy.left|thumb|220px|Towers of Albenga.The economy is mostly based on tourism, local commerce and agriculture-History:...
and Loano
Loano
Loano is a comune in the Province of Savona in the Italian region Liguria, located about 60 km southwest of Genoa and about 30 km southwest of Savona...
. General of Division François Macquard
Francois Macquard
François Macquard or François Macquart joined the French royal army as an infantryman, fought in the Seven Years War, and rose slowly from the ranks to become an officer in the 1780s. While serving in Italy during the French Revolutionary Wars, he became a general officer...
occupied the Col de Tende, while farther east Masséna deployed his troops to hold the ridges between Ormea and Loano. In the fighting near Saorge, historian Digby Smith
Digby Smith
Digby Smith is a British military historian. The son of a British career soldier, he was born in Hampshire, England, but spent several years in India and Pakistan as a child and youth. As a "boy soldier," he entered training in the British Army at the age of 16...
stated French losses as 1,500 killed and wounded, while the allied casualties numbered 2,800. Losses for the other battles are not given.
Bonaparte and the representatives on mission proposed a new operation to exploit the victory, but it was vetoed by Lazare Carnot
Lazare Carnot
Lazare Nicolas Marguerite, Comte Carnot , the Organizer of Victory in the French Revolutionary Wars, was a French politician, engineer, and mathematician.-Education and early life:...
. The defeat shocked the Austrians and Sardinians into signing a treaty on 29 May. The Sardinians promised to hold the Alpine passes while the Austrians pledged to defend the coast. The next action in the area was the First Battle of Dego
First Battle of Dego
The Battle of Dego took place during the War of the First Coalition between French and Austrian armies on 21 September 1794. It resulted in a French victory. The battle is described in Napoleon's correspondence.- References :...
on 21 September 1794.