Account of Austria’s Second Advance and Bonaparte’s Pursuit

Although Napoleon’s men were tired and in need of proper clothing and rest, the French generals received a new set of orders. Sahuguet’s 10,000 men were to remain at Mantova, continuing to besiege the fortress. General Kilmaine’s division was to remain at Verona, guarding the Lower Adige against any possible attacks from the east. The remainder of the French army, approximately 33,000 soldiers, was to be led north by Vaubois, Massena, and Augereau, to attack Würmser’s forces in Trento.

The Austrian general had no intention of staying in Trento for any length of time. It was his plan to advance to the south once again via the Brenta River, running from Trento to the Adriatic, reaching Mantova from the east. Davidovitch was to remain at Trento with 25,000 men to defend the region.

Thus when Napoleon’s forces advanced on Trento they were met by only Davidovitch’s forces. These were quickly defeated. Only then did Napoleon learn that Würmser was advancing southward along the Brenta River. Instead of moving back down the Adige to meet Würmser in the south, Napoleon sent his troops in pursuit of the Austrian army, leaving 10,000 men under Vaubois to block the gorges north of Trento.

Würmser left Trento on the 1^st of September with Napoleon in pursuit as of the 6th. By the end of the next day the French army had reached Cismona, covering almost 60 miles in two days. The Austrian general became worried by the speed of the French advance and ordered two of his divisions to halt at Bassano and slow the progress of the French army. On the 8th Napoleon destroyed the Austrian blockade, taking 4,000 prisoners and 35 guns in the process. Only 3,500 men managed to rejoin Würmser’s main force to the south.

To the south, Kilmaine’s division blocked all of the crossing points on the Adige River. At some point before the arrival of the Austrian forces, Kilmaine withdrew a few of his garrisons to help defend Verona. Sahuguet was to fill these gaps but did not arrive in time to prevent Würmser’s forces from crossing the river on the 10^th. By the 12^th, Würmser had broken through the weak French defence and had gained entry into the fortifications of Mantova, raising the number of men inside to 23,000. Attempts were made to attack the French-held suburbs around Mantova on the 15^th but Massena arrived just in time to help Sahuguet’s forces push Würmser back behind the fortress walls.