In May 1796, Napoleon pursued the Austrians across the Po River. At the , he personally helped aim cannons and inspired a daring charge across a narrow bridge under heavy fire.
A desperate three-day battle in the marshes where Napoleon famously seized a flag and charged the bridge.
Napoleon’s first goal was to separate the Austrian army from their Piedmontese allies. In a lightning-fast two-week offensive (the Montenotte Campaign), he won a series of engagements:
The 1796–1797 campaign redefined modern warfare. It proved that a smaller, faster army could defeat a larger, static one through superior maneuver and morale. Napoleon returned to Paris not just as a hero, but as the most powerful man in France, setting the stage for his eventual rise to Emperor.
His strategy relied on the : Dividing superior enemy forces. Striking each wing separately before they could unite.
Napoleon utilized a brilliant flanking maneuver to defeat General Wurmser.