The Road to Rivoli: Napoleon's First Campaign [Hardcover]

Martin Boycott-Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2001

Napoleon was only 26 years old when he led his first army—45,000 ill-fed, poorly-clothed, and disillusioned French troops. In just two months, his ragtag forces pushed half the respected Piedmontese army out of the war, drove the Austrians across Italy, and laid winning siege to a crucial fortress. Previously unpublished primary sources make possible the first new treatment of young Napoleon in half a century.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Boycott-Brown is an independent Napoleonic scholar who has rendered a detailed account (the first since 1957) of young Napoleon Bonaparte's Italian campaign of 1796-97. An often overlooked offensive that began in the mountains leading into the Piedmont-Sardinia kingdom, it constitutes one of Napoleon's most remarkable achievements. He took command of an underfed and dispirited army and turned it into a magnificent fighting force that overcame incredible hardships before crushing the Austrians at Rivoli. Boycott-Brown's exciting account is not always easy to read. The bewildering matrix of tiny Italian villages that played a part in Napoleon's slippery maneuvers may overwhelm the reader. Indeed, the novitiate to the Little General's campaigns may become as confused as his opponents did in the rugged terrain of northwest Italy. Fortunately, good maps accompany the text, and the persevering reader will soon be in rhythm with Napoleon's deadly minuet with the Austrian and Piedmontese armies. Libraries that strive to include the definitive works on Napoleon's campaigns should purchase this work, which impressively incorporates Austrian and Italian sources that have been translated into English for the first time. Jim Doyle, Sara Hightower Regional Lib., Rome, GA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Martin Boycott-Brown has made a lifetimes work of studying Napoleon's first c

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Cassell (June 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0304353051
• ISBN-13: 978-0304353057
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,093,363 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superb Account of Napoleon's First Campaign, May 15, 2001

By 

R. A Forczyk (MD, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Road to Rivoli: Napoleon's First Campaign (Hardcover)

Road to Rivoli is a superb account of Napoleon's first campaign in Italy in 1796-1797. Martin Boycott-Brown, a British scholar, spent seven years in Italy and has used his knowledge of the terrain, as well as Austrian and Italian sources, to present a very thorough account of this campaign. Although not as well known as Napoleon's later campaigns during the empire, the first Italian campaign was probably his most brilliant. Road to Rivoli sheds much new light on this pivotal campaign that began Napoleon on his brilliant military career. The author concludes that, "the campaign could be called a triumph of building and maintaining morale in the face of appalling difficulties of administration and supply."

The book begins with two short chapters on the origins of the war and the weapons and tactics of the late Eighteenth Century. The introductory framework built by these chapters is followed by two more that move to the more specific, focusing on the Austrian army and the French army. These two chapters on the Austrian and French armies are short but valuable in outlining the strengths and weaknesses of the opposing forces. Most accounts tend to portray the Austrian army as a professional - if stuffy and unimaginative - army that was well trained and equipped. Similarly, the French Armée d'Italie is usually portrayed as a ill-equipped, demoralized mob prior to the arrival of Napoleon. To his credit, Martin Boycott-Brown strives to dispel these accepted generalizations. As he points out, Italy was a quiet, secondary theater for the Austrians and the units there were under strength and not fully equipped. Disease was costing the Austrians over 900 soldiers per month just prior to the start of the campaign. While the French army was short on supplies and discipline, this same force had beaten the Austrians at the Battle of Lonato five months prior to the arrival of Napoleon. When he did arrive, Napoleon found an army that was in poor condition, but it did know how to fight. Napoleon also benefited by gaining three very able subordinate commanders in Augereau, Massena and Serrurier.

The author goes to great lengths to show the extensive intellectual preparation that Napoleon made for his first campaign. Unlike the Austrian officers, who eschewed book learning, Napoleon read extensively about previous campaigns in Italy, the topography, economy and politics. In modern terms, this would be called intelligence preparation of the battlefield, and it contributed in no small measure to his victory. Once the campaign begins, Martin Boycott-Brown covers the rapid defeat of Piedmont and the spectacular crossing of the Po River in great detail. Although these operations may seem minor in nature due to their rapid conclusion, they were anything but easy. On the receiving end, the Austrians were stunned by Napoleon's first month of campaigning and their morale never fully recovered.

The longest part of the campaign, from June 1796 to January 1797, is covered in the last 165 pages. Napoleon was on the tactical defensive in this period, attempting to hold onto his gains in Italy while fending off Austrian counterattacks. The Austrians made four great attempts to relieve their besieged fortress of Mantua - and Napoleon beat them all four times. However the margin of victory was often narrow, and the French army suffered great losses. The Road to Rivoli climaxes on the battlefield of that name, when Napoleon smashes the final Austrian attempt to break through to Mantua. Following this victory, Mantua surrendered and Napoleon invaded the Tyrol and pushed toward Vienna. The desperate Austrian government sued for an armistice, effectively ending the War of the First Coalition. If there is any disappointment in this book, it is the coverage given to the period following the Battle of Rivoli, which is covered in only a couple of pages. Nor is there any analytical summary of the campaign; losses on both sides, political changes in Italy, etc. Napoleon had not only demonstrated immense military talent in his first campaign, but he had in fact decisively ended the war.

The maps in the book are superb, but unfortunately they lack annotations about French and Austrian movements. The author also provides excellent and very detailed order of battle information on the Austrian army, but quite a bit less on the French. The bibliography and endnotes are thorough. For his first major effort in historical writing, Martin Boycott-Brown has made a very impressive start.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Napoleon's Finest Campaign?, June 1, 2001

By 

Jeffrey Hayes (Annapolis MD) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Road to Rivoli: Napoleon's First Campaign (Hardcover)

FINALLY! A modern author has provided the English-speaking audience with well-researched coverage of Napoleon Bonaparte's first major campaign in an excellent introduction to the Napoleonic wars. Boycott-Brown's hefty volume replaces those older, hard to find, shorter works such as Jackson's ATTACK in the WEST, Adlow's NAPOLEON in ITALY and Ferrero's THE GAMBLE. Brown's work is far more comprehensive and incorporates a most impressive body of research complimented with a lovely bibliography and fairly decent maps. Personally, I enjoyed the author's clear, readable style with a pleasant undercurrent of cultured wit and humor. Along with astute, thoughtful commentary and some fairly sharp analysis, the reader will discover some enlightening asides such as descriptions of Massena's adroit HUMINT network, Austrian secret courier methods, or examples of French drafting of orders. As an old staff officer I particularly enjoy an author who can appreciate the necessity of less glamorous pursuits such as planning, intelligence, and logistics to ensure 'glorious' victories on the battlefield. I am once again amazed at Bonaparte's capacity for work and his grasp of military history and geography -that in-depth research and planning which supplied the vital underpinnings of his spectacular successes. As the indefatigable Berthier commented on his commander, "...he works a lot." The author has done Napoleonic scholars a great service with this nice book - enjoy.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great & Exciting Account of Napoleon's Italian Campaign, October 1, 2001

By 

Aussie Reader ""Rick"" (Canberra, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Road to Rivoli: Napoleon's First Campaign (Hardcover)

This exciting new book on Napoleon's Italian campaign of 1796 by Martin Boycott-Brown is a great story of Napoleon Bonaparte's first military campaign. In over 500 pages of text the author presents a fluid and easy to follow account of the actions and maneuvers of this military genius. He starts the book with a number of chapters outlining the French and Austrian armies, their weapons and tactics, and a brief account of Napoleon's rise to the command of the French armies in Italy.

From there the author takes us on a journey with Napoleon and his army as they march and battle against the combined forces of the Allied armies in Italy. The narrative is easy to follow, is well written and researched and has numerous first-hand accounts throughout.

The only major problem that I have with this book is the maps. I think that there could have been a few more and they should have been placed in the relevant areas of the narrative. I also think that the standard of those supplied could have been of a higher quality. Further, considering that the author lived in the area of these battles, I would have liked to have seen a few photographs of the region and personalities involved.

Those criticisms aside, overall this is an excellent book covering a period of Napoleon's career that is usually glossed over in most current studies. I am sure that the majority of readers who enjoy this period of history or who like good solid accounts of military history will thoroughly enjoy this book.

"The most detailed and coherent account of the campaign that I have ever read.... A truly first-rate study." - Philip Haythornthwaite