14 January 1797, morning
Joubert holds the heights
The plateau of Rivoli lies above the gorge of the Adige, with the slopes of Monte Baldo to the north and west. The road from Tyrol follows the river and climbs to the plateau through a steep defile below Rivoli. On the morning of 14 January Alvinczi has three columns united between Caprino on his right and the chapel of San Marco on his left. Lusignan’s brigade marches round to the west, and the columns of Quosdanovich and Vukassovich come down the roads on both banks of the Adige.
The Battle of Rivoli, illustration in James D. McCabe’s Pictorial History of the World, 1877Wikimedia Commons, James Dabney McCabe, Public domain (Battle of Rivoli.jpg)
Before daybreak Joubert attacks and drives the Austrians from the chapel of San Marco. At 9 am the brigades of Koblos and Lipthay counterattack the French on the Trambasore heights, while a column under Prince Reuss tries to turn the French right through the gorge. On the east bank of the Adige Vukassovich sets up batteries opposite the village of Osteria, and their fire and the pressure of Quosdanovich drive the French out of Osteria and up onto the plateau.
Sources
- David G. Chandler, The Campaigns of Napoleon (1966).
- Martin Boycott-Brown, The Road to Rivoli: Napoleon’s First Campaign (2001).
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