History Student Reacts to Napoleon in Italy #4: Battle of Arcole by Epic History TV

Today we watch Napoleon's First Campaign: The Bridge at Arcole by Epic History TV.

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[kipplayingstation]

I like to see anyone point out to me, what mistakes did Napoléon commit? Literally nothing, he dealt with this situation with extreme skill.
First, he wanted to be on the offensive so that he can keep the initiative in his hands, he didn't go like a stumbling fool however, he waited until Alvinczi's Austrians were exhausted by the long grueling march under terrible weather conditions and then attacked, and he attacked when the Austrians started crossing the Brenta which was an excellent choice (attack your enemy when most of his forces didn't cross yet and his back is to the river), but, his divisional commanders couldn't bring victory, they did their best but victory wasn't attained, thanks to a combination of factors such as the Austrians' steady stream of reinforcements, the French not yet recovering from the last campaign (2nd attempt to relieve Mantua) and Austrian tenacity. My question is: is there anything here to blame Napoléon for? I don't think so, he did everything right.
Napoléon was also counting on Vaubois holding his defensive position at Caliano. Caliano was a formidable defensive position, and as Napoléon himself said: it was a position where a few brave men could have stopped an army! Should we blame him for the panick and shakiness Vaubois' troops were in?
Napoléon nevertheless continued to act logically and simply waited for the next opportunity to present itself, and it did. When Hohenzollern isolated himself by his scouting mini-operation, Napoléon used the principle of defeat in detail and concentration of force and fell on Hohenzollern's force with nearly all he got, the weather and terrain conditions where absolutely terrible but the French were capable of achieving most of their objectives, HOWEVER! the main Austrian army arrived to reinforce Hohenzollern and the French were completely exhausted after their immense efforts, outnumbered and were in danger of being outflanked and encircled. Napoléon held his line successfully and withdrew in the dark without loosing much casualties, retreating WAS ABSOLUTELY THE RIGHT CHOICE TO MAKE in this situation and he did it well. As you see, Napoléon was really acting very soundly tactically and operationally but the situation he faced was simply too much for anyone to handle, yet, incredibly, he did handle it!
By this point, any general would have retreated behind the Mincio or to the Adda river (even Napoléon was preparing for such a thing) BUT HE WAS BONAPARTE not some sort of capable general and he pulled out a Bonaparte move!
So, no need to explain Napoléon's maneuver to the rear since it is well explained in the video but i want to point out how much flexible Bonaparte was at the Battle of Arcole, it's the battle in which Napoléon showed his flexibility the most (in the campaign of northern Italy 1796-1797)!!!
First day: Augereau's attack didn't work? No problem, send Giueu to outflank the Austrian position from their left while he himself went to boost the moral of Augereau's division and although he couldn't get them into attacking, the countermeasures proved to be successful in the end.
Second day: you lost the element of surprise and Alvinczi is redeploying his entire army towards you and you are outnumbered? It's okay! Napoléon forces his enemy to fight against him in the swamps where the numerical superiority of the Austrians do not matter!
Third day: complete change of tactics and excellent reaction to a potentially disastrous situation when the bridges where broke temporarily by an effective deployment of artillery batteries to stop the Austrian counter attack and then when a second Austrian counter attack was lunched and nearly turned the tide, Napoléon snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by effectively using his own reserves!
I am personally amazed!

[ddc]

Not especially well-known so for those who haven’t read it, about a year prior to this, Napoléon wrote a romantic novella, which included a scene not of course identical, but quite remarkably similar to the bridge at Arcole.

One has to wonder as he picked up the flag if the irony was in any way on his mind, his page springing to life.

[LightxHeaven]

Napoleon with the wide outflanking maneuvers. He did the same at Smolensk in 1812 and almost succeeded catching the entire Russian army off-guard and winning the campaign in one masterstroke.

[RoydeanEU]

15:39 the classic napoleonic way to motivate his men by insulting them.

22:09 Napoleon always has a plan :)

27:29 Who is this colonel lannes they keep mentioning this is a battle between armies and generals surely he can't be important :)

56:36 only slightly embellished 🤣

[roger]

Thanks! Btw when's the next Rome reaction coming out?

[vladimirzarate]

2:58 just imagine now how dificult and frustrating was the siege of cádiz in spain with more than two and a half years and everything in vain 😬

[jacquesdemolay]

The Austrian army did not fight for the same purpose as the French army.

[szalard]

Napoleon's huge risk-taking at Verona by marching the bulk of his army around the enemy, leaving in front of it a smaller force, then attacking their rear was copied in 1849 by the Hungarian army during the 1848-49 War of Independence when General Artúr Görgei performed such a similar tactic in the Spring Campaign twice, managing to drive out the Austrian imperial force led by Field Marshal Windisch-Gratz, then Welden, from Central Hungary, until the Austrian-Hungarian border. Here too, if the Austrians had decided to attack the smaller Hungarian corps from the front, they would have been crushed, cut the Hungarian lines of retreat, and even occupied Debrecen, the seat of the Hungarian government. But instead of this, they retreated back towards Vienna.
It seems that the Austrian army did not learn its lesson at Arcole.
General Lee used The same tactic again in the Peninsula Campaign against McLellan in 1862.

[harrybrandon]

He snapped them into fitness for a smaller front and war