When Austrian troops advanced to attack two French divisions near Marengo, Italy, on 14 June 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte was shocked. Fully expecting the Austrians to avoid a fight, he had detached several of his divisions to block potential escape routes, and he didn’t arrive at the battlefield himself until the French situation was almost lost.
The French and Austrian armies were evenly matched, each numbering around 31,000, although the Austrians held a significant advantage in artillery (100 guns to just 40), but Napoleon’s decision to disperse his forces meant he was facing the full strength of his enemy with just 22,000 men and 20 guns.
Disaster loomed as he tried to slow the Austrian advance, buying time for the return of his scattered divisions. Whether or not any of them…