Siege of Genoa ( 1800 ) During the Siege of Genoa ( 6 April – 4 June 1800 ) the Austrians besieged and captured Genoa however this was a pyrrhic victory as the smaller French force at Genoa under André Masséna had diverted enough Austrian troops to enable Napoleon to win the Battle of Marengo and defeat the Austrians . Background . After Massena ' s victory in the Second Battle of Zurich the alliance between Russia and Austria ended . Despite this it did not end the war and when Napoleon came back from Egypt and proclaimed himself First Consul , the French prospects of victory improved even more . However , Napoleon needed time in order to bring his troops in Italy so he ordered Massena to hold Nice and Genoa at all costs until he arrived . Beginning . Initially the French had about 60 , 000 soldiers , but due to disease they were reduced to about 36 , 000 fighting men . Austrian commander Melas had around 120 , 000 soldiers available in Italy . After the first engagements , despite the bravery of the French commanded by Suchet and Soult , Genoa was soon cut off from any outside help and by 6 April the French were surrounded not only by land , but also by sea where a strong British squadron had just taken up positions . Nevertheless the French morale remained high and Massena was determined to hold on . Siege . Genoa was defended both by nature and by strong fortifications , but Massena planned a more offensive strategy . On 7 April he ordered an attack on Monte Ratti , which resulted in the Austrians being thrown out of the Apennines and the French capturing about 1 , 500 prisoners , including General - Major Konstantin Ghilian Karl d ' Aspré . On April 9 Massena started a desperate operation to unite with the rest of the French forces commanded by Suchet . Although Massena was cut off with only 1 , 200 soldiers against 10 , 000 Austrians he endured their attacks and with the help of Soult captured another 4 , 000 prisoners . After this battle the French finally shut themselves in the city . Other desperately fought battles soon followed , especially those for Fort Quezzi and Fort Richelieu , inflicting further heavy casualties on the Austrians . This was followed by a battle for the possession of Mount Creto where the French were victorious again and the Austrians halted all further actions . In the meantime , Bonaparte marched with the Army of the Reserve , not to the relief of Genoa , but to Milan where he spent six days . By the end of May , plague had spread throughout Genoa and the civilian population was in revolt . Negotiations were begun for the exchange of prisoners early in June , but the citizens and some of the garrison clamoured for capitulation . Unknown to Masséna , the Austrian general , Peter Ott , had been ordered to raise the siege because Bonaparte had crossed Great St . Bernard Pass and was now threatening the main Austrian army . Describing the situation at Genoa , Ott requested and received permission to continue the siege . On 4 June , with one day ' s rations remaining , Masséna ' s negotiator finally agreed to evacuate the French army from Genoa . However , " if the word capitulation was mentioned or written " , Masséna threatened to end all negotiations . Two days later , a few of the French left the city by sea , but the bulk of Masséna ' s starving and exhausted troops marched out of the city with all their equipment and followed the road along the coast toward France , ending one of the most remarkable sieges in modern military history . The siege was an astonishing demonstration of tenacity , ingenuity , courage , and daring that garnered additional laurels for Masséna and placed him in a category previously reserved for Bonaparte alone . Aftermath . The gruelling siege of some sixty days had ended but it played an important role in Bonaparte ' s strategy . By forcing the Austrians to deploy vast forces against him at Genoa , Masséna made it possible for Bonaparte to cross the Great St . Bernard Pass , surprise the Austrians , and ultimately defeat General Michael Melas ' s army at Marengo before sufficient reinforcements could be transferred from the siege site . Less than three weeks after the evacuation , Bonaparte wrote to Masséna , " I am not able to give you a greater mark of the confidence I have in you than by giving you command of the first army of the Republic [ Army of Italy ] . " The Austrians also recognized the significance of Masséna ' s defense ; the Austrian chief of staff declared firmly , " You won the battle , not in front of Alessandria but in front of Genoa . "