Battle of Campo Tenese The Battle of Campo Tenese ( 10 March 1806 ) saw two divisions of the Imperial French Army of Naples led by Jean Reynier attack the left wing of the Royal Neapolitan Army under Roger de Damas . Though the defenders were protected by field fortifications , a French frontal attack combined with a turning movement rapidly overran the position and routed the Neapolitans with heavy losses . The action occurred at Campotenese , a little mountain village in the municipality of Morano Calabro in the north of Calabria . The battle was fought during the War of the Third Coalition , part of the Napoleonic Wars . Following the decision by King Ferdinand IV of Naples to ally himself with the Austrian Empire , Russian Empire , and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Napoleon ' s decisive victory over the Allies at the Battle of Austerlitz , Napoleon declared Bourbon rule of southern Italy at an end . In the second week of February 1806 the Imperial French armies poured across the border in the Invasion of Naples . The Neapolitan army , divided into two wings , retreated before the superior forces of their opponents . At Campo Tenese , Damas attempted to make a stand with the left wing in order to give the right wing time to join him . After the defeat , the Neapolitan army melted away from desertion and only a few thousand soldiers remained to be evacuated to Sicily by the British Royal Navy . However , the conflict was far from over . The Siege of Gaeta , the British victory at Maida , and a bitter insurrection in Calabria proved to be obstacles to French success . Background . In early 1805 , French Emperor Napoleon prepared to defend his possessions in Italy against the Austrian Empire . To this end , he deployed 68 , 000 troops under Marshal André Masséna in the north , 18 , 000 soldiers led by General of Division Laurent Gouvion Saint - Cyr in central Italy , and 8 , 000 men from the satellite Kingdom of Italy . For its part , the Austrian army in Italy under Archduke Charles , Duke of Teschen numbered 90 , 000 men . King Ferdinand IV ' s Neapolitan army counted only 22 , 000 soldiers . Afraid that Saint - Cyr ' s corps might overrun his lands , the king concluded a treaty with Napoleon to remain neutral during the War of the Third Coalition . As soon as Saint - Cyr ' s army marched north , Ferdinand and Queen Maria Carolina violated the agreement and invited the British and Russians to land expeditionary forces in their kingdom . Napoleon had been double - crossed . Lieutenant General James Henry Craig ' s 6 , 000 British and General Maurice Lacy of Grodno ' s 7 , 350 Russians landed at Naples on 20 November 1805 . However , Napoleon ' s decisive victory at the Battle of Austerlitz on 2 December 1805 resulted in the demise of the Third Coalition . As a result , both expeditionary forces were ordered by their governments to withdraw and they were gone by mid - January . This left Ferdinand alone to face the fury of Napoleon , who had determined to conquer the Kingdom of Naples and hand the crown to his brother Joseph Bonaparte . Saint - Cyr ' s corps was renamed the " Army of Naples " in January 1806 and placed under the command of Masséna , though Joseph was the nominal leader . Annoyed at being demoted , Saint - Cyr clashed with Masséna and was recalled early in the campaign . The army was divided into three wings . General of Division Jean Reynier commanded 7 , 500 soldiers of the right wing assembled at Rome . Masséna led the 17 , 500 troops of the center , also concentrated at Rome . The 5 , 000 men of the left wing under General of Division Giuseppe Lechi massed at Ancona on the Adriatic Sea . General of Division Guillaume Philibert Duhesme was marching from Austria with an additional 7 , 500 - man division and 3 , 500 more troops from northern Italy were destined for the campaign . In total , Masséna ' s army numbered more than 41 , 000 men . While the Imperial French army ' s combat effectiveness was high , it suffered from maladministration . Its troops were poorly paid , clothed , and fed , leading the soldiers to rob the local people as a matter of course . This habit would have evil consequences . French columns lunged across the border on 8 February 1806 , finding no resistance and causing panic at the Neapolitan royal court . Queen Carolina abandoned Naples on 11 February and fled to Sicily . Ferdinand had already left on 23 January . Lechi ' s division occupied Foggia on the Adriatic after only one week . The Italian general later crossed the Apennine Mountains and reached Naples . Masséna ' s column quickly arrived before Gaeta , about north of Naples , where its commander Prince Louis of Hesse - Philippsthal refused a demand to surrender . The imposing fortress dominated the coast road , so the French marshal left one division to blockade the place and advanced to Naples with a second infantry division . On 14 February , Masséna occupied Naples and Joseph made a triumphant entrance to the city the following day . Reinforced by General of Division Jean - Antoine Verdier ' s division from Masséna ' s main body , Reynier ' s column reached Naples at the end of February after marching on secondary roads . Joseph now took control of the army , putting all troops near Naples under Masséna , assigning a mobile force to Reynier , and placing the forces on the Adriatic littoral under Saint - Cyr . Joseph ordered Reynier to conduct a fast march to the Strait of Messina . Battle . The Neapolitan army was divided into two wings . The left wing under Roger de Damas consisted of 15 battalions and five squadrons while Marshal Rosenheim ' s right wing had 13 battalions and 11 squadrons . Receiving word that the Neapolitan army was located to the south , Reynier left Naples and advanced with about 10 , 000 troops . Meanwhile , the Neapolitan wings retired before the French invasion . Rosenheim , whose column was accompanied by Hereditary Prince Francis , withdrew in front of Lechi ' s division on the east coast while Damas fell back south of Naples . Damas ' left wing had between 6 , 000 and 7 , 000 regulars plus Calabrian militia . Rosenheim ' s right wing counted somewhat fewer soldiers . The commanders of the two Neapolitan wings hoped to unite their forces near Cassano all ' Ionio . Damas determined to hold a blocking position in the mountains until his colleague could reach the rendezvous . On 6 March at Lagonegro , Reynier ' s light infantry advance guard located Damas ' militia rear guard under an officer named Sciarpa . The French scattered their opponents with a loss of 300 casualties and four artillery pieces . Reynier ' s scouts detected Damas ' position on 8 March and the French general prepared to attack the following day . In March 1806 , Reynier ' s force consisted of his own division plus a second division under Verdier . Reynier ' s all - French division included the 1st Light and 42nd Line Infantry Regiments in the 1st Brigade and the 6th Line and 23rd Light Infantry Regiments in the 2nd Brigade . All regiments had three battalions . Verdier ' s division was made up of the three - battalion " 1st Polish Legion " and the 1st Battalion of the 4th Swiss Regiment in the 1st Brigade and the three - battalion French 10th Line Infantry Regiment in the 2nd Brigade . The artillery arm had three 6 - pound cannons , four 3 - pound cannons , and five howitzers . The cavalry units were four squadrons each of the French 6th and 9th Chasseurs à Cheval Regiments . Damas ' infantry contingent counted three battalions each of the " Princess Royal " and " Royal Calabrian " Regiments , two battalions each of the " Royal Ferdinand " , " Royal Carolina " , and " Prince Royal " Regiments , and one battalion each of the " Royal Guard Grenadiers " , " Royal Abruzzi " , and " Royal Presidi " Regiments . The left wing cavalry comprised two squadrons each of the " Prince Nr . 2 " and " Princess " Regiments and one squadron of the " Val di Mazzana " Regiment . Damas ' left wing counted about 14 , 000 soldiers , only half of whom were regulars . His corps took up a strong position near Campotenese with his troops sheltered behind breastworks . The Neapolitans were deployed across a wide valley with both flanks against the mountains . Narrow defiles marked the valley ' s entrance and exit points . The pass behind the Neapolitans was the weakest point in Damas ' defensive layout , since it could make retreat difficult . The Neapolitan general put nine battalions in the first line defending three artillery redoubts . He bolstered the first line with cavalry support and arranged the balance of his troops in a second line . He did not guard the mountains on either flank . Reynier ' s troops broke camp on the morning of 9 March . A wind at their backs blew snow in the eyes of their adversaries . The French general put one brigade in his front line , ordered his light infantry to turn the Neapolitan right flank , and placed Verdier in charge of the reserve . By 3 : 00 PM everything was ready . In single file , Reynier ' s light infantry picked their way along the cliffs on Damas ' right flank and ultimately emerged to the right and rear of their opponents . Deploying into a cloud of skirmishers , they attacked , causing disorder in the Neapolitan lines . At the same time , General of Brigade Louis Fursy Henri Compère led a frontal assault on the first line . After exchanging a few volleys with their enemies , Compère ' s men charged forward and captured one of the redoubts . In the face of the double attack , the Neapolitan line crumpled and the men fled for the exit to the valley . Soon the pass was crammed with panicked soldiers and the French took 2 , 000 prisoners , including two generals . Total Neapolitan casualties added up to 3 , 000 , and their artillery and baggage were also captured . French losses were unknown but light . The battle marked the end of the Neapolitan army as an effective force . Aftermath . That evening , Reynier ' s troops camped at the village of Morano Calabro . A French eyewitness , Paul Louis Courier recorded that exhausted and starving soldiers robbed , raped , and murdered the inhabitants . Courier later described the war as " one of the most diabolical waged in many years " . By 13 March , Reynier covered the distance to Cosenza . The French reached Reggio Calabria on the Strait of Messina a week later . Prince Francis escaped only a few hours earlier . While Reynier chased Damas ' crippled wing , Duhesme and Lechi had pursued the wing led by Rosenheim and the prince . During the retreat the Neapolitan army dissolved ; only 2 , 000 or 3 , 000 regulars from both wings remained to be taken off by ship to Messina in Sicily . The militia simply went to their homes while most of the regulars deserted the colors . Before leaving for Sicily , Francis encouraged the militia to form flying columns to fight the French . In 1806 , much of Calabria was a rough place . The 1783 Calabrian earthquakes had killed 100 , 000 persons . Much of Reggio was still in ruins as late as 1813 and many churches were not been rebuilt by 1806 . The Calabrians were a hardy breed with an independent streak . They sometimes indulged in vendettas against neighboring families and villages . Plundering Imperial troops and grasping French civil authorities quickly set off a rebellion by the proud Calabrians . On the other hand , the residents of the major towns despised the Neapolitan royal government and often favored the French . The revolt flared up after certain incidents . At Scigliano the French left a detachment of 50 soldiers . A woman was raped and the villagers massacred most of the Frenchmen . The French commanders had only one response to such events , to assault , sack , and burn down the offending village . This led directly to an ugly cycle of atrocity and counter - atrocity . The newly anointed King Joseph tried to be fair . He ordered French soldiers to be shot for criminal offenses and French officials to be put on trial for corruption . Nevertheless , the Calabrian insurrection soon ran out of control . The Siege of Gaeta would occupy the French from 26 February to 18 July . Meanwhile , the Battle of Maida on 4 July would seriously threaten French control of Calabria .