Montenotte Campaign The Montenotte Campaign began on 10 April 1796 with an action at Voltri and ended with the Armistice of Cherasco on 28 April . In his first army command , Napoleon Bonaparte ' s French army separated the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia - Piedmont under Michelangelo Alessandro Colli - Marchi from the allied Austrian army led by Johann Peter Beaulieu . The French defeated both Austrian and Sardinian armies and forced Sardinia to quit the First Coalition . The campaign formed part of the Wars of the French Revolution . Montenotte , now called Cairo Montenotte is a municipality in the Ligurian Alps of northwest Italy . In the spring of 1796 , Bonaparte planned to launch an offensive against the combined armies of Sardinia and Austria . However , the Austrian army moved first , attacking the French right flank at Voltri , near Genoa . In response , Bonaparte counterattacked the center of the enemy array , striking the boundary between the armies of his adversaries . Winning at Montenotte , the budding military genius strove to drive the Piedmontese west and the Austrians northeast . Victories at Millesimo over the Sardinians and at Dego over the Austrians began to drive a deep wedge between them . Leaving a division to observe the stunned Austrians , Bonaparte ' s army chased the Piedmontese west after a second clash at Ceva . A week after the French drubbed the Sardinians at Mondovì the Sardinian government signed an armistice and withdrew from the war . In two and a half weeks , Bonaparte had overcome one of France ' s enemies , leaving the crippled Austrian army as his remaining opponent in northern Italy . Background . " See Montenotte 1796 Campaign Order of Battle for a list of French , Austrian , and Sardinian units and organizations . " Forces and Geography . The government of the First French Republic wished to drive Sardinia - Piedmont out of the First Coalition . To achieve this aim , the French Army of Italy first had to defeat Michelangelo Alessandro Colli - Marchi ' s 21 , 000 - man Sardinian army ( including 4 , 000 Austrians ) and Johann Peter Beaulieu ' s 28 , 000 - strong Austrian army . For this purpose , Bonaparte had a field force of 43 , 000 , while 22 , 000 more troops guarded his vulnerable supply line along the Italian and French Riviera . The town of Savona lies on the coast , about west of Genoa . Going west - northwest from Savona , a road crosses the Cadibona Pass and reaches Carcare on the Bormida River , from Savona . Continuing in roughly the same direction from Carcare , the road passes through Millesimo after another . Crossing a divide near the hamlet of Montezemolo , the highway descends into the Tanaro River valley at the small fortress of Ceva . From Millesimo to Ceva is about and from Ceva to Mondovì is a distance of . Once past Mondovì , the road exits the mountains and enters the plains around the fortress of Cuneo ( Coni ) . Cuneo is west of Mondovì . At Carcare , a road branches north to reach Montenotte , 5 km distant . Continuing a further to the northwest , the road reaches Dego . Acqui , lies about to the northeast of Dego . From Dego a road goes east toward Sassello . A north - south road across the Colle di Giovo connects Sassello and Savona , apart . Imperia lies on the coast about southwest of Savona . An important road connects Imperia , Ormea and Ceva . Farther west is the Col de Tende , an easily defensible pass that connects Cuneo with Nice on the Mediterranean coast . Voltri , now a suburb of Genoa , is on the coast only west of that great port and accessible from the north via the Turchino Pass . Further east , Genoa may be reached from the north by the Bochetta Pass . The theater of operations stretched from the Col de Tende on the west to Voltri on the east . Allied and French Plans . Beaulieu planned for Karl Philipp Sebottendorf ' s Left Wing to attack the exposed French right flank . After smashing the French right , Sebottendorf would join Eugène - Guillaume Argenteau ' s 9 , 000 - man Right Wing in crushing Bonaparte ' s main body near Savona . Beaulieu ordered Argenteau , based at Acqui , to attack Savona by way of Montenotte and Sassello . Though the Austrian field army numbered 32 , 000 infantry , 5 , 000 cavalry , and 148 cannon , four battalions guarded Lombardy , others were marching to the front from their winter quarters in the Po River valley , and thousands were sick . Available strength may have been as low as 25 , 000 soldiers . The Austrian government feared that Piedmont wanted to drop out of the alliance and even change sides . Therefore , Beaulieu received secret instructions not to fully trust his ally . Consequently , he neglected to fully inform the Sardinians of his plans . Colli deployed his army between Dego and Cuneo , with his main weight to the west guarding the Col de Tende . He posted two battalions at Dego and part of Giovanni Marchese di Provera ' s Austrian brigade at Millesimo . Meanwhile , François Christophe de Kellermann ' s French Army of the Alps and the Prince of Corrigan ' s Sardinian army , each about 20 , 000 strong , glared at each other in the mountains west of Cuneo and Turin . The French government found it useful to keep Jean - Baptiste Cervoni ' s brigade at Voltri in order to secure supplies from the nearby city - state of Genoa , which was neutral . Amedee Emmanuel Francois Laharpe stationed one brigade each on the Sassello and Carcare roads . Bonaparte posted Jean - Baptiste Meynier ' s division at Savona and Pierre Augereau ' s division farther west , with troops in the mountains . Jean - Mathieu - Philibert Sérurier ' s division held Ormea , while Francois Macquard and Pierre Dominique Garnier ' s small divisions covered the Col de Tende . About half of Henri Christian Michel de Stengel ' s cavalry was with the army , while the rest were en route from France . On 5 April Bonaparte received intelligence that Austrian troops were advancing on Voltri , Sassello and Dego . He placed his army on alert , but did not make any other changes . Bonaparte rejected the Ormea route as too difficult and the Col de Tende route as too distant for his planned offensive . After a meticulous study of maps he determined to lunge across the Cadibona Pass from Savona to seize Carcare . This town was the vital point linking the Austrian army to the east with the Sardinian army to the west . Bonaparte planned to commit André Masséna ' s corps ( Laharpe and Meynier ) and Augereau to the main attack , while Sérurier threatened Ceva . He ordered Macquard and Garnier to make a feint in the Col di Tende area . The French offensive was set to begin on 15 April . Campaign . Voltri and Montenotte . In the event , Beaulieu moved first . On 10 April , the Austrian army commander accompanied Sebottendorf and 3 , 200 men as they advanced across the Turchino Pass to attack Cervoni ' s 5 , 000 Frenchmen in the Battle of Voltri . At the same time , Philipp Pittoni von Dannenfeld ' s 4 , 000 - strong column traversed the Bocchetta Pass . " The attack was badly organized , poorly coordinated , and used a surprisingly small number of troops . " Outnumbered , Cervoni " conducted a masterly withdrawal to the west " avoiding a trap . On 11 April , Beaulieu paused to await news from his Right Wing . A day late , Argenteau and Mathias Rukavina von Boynograd assembled 4 , 000 soldiers near Montenotte on the morning of the 11th . This force advanced southeast toward 2 , 000 French soldiers at Monte Negino ( Monte Legino ) . Meanwhile , a second Austrian brigade occupied Sassello . Antoine - Guillaume Rampon repulsed several Austrian attacks at Monte Negino during the day . Bonaparte ordered Laharpe to attack Argenteau the next day with two brigades while Masséna enveloped the Austrian flank with the third brigade . He also directed Augereau and Meynier to concentrate at Carcare . Beaulieu found himself in a strategic dead - end at Voltri and directed Josef Philipp Vukassovich to march through the hills to Sassello while ordering the rest of the troops back to Acqui . On 12 April , Bonaparte ' s French army defeated Argenteau ' s soldiers at the Battle of Montenotte . While Laharpe mounted a frontal attack with 7 , 000 troops from Monte Negino , Masséna moved north with 4 , 000 men to turn Argenteau ' s weak right flank . Masséna ' s flanking movement broke through and Argenteau ' s efforts to plug the gap failed . The Austrian pulled back and the French mauled his outnumbered force . Argenteau withdrew his battered force to Dego , complaining that he could rally only 700 men to the colors . Millesimo , Dego , and Ceva . Bonaparte turned west against Colli ' s army on 13 April . Augereau ' s division easily pushed back Provera ' s weak brigade in the Battle of Millesimo . To cover the retreat , Provera and 1 , 000 picked troops occupied a ruined hilltop castle . Instead of bypassing this obstacle , Bonaparte ordered Cosseria castle to be stormed . For the rest of the day , the Austro - Sardinians repelled several assaults with heavy French casualties . Provera surrendered the following morning when its defenders ran out of food , water , and ammunition . On 14 April , Bonaparte directed Masséna and Laharpe to attack Argenteau in the Second Battle of Dego . After inflicting 1 , 500 French casualties , most of the outnumbered Austrians were killed , wounded or captured . Argenteau led the remnant of his force back to Acqui . Bonaparte left Masséna and one of Meynier ' s brigades to hold Dego and ordered Laharpe back to Carcare . Beaulieu ordered Vukassovich ' s brigade to Dego on the 14th but a poorly written order caused his subordinate to be a day too late . At dawn on 15 April , Vukassovich surprised Meynier ' s brigade in the act of looting the town and routed the French . Masséna hastily recalled Laharpe to retake Dego . Several hours later , the heavily reinforced French retook the town after a tough fight , with Bonaparte supervising the assault . Vukassovich retreated to Acqui . After a clash between Augereau and Colli at Montezemolo , the Sardinians pulled back to Ceva . On 16 April , Augereau attacked the Sardinians and was repulsed in the Battle of Ceva . Fearing that Sérurier , who was approaching from Ormea , might attack him in the rear , Colli withdrew to the Corsaglia River at San Michele Mondovi . He left a battalion behind to hold Ceva ' s small fortress . Bonaparte ordered Laharpe to scout Sassello to determine Beaulieu ' s whereabouts . Meynier reported sick , so Masséna took direct command of his division , which remained near Dego . Mondovì and Cherasco . Laharpe returned to Dego , reporting no enemy activity . Meanwhile , Beaulieu reassembled his battered army near Acqui and Colli directed Jean - Gaspard Dichat de Toisinge with 8 , 000 soldiers and 15 cannon to defend the Corsaglia position . On 19 April , Bonaparte ordered Sérurier to attack San Michele while Augereau flanked the river line from the north . Augereau ' s effort failed due to high water . Sérurier ' s soldiers fought their way across the river , but then dispersed in search of food and plunder . Colli counterattacked and threw the French back . That day , Bonaparte switched his supply line from the exposed Cadibona Pass to a safer route via Imperia and Ormea . Bonaparte called up Masséna to make a three division attack on the San Michele position . Laharpe guarded the army ' s rear against an Austrian attack . Faced with a heavy French concentration , Colli abandoned the Corsaglia River line on the night of 20 / 21 April . But the vigorous French pursuit soon overran the Sardinian rearguard . Colli barely had time to arrange his troops before Sérurier attacked him in the Battle of Mondovì . The French general formed his least experienced troops into three columns and covered them with his veterans in open order . Then , leading his central column , Sérurier launched a charge with Masséna ' s division in support . Brushing aside spotty resistance , the French broke the Sardinian lines and forced them to abandon Mondovì . Dichat was killed . Stengel received a mortal wound while leading a force of dragoons in pursuit . After forcing Mondovì ' s municipal authorities to hand over a large quantity of provisions , Bonaparte launched his pursuit . On the evening of 23 April , the French army commander received a letter from Colli requesting an armistice . Ruthlessly , Bonaparte urged his men forward to conquer as much territory as possible . Since his ragged and hungry soldiers reached the plains it was relatively easy for them to forage for food , unlike the situation in the mountains . By 25 April , Masséna held Cherasco and Augereau occupied Alba , with Laharpe and Sérurier defending the flanks . Bonaparte shifted his supply line again , this time to the secure Col de Tende . By the Armistice of Cherasco , signed on 28 April , territory east of the Stura di Demonte and Tanaro Rivers passed under French control . The fortresses of Cuneo , Ceva , and Tortona acquired French garrisons . In addition , the Sardinians granted the French army permission to cross its territory if it wished . A secret clause allowed Bonaparte to cross the Po River at the city of Valenza . Ratification of the armistice and the signing of a formal treaty was left to the French government . Bonaparte dispatched Joachim Murat to Paris with the details . Results . Succeeding where earlier armies had failed , Bonaparte and his soldiers knocked Sardinia out of the war in a single brief campaign . The French suffered 6 , 000 casualties during the campaign . Total Austrian losses stood between 5 , 000 and 6 , 000 , while the Sardinians lost a few thousand . With Sardinia - Piedmont pacified , the French were free to direct their attentions on their major enemy , Austria . Soon Bonaparte launched a new offensive , which resulted in victories over Beaulieu at the battles of Fombio and Lodi in May . Commentary . Historian Martin Boycott - Brown lists the reasons for Bonaparte ' s victory , . . . not just the disastrous separation between Beaulieu and Argenteau , but also to that between the Austrian and Piedmontese armies . If the Austrians had chosen to concentrate closer to the Piedmontese positions , as Colli had wanted , it would have been less easy for Bonaparte to effect their separation . The defeat of the Piedmontese became almost inevitable from the moment Bonaparte managed to drive a wedge between the allies and obliged the Piedmontese to draw ever further from their only source of help by threatening to outflank them . It would be easy to heap the blame for this on Beaulieu , but as we have said before , he was given a difficult hand to play , and if he came off second best in a contest with one of the greatest strategists in the history of war , it is not surprising .