Historical Note
Arcole was fought over three days, November 15, 16 and 17, 1796. Bonaparte planned to outflank Alvintzi's main army with the Divisions under Augereau and Masséna.
The Austrians had fortified Arcole and the main approach was on a narrow causeway which could be raked with fire from the other side of the Alpone River. The village changed hands a couple of times over the three days. In the end Alvintzi was afraid his left flank had been compromised and he withdrew.
Briefings and Orders of Battle
General Baron Joszef Alvintzi :
General order of the day issued at 6:00am November 15, 1796: "Today we will consolidate
our position along the Alpone, make ready for our next advance on Verona, join forces with Davidovich,
and relieve Mantua."
General Baron Anton Mittrovsky : You are commanding the Austrian forces on the
east bank of the Alpone River. At Arcole are the forces commanded by Colonel Brigido,
except for his Banal Grenzer battalions who are in San Bonifacio (an hour north of Arcole).
Your personal command is currently at Cologna, which is about two hours north of Arcole.<
General Marchese Giovanni Provera : You are commanding the Austrian forces on the
west bank of the Alpone River and have positioned your advance field headquarters
at the village of Belfiore Di Porcile. A force commmanded by Lt. Colonel Gavasini
is about an hours march north of you and a second force, commanded by General Brabeck,
is about two hours north of you. You will consolidate your forces at Belfiore Di Porcile.
For a detailed Austrian Order of Battle click HERE.
General-in-Chief of the Army of Italy : Général Napoleon Bonaparte :
General order of the day issued by the commanding General Bonaparte at 6:00am November 15, 1796:
"Today we will outflank and and defeat the Austrian army that stands before us."
Général Pierre-Francois-Charles Augereau : Your command will cross the bridge
at Ronco first and attack the Austrian army holding Arcole.
Général André Masséna : Your command will cross the bridge at Ronco after
Augereau and attack the Austrians at Bionde Di Porcile and Belfiore Di Porcile.
For a detailed French Order of Battle click HERE.
Arcole - November 15, 1796 : After Action Report
Determined to outflank Alvintzi's army, Bonaparte had moved the Divisions under Augereau and Masséna along with the reserve cavalry to Ronco. During the night of 14 November a bridge was built over the Adige River. By 7:00am on 15 November the first elements of Augereau's Division had started to cross. Augereau was ordered to attack Arcole, Masséna, Bionde Di Porcile and Belfiore Di Porcile.
Alvintzi had protected his left flank by placing a garrison in Arcole under Brigido. While a squadron of Hussars was assigned to patrol the rivers, two battalions of Grenzers and a 3-pdr battery fortified the village.
Upon approaching Arcole, Augereau could see it was well defended. He positioned his guns to deal with the small Austrian battery and directed his infantry to assault the bridge. It didn't take long to force the Austrian guns back. The bridge was not so easy. After two infantry assaults failed Augereau repositioned his guns and made two more assaults. The French dead were piling up at the foot of the bridge and Augereau took a moment to reconsider his options. With even more determination he ordered another attack on the bridge. The Austrian resistance remained strong and the French were once again forced back. Augereau could see that his artillery was certainly having some effect so a sixth assault was made. Arcole finally fell to the 2nd Battalion of the 51st Ligne at 11:30am. The cost was heavy, five French battalions were reduced to half strength.
Although Alvintzi could hear the cannon fire from Arcole at 9:00am he thought it was only a diversion. Brigido's report that arrived at 10:00am changed that perception. At 11:00am Gavasini was ordered to advance towards Belfiore Di Porcile. Brabeck received orders to follow him at noon. At the same time Mittrovsky was ordered to Arcole.
Masséna took both of the villages assigned to him as they were not defended. Gavasini moved to attack him as soon as he could. Masséna easily repulsed the impetuous Austrian, however, he also noted Brabeck's troops moving up quickly to out flank him. Masséna knew he could no longer hold Belfiore Di Porcile, so he slowly withdrew back to Bionde Di Porcile.
Bonaparte was confident that Masséna could hold the Austrians at Bionde Di Porcile so at 1:30pm he ordered Guieu's Brigade to support Augereau.
Even though some elements of Mittrovsky's Brigade had arrived by 2:00pm it was clear that the Austrians would not be able to launch a successful attack on either side of the river.
Arcole 15 November 1796 Map:
Arcole Map Notes
Conclusion
Although the Austrians forced back five assaults on Arcole it fell six hours sooner then it did historically. It's hard to measure the true success of the French as it may be just game mechanics that allowed them to finally take Arcole. The players liked the way the system worked and said it had a realistic feeling. Perhaps the fighting on the next two days will shed more light on this. Regardless, Augereau showed determination over very difficult odds and Masséna demonstrated how to conduct a very effective withdrawl. The French team clearly won day one.
Augereau on the bridge at Arcole, 15th November 1796 by Charles Thevenin (1764-1838)
Click above for full image.
