Chapter 810: The Toughest Battle of the Army of Italy
However, as Bernard's two infantry regiments deployed into line formation in front of the Austrian forces, they were immediately met with a devastatingly intense barrage of fire.
Although Argenteau's troops were disorganized due to their initial carelessness, they still numbered over fifteen thousand men.
This was more than five times the strength of the French force. Furthermore, as the defenders of the position, they had the opportunity to adjust their ranks and stabilize their lines.
Major Bernard acted with immense bravery, galloping to the very front of the battle line. He held his saber high, shouting at the top of his lungs to encourage his men.
His two infantry regiments managed to force the enemy directly in front of them to recoil with several disciplined volleys. However, because their numbers were so few, the Austrian infantry lines quickly began to overlap them from the flanks, forming a deadly semi-circle.
French soldiers began to fall under a hail of bullets coming from their sides, facing a density of fire several times greater than their own.
In a mere ten minutes, Major Bernard's unit suffered over a thousand casualties.
The initial French momentum shattered instantly, replaced by the chilling dread brought on by the sight of so many fallen comrades.
When Major Bernard was struck by a bullet in his left arm, the French center finally began to collapse.
Driven back by tens of thousands of Austrian troops, Augereau was forced into a humiliating retreat from the village of Marengo.
Simultaneously, the Bonnet skirmisher battalion, which had been attempting a surprise attack on the right flank, ran headlong into Argenteau’s main legion.
With fewer than a thousand men, the French skirmishers briefly exchanged fire with the seven thousand Austrians before immediately choosing to withdraw.
Augereau led his retreating troops two kilometers east of the village, where they finally encountered Marmont's legion arriving as reinforcements. Only then did they manage to barely stabilize the situation.
But the Austrian army, knowing they had no path of retreat, followed them almost immediately, hot on their heels.
Marmont hurriedly organized a defensive line anchored by a forest to the south. Fortunately, the Austrian heavy artillery had not yet arrived on the scene, allowing him to narrowly repulse Argenteau's first wave of attacks.
Near the treeline, Marmont, covered in the soot and smell of gunpowder, frowned as he looked at Augereau. "Are you saying we are facing Melas's main army?"
The latter nodded sheepishly. "It appears so. The enemy has at least thirty thousand men."
Marmont's face turned ashen.
Even with his and Augereau's forces combined, they had fewer than six thousand soldiers. They simply did not have the strength to face the enemy in a pitched battle.
He asked further, "Have you reported this to Colonel Bonaparte?"
"Yes, I sent cavalry to contact him at ten this morning."
Marmont glanced behind them. "The main force won't be back until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. We must fall back to San Giuliano and try to hold there until tomorrow."
Augereau, gradually recovering from his earlier panic, considered this and shook his head. "It seems Melas intends to head toward Parma and then attack Lodi."
"If we only defend San Giuliano, they can simply bypass us and continue east via Castelceriolo to the north."
Marmont grew anxious. "Then what should we do?"
Augereau gritted his teeth. "We set up a defensive line stretching from San Giuliano to Castelceriolo. We must stall Melas for an entire day!"
Castelceriolo was five kilometers northwest of San Giuliano.
With only six thousand troops at their disposal, trying to hold such a wide front was an almost impossible task.
Marmont looked at him and sighed. "You were always a madman... but it seems we have no other choice right now."
When Melas received word that Argenteau's legion had quickly routed the French and begun the pursuit eastward, he was suddenly overcome by deep suspicion.
Napoleon had dealt the Austrian army too many bitter defeats in the past.
The French had seemed almost ghost-like, appearing and disappearing at will. Every time the Austrians felt they were holding the winning ticket in their hands, a French unit would surge out from the most unexpected place to tear them apart.
Therefore, the fact that Argenteau had won so easily made Melas feel as though this was another trap set by the French.
He hastily sent orders for Argenteau's legion not to advance too recklessly. Only after his main army had fully concentrated did he continue the steady advance toward the town of San Giuliano.
This caution gave Augereau and his men a desperately needed breathing spell.
At three in the afternoon, the Austrian army launched a massive assault on San Giuliano.
Augereau was much more disciplined than he had been that morning, arranging three lines of defense to offer layered resistance.
Marmont's artillery batteries also utilized a piece of high ground, desperately pouring shells into the advancing Austrian ranks.
However, the disparity in numbers was simply too great. Furthermore, the Austrians knew they had to reach Lodi quickly, or they risked being pinned down by the main French force. Consequently, they attacked with everything they had.
In less than three hours, Augereau's first two defensive lines collapsed entirely. Argenteau's lead skirmishers could already see the French artillery positions.
Fortunately, the day was overcast, and night began to fall slightly earlier than usual. Just as the French were on the verge of breaking, total darkness descended.
Melas was forced to reluctantly withdraw his troops and wait for daybreak.
Augereau spent the entire night repairing the defensive works, hardly sleeping a wink.
The following morning, the Austrian army was impatient to resume the offensive.
Having endured the brutal combat of the previous day, French morale was incredibly low. They resisted for less than an hour before signs of a total rout began to appear.
On a hill north of San Giuliano, Augereau watched the front lines steadily buckling and let out a heavy sigh. "This is my fault for launching that rash attack yesterday. I wasted too many men..."
He patted Marmont on the back. "Auguste, take the men and retreat toward Pavia. I will stay behind to cover the rear."
Just as Marmont was about to speak, he noticed the sound of gunfire and cannon from the Austrian northern flank seemed off. He frowned instantly. "What is happening over there?"
Soon, a scout came galloping toward them, pointing to the northwest and shouting, "Commanders! Cavalry! It's our cavalry battalion! They've come to reinforce us!"
Augereau's heart leaped. He raised his telescope and looked in that direction, confirming that chaos was indeed breaking out on the Austrian left flank.
He made a split-second decision and turned to Marmont. "We abandon the village of San Giuliano! Concentrate all our strength to coordinate with the cavalry and strike the enemy's left flank!"
South of Castelceriolo, Major Grouchy led the charge into the Austrian infantry. After the occupation of Milan, he had been promoted to Major and given command of the Montpellier Hussar Battalion.
He had encountered the messenger Augereau had sent to Napoleon the previous afternoon. Upon learning that Melas's army was moving east, he had set out immediately to provide support.
His hussar battalion, combined with some cavalry from Moulins, totaled about twelve hundred riders. They had ridden without pause, finally arriving just before Augereau's line disintegrated.
The Austrians, suddenly struck by a large body of cavalry, were instantly panic-stricken. The shadow Napoleon had cast over them previously loomed large once more.
Many Austrian soldiers began to scream in terror, "We've been ambushed by the French again!"
"Watch out! There are French reinforcements nearby!"
Grouchy had attended military school in Strasbourg, which was close to Baden, so he understood some German.
When he heard the shouts of the Austrian soldiers, a flash of inspiration hit him. He began to bellow in German, "General Bonaparte's fifty thousand reinforcements have surrounded you!"
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