‘I hoped it would be. I was wrong, General.’

‘And what of the French army today, Dunais? How does it compare with the old Bourbon army? Be honest with me - your officers are not here.’

For the first time Dunais looked him in the eyes. ‘Not well, sir. The lads are keen enough to fight, and would make good enough soldiers . . .’

‘But?’

‘They’ve been given a raw deal by those bastards in the government. And they’ve been cheated by the army contractors. Worst of all, there’s some of the officers who treat us as bad as the contractors, or owe their rank to political friends and know nothing about soldiering, sir.’ Dunais realised he might have said too much, and suddenly clamped his mouth shut and stared straight ahead once more.

‘Private Dunais, your comments are noted, and I give you my word that your grievances will be addressed as soon as possible.’ Napoleon raised his voice so that more men could hear him. ‘If France wants us to fight, then France is going to make sure that her soldiers get the best of what’s available. It’s the very least that her soldiers deserve. Major Junot, make a note of this man’s complaints.’

‘Yes, sir.’

Napoleon continued down the line, stopping every so often to question one of the men and find out where he had come from, and what his grievances were. Once the inspection was over he climbed into a light supply wagon that had been brought forward to act as a podium. He waited until there was almost total silence and stillness in the ranks, and then began to address them.

‘Soldiers! You are hungry and short of equipment. Your government owes you everything but can afford to give you nothing.The patience and courage which you have shown so far has been admirable - but it has not brought you any glory. Not one shred of glory. That is about to change. I will lead you into the most fertile lands in Europe. There are rich provinces with fine towns and cities in Italy, all of which will be yours for the taking. There you will find honour, glory and riches.’ Napoleon paused to draw breath and then thrust his arm out and pointed at them. ‘Soldiers of the Army of Italy! With all this before you, will you be lacking in courage or endurance?’

‘No!’ a voice cried out. ‘We will fight!’

‘Fight!’ another shouted. ‘Fight for General Bonaparte!’

Others picked up the mood and soon they were all chanting his name. Napoleon indulged them for a moment and then turned to Junot and smiled. ‘Now we have an army!’

The date set for the opening of the campaign was 15 April and in the days leading up to the start of the offensive Napoleon and his staff worked every possible hour to remedy the army’s problems. Local banks were forced to make loans to the army so that the men could be paid and supplies purchased. The complaints of the soldiers were investigated and corrupt and incompetent officers were relieved of their commands or sent far to the rear on garrison duty, or even dismissed from the service. The supply contractors were threatened with the loss of their army business if the men were not properly fed. Napoleon visited as many of the units as he could in the early days of April to make rousing speeches to the men, and he set up an army newspaper to provide news from home as well as morale-boosting accounts of the progress of the war with Austria. At the end of every day he sat down and wrote a letter to Josephine, telling her of his exhausting duties, and of the deep love and fiery passion for her that made every day of separation a torture. He asked her, with increasing frustration, to write and let him know when she would come and join him.

The Army of Italy moved forward towards Savona to mass in readiness for the campaign. Napoleon was in a fine mood; his time had come and soon his name would be known the length and breadth of Europe.The only lingering worry was the lack of precise intelligence about the main body of the Austrian army under General Beaulieu. He resolved to send Murat out with some light cavalry first thing in the morning to scout ahead and find the enemy. Then, eyes and limbs aching from his exertions, Napoleon climbed into his bed and fell asleep.

‘Sir!’ a voice called out, waking him. Napoleon rose stiffly and blinked his eyes. Major Junot was standing at the foot of the bed, still in his nightshirt. Behind him the first grey light of dawn was creeping across the roofs of Savona.

‘Junot, what the devil’s going on?’

‘It’s the Austrians.They’ve attacked one of Masséna’s brigades.’

‘Where?’ Napoleon threw back the bedclothes and climbed out of bed. ‘In what strength?’

‘Near Voltri. The report from Colonel Cervoni is that his brigade is holding them back but the enemy is arriving in greater numbers all the time. He says he will be forced to fall back before long.’

‘Voltri, eh?’ Napoleon closed his eyes and recalled the details of the map of the coastal area towards Genoa.Voltri was a port a short distance from Genoa where Masséna’s division was moving into position to attack. At once he grasped the danger. He opened his eyes and fixed his stare on Junot.

‘Get Berthier and the others in my office. Then send an alert to all divisional and brigade commanders. I want the army ready to march at once. Tell them the campaign begins today. Today, understand?’

‘Yes, sir.’ Junot saluted and left the room as Napoleon reached for his clothes.

When he entered his office, a staff sergeant was already laying out a map, and Napoleon ordered him to find some coffee and bread. Leaning over the map he found Voltri at once and nodded as he saw the disposition of his troops that Berthier had marked in the night before. The Austrians were attempting to drive towards the coast to cut Masséna off from the rest of the army. If they succeeded, the campaign was over before it had begun. Just as Napoleon’s career would be. On the other hand, he considered, unless the Austrians had changed their tactics the attack would proceed at a slow pace. Slow enough for Napoleon to turn the situation to his advantage.

Chapter 16

By the time the last of his senior staff officers had arrived Napoleon had formed his plan and was impatient to give the orders.

‘I assume you’ve all the heard the news. It seems that the Austrians have got more balls than we thought.’

The officers chuckled and Napoleon raised a hand to quieten them.

‘We have been saved the job of finding the Austrians, and it’s time to take the battle to them. Cervoni’s brigade is here.’ He tapped his finger on the map. ‘He’s holding his position at the moment, and buying us time to move into the attack. General La Harpe is the closest to the Austrians’ line of advance. Berthier, you will order him to attack at once.The Austrians will be forced to stop and turn to face the threat, which will free Masséna to march on their flank and rear.The rest of the army will be given orders to move up in support. Gentlemen, if we act swiftly, the Army of Italy will have its first victory of the campaign, courtesy of the Austrians. See to it. I’m riding ahead to join Cervoni. Send any messages to me there.’

As soon as the officers had been dismissed Napoleon called for a horse to be readied. Taking a handful of dragoons with him, he galloped down the coast road towards Voltri. He soon caught up with the rear elements of Masséna’s division quick-marching to join their commander and strike at the Austrians. Some of the men cheered as he rode past and Napoleon raised his hat in acknowledgement. Then, four miles short of Voltri, he came to the junction that led up into the hills where Cervoni’s brigade was fighting the Austrian vanguard. Already he could hear the faint boom of cannon and the crackle of musket fire echoing from the hills. Napoleon kicked his heels in, urging his mount up the track, and the dragoons struggled to keep up with their general.