Put at the head of the Austro-Russian right wing, the Austrian general
Kray had to try to gain the heights of Pasturana. This, would allow
him to be able to jump onto the rear of the French army. The Russian
general Bagration had, as new order, to attack the French army right
wing in order to be able to close a pincher and to meet Kray’s
Austrian troops. Finally, the center of the Austro-Russian army, personally
commanded by Suvorov, had to seize the stronghold of Novi.
The first to move ahead, at dawn, were the squadrons of Major Dobaj
(Archduke Joseph Hussars). They overran the weak French infantry outposts,
forcing them to retreat into the hills. Before the dawn became more
bright, both divisions began to march forward in column formation (half-companies
column). The battle started at 5 a.m. [ii] Ott’s
Division advanced its vanguard (the two Ogulin’s Battalions under
Major Mamula), while Bellegarde, not having light infantry, organized
its vanguard with two Huff’s Battalions. And, as the artillery
Reserve in the plain began to bombard the crests behind Novi, the two
vanguards engaged the French. The first clash was very hard, the French
having deployed a thick skirmisher screen. Major Mamula continued his
difficult advance uphill onto a steep slope, followed by the first
ranks of Ott’s Division: the Deutschmeisters and the Vukassovich
Regiments. They had to go upslope jumping over stonewalls, terraces,
and fences, all the while under the enemy musketry.
General Joubert went suddenly near Pasturana, to see what was happening
with that strong musketry. During that reconnaissance the young general
was hit by a ball and fell dead, slipping down his horse’s flank.
The particular versions upon the death of Joubert will be examined
shortly. Lemoine’s Division , which was deployed in the
vineyards near the Novi park, during the night, marched forward in
columns with the 20th Light Infantry on the left and the Grenadiers
of the 34th Line on its right (Seras brigade). They clashed with the 4th
(Deutschmeister) and 48th (Vukassovich) Regiments in a bloody
exchange of shots. The
“Grenzers” vanguard reached a point in which they fortified
themselves. Despite the great resistance of the 80th and 34th Line,
the 5th Light Demi-Brigade, enfiladed by a battery, withdrew (like
done at La Trebbia) leaving a gap into which the Austrian ran; otherwise
the terrain gained was only 100 meters of plateau.
Lemoine made every effort to draw back the Austrians, but his only
success was to stop them, when they have already reached the top of
the slope. The Regiment Huff, followed by the Sztaray and Gyulai units,
gained similar results. Seckendorff advanced one battalion and
one squadron along the Lemme Course, to cover the flank and to menace
the French. Two Battalions and another squadron were left at Basaluzzo
and the last squadron went up by the Lemme bank, reaching Ovada in
the French rear, without meeting any French unit. All of Kray’s
cavalry marched toward Monticello and tried to get closer to Pasturana,
but the rough terrain did not allow any advance. The French line now
had been withdrawn onto the second ridge of the Pasturana Plateau. While
Grouchy was rallying his troops, the reserve brigades (Partounneaux
and Clauzel) were ordered to advance to Pasturana. The French tried
to push back (down from the Plateau) the enemy, between 6 and 7 a.m.,
but their endeavours were unsuccessful. The 20th Light, almost surrounded,
made a stout resistance, but, isolated, was finally overrun by the
first Austrian assault and pushed back. The attack by General Kray
had produced only a partial success. However the Austrians gained an
enormous advantage by killing the French general-in-chief.
A Hero’s Death
“Dès lors, le général Joubert prit
la tête d’une colonne de grenadiers Français
et accourut pour arrêter les progrès des Autrichiens.
Le général Joubert poussait les siens en avant lorsqu’il
tombât frappé, au cœur, par une balle Autrichienne. «Marchez
toujours», dit-il en faisant, de la main à ses soldats
Français, un signe qui leur indiquait l’ennemi. Ce geste
et ces mots furent les derniers du brave général
Joubert.”
The following is the official account upon the Joubert’s tragical
death. Other authors, however, did write other versions about that
event. [iii]
“The day after (15 NoA), an hour before the dawn, they heard
some rifle shot on the left; it was the first attack of the Austrian
hussars, who forced to withdraw the Lemoine’s Tirailleurs.
Joubert was in observation with St.Cyr on the Novi heights: he launched
his horse in gallop toward the left wing. Then he stopped, observed
the movements of the Bellegarde and Ott troops, approaching to attack
Lemoine and Grouchy. In that moment the French Tirailleurs withdrew
with too much hurry and Joubert, caught by his natural hot nature,
jumped himself in the middle of our first fire line, shouting to
the soldiers: “En avant! En avant!” There he got
a ball directly in the heart and fell immediately dead.[iv] His
aides-de-camp brought back the body to St. Cyr, who ordered to keep
the corpse in a small building. The new of the Chief’s death
was told to the troops only at the end of the day”.
3rd Version (trans. from Mémoires du Général
Baron Thiebault – tome III –
Paris 1894)
“The circumstances by which General Joubert died had to be
cleared, the truth upon which, I am certain, was never told by the
historians, but were illustrated with sentences and melodramatic
details almost invented. It happened not bringing forward an attack
column, neither jumping in the middle of his Grenadiers crying “Soldats,
marchez toujours!”but, while certainly doing well his duty,
he died in a less theatrical manner . If I feel the need of remedy
upon that event, in these my Mémoirs, it is not only because
that was an historical fact, but rather because it is an occasion
to notice, to the honest historians, how many mistakes were in the
actual books, in the official papers and in all documents written
as the time trends and passions allowed. The truth about History
will never be found on papers.
In that times, Joubert had two Chiefs of general Staff: the office
one, General Suchet and the other “de bataille” or the
Adjudant Préval. The first served for all written documents,
the second was the shadow of the General in Chief, slept in his room,
and had only a portfolio, carried by an “ordonnance”.When
happened, at dawn of that awful Novi battle, they heard some rifle
shots, Préval, who was employed to the terrain reconnaissance
and to the intelligence of the enemy, almost as in the orders diffusion
and in the control of their execution, that Préval, always
the first and the last mounted on horse, would have made a reconnaissance
to where they heard the shots; so riding along all the line of our
outposts, discovered a mound from where we dominated the enemy positions.
By the quantity and the depth of the columns, which could be seen
by his spyglass, he judged the movements were a prelude to a large
battle and though it would be interesting, for the Chief, to judge
himself the mass of troops the enemy was to moving ahead. Préval,
born with the istinct and the love for war, ran swiftly, with
his horse, to alert Joubert.
The battle was already engaged and our retreating Tirailleurs climbed
the mound, on which the enemy fire concentrated; it was then that
Joubert arrived there, having understood the importance of the observatory,
led by Préval: he was just catching his spyglass, when, hit
by a ball in the chest, suddenly died. A very grotesque destiny that
to find the death in a command, often refused, which he had once
abandoned and then again “forced” to take; and also to
die because of the most faithful of his subordinates, who unintentionally
had led him to death .
Immediately Préval had orders to carry away the body of Joubert
and to hide the new of his death whenever possible. The Adjoutant
himself jumped in the middle of the Tirailleurs ranks crying them
to advance, in order to avoid someone could know the fatal event.
Then he reached Pèrignon giving him the bad new and in succession,
Moreau and St. Cyr. The commander in chief was stated to be given
to Moreau, with all generals agreeing to this, also if the former
Chief could not abandon the center of the line, where the battle
now enraged.
The Novi battle, at least, was fought without a general in Chief,
without a single direction, without a unique will, which could have
maintained the necessary cohesion; without a Chief who could envoy
unuseful troops of a sector to another severely threatened. Our army,
while well commanded, acted as three different and independent Corps
opposing isolated clashes to an enemy army, which made a large battle.
So our two Wings were beaten while the center of the line resisted
well and won his engagements, while having many unemployed troops,
useful for other sectors.”
4th Version (trans. from “Journal des Sciences militaires …” tome
XXVII, avril 1832, article upon the “Mémoires pour
servir a l’histoire militaire .. par le Maréchal
Gouvion-St.Cyr”)
“The 15th, at daybreak, the French army left wing was attacked
by the enemy right with the largest energy. Joubert, which was near
St Cyr, went to his left. By going there, he perceived the movements
of the enemy which announced a battle. He advanced onto the infantrymen
line to best observe and was almost immediately struck by a bullet,
which knocked down him to death. Marshal St. Cyr did no more comment.
We think it is appropriate to tell that Joubert was hit by a French
ball, a fact which was certain for many years. He was hit in his
back, from up to down, while the enemies where, downhill, on the
slope. In the same moment he fell dead, one among his aides-de-camp,
covered the body with his mantle saying: “La farce est finie!” (Comedy’s
finished).”
I personally send a question to the Staff of the Musée Chintreuil
of Pont-de-Vaux, where Joubert was born. This is what answered the
kind Madame Nelly Catherin of the museum Staff: “Yes,
I have heard speaking about this murder by “friendly” fire
("assassinat" français). The day before the
battle of Novi, Joubert would have made executed some people, Corsicans,
which had been charged for exactions, plunder, rapes … With
the first shots of the battle, some Corsicans, would have killed
him to avenge their friends executed. It is an hypothesis.”
My personal opinion, the best account to consider would be Thiebault’s
story. Officially we can add that Joubert’s body was carefully
sent to the rear, embalmed for avoiding the corruption due to hot weather
and sent to Paris, as witnesses the report of the Directory session
recorded in “Le Moniteur . Séance du 9 fructidor
an VII [August 26, 1799] [v]
“Furia Francese”
The immediate intervention of General Moreau, the old Chief of the
army, allowed to restore the order and to reunite the troops. In
the opposite side, General Kray, during the first phase of his attack,
was very surprised by observing the Russian troops of Bagration not
marching in battle orders. An aide-de-camp carried a Bagration despatch
in which the Prince stated he was waiting a direct order by Suvorov
(and someone said Suvorov was asleep in bed!).
The French profited of that inactivity and reinforced the line.
St Cyr seized the town of Novi detaching there the Gardanne brigade.
Quesnel was sent on the northwestern heights around Novi while, at
the left, the link with Laboissière was granted by the Colli
brigade. At least Watrin was ordered to abandon the outpost of Bettole
and to withdraw till the Laboissière right, seizing the little
plateau under the Monte Rotondo slopes. Two Demi-Brigades of the
reserve seized the height and the plateau south of Novi, with two
cavalry regiments in the same plateau.
They were almost 7.00 a.m., early-morning, when Moreau perceived
that the Austro-Russians made rapid advancements on his right, near
the Villa Catanietta, seeing his troops withdrawing in a sort of
disorder and this was very dangerous for the Republicans because
it could have separated the Corps of the general St. Cyr and Perignon.
He soon ordered to general Colli, who was on the left extremity of
the French right, to send two Battalions in order to revive again
the attack, contemporarily he put to march some troops that had already
committed. To recover the right, Moreau, ordered to Colli
to march westward to attack the division Ott’s left, while
Lemoine recovered the sways of his division and soon was ready to
counterattack. Lemoine then moved forward hitting the two tired regiments
of the Austrian first line (Deutschmeister and Vukassovich). The
battle enraged bloody and, finally, the Austrians were forced to
leave the 2nd crest of the Pasturana hills, retreating in disorder.
They went downhill till the plain where recovered their ranks among
the 2nd line units, deployed in line. It was 8.00 AM. Grouchy, having
noted the Lemoine’s successful attack, tried to perform a strong
counterattack against Bellegarde. The clash was hard also in front
of Pasturana, but Bellegarde, after a first retreat, launched another
counterattack employing fresh troops of the 2nd line. This definitely
blocked the French advance, while Austrians detachments (Sztaray)
and patrols harassed the flanks and the rear of Grouchy. A little
detachment of Light infantry (“grenzers”) with some Hussars
were able to reach the first houses of Pasturana. The Sztaray regiment
harshly defended an hill, northwest of Pasturana, building there
a stronghold. Some Huff’s detachment remained, rather isolated,
in some strongpoint defending with valour their small “islands”.
In the meanwhile the Austrian reserve batteries and the Pálffy
cavalry did not allow the French of Lemoine to reach the plains.
Around midday the battlefield returned quiet.
Notes:
[i] Many authors, following the Gachot’s
account, told the battle began during the night. Kray troops began
their movements at 1 AM (August 15) and engaged the Austrians around
the 3.20 AM. A report of the Chef of the 34th Demi-Brigade so described
the moves on that bright full moonlight night: “Lemoine ordered
us to take position at the Seras left, this last a very good position,
large enough to accomodate also the Garreau troops. We stood in a location
full of vines, ravines and woods. Our manoeuver seemed done to suggest
to the enemy to profit of an open door. The 5th Light infantry, the
80th and 34th line, spent the night in a location where 4 men could
not move together. My troop lived, through five days, with a quarter-ration,
someone with the half quarter and others with no food.” Gachot
said the movement of the 34th Line determined Kray to form his three
attack columns and to begin the approach movement by 1 AM. The first
Kray’s attacks lasted till the 6.00 AM when a pause was necessary,
in order to rally the troops. The 5 o’clock is the Jomini (and
Austrian) version.
[ii] As told, there were some differences
between the sources about the exact time the battle began. St. Cyr
noted the first clash (Hussars) before the dawn, Pèrignon (and
Jomini) confirmed the 5 AM hours, the Index of Maria-Theresia awards
(telling about Colonel Révay) gave a time between 5 and 6 AM,
when the first cannons sounds came from Pozzolo Formigaro.
[iii] There was
also an Austrian truth about Joubert’s death. The Austrian corporal
Strakate of the 4th Line infantry had noted a young French general
observing the battlefield of the French left wing. Strakate took eleven
men with him and advanced, concealed among trees and bushes. Having
deployed his men behind some trees, the Deutschmeister Corporal ordered
to fire and the Austrian rifles shot at the French general, who fell
from his horse. Later the Austrian patrol was made aware the enemy
general killed was the Supreme French commander, Joubert. Finally there
was also a Croatian truth in this who-killed-him race. They told a
soldier (gemeine), but above all a sniper (Scharfschütze) of an
Oguliner Battalion, named Vučić, shot a wel directed bullet
directly in the Joubert’s chest.
[iv] For Marco Galandra and Marco
Baratto (“Le baionette sagge”) Joubert was observing the
battlefield near a “cascina” called “la Spaziosa” (“la
maison blanche” for the French) with spyglasses, when a bullet,
probably fired by a rifle barreled weapon, hit him in the chest fracturing
a rib. The death was not immediate but three hours later, in the palace
of Marquis Durazzo at Novi, after a long agony. The Sant’Andrea
Parish files recorded the death as occurred at 9 AM.
[v]“The
session was opened with the correspondance reading. An extraordinary
dispatch by general Suchet, chief of the General Staff of the armée
d'Italie, related to the Directory about a bloody battle having occurred
in the Novi plains, the last 28 thermidor, in which our troops, while
being very inferior in numbers than the Russian army, reinforced
by the Austrians, formerly engaged at Mantua, did wonders of valour,
but where the Glory was obtained paying with the general Joubert’s
death, who having had run to animate a bayonet’s charge was
hit on the right part of the chest by a ball which pierced his hearth.
The dispatch itself emphasized also that the body of that young hero,
stolen to his Homeland in the better years of his youth, had been
embalmed and was being carried to Paris with a religious care.”
List of the acts: message to the two Councils, written act envoyed
to the newspaper le Rédacteur, Letter of condolence to the widow
of the general Joubert, script of Lagarde, answer to the President
of Directory signed M.me Montholon-Joubert:
“In this moment it’s above my forces to explain the devotion
and my deep reconnoissance to the Directory. It will become without
limits indeed, if the Directory wants to remind itself that there is
a conscript in the army of Italy, his brother, the only the war has
not stolen to my unfortunate husband. My confidence in your kindness,
citizen president, as in the Directory justice, give me the strength
to trust eternally in the Republic’s first magistrates as they
surely will continue to honour my misfortune that is irretrievable
beyond any power”. (AF III 623, plaquette 4419, pièces
36-39 et 43-44).
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