The Campaign in Italy: 1796 – 1797

These tours look at Napoleon’s Campaign in Italy – where his reputation was made!
Peterson, William
Montenotte: 1796
A little known battle, that about which Napoleon simply remarked, “My nobility dates from Montenotte.”
Millesimo and Cosseria: 13 April 1796
At dawn on 13 April 1796, Augereau’s French division stormed over the Bormida River bridge at Millesimo
Dego: 13 April 1796
The village of Dego was taken by Masséna’s Advance Guard on 14 April 1796 in a hard fight against Argenteau’s Austro-Sardinian force.
Mondovi: 20 – 21 April 1796
Sérurier’s attack and defense of this village.
Lodi: 10 May 1796
The “Bridge of Lodi” a special place in the mystique of the French army.”
Brescia: 30 July 1796
A major French logistical point that was captured by the Austrians in a surprise maneuvers.
Lonato: 31 July and 3 August 1796
The site of numerous battles of the campaign.
Castiglione: 3 August 1796
The site of numerous battles of the campaign.
Castiglione: 5 August 1796
The second battle.
Arcole: 15 – 17 November 1796
A strategic French victory fought under almost impossible tactical conditions
Mantova: 1796 – 1797
Mantua, the greatest of the four fortresses that dominated the area between the Alps and the Po, was the key to control of northeastern Italy and was bitterly disputed by the French and Austrians between 4 June 1796 and 2 February 1797.
Rivoli: 14 – 15 January 1797
In the final attempt to relieve besieged Mantua, 28,000 Austrians under d’Alvintzi advanced down the Adige Valley, confident of overwhelming Joubert’s Division of 10,000, while smaller columns struck at Verona and Legnano from the east.

The Battlefield of Austerlitz

Peterson, William
Austerlitz Tour
The Battle of Austerlitz, 2 December 1805, was regarded by many (including the Emperor himself) as the most brilliant victory of Napoleon and the Grande Armée.

The Peninsular War

Burnham, Robert
Roliça – Portugal 17 August 1808
The first clash between British and French forces during the Peninsular War.
Burnham, Robert
Vimeiro – Portugal 21 August 1808
The battle that destroyed French hopes to hold Portugal in 1808.
Burnham, Robert
Somosierra – Spain 30 November 1808
One of the legends that have come out of the Napoleonic Wars is the charge of the Polish Light Horse Regiment of the Imperial Guard at Somosierra, Spain on 30 November 1808. The affair in itself was relatively insignificant and would be forgotten by most, except for the valor of the troops involved.
Burnham, Robert
The Destruction of the Bridge at Alcantara – Spain 14 May 1809
One of the many acts that soured relations between the British and the Spanish during the Peninsula War was the destruction of the Roman Bridge at Alcantara.
Moores, Graham
Battle of Oporto 1809 (The Crossing of the Douro)
Wellington on the offensive in the Spring, 1809.
Burnham, Robert
Barba del Puerco – Spain March – July 1810
Barba del Puerco was the site of numerous skirmishes between the British Light Division and French troops operating around Ciudad Rodrigo in 1810.
Burnham, Robert
Fort Concepcion – Spain 12 July 1810
Fort Concepcion was a Spanish star shaped fort built along the Portuguese border that was destroyed by the British to keep it from falling into French hands in 1810. The haunting ruins of the fort still exist.
Burnham, Robert
Action on the River Coa – Portugal 24 July, 1810
The British Light Division, deployed with its back to an impassable river, fought a desperate battle for survival against the overwhelming numbers of French veterans of Marshal Ney.
Burnham, Robert
The Siege of Almeida – Portugal 24 July – 28 August 1810
Taking Almeida was the first step in the French invasion of Portugal.
Powell, Vic & Colin Jones
The Combat of Sabugal – Portugal 11 Apri1811
The battle that forced the French out of Portugal
Burnham, Robert
The Battle of Arroyos dos Molinos – Spain 28 October 1811
In western Estremadura, British forces, under the command of General Hill, surprised and destroyed a large French force led by General Girard.
Burnham, Robert
Wellington’s Headquarters at Freineda, Portugal
During the winters of 1811-1812 and 1812-1813, Wellington’s headquarters was in a small Portuguese village about 25 kilometers from the Spanish border fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo.
Wellington’s Headquarters in Freineda, Portugal
A tour of the inside of the building that served as the headquarters for Wellington.
Burnham, Robert
The Seige of Ciudad Rodrigo – Spain 8 – 19 January, 1812
The British siege of Ciudad Rodrigo in January 1812 spelled the beginning of the end of French rule in Spain.
Burnham, Robert
The Destruction of the Bridge at Almaraz – Spain 18 – 19 May 1812
The raid on the French bridgehead at Almaraz was key to the British successes in Central Spain in 1812.
Glover, Gareth
Burgos in 1812
The siege of Burgos.
Jones, Colin & Powell, Vic
Garcia Hernandez – Spain 23 July 1812
“The boldest charge of cavalry in the whole war” – General Foy
Glover, Gareth
San Sebastian Then and Now: the Siege of 1813
The bloody siege of the last French stronghold in northern Spain.
Miró, Miquel
The Combat of the Ordal Cross – Spain 13 September 1813
A small Anglo-Spanish force operated along the eastern coast of Spain in hopes of preventing Marshal Suchet from assisting the French forces fighting Wellington in north central Spain. On the heights of the Ordal Cross, a vicious struggle occurred and the French soundly defeated the British and the Spanish — making it one of the few British defeats during the Peninsula War.
Powell, Vic and the PNS
Napoleon’s Last Offensive in Spain: Vera
Spain 1 September 1813
A small but bloody action.

The Battlefield of Borodino

Mosher, Robert
Borodino Tour
On 7 September, the largest battle of the campaign of 1812 was fought on the banks of the Koloch river, just 115 kilometers from Moscow.

The Campaign of the Hundred Days

Powell, Vic
Ligny
A tour of the battlefield that was the site of Napoleon’s final victory!
Libert, Fons
Waterloo Tour
One of the first features in the Napoleon Series was the Waterloo Virtual Tour. Here you can find all of the major sites, plus many of the minor monuments and memorials. See the campaign description of the Hundred Days in Battles & Campaigns for additional information.
Waterloo at the Turn of the 19th Century
A comparison of some of the landmarks on the battlefield in 1900 to what is there today.