Porter chuckled. ‘I’ll see to it.’
As the old sailor bustled to the door to order the refreshment, Arthur crossed to the table indicated and ran his eyes over the correspondence resting there. He saw his name almost at once and picked up a slender package and broke the seals. Removing the outer waxed covering, he unfolded the letter and began to read a tersely written missive from a staff officer at Horseguards. As of the start of the year Lieutenant Colonel Wesley had been promoted to full colonel. He was further requested and required to make preparations for a fresh voyage. As soon as the convoy’s supplies were replenished it was to set sail and make best time to Fort William in Calcutta.
‘Calcutta!’ Arthur could not believe his eyes. India?
‘What did you say, Colonel?’ Porter headed back towards him cupping a hand to his ear.
‘Calcutta,’ Arthur repeated. ‘The War Office is sending the 33rd to India.’
‘India?’ Porter mused. ‘You’re in luck, Colonel. Many’s the man who has made his fortune in India. Now, it seems, your turn has come.’
Chapter 15
‘I don’t think they’re going to be happy about the situation,’ Major Junot muttered as they watched the three division commanders of the Army of Italy dismount outside the merchant’s house that had been commandeered for Napoleon’s headquarters in Nice. Like many of the fine houses that Napoleon had seen in Northern Italy, it was filled with ancient sculptures and the finest paintings of the Renaissance.
Napoleon smiled at his recently promoted aide. ‘No one is asking them to be happy. Just to obey orders.’
Their gaze followed the three commanders as they strode across the courtyard towards the entrance to the house. It was not difficult to work out who was who. Napoleon had read through the records of each man on the journey from Paris. The smallest in stature was Massena, who was described as a brave soldier and a good tactician. He was also a flagrant womaniser and there were frequent comments about his larcenous approach to any private property that took his fancy whilst on campaign. General Augereau at thirty-eight was the same age as Massena, but tall, well built and a gifted fencer. The representative of the Committee of Public Safety who had compiled the report had obviously been a sensitive soul since he drew attention to Augereau’s penchant for constantly swearing. He too was not above the occasional spree of looting, but the representative had concluded, grudgingly, that the general was very brave and was loved by the men he led.The third general was Serurier. He had served in the army for over thirty years. He was tall and lean with a humourless countenance. He was strict with his men, and they served him well enough, but Serurier had yet to prove himself as a commander.
Napoleon could understand Junot’s concern. Each of the divisional commanders would have been hoping to become the new commander of the Army of Italy. Instead the post had gone to a man eleven years junior to the youngest of them. Moreover, Napoleon had never commanded any force larger than the artillery train which he had used to bombard the defences of Toulon two and a half years earlier. They were bound to regard him as a political appointment.The puppet of Paul Barras and the other Directors at the head of the government in Paris. Well let them think that, Napoleon mused.The more wrong-headed they were the easier they would be to impress once the campaign began and he won his first victories against the Austrians and their rag-tag allies in the Italian peninsula.
He turned away from the window and took his seat at the head of the long table in the merchant’s finely decorated dining room. The members of his personal staff, Junot, Berthier, Murat and Marmont, were seated either side of him as they waited for the three generals to be admitted to the first meeting of the army’s senior officers.
The double doors at the end of the room were opened by a pair of corporals and Napoleon and his staff rose graciously as the divisional commanders entered the room in their fine dress coats, laced with gold braid. They handed their hats and swordbelts to the corporals and took their places at the table. Napoleon made the introductions before resuming his seat to begin the briefing.
‘Well then, gentlemen, Paris has asked us to drive the Austrians from Italy.At the same time we are to make allies of any Italian kingdom that we can, and overawe or crush the rest. All in a day’s work for the soldiers of France, I think you’ll agree.’
The officers chuckled easily enough at the remark and Napoleon continued.‘However, I have to say that the task will not be quite so easy given the current condition of the Army of Italy. I was told in Paris that there were forty-two thousand men in the army. What I discover when I get here is that there are no more than thirty thousand, and most of them are hungry and poorly equipped and haven’t been paid for months. In one unit I passed through yesterday the men were wearing goatskins for coats and many of them did not even have boots. The army’s artillery train consists of twenty light mountain guns and a handful of transport mules.That’s not going to frighten any enemy. Small wonder that the morale of the officers and men is as low as it is.’
General Augereau laced his fingers together and leaned back in his chair. ‘Well, you can’t believe everything you hear in Paris, it would seem. Perhaps you should return there and tell them the truth, sir.’
‘There is no time for that, General.We must act now.We shall have to work hard to get the Army of Italy ready for the coming campaign.We need reinforcements, we need supplies and equipment, and above all we need to raise morale. And for that we need victories. So I have decided to open our campaign against the Austrians by the middle of April.’
‘But that’s just over two weeks away!’ Serurier protested. ‘That’s impossible.You said it yourself, sir. The army’s in no condition to fight. The best we can hope for is to defend our positions, and marshal resources for a campaign later this year, or early next year.’
Napoleon shook his head. ‘You’re thinking like an Austrian, General Serurier. It is true that the Army of Italy is not ready to fight in a conventional manner, so we must wage war in an unconventional way. Since the army has no supply train, we will do without. Our men will have to live off the land. That means we can outmarch the enemy. The Austrian armies march like snails, hauling vast supply columns with them. They stop to establish depots and then move on again.They make us a present of the initiative, Serurier. It is true that they outnumber us, but by virtue of our greater mobility we will be able to mass superior forces against their weak points and beat them every time. A few such victories and our men will be as lions, ready to leap on their prey. I tell you, gentlemen, by the end of this year the Austrians will be in full retreat, and every man in this room will be regarded as a hero in Paris.’
He paused to let the impact of his words sink in, then turned to Junot. ‘Major, the map if you please.’
Junot unrolled a large map across the table and weighted the corners down. The staff officers and the generals leaned forward to examine the features of northern Italy while Napoleon picked up a cane and stood at the head of the table.
‘In brief, the plan is for the army to march down the coast as far as Savona, then cut inland to threaten the Austrian supply lines.True to form, the Austrians will fall back to the north-east. We’ll hold them there while a strong force turns on the Piedmontese forces. Without their Austrian friends they will crumble very quickly.Then we take Lombardy and Milan before turning our attention back to the Austrians. My final aim for this campaign season is to take the fortress at Mantua. So there it is, gentlemen. Any questions?’
Serurier shook his head. ‘You ask too much of the men, sir.’
Napoleon looked at him shrewdly. ‘Or is it that I am asking too much of my generals?’
Serurier’s eyes widened angrily and he thumped his hand down on the table. ‘You insult me, sir! Let me remind you I was a soldier long before you were born, and these other generals were fighting the enemies of France while you were still a schoolboy.What makes you think you have the right to question my judgement?’
Napoleon glanced at all three of his divisional commanders. ‘It’s simple, gentlemen. I obey the Directory . . . and you obey me. The Directory has told us to take the war to the Austrians and that is precisely what we shall do. If you wish to protest, Serurier, then you must resign your command and take the matter up in Paris. Is that clear?’
Serurier glared at him for a moment, before nodding mutely.
‘Very well then,’ Napoleon continued in a warmer tone. ‘Then let’s discuss the details. And tomorrow, Serurier, I will inspect one of your brigades.’
