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withdrawn his forces to Novi, reinforcing the garrison of the Tortona citadel. 10 The Allies
immediately broke the camp to pursue the French. Major General Chubarov occupied
Tortona, 11 while Suvorov with main forces arrived at Castelnuovo. Bagration crossed the
Scrivia River and marched to Sale. After a brief rest there, he resumed his march at 3:00
a.m. and occupied Novi on early morning of 26 June. The same day, Suvorov marched to
San Guliano. He was eager to fight, but his excitement soon faded. The Allies received
news of the French crossing of the Apennines and realized that Moreau had escaped their
entrapment. Therefore, they had to abandon any hope of the battle around San Guliano
and turn to the French garrisons at Turin, Mantua, Alessandria and Tortona.
Suvorov wanted to exploit the success of his previous operations and continue an
offensive southward to Genoa. He believed that Moreau’s weakened troops would be no
match for the Allied army so the French would have to evacuate the Riviera di Ponente.
However, Suvorov’s offensive strategy was thwarted by an unexpected interference from
Vienna. In a letter of 21 June, Emperor Francis criticized Suvorov’s actions and urged
him to abstain from any offensive actions, which he called ‘far-reaching and uncertain
enterprises’, and to divert his forces to besieging fortresses in Lombardy. 12 Suvorov was
upset by these instructions and responded by describing to Francis the Allied victory at
Trebbia and the importance of taking advantage of the French weakness. 13 However, on
10 July, Francis again dismissed Suvorov’s proposals for offensive and reprimanded him
for neglecting his earlier instructions. He repeated his orders to reinforce besieging forces
at Mantua, Alessandria and other fortresses, and concluded, “Any designs of offensive
through Savoy or Valis to France must be abandoned as I already ordered [earlier]… I
also cannot permit, under any circumstances, that any of my troops be employed in
liberating Rome and Naples, unless I give you specific instructions to that effect.” 14 Thus,
10 Plan of Action, 25 June 1799, A.V. Suvorov: Documents, IV, 169; Clausewitz, Die
Feldzuge von 1799, V, 482-83.
11 Suvorov to Chubarov, 25 June 1799, A.V. Suvorov: Documents, IV,168.
12 Francis to Suvorov, 21 June 1799, in Miliutin, Campaign of 1799, II, 325-26; 608-609.
13 Suvorov to Francis, 29 June 1799, in Ibid., II, 609-610. For Suvorov’s comments on the
Austrians commanders, see Suvorov to Razumovsky, 27 July 1799, Suvorov: Letters, 348-49.
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