the lion of the russian army - Florida State University

the river during the night and marched to join Suvorov. 148 The Russians suffered heavy
casualties in the fighting, loosing up to 1,500 men, including a general and 58 officers,
and 2 guns. The French lost around 600 men. 149
Suvorov was enraged by Rosenberg’s actions. He wrote him, “March
immediately to join me. Do this without wasting a minute or you will be court
martialed.” 150 Suvorov confided to Bagration that the Russians were lucky to escape
across the river at Bassignana. He wrote, “The polite French made a ‘golden bridge’ over
which Rosenberg managed to move some five hundred men.” 151 At the same time,
Suvorov moved his troops forward to support Rosenberg, directing the Austrians forces
to Sale and setting up his headquarters at Castelnuovo. Bagration was near Novi when he
received a message from the commander-in-chief. Suvorov urged him to march as soon
as possible to Cambio via Torre. 152 He barely began movement when Suvorov’s counter
147 Rosenberg failed to secure his crossing. The Russians had only three boats to move across
the river. Razskazi starogo voina o Suvorove, 116.
148 Gryazev, one of the participants of this battle, described the complete confusion of Russian
retreat. “Neither authority nor force was capable of restoring our battalions to order, or preventing
them from turning their backs in scandalous flights.” Zapiski Gryazeva, Russkii Vestnik, 1890,
No. 6, 127. Also, see Razskazi starogo voina o Suvorove, 118-19; Clausewitz, Die Feldzuge von
1799, V, 254-55.
Suvorov severely reprimanded Rosenberg and Grand Duke Constantine. After a private
meeting with Suvorov, Constantine appeared ‘with his face crimson and his eyes swollen from
weeping.’ For Suvorov’s reaction to Bassignano, see Order to Army, 14 May 1799, A.V.
Suvorov: Documents, IV, 69-70; Komarovsky, Recollections, 82-83; Razskazi starogo voina o
Suvorove, 119-20; Suvorov to Paul, 16 May 1799; in Miliutin, Campaign of 1799, II, 61-63. For
Suvorov’s reprimand of Grand Duke Constantine, see Ibid., II, 65-66; Longworth, The Art of
Victory, 245; Razskazi starogo voina o Suvorove, 120; Komarovsky, Recollections, 84.
149 Miliutin, Campaign of 1799, II, 442-43; Victoires, Conquêtes, X, 263-64; Orlov, Study of
Suvorov’s Military Operations, 125; Orlov, Gryazev’s Notes, 43; Razskazi starogo voina o
Suvorove, 119; Jomini, Histoire critique et militaire, XI, 293; Gachot, Souvarow en Italie, 200.
Clausewitz estimated 2,500 killed and wounded Russians. Die Feldzuge von 1799, V, 255;
Buturlin, Campagne de 1799, 55.
150 Suvorov to Rosenberg, 13 May 1799, Suvorov: Letters, 336; A.V. Suvorov: Documents,
IV, 65-66.
151 Suvorov implied that the French allowed the Russian to escape. Suvorov to Bagration, 13
May 1799, Ibid., 336; A.V. Suvorov: Documents, IV, 67.
47