88} 
The troops under his command were 
little more than fifty thousand 
men : but he possessed their entire 
confidence, and was reputed equal 
to the arduous task he had ventured 
to undertake. 
The. Austrians were under gene- 
ra] Beaulieu, an officer of great 
experience and talents, though he 
had .been unfortunate in several 
aétions with the French in the Ne- 
therlands. On the ninth of April 
heattacked a French post and forced 
it: on the tenth he advanced 
upon them, and carried all their 
entrenchments but one. Here he 
was arrested by the obstinate bra- 
very of the officer who commanded 
it. Rampon, chief of brigade, who 
conceived that the fate of the day 
depended on the preservation of 
this post, made his officers and sol- 
diers swear never to abandon it. 
They defended it accordingly dur- 
ing the whole night with such in- 
vincible firmness, that the Austrians 
were constantly repulsed. In the 
morning of the eleventh, Buona- 
parte, by a circuitous movement, fell 
upen the rear and flank of the ene- 
my, who were completely routed, 
with the loss of fifteen hundred 
killed, and more than two thousand 
taken. This battle was fought at 
a place called Montenotts. 
ager to improve this victory, 
Buooaparte pursued the Austrians, 
who had retreated to a strong posi- 
tion at a place called Millesimo : 
but general Augereau forcing the 
passages leading to it, the Austrians 
retired to the ruins of an oldcastle, 
which general Provara, who com- 
manded them, hastened to surround 
with an intrenchment, where he 
Stood several attacks, and defended 
himself resolutely for five days. This 
afforded time to the Austrians to 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1796. 
rally from the disorder into which 
they had been thrown. They ad- 
vanced in considerable force, and - 
charged the French with great 
vigour. The dispute was long and 
bloody : the Austrians and Pied- 
montese made repeated efforts to 
liberate the troops in the castle, and 
direéted their attacks on the centre 
of ihe French: but these stood their 
ground immovyeably, while their 
two wings turned the right and left 
of the adverse army, the rear of 
which was assailed at thesame time 
by another division. Surrounded in, 
this unexpeéted manner, they sus-. 
tained a dreadful defeat ; two thou. 
sand were slain in the aétion, and 
upwards of eight thousand made 
prisoners, including the corps under 
general Provara, which had so 
much distinguished itself by the de- 
fence ofthecastle. This great victory 
was obtained on the fourteenth of 
April. Among the killed were some 
officers of high distinétion; and of 
the taken one was a general, and 
near thirty colonels, beside inferior 
officers. Between twenty and thirty 
cannon fell into the bands of the 
French, with fifteen standards, and 
an immense quantity of stores and 
field-equipage. Two French ge- 
nerals, Banal and .Quanin, fell in 
this battle, which cost the victors a 
number of their bravest men. 
Though twice defeated in so de- 
cisive a manner, general Beaulieu - 
was by no means dispirited: col- 
leéting as many of his scattered 
troops, as formed a body of seven 
thousand men, he again attacked 
the French with great impetuosity, - 
the next morning, and drove them 
from their incampment at a village 
called. Dego, where they had ex- 
pected to repose themselves after the 
fatigues of the preceding day. This 
unex- 
