178] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



a blind to the enemy, he called the 

 army of reserve, though it was des- 

 tined to he the most active, at Di- 

 jon. From this central point he 

 menaced at once Germany, Swit- 

 zerland, and Italy ; but those coun- 

 tries the most where his attack was 

 not intended. The war in Ger- 

 many he confided to the strong 

 army under Moreau, while he, with 

 the army under his command, should 

 go to reconquer Italy, the theatre 

 of his most splendid victories. But 

 the first object, in his present 

 career, was to an-ive in time to 

 save Genoa, and the unfortunate 

 army of Massena, which defended 

 that place ; the most important in 

 all Italy, to be preserved or to be 

 conquered. 



The principal object and aim of 

 the Austrians, who, in the course of 

 the last campaign, had recovered 



all that they had lost in Italy, was 

 to keep the French armies, in Swit- 

 zerland and on the Rhine, in play, 

 while they should push with aU 

 possible vigour the siege of Genoa: 

 the possession of which was alone 

 wanting to render them complete 

 masters of all Italy. This object, 

 which they considered as now with- 

 in their grasp, and soon to be ac- 

 complished, would have enabled 

 them to bear with their whole 

 united force on Switzerland, by 

 the possession of which, it would be 

 in their power to force the French 

 to keep on the defensive, on the 

 side of the south as well as of the 

 east. Such, then, being the oppo- 

 site views of the two contending 

 armies, it will be proper to begin 

 our narrative of the campaign with 

 the memorable siege of Genoa. 



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