The Charge of the King's Dragoons: Mondovì
On the evening of 19 April, the Sardinians decided to fall back behind the Ellero River, over the key Brea Bridge and towards Cuneo and its garrison, to avoid being outflanked by the French. However, the retreat should not be too fast as the vital supply stockpiled in the city of Mondovì needed to be carried away lest the French laid their hands on it. So Colli's corps had to gain some time to allow the evacuation of the depots.
The troops were therefore positioned along a line running parallel to the Corsaglia creek, southeast of Mondovì to northeast where Ellero River meets the larger Tanaro River. The line, running across mostly hilly countryside and including some good defensive positions, was however weaker than the Corsaglia one, had not been prepared beforehand, and the troops did not have time to dig in - that made a big difference.
Key points along the line were the Vicoforte village, grown around a massive shrine of the Savoy dynasty, and the Bricchetto Hill, a wide plateau southeast of Mondovì. There Colli placed, as the backbone of the defense, the remnants of his crack grenadier force, 2,000 men under Bellegarde. The grenadier center, on the Bricchetto, was the 8th Battalion led by the daring and spirited colonel Gaspar Dichat de Toisinge, an outstanding grenadier officer. Its firepower was enhanced by two 8 pounder guns, two 4 pounder and one howitzer. To Dichat's right there was Chiusano's 9th Battalion; to the left, Varax's grenadier. At Vicoforte and on the surrounding hills, Colli deployed his other elite outfits, the light infantry of Colli di Felizzano and the Nice Chasseurs of d'Auvare. A mix of line and light infantry units (Oneglia, Asti, Light Legion, Franc Corps, and others) held the remaining portions of the line. There was a cavalry reserve near Mondovì - ready to go into action, for the first time in the war.
After having been bounced twice with losses, Bonaparte now had to swiftly get rid of Colli's corps as any attack from Beaulieu while he was tackling the Sardinians would have got him into serious trouble. The opportunity was there to reap: Colli was in full retreat, his troops partly shaken though still unbeaten, he was hindered by the necessary evacuation of Mondovì, his line had a river in the rear with only one strategic bridge the troops could use to get to the safe bank in case of defeat. As importantly, Bonaparte had 25,000 men - Colli just 9,000. End game was in sight.
The Grenadiers' Last Stand
On 20 April Bonaparte concentrated his attack force - the divisions of Meynier (brigades Miollis and Pelletier), Sérurier (brigades Guyeux, Fiorella and Dommartin), Augereau and Masséna - and on 21 April at dawn he struck, crossing the Corsaglia and rushing to the Vicoforte line.
Due to a bad assessment mistake, Light Legion units facing Guyeux's brigade did not occupy the previously assigned position, leaving a sector of the line uncovered. At the same time, elements of the Austrian IR 44 Belgioioso broke and ran practically without fighting to avoid to bear the brunt of the French attack. Guyeux quickly poured into the gap in the line just as Sardinian Grenadier Guards were desperately rushing to stop it, and took the height right above the Vicoforte Shrine. From there the Meynier division attacked the Sardinian rear. Fiorella and Dommartin outnumbered their Sardinian opponents, who were driven back with losses. Then the French proceeded to attack the Brichetto position, held by the grenadiers. The first assaults were all repulsed, the French suffering heavily under the grenadiers' steady musket volleys and grapeshot, and retreating when the grenadiers launched bayonet counterattacks. In the meantime the grenadiers were being reinforced by elements from other units, including a Swiss Stettler battalion.
The French also received reinforcements and renewed their assaults with ferocity, while the Sardinian right and left wing were being pushed back and the Brichetto position was going to be cut off. Yet the grenadiers did not cave in, repelling assault after assault, until the charismatic Dichat was killed by a musket ball hitting his head as he was fighting in the first line. Shortly after, the last Bricchetto defenders - about 20 grenadiers, their captain, 6 gunners and 2 artillery officers, gathered around the remaining guns - had to run for their lives before the oncoming French wave engulfed them. Time was about 4 pm.
The loss of the Bricchetto position marked the Sardinian defeat. Stripped of the support of that strong position, Chiusano's grenadiers were dislodged after a last failed counterattack, and a company of Chablais Grenadiers, ensconced in a farmhouse from where they were shooting on the enemy, were also forced to fall back. What was left of the Sardinian covering force halted for a while in the old Austrian redoubt of Santa Croce, but all coherent resistance was rapidly crumbling and that last stronghold was evacuated.
However, hours before Dichat's death, the Sardinian retreat had already begun. It was clear that the brittle Sardinian line could not stop Bonaparte's 25,000 men and would collapse soon. As the Grenadiers' last stand was covering their retreat, mingled elements of the various units began to stream back in a state of confusion and disorder towards the town of Mondovì, the vital Brea Bridge and safety.
Historians have criticized Colli for several mistakes made in the deployment and employment of his troops on the Mondovi position. The position was sound, and a better conceived deployment and a wiser employment might have made the Sardinians' stand a much tougher nut to crack for Bonaparte. Mistakes were doubtless made, and admittedly Colli's generalship did not shine at his best on the occasion. On the other hand, he was conducting a fighting retreat amid growing disorganization and demoralization; he may not have been absolutely sure about the combat performance of some units at that juncture; and, most importantly, while he had at most 9,000 men, Bonaparte had 25,000. No wonder Colli was fighting with an eye all the time out for extricating his corps from Bonaparte's too close and lethal "embrace". Besides, even with a perfectly thought up and arranged deployment, it is highly doubtful, to say the least, if Colli's 9,000 could ever have stopped Bonaparte's 25,000. A better organized defense might well have caused the French higher casualties and heavier efforts to overcome it, and disrupted their advance for a while, but at the cost of Colli's entire corps, annihilated in the process.
Due to a bad assessment mistake, Light Legion units facing Guyeux's brigade did not occupy the previously assigned position, leaving a sector of the line uncovered. At the same time, elements of the Austrian IR 44 Belgioioso broke and ran practically without fighting to avoid to bear the brunt of the French attack. Guyeux quickly poured into the gap in the line just as Sardinian Grenadier Guards were desperately rushing to stop it, and took the height right above the Vicoforte Shrine. From there the Meynier division attacked the Sardinian rear. Fiorella and Dommartin outnumbered their Sardinian opponents, who were driven back with losses. Then the French proceeded to attack the Brichetto position, held by the grenadiers. The first assaults were all repulsed, the French suffering heavily under the grenadiers' steady musket volleys and grapeshot, and retreating when the grenadiers launched bayonet counterattacks. In the meantime the grenadiers were being reinforced by elements from other units, including a Swiss Stettler battalion.
The French also received reinforcements and renewed their assaults with ferocity, while the Sardinian right and left wing were being pushed back and the Brichetto position was going to be cut off. Yet the grenadiers did not cave in, repelling assault after assault, until the charismatic Dichat was killed by a musket ball hitting his head as he was fighting in the first line. Shortly after, the last Bricchetto defenders - about 20 grenadiers, their captain, 6 gunners and 2 artillery officers, gathered around the remaining guns - had to run for their lives before the oncoming French wave engulfed them. Time was about 4 pm.
The loss of the Bricchetto position marked the Sardinian defeat. Stripped of the support of that strong position, Chiusano's grenadiers were dislodged after a last failed counterattack, and a company of Chablais Grenadiers, ensconced in a farmhouse from where they were shooting on the enemy, were also forced to fall back. What was left of the Sardinian covering force halted for a while in the old Austrian redoubt of Santa Croce, but all coherent resistance was rapidly crumbling and that last stronghold was evacuated.
However, hours before Dichat's death, the Sardinian retreat had already begun. It was clear that the brittle Sardinian line could not stop Bonaparte's 25,000 men and would collapse soon. As the Grenadiers' last stand was covering their retreat, mingled elements of the various units began to stream back in a state of confusion and disorder towards the town of Mondovì, the vital Brea Bridge and safety.
Historians have criticized Colli for several mistakes made in the deployment and employment of his troops on the Mondovi position. The position was sound, and a better conceived deployment and a wiser employment might have made the Sardinians' stand a much tougher nut to crack for Bonaparte. Mistakes were doubtless made, and admittedly Colli's generalship did not shine at his best on the occasion. On the other hand, he was conducting a fighting retreat amid growing disorganization and demoralization; he may not have been absolutely sure about the combat performance of some units at that juncture; and, most importantly, while he had at most 9,000 men, Bonaparte had 25,000. No wonder Colli was fighting with an eye all the time out for extricating his corps from Bonaparte's too close and lethal "embrace". Besides, even with a perfectly thought up and arranged deployment, it is highly doubtful, to say the least, if Colli's 9,000 could ever have stopped Bonaparte's 25,000. A better organized defense might well have caused the French higher casualties and heavier efforts to overcome it, and disrupted their advance for a while, but at the cost of Colli's entire corps, annihilated in the process.
The Carassone Charge
Seeing that the Sardinians were escaping over the bridge to the safe side of the Ellero river, Bonaparte urged his cavalry, under the aristocratic and highly appreciated General Stengel, to intervene and swoop on the retreating enemies before they could put the river between themselves and his infantry.
Murat, personally sent by Bonaparte, found Stengel as the latter was seeking a ford along the Ellero with a small portion of his cavalry force. There was no time to muster the entire force: Stengel had to go into immediate action with only 250 dragoons and 25 hussars.
Stengel's ride was hampered by the rough terrain, but finally he discovered a fordable site in the area of a Mondovi suburb called Carassone. The ford was narrow, however, and only a few horses at a time could cross it; it took Stengel a long time to complete the crossing, and the move was watched by Sardinian sentries perched on the belltower of a nearby church. They put on the alert the Light Legion under Colonel-Brigadier Giovanni Battista Civalleri di Masio, who was in the vicinity of the crossing site. Two Light Legion battalions swiftly formed as many squares, barring Stengel's way to the retreating Sardinian infantry plodding their way to the bridge.
Upon seeing the squares, Stengel - after reorganizing his cavalry now all across the stream, which took some more time - split his force into two groups and marched them (apparently in no haste) along the road of Cassanio, leading to the Mondovi road across a relatively broad plain, to bypass the squares.
Stengel's slow progress, however, had allowed an enemy who was watching his moves from not very far to take an instant decision.
That enemy was Colonel Marquis Oncieu de Chaffardon, Sardinian cavalry commander. Unnoticed by the French, sliding quietly behind the Light Legion squares, with a small cavalry force he now was just a few hundred meters away from Stengel.
Chaffardon had at hand two squadrons of His Majesty's Dragoons, 1st and 3rd, led by Major Tommaso Saluzzo di Valgrana, the Marquis of La Chambre and Captain Clemente Cordero di Pamparato, Count of Roburent - pure Piedmontese aristocracy. Roburent, on the left, was leading the smallest unit of Chaffardon's command - 2nd Company, 1st Squadron - whereas Chaffardon himself was with the bulk of the force, 3rd Squadron and 1st Company, 1st Squadron, along with Valgrana and La Chambre.
At 3 pm., the 11 officers and 114 dragoons of Chaffardon advanced at a steady trot, then at 100 meters distance they shot their pistols, drew their sabres and charged straight into Stengel's formations.
Stengel was caught completely by surprise. His cavalrymen had not the time to prepare to receive the charge and were smashed. From another side they were charged by the dragoon platoon of the 17 years old ensign Jean Baptiste d'Oncieu de la Batie. The French were quickly wiped out. 4 officers (one of whom was Colonel Claude Trulle) and 8 dragoons were killed, 15 wounded and 23 captured; the others fled. The chivalrous Stengel, later mourned by Napoleon, was mortally wounded in individual sabre duel by the Sardinian NCO Berteu, and died of his wounds later. The Sardinians had 2 dead, 10 wounded and 4 missing.
After driving the French off the field, Chaffardon stopped the dragoons, who, flushed with victory, were pushing forward, and withdrew fearing a French ambush. As they marched back towards Fossano, bringing their French prisoners with them, the cavalrymen were loudly acclaimed by the Sardinian infantry in retreat, with cheers of "Long Life the King's Dragoons" all along the way (which, incidentally, seems to suggest the Sardinians' morale was not SO broken as French historians were to state later).
Later on, Bonaparte would uphold the story of Murat, then an officer of Stengel's command, charging back and pursuing the Sardinian cavalry, which is pure Napoleonic fabrication - in fact Murat, who had not taken part in the combat, just trotted back with the badly mauled survivors. Stengel's failure allowed Colli's corps, or what was left of it, to safely cross the Ellero River and escape Bonaparte's clutches.
Today, the Italian Army heir of the King's Dragoons - Genova Cavalry Regiment - still proudly boasts the two gold medals for valor awarded the two dragoons' squadrons for the feat of arms of Carassone.
Murat, personally sent by Bonaparte, found Stengel as the latter was seeking a ford along the Ellero with a small portion of his cavalry force. There was no time to muster the entire force: Stengel had to go into immediate action with only 250 dragoons and 25 hussars.
Stengel's ride was hampered by the rough terrain, but finally he discovered a fordable site in the area of a Mondovi suburb called Carassone. The ford was narrow, however, and only a few horses at a time could cross it; it took Stengel a long time to complete the crossing, and the move was watched by Sardinian sentries perched on the belltower of a nearby church. They put on the alert the Light Legion under Colonel-Brigadier Giovanni Battista Civalleri di Masio, who was in the vicinity of the crossing site. Two Light Legion battalions swiftly formed as many squares, barring Stengel's way to the retreating Sardinian infantry plodding their way to the bridge.
Upon seeing the squares, Stengel - after reorganizing his cavalry now all across the stream, which took some more time - split his force into two groups and marched them (apparently in no haste) along the road of Cassanio, leading to the Mondovi road across a relatively broad plain, to bypass the squares.
Stengel's slow progress, however, had allowed an enemy who was watching his moves from not very far to take an instant decision.
That enemy was Colonel Marquis Oncieu de Chaffardon, Sardinian cavalry commander. Unnoticed by the French, sliding quietly behind the Light Legion squares, with a small cavalry force he now was just a few hundred meters away from Stengel.
Chaffardon had at hand two squadrons of His Majesty's Dragoons, 1st and 3rd, led by Major Tommaso Saluzzo di Valgrana, the Marquis of La Chambre and Captain Clemente Cordero di Pamparato, Count of Roburent - pure Piedmontese aristocracy. Roburent, on the left, was leading the smallest unit of Chaffardon's command - 2nd Company, 1st Squadron - whereas Chaffardon himself was with the bulk of the force, 3rd Squadron and 1st Company, 1st Squadron, along with Valgrana and La Chambre.
At 3 pm., the 11 officers and 114 dragoons of Chaffardon advanced at a steady trot, then at 100 meters distance they shot their pistols, drew their sabres and charged straight into Stengel's formations.
Stengel was caught completely by surprise. His cavalrymen had not the time to prepare to receive the charge and were smashed. From another side they were charged by the dragoon platoon of the 17 years old ensign Jean Baptiste d'Oncieu de la Batie. The French were quickly wiped out. 4 officers (one of whom was Colonel Claude Trulle) and 8 dragoons were killed, 15 wounded and 23 captured; the others fled. The chivalrous Stengel, later mourned by Napoleon, was mortally wounded in individual sabre duel by the Sardinian NCO Berteu, and died of his wounds later. The Sardinians had 2 dead, 10 wounded and 4 missing.
After driving the French off the field, Chaffardon stopped the dragoons, who, flushed with victory, were pushing forward, and withdrew fearing a French ambush. As they marched back towards Fossano, bringing their French prisoners with them, the cavalrymen were loudly acclaimed by the Sardinian infantry in retreat, with cheers of "Long Life the King's Dragoons" all along the way (which, incidentally, seems to suggest the Sardinians' morale was not SO broken as French historians were to state later).
Later on, Bonaparte would uphold the story of Murat, then an officer of Stengel's command, charging back and pursuing the Sardinian cavalry, which is pure Napoleonic fabrication - in fact Murat, who had not taken part in the combat, just trotted back with the badly mauled survivors. Stengel's failure allowed Colli's corps, or what was left of it, to safely cross the Ellero River and escape Bonaparte's clutches.
Today, the Italian Army heir of the King's Dragoons - Genova Cavalry Regiment - still proudly boasts the two gold medals for valor awarded the two dragoons' squadrons for the feat of arms of Carassone.
Mondovì Surrenders
The battle of Mondovì was over. The French lost about 2,000 dead and wounded; the Sardinians, doomed from the outset, 800 dead and 800 prisoners, 8 guns and 11 flags - a heavy defeat for such a small force, but Colli's army corps had somehow survived and could fight another day.
The citadel of Mondovì, overlooked by the Bricchetto Hill now in French hands, could not put up any serious resistance. The commander, Dellera, gave up and the garrison (700 Grenadier Guards and Stettler Swiss) surrendered.
The citadel of Mondovì, overlooked by the Bricchetto Hill now in French hands, could not put up any serious resistance. The commander, Dellera, gave up and the garrison (700 Grenadier Guards and Stettler Swiss) surrendered.