Siege of Genoa
Arc de Triomphe: GENES
April 6, 1800 - June 4, 1800
The French had been pushed back in Italy and General Masséna was ordered to hold the port of Genoa at all costs. The Austrians under Baron Ott laid siege to Genoa while the English assisted, blockading the port from the sea. But Masséna refused to surrender. Meanwhile First Consul Bonaparte moved with the Army of the Reserve across the Alps to threaten the Austrians in Italy. By the time Masséna was finally forced to hand over the city, the Austrians under Ott had been occupied by Genoa and were unable to make a significant impact against the Army of the Reserve's crossing of the Alps.
Bibliography
- Chandler, David G. Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars. New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1979.
- Smith, Digby. The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill Books: 1998.
Updated March 2017
© Nathan D. Jensen