1-155-354 - Art Media/Heritage Images

'Napoleon at the Battle of Rivoli', 14 January, 1797. The battle of Rivoli occurred as Austria's General Alvintzy (1735-1810) made his fourth and final attempt to relieve the siege of Mantua, which had trapped his colleague General Wurmser and 30,000 of his men. Switching men and artillery from one crucial spot to the next, Bonaparte (1769-1821) was able to defeat the assaults in turn before unleashing a charge that swept away the tired Austrians. The next day the pursuit routed Alvintzy who, in two days of fighting, had lost 14,000 men killed, wounded or captured. Bonaparte had lost 5000, but ensured the surrender of Mantua and the conquest of the important Po valley.