In 1793, Joubert distinguished himself during the defence of a redoubt at the Col de Tende in north-west Italy, where he led only thirty men against a battalion of the enemy.

After being wounded and captured in the battle, he was released on parole by Austrian Commander-in-Chief Joseph Nikolaus de Vins.

[3] Joubert quickly attracted the special attention of Napoleon Bonaparte, who promoted him to general of a division in December 1796.

Bonaparte repeatedly selected him for the command of important detachments, including the holding force in the Adige River valley at the Battle of Rivoli.

Joubert and Moreau were quickly compelled to give battle by Aleksandr Suvorov, at the head of a joint Russian and Austrian army.

The ensuing Battle of Novi was disastrous for the French, not only because it was a defeat, but also because Joubert was among the first to fall, shot through the heart by an infanterist of the Ogulinska 3rd Infantry Regiment.