It began when a French army led by Marshal André Masséna marched from Northern Italy into the Kingdom of Naples, an ally of the Coalition against France ruled by King Ferdinand IV.

The invasion was eventually successful despite some setbacks, including the prolonged Siege of Gaeta, the British victory at Maida, and a stubborn guerrilla war by local peasants against the French.

Total success eluded the French because Ferdinand withdrew to his domain in Sicily, where he was protected by the Royal Navy and a British Army garrison.

[2] Among other things, the Treaty of Amiens of 1802 stipulated that Great Britain must abandon the island of Malta while France had to evacuate the part of the Kingdom of Naples that it occupied.

Fearful that Saint-Cyr's army might invade his domain, the king agreed with Napoleon to remain neutral during the War of the Third Coalition.

[5] Notified of the terms of the treaty and its ratification, Saint-Cyr immediately evacuated Apulia, and his corps marched north to join Masséna's army in northern Italy.

Since Saint-Cyr moved one-third of his command to help besiege the Austrian garrison of Venice, only 10,000 Franco-Italian troops observed the Neapolitan border.

[4] Buoyed by news of the British victory at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805, Craig and Lacy readied their troops for a march into northern Italy.

They deployed their troops at the frontier with the British behind the Garigliano River, the Russians on their right in the Apennine Mountains, and a small Neapolitan force under General Roger de Damas on the Adriatic coast in the east.

Yet when the Russian general proposed to take up a defensive position in Calabria in the "toe" of Italy, he was rudely rebuffed by the royal court.

[10] In January 1806, Saint-Cyr's corps of observation was redesignated the Army of Naples under the nominal command of Joseph Bonaparte, though Masséna was the actual military leader.

[21] Reinforced by Verdier's division from Masséna's main body, Reynier's column reached Naples at the end of February after marching on less-traveled roads.

[22] Receiving word that the Neapolitan army was standing to fight to the south, Reynier left Naples and advanced to the attack[20] with approximately 10,000 troops.

Rosenheim, whose column was accompanied by Hereditary Prince Francis, retreated in front of Lechi's division on the east coast while Damas watched the French from south of Naples.

A French eyewitness, Paul Louis Courier, wrote of hungry soldiers robbing, plundering, raping, and killing the inhabitants.

Soon after, the sick Craig went home to be succeeded by John Stuart and Collingwood appointed Rear Admiral Sidney Smith to command the local Royal Navy squadron.

Deciding that a raid on Calabria might forestall a French invasion of Sicily, Smith's squadron took 5,200 of Stuart's troops aboard on 30 June 1806.

[31] Stuart's force was divided into four brigades under Brigadiers James Kempt, Lowry Cole, Wroth Palmer Acland, and John Oswald.

[31] Immediately after landing, the Corsican Rangers headed inland, but they soon bumped into three companies of Polish legionaries who chased them back toward the beach.

To the north was rough terrain dominated by Calabrian partisans, while a coastal plain stretched to the south, the direction from which the French would probably approach.

[35] Leaving 16 officers and 271 men of de Watteville's Swiss Regiment to guard the camp,[32] Stuart marched to the south down the beach.

Digonet commanded two battalions of the 23rd Light Infantry Regiment (1,266), four squadrons of the 9th Chasseurs à Cheval (328), and several 6-pound foot and 3-pound horse artillery pieces (112).

[39] Critics later pointed out that with Reynier neutralized, the British had the opportunity to sail either to Naples to depose Joseph or to Gaeta to raise the siege.

On 9 July, 632 French troops at Reggio capitulated to General Broderick's 1,200 Anglo-Sicilians and Captain William Hoste in HMS Amphion (32).

[42] Reynier finally began his retreat to the north on 26 July, pursued by 8,000 partisans under Don Nicola Gualtieri, also known as Pane di Grano.

[43] Masséna reconnoitered the fortress and assigned General of Brigade Nicolas Bernard Guiot de Lacour to command the besiegers.

[49] Realizing that Gaeta could not be cheaply taken, the French appointed General of Brigade Jacques David Martin de Campredon, an engineering expert, to direct the siege.

Hesse requested assistance from his government but did not receive any right away because Admiral Smith was fully employed in supporting the guerrilla war in Calabria.

[50] At length, Smith's squadron arrived at Gaeta and dropped off food, four heavy cannons, and the partisan leader Michele Pezza, also known as Fra Diavolo.

On the 11th, Masséna's artillery commander, General of Brigade François Louis Dedon-Duclos, begged the marshal to pause the bombardment, lest they run out of ammunition.