In early April, Melas launched a successful offensive that split the outnumbered Army of Italy and initiated the Siege of Genoa with Massena's forces trapped within the city.

After a long siege, Massena finally surrendered Genoa in early June, but by that time Melas' forces were isolated in northwest Italy.

However, late-arriving troops defeated the Austrians and Bonaparte compelled Melas to evacuate northwest Italy as the price of a negotiated truce.

Leaving 12,000 men to defend Mantua, Schérer started a panicky retreat that did not stop until the French army reached the Adda River.

[3] Schérer was replaced in command by GD Jean Victor Marie Moreau but the French were beaten at the Battle of Cassano on 27–28 April 1799.

Opposed to Moreau on the east bank of the Rhine was an Austrian army nearly as strong commanded by Paul Kray (now promoted to Feldzeugmeister).

[21] The Austrian Aulic Council planned for Melas to capture Genoa, cross the Var River, and lay siege to Toulon.

[24] Bonaparte arranged for Moreau to transfer GD Claude Lecourbe's 25,000-man corps from Germany via Switzerland to assist his Italian campaign.

West of Genoa, Melas with 27,500 men struck south from Acqui Terme and FML Anton von Elsnitz thrust east from Ceva with 21,100 troops.

While Melas' main army attacked Genoa with 62,000 men, FML Konrad Valentin von Kaim with 31,000 soldiers watched the mountain passes and northern Italy.

[28] Melas assigned Ott and 24,000 soldiers to carry out the siege[27] while accompanying Elsnitz and 30,000 troops to a pursuit of Suchet's corps along the coast.

Massena launched several sorties, including one led by Soult on 11 May that inflicted losses of 137 killed, 328 wounded, and 1,362 captured on the besiegers.

[33] While Genoa was under siege, Elsnitz's corps drove Suchet's weak forces to the west along the Mediterranean coast, taking Albenga on 3 May.

[39] Sometime in March 1800, as Bonaparte looked over a large map of Piedmont, he asked his secretary Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne, "Where shall we beat the Austrians?"

Though Captain Stockard di Bernkopf commanded only 350 soldiers, the fort bristled with 16 large and 26 medium caliber cannons, plus a number of lighter guns.

South of Ivrea, FML Karl Joseph Hadik von Futak defended the line of the Chiusella River with either 9,000[56] or 10,000 troops.

[39] After a well-fought action in which Austrian GM Joseph Palffy was killed, Hadik's men withdrew toward Turin and Lannes advanced to Chivasso on the Po River.

Melas finally realized that the Reserve Army was at Ivrea after receiving Hadik's report and hearing from a dragoon officer who saw Bonaparte at the Chiusella.

[58] However, Laudon's soldiers stoutly defended a canal that ran parallel to the river, holding up Murat for an entire day before withdrawing.

[63] After an epic defense, Massena was finally forced to surrender Genoa after hundreds of French soldiers and civilians began dying of starvation.

Massena demanded that his surrendered troops be allowed to fight after entering French lines, and that his sick soldiers be shipped home on British vessels.

Guessing that Elsnitz would retreat via the Col de Tende, Suchet got his troops there first, forcing the Austrians to fall back through Ormea.

He ordered FML Andreas O'Reilly von Ballinlough to move his 3,000-man division east through the Stradella defile to secure the city of Piacenza which was a supply base.

[72] At night on 7 June at Milan, Bourrienne interrupted Bonaparte's tryst with an opera diva to tell him that Murat's cavalry intercepted a message that Genoa had fallen.

Turreau's division was approaching Turin with 5,100 men and Suchet's corps was nearing Acqui only 18 mi (29 km) southwest of Alessandria.

[86] Altogether, the Austrian army numbered 24,073 infantry and 7,543 cavalry supported by 92 artillery pieces, not including battalion guns.

Colonel Johann Maria Philipp Frimont's brigade-sized advance guard attacked Gardanne's outposts near Pietrabuona farm around 7:00 am.

Its vanguard consisted of GM Franz Xaver Saint-Julien's brigade with Lattermann's grenadiers in support and the Liechtenstein Dragoon Regiment Nr.

After Lattermann's grenadiers fired a volley, Kellermann's heavy cavalry crashed into their left flank and Boudet's men attacked them in front.

[98] The Austrians were compelled to evacuate the fortresses of Alessandria, Arona, Ceva, Cuneo, Genoa, Milan, Piacenza, Pizzighettone, Savona, Tortona, and Turin.