Memories Of The Passage Of Napoleon's Troops Along The Fort Of Bard
Forte di Bard is perhaps one of the most spectacular fortresses in Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta. The current building dates back to the 19th century and is not the one Napoleon saw, but... Places to See
I wanted to tell you a story about knights and their lives today because I remembered the song you can hear in this video. The song is about the life of Henry IV, the French king. It has nothing in common with Napoleon. But the movie itself was an excellent picture of Napoleon’s adventure near the fort of Bard. So, I recommend you take two minutes to watch the video to fully immerse yourself in the situation you will read about.
By the way, splendid movie (“Kutuzov”,1943), notice the expressions, and emotions of the actors and with such French faces :-) …
Napoleon's troops passed Great St. Bernard on May 15, 1800. They entered Aosta on 05/16, and they were near Bard on 19.
In the image from Google Maps, you can see the narrow pass in the middle of the mountains. On the right, on the mountains, between Arnad and Bard, there were cannon batteries. (You can visit at least two of them.) The battery in the photo (Machaby) can be reached via a dirt road with truly spectacular views.
Napoleon had 40,000 soldiers. They arrived at Bard through this valley (photo) and could not push forward. The space you see in front of the fort was totally occupied by French soldiers and their camps.
To understand the size of the French troops: in Val d'Aosta, the region, lived approximately 32,000 persons in that period.
The commander of the army wrote to Napoleon: “It is impossible to let the artillery pass until we have conquered the castle of Bard … with the infantry and cavalry I can go around the castle by taking a mule track … the route that goes around the castle is very difficult”
In the fortress, there were less than 400 soldiers (300 Austrians and 100 Piedmontese) and 26 cannons. The village of Bard was without inhabitants: they fled into the mountains.
A part of the infantry and cavalry could get around the fort for the mule tracks. But the main part of the troops stood still in front of the fortress. They even tried to wear their cannons with the herb, and they put the mattresses they found in the houses on the village road (May, 25). Nothing to do.
The French attempted to cross the Dora (river) on May 26, but the raft was sunk. Along with the others, General Dupont had also fallen in this attempt.
In the end, the French managed to place a huge cannon near the church so that it managed to destroy the entrance door. And in the evening, of June 1st, Captain Joseph Otto Stockard von Bernkopf signed the surrender with the honor of arms.
Napoleon was so angry at the fort's resistance that he completely razed it to the ground. So that today nothing remains of that old castle.
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