This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1882 Excerpt: ...such alacrity that they appeared in the plains of Piedmont before it was known in Italy that they had left the banks of the Rhine. Immediately after signing the capitulation of Mantua, Buonaparte had set out for Bologna on his expedition against the pope. His Holiness, on learning this threatening movement, was in the ...
Read More
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1882 Excerpt: ...such alacrity that they appeared in the plains of Piedmont before it was known in Italy that they had left the banks of the Rhine. Immediately after signing the capitulation of Mantua, Buonaparte had set out for Bologna on his expedition against the pope. His Holiness, on learning this threatening movement, was in the utmost consternation and perplexity. At length he resolved to make a despairing effort to resist the redoubtable foe. The Austrian general, Colli, happening to be in Rome, was placed at the head of the papal army; priests being sent among the people to preach a crusade against the French, and to offer a plenary indulgence to every one who would engage to fight in defence of the Holy See. The sole object of Buonaparte was to deprive the Pope of one or two additional provinces, and to subject him to a contribution sufficient to defray the expenses of the impending campaign. But no efforts were spared to persuade the ignorant and superstitious, that the war now waged by the French was in reality a holy war directed against the vicegerent of God upon the earth. The Pope having thus appealed to the fanaticism of the illiterate mob, his army, when Buonaparte came up with it, was composed of only 8,000 regular troops, the rest being a motley mass of ill-armed undisciplined peasants, headed by monks. This rude assemblage of Papal troops was intrenched on the banks of the Senio, when the conqueror of Italy appeared on the 4th of February, marching towards the bridge over the river, which was strongly defended. General Lannes, with a few hundred men, having crossed the river by a ford, at a point beyond the bridge, took up his position in the rear of the Pope's forces. The Lombard troops, commanded by General Lahoz, marching on the bridge, succeeded in ...
Read Less
Add this copy of A History of France From the Earliest Times to the to cart. $60.25, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2012 by Nabu Press.