The Battle of Segonzano

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The “Battle of Segonzano”, occurred in 1796 by the castle with the same name, marked a turning point in history with the first serious defeat and the stop of the advance of the army commanded by a young general called Napoleon Bonaparte.

In the autumn of that year the French troops had conquered the territory of the present northern Italy until Trent and were advancing towards the southern Tyrol through the Cembra valley (the valleys of the Avisio river were in theory easier to be conquered compared with the marshy Adige valley.)
In october there were several clashes nearby Segonzano, but the action which led to the battle here mentioned was ordered by Napoleon at the beginning of the next month. On November 2nd, 1796 the French general Vaubois attacked San Michele, Lisignago and Segonzano with three distinct columns.

You have to know that in those days there weren't regular troops in defence of the valley, but a territorial army formed by the inhabitants of the zone who, lacking in military training, were recruited during the danger situations. Usually, in order not to damage the economic and agricultural activities, only few thousands people were called to arms. In the most serious cases it was promulgated the “general conscription” (in Italian “leva in massa”, in German “Landsturm”) and all the fit men were called to defend their borders, often with extempore weapons; sometimes even with sickles and pitchforks!
The army was supported by the company of the Schützen, in Trentine dialect sizeri  (see the page of this site dedicated to the Schützen corps.)

In the assault of Vaubois against Segonzano the French forces were five times more than the Tyrolean ones, but the effectiveness of the Schützen in using their weapons and their force in the hand-to-hand struggle, especially on the Colle di S. Trinità hill, were able to repel the French who left their positions.
After other bloody clashes in the following days the Tyrolean troops could come into Trent on November 5th, acclaimed by the population with cheers: «Bravi, bravi patrioti, bravi bersaglieri!», i.e. «well done patriots, well done rifle soldiers!», (the French were particularly hated by the Trentine people because of the sacks and the destructions made by them during the military operations.)
The final battle on November 6th and 7th 1796, in which the commander of the Schützen Felice von Riccabona conquered Castelpietra, forced eventually the French to abandon completely the Trentino.

The one shown below is a singular document: a proclamation “To the Inhabitants of the Tyrol” printed by direction of Bonaparte, in which the “Tyrolese” are invited not to thwart the Napoleonic advance.
It's written in a beautiful Italian, doubtless composed by local collaborators following indications of the French generals.
The date written according the revolutionary calendar (13 Fructidor of the year IV ) is a little before the battle one, and so it can be inherited that the paper didn't achieve the hoped result.
My translation of the text is quite literal and I left the punctuation as close to the original one as I could, in order to try to preserve the peculiarities of the style.


1
Liberty Equality
From  the  Headquarters  in  Brescia  on  13  Fructidor  year  IV .
of  the  French  Republic
B O N A P A R T E
Lieutenant-General  of  the  Army  in  Italy
To  the  Inhabitants  of  the  Tyrol .

You press for the protection of the French Army , you must deserve it , and since the majority of you is favourably disposed , force this small number of men to submit . Their senseless behaviour , is prone to attract on their nation the fury of the war .

The superiority of the French weapons is today clearly proved ; the Ministers of the Emperor bought with the gold of England betray him ; this wretched Prince doesn't make any move , unless it's false .

Do you want peace ? The French fight for it , we pass through your Territory , only to oblige the Court of Vienna to submit to the votes of the sorrowful Europe , and listen to the moans of its People , we don't come in these countries with ambitious aims of enlargement , nature has established our borders to the Rhine , and to the Alps , and in the same time she fixed the ones of the the House of Austria to the Tyrol .

Tyrolese ? Whatever was your past conduct ; come back to your home lives , leave those banners which were many times defeated , and powerless to defend them . The winners of the Alps , and of Italy , cannot be afraid of a little number of enemies more , but the generosity of my nation orders me to save a few victims .

We were terrible in the fighting , but we're the friends of the ones , who will receive us with hospitality .

The Religion , the customs , the estates of the Communes , that will submit , will be respected . The Communes , whose Tyrolese Companies will not be retired in their houses when we arrive , will be set on fire; the dwellers will be taken hostages , and sent to France .

Whenever a Commune will submit , the Mayors will have to promptly give the list of the ones among the inhabitants , who will be in the Emperor's pay , and if they are part of the Tyroleſe Companies , their houses will be immediately set on fire ; and their relatives until the third degree will be arrested , who will be send as hostages .

All the Tyrolese , who are part of the Frank Corps caught having weapons in their hand will be shot at once .

The Major Generals are in charge of the strict execution of This Proclamation .

B O N A P A R T E
As  a  true  copy
The   Major   General   Chief   of   Staff
ALESSANDRO   BERTHIER .

Proclamation by Napoleon Bonaparte “To the Tyrolese people”, August 31th, 1796 (detail), Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum - Innsbruck (Austria), translated by me.

Notwithstanding the overwhelming victory, though, the imperial army played for time, evidently more interested in drive Napoleon back from the Tyrol than in chase away of northern Italy, in this way giving French the possibility to retire containing the losses.
The next year the Napoleonic troops succeeded indeed to conquer most of the Trentine Tyrol, in spite of the opposition of the Schützen companies of Cembra and Fiemme.

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© 2005, Fabio Vassallo