Description: Marengo holds a special place in Napoleonic mythology. In a bold move, Napoleon took 22,000 men across the Alps. Fighting snow, avalanches and winds, he marched horses, troops, and supply sleds across the Great St. Bernard Pass. Exhausted, hungry, and frozen, his army arrived at Marengo, only to be surprised by the Austrians. By the afternoon of June 14, 1800, it looked as if the battle was lost, but a miraculous last-minute turnaround thanks to the arrival of reinforcements led by Desaix, gave victory to the French. If the Emperor had been defeated his life, and the course of history, might have been very different.

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