tion from the Parisian mob and one year later at the age of 26 was rewarded with the position of commander in chief of the interior French army in Italy. When Napoleon accepted the position as the commander of the French Army he received a cold reception by his generals. No general was to be easily cowed by a man of only twenty six. Something about Bonaparte scared them. Once Napoleon took over it did not take long for him to turn the group of ill-disciplined soldiers into an effective fighting force. His boldness and determination, as he would later prove could turn his troops into super human soldiers. If he said it could be done, they believed him, and would give their lives on his words. In a series of stunning victories, Napoleon defeated four Austrian generals in succession, each army he fought was larger than the one he faced in succeeding battles. This forced Austria and its allies to make peace with France. Napoleon was dressed well and he took part in the life of Paris, and often visited the grand house of Barras. It was there that he met Josephine de Beauharnais, the widow of a French nobleman. Women were never Napoleon's strong suit. He has many affairs which were common in his day. It seems that no woman could ever live up to what his mother was to Napoleon. Napoleon was too aggressive a man to give himself wholly to a woman. Maybe this was good for the military, but a military is made up of men. Not being able to sustain a positive relationship with his wife or mistresses hurt Napoleon the man. On March 9, 1796, Napoleon married Josephine and two days later left to command the army that was fighting the Austrians in Italy. On April 10, he started a new campaign, and with a series of clever moves, he split the opposing Austrian army into three separate groups. Napoleon then defeated each one. Three weeks later he crossed the Po River. Napoleon led an attack and attempted to storm the bridge over the Adda River. Napoleon ...
