Problems of Supply of Suvorov’s Army in the Campaign of 1799

Abstract

This article examines the problems of providing the united Russian-Austrian army under the command of A. V. Suvorov, which acted in 1799 in the Italian and Swiss theatres of war. By agreeing with Russia on the formation of a united contingent, the Austrian government assumed obligations to fully supply it during the entire period of hostilities. The extant testimonies of the participants of the campaign make it possible to analyse certain aspects of the supply of allied troops during the war. No significant supply problems were recorded at the Italian theatre during the entire campaign. Even though Suvorov was commander-in-chief of the entire Russian-Austrian forces, the quartermaster services were subordinate to Hofkriegsrat, the Austrian military department. For this reason, the Austrian officials were entirely in charge of food procurement. The main difficulty was frequent delays in deliveries, which, with the general discoordination of the actions of the Russian and Austrian commands, periodically had a negative impact on the military operations. When the army marched from Italy to Switzerland through mountains unsuitable for moving large wagons, the food problem became especially acute. The delivery of provisions to the locations of the troops became impossible, the supplies taken with them were transported on the backs of pack animals, mules, and horses, which moved with great difficulty along mountain trails and often fell off the mountains with their loads. The salvation was in the few settlements, whose inhabitants supplied the hungry and tired soldiers with cheese and potatoes.