L'Empereur Napoleon: Armee D'Italie

by DeusOlympus

The first book from L'Empereur Napoleon Trilogy! When Percy and Frank live in Napoleonic Era. Two friends, from the new world, move to France to start a new life, without realizing that their life will soon change! With the bad economy of the Bourbon Dynasty, the two later joins the military. When the Revolution started, they must decide: follow the Royalists or join the Republic.

3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Our First Battle

3rd Person PoV

Fort Mulgrave redoubt, outside Toulon

17th of December 1793, morning.

The French first wave is already fighting on top of fort Mulgrave redoubt. The French reserve under the Artillery Officer, Colonel Napoleon Bonaparte has just reached Cairo Hill.

Every man is fighting with his bayonets, commanders with their sabre, with the occasional sound of cannons from nearby french batteries and musket fire from some soldiers not engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Everyone fights as if their lives depend on the redoubt.
Percy is currently fighting a British Private when he saw Colonel Napoleon get stabbed in the thighs by a sergeant.
Percy, seeing that, immediately rushed over to Colonel Bonaparte, after stabbing the Private with his bayonet in the heart. Percy quickly shoved the Sergeant with his musket stock and stabbed him in his heart with his bayonet.
Percy then helped Colonel Bonaparte to stand, and continued fighting using his bayonet, and occasionally kicked the enemy soldier in the gut or stomach. Frank is currently fighting an artillery crew, Bayonet against a rammer, while Nico is hitting a private in the head with his musket and kicking him in the gut. Amidst the sea of men, stood a flagpole with a British flag flown, and a few Frenchmen trying to lower it to replace it with the French Tricolore. After an hour of fighting, the redoubt is finally captured. The French soldiers placed cannons facing the forts of L'Eguillette and Balaguier, both of them had been evacuated earlier that day, due to the condition in which the British can't win the fight for Fort Mulgrave. Then, the French Forces march towards Fort L'Eguillette and Fort Balaguier with some more artillery in tow.

Percy's PoV

We just entered the fort L'Eguillette. it is already noon, and it seems that the Anglo-Spanish force had evacuated the fort earlier this morning.
I climbed the stairs to the rampart. We moved the cannons in the fort, adding some extra cannons from fort Mulgrave, and set it facing the port of Toulon, or more specifically, the ships of the Anglo-Spanish force. By now it is already afternoon.
"Charger le Canon!" Colonel Napoleon shouted. I put the powder, paper, and cannonball into the cannon, while Frank rammed the Cannon.
"Déclencher!" Colonel Napoleon shouted. I quickly fired the cannon.
I watched as the cannonball, along with many other cannonballs, hit a ship in the distance.
"Charger le Canon!" I loaded the cannon again, while Frank rammed.
"Déclencher!" I fired, and the cannonball hit another ship.
After a lot of other shots, some of it was canister shots, I swapped places with somebody else and reloaded my musket.
Minutes later, our frigate 'Iris' exploded because of fire from an enemy fire ship. I saw an enemy lifeboat passing through, and shot my musket.
I realized that it is already dusk. The others have reached the shoreline and start shooting towards the enemy lifeboat, while the cannons shoot some canister shots.
When the lifeboat is out of reach, we continued shooting at the enemy ships, until all the ships have fled Toulon.

We then marched back to our camp. After eating our ration, almost everybody gets back to their tent, except some that need to do sentry duty. I entered my tent, which I shared with Frank. We are in the same battalion, so we can share a tent.
I lied in my bed, waiting for Frank, while thinking about the battle and how many more engagements would I have to get involved in during the rest of my time in the Armee D'Italie.
When he comes, I asked him what do he thought about Colonel Bonaparte. He said that the Corsican born colonel is a really good strategist, after all the strategy for the battle earlier that day, also a good propagandist, as he knows how to inspire us to man the 'Men without fear' Battery even though we are afraid of the close calls from the enemy cannonballs days before our engagement. He also said that we would be lucky if we get him as our general, as we are also in the Armee D'Italie or the Army of Italy. While we are talking, Nico came and talked with us about the execution of, and I quote, 'Citoyen Louis Capet, Le Roi Francaise', as we are also there that day. I still remember that day clearly.
Then we go sleep, for we are tired after a long day, as we have been awake from yesterday midnight to start the attack, and we have been fighting and marching all day. After all, tomorrow we are going to pack the camp, and then the next day, we are going to march again to Toulon, singing La Marseillaise.

The End

JK, I'll wait until 1000 words to end this chapter and the next chapters.

2 Days Later

Still Percy's PoV

"...orger, Vos Fils, Vos Compagnes. Aux Armes, Citoyens! Formez, Vos Battaillons! Marchons, Marchons, Qu'un Sang Impur, Abreuve Nos Sillons!" The soldiers sang La Marseillaise along the road to Toulon, with our musket ready, and our column looked like a sea of blue hats and bayonets from above. "Vive La France!" we shouted. "Vive La Revolution! Long Live the Republic!" Colonel Napoleon shouted. There was a rumour that Colonel Napoleon is going to be a Brigadier General... Wonder if it's true... Well, let's get back to marching now, shall we? We are close to Toulon, the reason we shouted "Vive La Revolution", because we want the Royalists to hear it. Anyways, here we are. Toulon. Port of the French Navy, and 26 of our Ship Of The Line. A beautiful city, but stained by their marks as the Royalist base, a city that has to be taken by force, from the Royalists. We marched to the city's Champs Des Mars and prepared to camp. Wonder what will happen in 3 days...

That was it! what do you think? good? bad? review! this is my first Fanfic