Austrian cannon were placed in such a way that they could fire on anyone approaching the bridge. In the November 1796 battle to take the Italian village of Arcole (Arcola) from the Austrians, French forces under Napoleon had to cross a small wooden bridge across the River Alpone.
It’s a myth that Napoleon crossed the bridge. Napoleon leading his troops over the bridge of Arcole by Horace Vernet, 1826.
