March 1796 · Nice
Napoleon to the Army of Italy
The setting
Taking command of a ragged, unpaid French army on the Italian frontier, the twenty-six-year-old Napoleon Bonaparte issued a proclamation promising his soldiers glory and the riches of Italy.
Key passage
Soldiers, you are naked and ill fed... I will lead you into the most fertile plains in the world.
From the memoirs Napoleon dictated on St Helena; no copy printed in 1796 is known, and the words may have been written or polished long afterwards.
The full speech
"Soldiers, you are naked and ill-fed! Government owes you much and can give you nothing. The patience and courage you have shown in the midst of these rocks are admirable; but they gain you no renown; no glory results to you from your endurance. It is my design to lead you into the most fertile plains of the world. Rich provinces and great cities will be in your power; there you will find honor, glory, and wealth. Soldiers of Italy! will you be wanting in courage or perseverance?"
Text: Wikisource, from Napoleon's Addresses (1896). The text is in the public domain; the Wikisource transcription is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What followed
In a single campaign Napoleon defeated Piedmont and Austria and became the most famous general in Europe. Within eight years he had crowned himself Emperor of the French.