Achille Fontanelli was an Italian nationalist and Napoleonic general. Born into a low-ranking noble family, he took service with a pro-French Italianmilitary unit in 1797. He was captured in 1799 but was repatriated in time to serve in the Marengo Campaign in 1800. He was promoted to general officer in 1804 and in the 1809 war he led an Italian division in several major battles. After serving as Minister of War to Eugène de Beauharnais, he was tapped to command a division in the 1813 campaign. After the collapse of Napoleon's empire in 1814, he took service with the Austrian Empire.
Biography
Fontanelli was born in Modena on 8 November 1775 to a minor Italian aristocratic family, son of Marquis Alfonso and Paolina Cervi. His parents died while he was young. With the arrival in Italy of Napoleon Bonaparte's French army in 1796 he enrolled in the city Guard of Modena.
The following year he transferred to one of the Bologna Cohorts of the Lombardy Legion, which became part of Jean Lannes' brigade. In February he served against Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchi's forces in Romagna, and was at the capture of Ancona. In mid June Bonaparte ordered an expedition against the Ionian Islands. The Lombardy Legion had been split in two parts with the Transpadane Cohorts gathered under the name of the 3rd Legion. Taking temporary command of this unit Fontanelli led it in the capture of Corfu. In 1798 his command returned to central Italy and joined Giuseppe Lechi for a joint march against Rome, however the Pope resigned before the invasion so the Legion remained in garrison at Pesaro.
In 1799, the Lombardy Legion evolved into the 3rd Cisalpine Demi-Brigade. After the renewed outbreak of hostilities Fontanelli marched towards Ferrara and Verona under Joseph Hélie Désiré Perruquet de Montrichard, serving at the action at Finale and retreating to Bologna, then to Pesaro, where, together with Domenico Pino, he refused to participate in General Lahoz's decision to capitulate. Fontanelli instead marched the Legion to Ancona, which was under blockade from a joint Turkish-Russian fleet led by admirals Wejnowich and Pastokhin. The Fontanelli column was welcome in the Citadel, but Fontanelli was arrested on suspicion of insubordination. The Cisalpine officers were however totally discharged, and attached to the Ancona garrison. Following the eventual surrender of Ancona at the end of 1799 Fontanelli was repatriated to France, where in 1800 he was reassigned to command a light infantry battalion of the Legione Italica. At the head of this he followed Bonaparte in the crossing of the Alps and the Marengo Campaign.
