"They have seen nothing yet...In our day, no one has conceived anything great: it is for me to set the example." - Napoleon Bonaparte after the victory at Lodi.

With a playwright's understanding of men's passions, he could give heart or strike fear with a few well-placed words. His glance, produced at the right moment to the right man, could expose a weakness or inspire courage. Like Hannibal and many others, he was a commander that lived and suffered very much with his men, at least at the beginning of his career. All these things mark Napoleon out as a uniquely gifted general. At the battle of Rivoli in mid-January 1796, we see them all come together at once, on full display for the first time in the "Little Corporal's" career.