Napoleon crosses the Alps, by J.-L. David:
“the epic crossing of the St. Bernard began on 15 May [1800]. … On 18 May Napoleon took up his quarters in a Bernardin convent at the foot of the pass. Once again the campaign lurched close to disaster. The French vanguard, it turned out, were in danger of being trapped from the exit to the pass at Fort Biard, strongly held by the Austrians. … On 19 May [Napoleon] told his secretary: “I’m bored with this convent and anyway those imbeciles will never take Fort Biard. I must go there myself.” Next day he made a perilous passage through the pass on muleback, slipping and sliding uncontrollaby on the downhill stretches. … Napoleonic iconography portrayed the leader as a second Hannibal crossing the Alpine passes in snow and ice and the famous painting by David showed him astride a rearing horse rather than a lowly mule; but the sober fact was that so much equipment had been lost in the St. Bernard that he entered Italy almost as ill-equipped as in 1796.” (Frank McLynn, Napoleon [London 1998], p. 229)