On the morning of August 4 [1796], Napoleon was at Lonato with only 1,200 men when more than 3,000 lost Austrians, who had been cut off from Quasdanovich’s command, suddenly blundered into the town. Napoleon calmly informed their parlementaire (officer sent to parley) that his ‘whole army’ was present, and that ‘If in eight minutes his division had not laid down its arms, I would not spare a man.’
He supported this ruse by issuing orders to Berthier about grenadier and artillery units that Berthier knew were entirely bogus. The Austrians only discovered once they had surrendered and been disarmed that there were no French forces nearby, and that they could have captured Napoleon with ease.
Source:
Roberts, Andrew. "Victory." Napoleon: A Life. New York: Penguin, 2014. 112. Print.
Original Source Listed:
ed. Bingham, Selection I p. 106.
Further Reading:
Imagine if Bertier was like: "What guns? We have no 15 pounders with us!"