Battle of Ponte Novu

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The Battle of Ponte Novu took place on May 8 and 9, 1769 between royal French forces and the native Corsicans under Pascal Paoli. The battle opened the route through the rugged mountains to the Corsican capital of Corte. The battle is important as it marked the end of the Corsican War and paved the way for French dominance over the island.

Voltaire, in his Précis du Siècle de Louis XV, admiringly wrote about the battle: "The principle weapon of the Corsicans was their courage. This courage was so great that in one of these battles, near a river named Golo, they made a rampart of their dead in order to have the time to reload behind them before making a necessary retreat; their wounded were mixed among the dead to strengthen the rampart. Bravery is found everywhere, but such actions aren't seen except among free people."