The resistance opposed at Bard by Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy's troops in 1704, during the Spanish war of Succession, was memorable. The most notorious episode to occur at Bard however, was the siege of 1800. In the early morning of May 14 of that year, Napoleon's 40.000- strong reserve army crossed the Great St. Bernard Pass with the intention of surprising the Austro-Piedmontese army occupying the Po Valley at that time. The descent from the mountains proceeded speedily as far as Bard, where the French were intercepted by the Austrian troops holding the fortress. The night of May 21, surprised by a nocturnal attack, the village of Bard capitulated, but the fort's commander, Capt. Stockard von Bernkopf did not give in. When General Marmont's plan to transport the heavy artillery to the top of the Rock failed, as did another assault, the French were left with no choice but to lay siege to the fort; after a long day of bombardment, on June 1 Von Bernkopf surrendered the fort and was conceded military honours.

The surrender
to Napoleone