However, it is not just about long arguments, I discovered some great material on the French armies in Italy in 1799. Here is this account of French officers and their habits by a Neapolitan:

“The French 64th Regiment of Line infantry arrived and was billeted in different houses as were the officers and NCOs and these wanted coffee, with milk, at one o’clock or had a breakfast at half past one consisting of a large number of eggs and mozzarella, bread and wine. At noon they had a lunch of some six dishes as well as lots of eggs and drinks in abundance and for supper they had the local wine or rosolio, although some had coffee, and they were allowed to take back with them what they wanted. They consume a lot of wine and also put it in the soup at supper time which they then drank after having eaten the bread. Some wanted to take full bottles back with them so they could drink it in the night if they woke up and then they could fall back to sleep”.

Another account has General Bonamy staying at the La Crocelle Inn and charging the bill of 2,949 Ducats, 13.54 of which was for ice cream, to the city of Naples.

Those rapacious French!