Masséna returned to the Army of Italy in January of 1794 where he took command of the right wing. As the French army went on the offensive, he took part in the expedition to Oneglia and Saorgio by seizing Ormeo and Garessio and then fighting at Saorgio. That May he occupied the pass of Tende, but the offensive was halted during the summer. In September the French resumed the offensive and Masséna fought at Cairo and occupied Dego. However, in December he fell ill and had no choice but to hand over his command until he could recover sufficiently. General Masséna resumed an active command in April of 1795 when he took command of the 1st Division of the right wing of the Army of Italy. That June he fought the Austrians but was repulsed at Melogno, and then in November he won at Loano .
When General Schérer resigned his command of the Army of Italy, Masséna hoped to be the next commander, but it was not to be. The next year the ambitious, young General Bonaparte arrived to take command of the Army of Italy. Masséna's men formed the advance guard of the army and he led them into action at Montenotte and Dego before taking Cherasco. Continuing to take part in the campaign, Masséna was one of the officers to charge across the bridge at Lodi , and he then went on to take Milan and Verona. That August he won at Lonato and fought at Castiglione and then in September he fought at Bassano , Due Castelli, and Saint-Georges. In November Masséna served on the Brenta and at Caldiero before fighting at Arcola . Two months later in January of 1797 he won at San-Michele and then contributed significantly to the victories over the Austrians at Rivoli and La Favorite. Napoleon proclaimed Masséna, "the dear child of victory" in recognition of his outstanding talents and contributions, though some sources state that the wording was actually, "the spoiled child of victory".
When negotiations with the Austrians broke down, Masséna resumed command of a division in the Army of Italy in March of 1797. He immediately went on the offensive, seizing the forts of Chiusa and Tarvis and then winning at Neumarkt and Unzmarkt. As Napoleon finished negotiating the Peace of Leoben, Masséna was sent to Paris to take the preliminary treaty to the Directory.
By this time Masséna had gained quite the reputation for looting and womanizing, but no one doubted his military abilities which were entirely instinctive due to his dislike of reading. In early 1798 he was given command of the troops ordered to occupy the Papal States. While in Rome, Masséna was accused of looting and treating the soldiers poorly and his troops became openly hostile to him. He turned over his command and left Rome, retiring to Antibes for a period of time
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