Garnier received promotion to general of division on 20 December 1793 and returned to the Army of Italy in April 1794 where he may have fought at the Battle of Saorgio. He transferred to the Army of the Alps, where he served during most of 1795. However, he was back in the Army of Italy in November 1795 when he fought at the Battle of Loano. After a brief stint in the Army of the Alps, he was back in the Army of Italy in the spring of 1796 when Napoleon Bonaparte arrived to assume command. The small divisions of Garnier and Francois Macquard defended the Col de Tende and were not in action during the Montenotte Campaign. After the French success, a messenger arrived from the north ordering Garnier and Macquard to join the rest of the army in Piedmont.