Battle of Austerlitz
The battles of Austerlitz , (now Slavkov, in Tchéquie) called the “battle of the Three Emperors”, is held the December 2nd 1805 in the south of the Moravie (Czech Republic), and more precisely between Brünn and Austerlitz. After nine hours of engagements, the Large army of Napoleon I {{er}} beats the Austrian forces of the emperor François I {{er}} and that of the tsar Alexandre. The England, although unconquered, remains alone, which puts an end to the Third coalition.
In addition to its strategic importance, this battle, as well as the countryside which preceded it, carrying out the Large army, of Boulogne-sur-Mer until Austerlitz, is regarded as the tactical chief of work of Napoleon Bonaparte, and, still nowadays, taught in many military academies.
Austerlitz seems to be the only battle where Napoleon could choose the ground, to bring the enemy and to impose his plan to it to him: the totality of the others were either of the more or less impromptu battles of meeting (Marengo, Iéna, Eylau, Lutzen, Dresden), or of forcings of positions where the enemy preferred to await the Emperor (Friedland, Wagram, Moskowa). It will be necessary to await the Bérézina wrongly so that an enemy chief believes capacity to attack the Emperor with chances of success,…
Be a prelude to
The Peace of Amiens and beginning of the hostilities
In March 1802, the France and the England, bled by ten years of war, sign with Amiens a peace treaty (see the article Paix of Amiens for the conditions of peace). But savagely anti-French, the new English Prime Minister William Pitt does not respect the peace treaty and refuses to leave the island of Malta. In May 1803, England opens the hostilities while seizing: 1200 merchant ships French and Dutch in the English ports without Declaration of war. The French react a few days later by stopping all the English being in France and Bonaparte mobilizes its army.
The army of England and the camp of Boulogne-sur-Mer
Napoleon Bonaparte already on the occasion to order the army of North (or the Coasts of the Ocean) in 1797. But in front of the unpreparedness of its troops and the powerful English fleet crossing in the strait of the Pas-de-Calais, he prefers to carry out a forwarding in Egypt (see Campagne of Egypt). In 1803, Napoleon, extremely of his experiment, assembles his army corps all along the French littoral (Augereau with Brest, Ney with Étaples, Lannes and Soult with Boulogne-sur-Mer, Davout with Ambleteuse, Marmont with Antwerp and Amsterdam and Bernadotte with Hanover). During one year, the Large army is equipped, involved, form its conscripts, under the framing of qualified officers. Indeed, the latter are the support of the Large army: the majority are former privates raised in 1793, who acquired in 1804 the experiment of the combat and keep an attachment for the new recruits.
The Third coalition: England, Austria and Russia
The British have certainly a powerful fleet, but their Army very few, primarily made up militia without discipline poor and is slightly armed. Conscious that this army would be unable to be opposed to the once unloaded Large army, William Pitt, British the Prime Minister, decides to move away the French threat from invasion, to form fine 1804 a new coalition against France with Austria, Russia and the Sweden which will carry out in the anecdotic war only one role.
The tsar Alexandre I {{er}} of Russia, crowned in 1801, adheres to the coalition for reasons of prestige: to overcome the emperor of the French would confirm the power of Russia in full expansion since fifty years (see Partitions of Poland and Traité of Iaşi against the Othoman ).
The emperor François II knows the talent of Napoleon, who by twice beat the Austrian armies in four years (see first and Second coalition). But the annexation of the Italy of North by France (Napoleon being made crown king d' Italie) and the first attempts to join together the German States under French protection, field held by Austria since centuries, push François II to adhere to the coalition. Lastly, all the courses European highly reacted to the execution of the duke of Enghien and to the sacring of Napoleon.
The July 4th, the Russia and the Austria sign a convention of war where the Russians commit themselves sending in Germany: 140000 men to help them: 100000 Austrians. The English, financeurs of the coalition, commit themselves pouring with their allies: 1250000 pounds for: 100000 men put in shift.
Preliminary movements
The catch of Ulm
With the mid- August 1805, the situation of Napoleon is difficult: the royalist movements intensify In spite of the vigilance of Fouché, the Treasury is empty. Moreover Napoleon learns that the admiral Villeneuve, considering his fleet too weak compared to that of Nelson, is locked up with Cadiz; while the Bavaria (allied of France) is invaded by the troops of the Austrian general Mack. In front of these events, Napoleon decides on August 23rd of “pirouetter” his army on the the Rhine.
The August 29th, 150 000 infantrymen, 40 000 riders and 350 guns break littoral to gain Germany with an astonishing precision: each unit of the Large army takes place a route and of precise stages to respect. The purpose of this forced march (up to 40 km per day) through the north of France is to reach Vienna before the Russians do not join the Austrians, and that they do not profit thus from the numerical superiority.
The September 26th, after three days of rest, the “7 torrents” (for the 7 Large army corps) cross the Rhine in direction of invaded Bavaria. Mack awaits Napoleon firm footing with Ulm, bolt of the shortest road between the Rhine and Munich, the Bavarian capital, i.e. through the Black Forest. Napoleon then decides to circumvent Ulm by north then to cut Mack of his backs, while inserting the ¾ of his army between Ulm and the town of Ratisbon, while Lannes and the cavalry of Murat makes diversion while making accept the Austrians who the Large army is always opposite them. After the victory of Ney to the Battle of Elchingen, Mack must be folded up with its 25 000 men in Ulm. After one week of seat, best the armed Austrian one goes and ravels in front of Napoleon. The road of Vienna is open.
The entry in Vienna
Even if Napoleon overcame first once the Austrians, it is far from to have overcome the whole of the forces of the coalition: Napoleon continues the Russian army of Koutousov. With fur-and-with-measurement that this one beats a retreat, it does not cease being reinforced while the Large army is diluted, with: 1000 km. of its bases. In Italy, Masséna is unable to beat the archduke Charles in spite of his crushing numerical superiority; Napoleon must then deprive himself of Ney and Marmont which leaves for the the Tyrol (in order to prevent that the Charles archduke does not escape Masséna then threat the right wing from the Large army). The emperor of the French must also deprive himself of Augereau, because another archduke, Jean-Baptiste, try to raise an army in Bohemia. Worse still, the Prussia prepares its entry in war and promises with Alexandre {{Ier}} to mid-December attack the French.
The shortly after the capitulation of Ulm occurs the naval disaster of Trafalgar, but Napoleon learns this news only on November 1st. After having released Munich, the Large army descends the the Danube to take Vienna and seek the decisive battle with the Russians. Napoleon estimates manpower of Koutousov at more: 100000 men. In fact, the Russian marshal has only: 36000 tired soldiers reinforced by: 22000 demoralized Austrians. Informed of the defeat of Ulm, Koutousov decides to beat a retreat to make connection with Russian and Austrian reinforcements, in spite of the petitions of François II to defend Vienna and it charges Bagration, its best subordinate, to cover his retirement with its divisions.
During this time, Napoleon hopes to fight battle to Saint-Pölten (Sankt Pölten), but the November 11th, Koutousov, reinforced by: 10000 Austrians and having begun again insurance, melts with: 15000 men on the division of Mortar, in the procession of Dürrenstein. Taken face, of side and by the back, the French resist and fight with against three, and put finally out of combat: 2600 Russians.
Napoleon orders with Murat to take Vienna, showing it to have left Mortier alone and not to have counter-attack the Russians, while Bernadotte crosses with difficulty the the Danube because of sudden a Crue of river. The November 13rd, Murat and Lannes take Vienna without shot.
Two lieutenants de Napoléon then manage to seize the bridge of wood of the city by affirming with the officer charged to make it jump that a Armistice was signed between Napoleon and François II. At once, Bessières and Soult cross the river. The following day, Murat attacks with its cavalry the rear-guard of Bagration. The Russians manage to escape by employing the same stratagem: they make accept Murat that a negotiation of armistice is proceeding and this one stops its attack.
Koutousov arrives at Olmütz (now Olomouc), in Moravie, where it operates its junction the November 19th with the 2nd Russian army of the Buxhowden general and the Austrian body of the prince de Lichtenstein. The united army account then: 86000 men. Two days later, Napoleon arrives at Austerlitz, 100 km of Vienna. He does not have any more but: 73000 men.
The trap of Napoleon
This trap consists in making accept the enemy whom the forces of Napoleon i are too weak to overcome. With this intention, it uses many tricks (to organize the fold of its troops during confrontations or of skirmishes, to ask to be received by the other emperors like negotiating, etc…). The enemies think whereas Napoleon has only: 40000 men (instead of: 73000). Koutouzov is not persuaded of it but the young generals (noble having bought loads, therefore little tested) want to shine in front of their emperor and sink in the trap, without awaiting the reinforcements of the south.
The ground
The battle field of Austerlitz is a vast rectangle of eight kilometers out of twelve. It is delimited in north by the road Olmütz - Brünn and in the west by the road Vienna - Brünn. In the south, cold ponds close the battle field. Between the Goldbach and the Littawa, two brooks forming a V, the plate of Pratzen is the showpiece of the zone. Winter snow, still not very thick, gum unevennesses.
During two days, Napoleon scrupulously studies the future battle field which it chose: he memorizes each hedge, each ditch, each thicket… He advises then with his marshals: “Young people, study well this ground, we will fight there; you will have each one a role to play”.
Weather
The French plan and device
See also: List of the French units having taken part in the battle of Austerlitz
After the meeting of the allied armies, the Austro-Russians have a clear numerical superiority. Napoleon is thus solved with a defensive battle; he gathers his forces and convinces his adversaries which he refuses the battle while beating a retreat and giving up, the November 28th, the plate of Pratzen, high tactical value. The same day, it sacrifices to the Cosaques the riders of the general Treilhard. After three months an aggressive walk, this fold and this defeat appear with the eyes of united like an admission of weakness and comforts the Tsar, which refused the proposal of Koutousov to reprocess until in Galicie.
Napoleon, psychologically to persuade his adversaries which it is the day before an unquestionable defeat, sends Savary, his Assistance-of-camp, to make peace proposals. The tsar refuses but, the November 30th, it sends all the same Dolgoroukov, an arrogant and impertinent prince. This one, more accustomed to the balls with Saint-Pétersbourg than with the bivouacs, is seized by surprised when he sees Napoleon leaving a ditch, the dirty and badly equipped figure tell in its Mémoires the general Langeron, a French emigrant who proposed his services with the tsar. Dolgoroukov gives the conditions of peace of the tsar: the abandonment of left bank of the the Rhine by France. Napoleon refuses Net but Dolgoroukov is convinced of the victory of united. On its return, he declares: Napoleon trembled of fear. I saw the French Army the day before his loss. Our avant-garde would be enough to crush it .
To persuade the allies tactiquement, Napoleon places little troops on his right side. He expects that the Allies, seeing the weak point of the French device, will leave their dominant position, i.e. the plate of Pratzen, to wrap the French and to cut to them the road of Vienna, because they believe that it is essential to the French to beat a retreat in the event of defeat, whereas in fact, the Emperor would have folded up himself on Paris. In the center, Soult and its: 20000 men, will counter-attack and divide the enemy army in two by attacking the plate of Pratzen left without defense. Lannes (: 15000 infantrymen) and Murat (: 8000 riders), in north, will defend their positions. To reinforce his right side, Napoleon requests Davout to leave Vienna, where its troops are stationed, and to join it with forced march. : 8000 soldiers of Davout will then traverse the 110 km which separate them from the battle field in 48 hours (36 hours of walk). Moreover, it places the cavalry of Margeron at the castle of Sokolnitz and lays out Legrand division in Sokolnitz (it also orders with the 3rd regiment of line of Legrand to hold Telnitz until the arrival of Davout). Lastly, Imperial Guard (: 5000 pomegranates) and the 1st body of Bernadotte (: 12000 men) remain in reserve. The French artillery counts 139 guns.
The plan and allied device
See also: List of the Russian and Austrian units having taken part in the battle of Austerlitz
February 1st, a council of war meets to discuss the battle plan for the confrontation of the following day. Koutousov and Langeron, being wary in front of control of the Emperor of the French, want to temporize to await the Charles archduke. This one, left Italy, is the only one which can measure itself in Napoleon, having met it in the past already much. But the tsar, encouraged by ambitious noble young people but without experiment, chosen Weyrother, an Austrian general. This one organized the operations of the army of Habsbourg the previous year on this same site. Its plan of attack envisages to use the body of Bagration to make an attack of diversion in north while the major part of the allied army will attack in the south the dismantled right side of the French with: 40000 men in four columns and to take the French in a revolving movement: I will employ tomorrow against Buonaparte the same operation which had been used to him to beat the Austrians with Castiglione. The victory is certain declare Weyrother with the tsar.
The army austro-Russian counts: 85000 men, of which: 15000 Austrians. With the right-hand side of the allied device the body of Bagration is (approximately: 15000 men); in the center, Kolowrat (: 17000 men) and on the left: 43000 men (formed in four columns) under the orders of Przybyszewky, Langeron, Dovtorov and Kienmayer). In reserve, Weirother places them: 4000 men of the Russian Imperial Guard (under the orders of the brother of the tsar, the Large-duke Constantin) and the cavalry of the prince de Lichtenstein (: 7000 riders). The allied whole of artillery account 278 guns.
The night from December 1st to December 2nd
The December 1st, in 8 p.m. 30, Napoleon brings together his marshals for a last council: each one from now on precisely knows its role for the following day. At 10 p.m., it leaves to horse with an escort twenty hunters to join the south of the battle field in order to intend the Russians to discuss their the plate of Pratzen. In the darkness, they exceed the French positions and from the Cosaques emerge the night, but the escort of the emperor pushes back them. Of return in the French lines, they stop in a bivouac held by one of the regiments of Vandamme, of the body of Soult. In the darkness, the Emperor runs up against a stock of tree: a hunter of its escort the celandine by lighting a handle of straw and by fixing it on a stick. One year day for day after the sacring of Napoleon, all the company imitates it and 70 000 men divided into twelve bivouacs, make in the same way then renew fires during more than one hour. Indicator this spectacle, the Russians and the Austrians believe that the French burn their campings, sure of their defeat.
Entrusting to his aide-de-camps that this night of 1st with the December 2nd was the most beautiful evening of its life, Napoleon falls asleep about midnight, reassured movement of the Russians on his line, in the inn where it established his general headquarter, not far from the road Olmütz-Brown. In the castle of Austerlitz, Alexandre awakes only at four o'clock in the morning while François II awaited the paddle, concerned.
In the night, French reconnaissance patrols notice that the Russians go more to the south than envisaged: Napoleon then orders with Davout to gain Telnitz, in the extreme south of the battle field, in order to stop the Russians between the villages of Telnitz and Sokolnitz, distant one of the other of 800 meters. Division Friant, harassed with tiredness after its walk, leaves its bivouac around 4 hours of the morning and share for Telnitz.
The battle
Attacks on Telnitz and Sokolnitz
The December 2nd 1805, at 4 o'clock in the morning, the 4 allied columns leave the plate of Pratzen and go on the right side of the French. At 6 a.m., the divisions of Soult (Vandamme and Saint-Hilaire), hidden by the fog, cross Goldbach in silence and await the signal of the attack.
To 7 a.m., Kienmayer sends its avant-garde to the attack of Telnitz, but it is pushed back by the 3 {{E}} regiment of line of Legrand. A few minutes later, Kienmayer lance 3 000 Austrians and 600 riders to take the small village. Those manage to bore the French line to the church of the village, but the French collapse the Russians in a counter-attack. At 7 a.m. 30, the troops of Davout raise the 3rd regiment.
At 8 a.m., the allied staff impatient: Kienmayer lost the whole of its troops in a third vain attack while the 2nd column of Langeron lost one hour in the execution of its operation. Indeed, at 6 a.m., Langeron is blocked by 4 000 riders of Jean of Liechtenstein; however this cavalry should be to 2 km behind him. Exceeded, he alerts the general of cavalry and its error shows to him: this last confused the villages of Krzeniwitz and Pratzen. But this last prefers to wait the day to replace its unit because he does not want to lose himself any more in the darkness. Langeron ends up passing in addition to and makes go its column in front of the Austrians, while Doctorov (or Dokhtourov), not seeing neither Langeron on its line nor Kienmayer in front of him, stops its column. All the plan of Weirother is compromised.
As from 8 a.m. 30, Langeron attacks Sokolnitz. After a violent one bombardment, the column of Langeron penetrates in Sokolnitz which the French gave up. But those are reformed with the back while a handle of men takes refuge in the castle, resistant to all the attacks of the Russians. Finally, the French counter-attack and push back the Russians out of the village. At the same time, Doctorov regularly launches several attacks on Telnitz, forcing the French to beat a retreat behind the village, but each time, a load of dragons forces the Russians to leave the village. Telnitz thus changes three times of hands into half an hour. Finally at 9 a.m., Doctorov and Langeron take Telnitz and Sokolnitz in a last attack. Davout and its aide-de-camps wonder then how long they will be able to still prevent with 1 500 men the projection of the Russians. By looking at their rows, Davout sees amazed that the Russians ceased their attacks: Napoleon has just attacked.
The attack of the plate of Pratzen
The surprise is total among Russians: the columns of Przybyszewski and Kolowrat are attacked of side and in full movement. Divisions of Saint-Hilaire and Vandamme charge and are inserted with the knife in the Russian rows. The massacre, of a rare violence, lasts only a few minutes. The Russians of Kollowrath are collapsed, involving the soldiers of Pryzbyszewski in their rout. At 9 a.m., the French are Masters of the plate, at the top of which Soult installs its guns.
Koutousov, seeing its worst feared to be confirmed, then takes units of Langeron and Doctorov to take again Pratzen. These orders cause thus in 1st and 2nd column a true mob between the units going down from the plate and those going up to the attack. Langeron sends one of its regiments to the attack: the artillery of Soult badgers it while it goes up the plate, digging broad holes in the tight rows of the Russians, then a discharge of the mousquetery of Saint-Hilaire forces Langeron to give up. To help Soult Napoleon sends Bernadotte, up to that point held in reserve, in the north of the plate while the Imperial Guard is sent to Pratzen.
Around 11 a.m., Koutousov sends all its reserves to reconquer the plate: it sends the 4 000 soldiers of the guard to Russian foot. But this one, badly ordered and little trained, share of too far and arrive blown in front of the 4 {{E}} regiment of line French. Ordered by Joseph, the older brother of Napoleon, the French acrobats quickly take the top on the elite of the Russian army and continue them, the bayonet in the kidneys.
Benefitting from the weakness of this unit which will not have time to be formed in square, Koutousov sends ten squadrons of heavy cavalry. The shock is brutal and after a vain resistance of the French, the Russian riders seize the eagle of the regiment. At once, Rapp and its 375 Mamelouks of the cavalry of the Guard charges the Russians while shouting: Let us make cry the ladies of Pétersbourg Saint . With against four, the French fight (a Mameluke furiously totals three recoveries to bring to the Emperor a Russian standard; at the 3rd time, Napoleon wants to retain it, but he springs again and does not return any more) and the knights of the Guard of Constantin are beaten.
With the failure of the Russian Guard, the battle is lost for the Allies: the army is cut into two. In the south, Langeron and Doctorov, isolated, beat a retreat while north Bagration resists the attacks of Lannes and Murat; in spite of heavy losses, it beats a retreat in good order.
The hallali
At 2 p.m., Koutousov studies only the ways of retirement, the tsar and all the staff having already fled an hour earlier. In the center, Kollowrath, the Russian Guard and the cavalry of Lichtenstein are in full rout and reprocess towards the east. In the south, Napoleon orders with Soult to leave the plate of Pratzen and to cut the retirement to the 1e and 2nd columns Russian, while Davout makes pressure in the west and takes again Sokolnitz.
At 3 p.m. 30, not listening to their officers, 20 more; 000 Russians flee in disorder and hope to escape surrounding while crossing the marshes and the cold ponds close to the villages of Menitz and Satschan. But under their weights, the ice breaks while the French artillery draws with tooth and nail to break the last small islands of ice. Panicked and cold, 2 000 Russians manage to regain bank where they are immediately made prisoners. The French victory is indisputable.
Consequences
Losses
The French count 1.305 dead and 6.500 wounded. They recovered 173 prisoners (the majority belong to Friant division or Legrand division) and lost a flag: the Emperor is particularly annoyed loss of this eagle.
The allies count 16 000 died and wounded and 11 000 prisoners. They also deplore the loss of 45 flags and 185 guns.
Military consequences
Koutousov, which lost his/her son-in-law Ferdinand von Tiesenhausen, organizes the retirement of the Russian army inlassablement: this one gathers in the night and leaves for Göding by crossing the March, a broad river like the Marne being used as border between the Moravie and the Hungary, then it turns over to Russia via the Galicie. Langeron presents its resignation, Pryzbyszemski is brought back to the row of private while Alexandre moves away Koutousov from the army by appointing it governor of Kiev.The December 3rd, Napoleon sends the cavalry Murat to continue the Russians, without success.
Political consequences
At the evening of the December 3rd, Napoleon receives an emissary of François II: the prince de Liechtenstein. This one requires the stop of the engagements to negotiate peace. The following day, Napoleon and François II meet in the Burned Mill, with a score of kilometers in the south of Austerlitz. The two sovereigns agree on a Armistice and principal conditions of peace around a simple blazing inferno. They get along even on the responsibility for the conflict: “The English are merchants of human flesh” exclaims the Austrian emperor. After one hour of interview, Napoleon asks: “Does Your Majesty thus promise to me to be made the war more? ” and François II answers: “I swear it and I will hold word”. Of return to Vienna, acclaimed by its subjects, François II known as with the French ambassador: “Do you Believe, Sir, that your Master could thus go back to Paris, having lost a battle as I lost? ”.
The December 26th, Austria signs the Traité of Presbourg. It loses 4 million subjects and the Venezia like its dependences of Istrie and Dalmatie. Moreover, it must give its German territories, like the the Tyrol, with the profit of the Bavaria and the Wurtemberg. France then has the freehands to reorganize Germany: Bade becomes a Grand-duché while Bavaria and Wurtemberg a kingdom. These three States form in July 1806 the core of the Confédération of the Rhine. The August 6th 1806, François II gives up his title of Emperor of Germany, and dissolves the Saint Empire Romain Germanique. Lastly, Austria pays an allowance of 40 million Florin S, that is to say one 1/7 of its national revenue.
The Prussia, frightened by this clap of thunder, signs, the December 16th, with Schönbrunn, a treaty of exchange of territory favorable to the Prussia. Napoleon gives to Prussia the Hanover, field of the king of England, against the towns of Neuchâtel, Clèves and Ansbach.
The news of the disaster of the allied army, English the Prime Minister William Pitt, person in charge of the coalition, asked his servant to detach the chart of Europe fixed on the wall: “Roll there, it will not be useful more in ten years”. And, on these words, he died.
The Napoleonean legend
The speech of the emperor Of our imperial camp of Austerlitz the 12 frimaire year 14.
Soldiers, when all that is necessary to ensure happiness and the prosperity of our fatherland will be achieved, I will bring back for you to France; there, you will be the object of my more tender solicitudes. My people will re-examine you with joy, and it will be enough for you to say, " I was with the battle of Austerlitz" , so that one answers, Here is a brave man
Account of the battle of Austerlitz by a soldier, the rider White
Commemoration of the battle
The officer cadets of the military special École of Saint-Cyr military school to Coëtquidan identify by the letters of the name “Austerlitz” each of the ten months of their schooling while starting with (A) October (December is thus S, for example). August and September are respectively named Z' and Z". Moreover, they celebrate as well as the pupils of the House of education of the Légion of Honor of Saint-Denis (93) the French victory by a ceremony all the 2 S.However, the two-hundredth birthday of the battle was the object only one commemoration very limited in France. The town of Austerlitz, located in Czech Republic, organized the December 2nd 2005 a reconstitution of the battle. Only the Minister for Defense, Michele Alliot-Marie, attended the official ceremonies of reconstitution, in a context marked in France by the questioning of the role of Napoleon i of the Esclavage in the Colonies (which it had restored) and by the riots which had just agitated the Banlieue S Frenchwomen with the autumn of the same year 2005.
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