Austerlitz: Napoleon and The Eagles of Europe by Ian Castle

Author:Ian Castle
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HISTORY / Modern / 19th Century
ISBN: 9781844683291
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2006-01-18T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

‘March! Destroy the Russian Army’*

Napoleon entered Vienna with the Garde Impériale on 14 November, setting up his headquarters outside the city in the magnificent surroundings of the Schönbrunn Palace, the Habsburg’s summer residence. But he remained there only two days while awaiting news of Kutuzov’s army.

Having benefited from the unlikely capture of the Tabor bridge, Napoleon had no intention of failing to take advantage of this coup. Quickly formulating the next stage, he ordered Murat to lead a rapid advance from Vienna towards Znaim. Napoleon rightly believed this road must be Kutuzov’s new goal, for beyond Znaim the road led to Brünn and beyond that city marched Buxhöwden’s advancing army. After crossing the Danube on 13 November, Murat immediately pushed troops along the road to the north-west, two cavalry divisions advancing to Stockerau and Oudinot’s grenadiers reaching Korneuburg. The next day the rest of the Cavalry Reserve, V Corps and IV Corps also advanced on Stockerau, where they discovered a vast depot of supplies and military equipment of the Austrian army. Elsewhere, Napoleon ordered Davout to extend III Corps around Vienna to cover all the approach roads. Gudin’s division took up a position towards Neustadt, about 30 miles south of the city, from where he could offer support to Marmont, now in the Styrian Alps, watching for activity on the road to Italy. Friant’s division was east of the city, towards Pressburg, and Davout’s remaining infantry division (now commanded by Général de division Caffarelli, since the previous commander, Général de division Bisson, fell wounded at Lambach two weeks earlier), moved across the Danube to a position on the vast plain to the north of the city. Convinced that Kutuzov had no choice but to abandon his position at Krems, Napoleon ordered Bernadotte to march for the Danube and prepare a crossing close to the destroyed Krems bridge. Once across, Napoleon anticipated that Bernadotte’s rapid pursuit (I Corps and Wrede’s Bavarians) of the wily Russian from the west, would crush him against the other great pincer led by Murat from the south.

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