What Was Napoleon’s Greatest Victory? Battle Of Austerlitz
Napoleon takes the surrender of General Mack and the Austrian army at Ulm. Painting by Charles Thévenin.
2 December 1805 marks the Battle of Austerlitz in the 3rd Coalition War when Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte’s 57,000 French infantry, 12,600 cavalry, 2,400 support troops & 139 guns defeated Tsar Aleksándr I Pávlovich’s 53,000 Russian infantry, 12,000 Russian & 2,000 Cossack cavalry & 246 guns & Holy Roman Emperor Franz II Josef’s 14,900 Imperial Austrian Army* infantry, 2,965 cavalry & 72 guns. The crushing defeat ended the Third Coalition War. It led to the dissolution of the millennia old Holy Roman Empire.
This battle has also been called “the Battle of the 3 Emperors.”
*The Imperial Austrian Army was famously a multinational organization. Only a small percentage were ethnic Germans. At Austerlitz, Franz led 7,600 Austrian, 2,600 Transylvanian, 2,300 Walloon (Belgian), 1,000 Moravian (Czech/German), 900 Silesian (Czech/Polish/Ukrainian) & 500 Croat infantry. He led 1,040 Polish, 600 Transylvanian, 425 Austrian, 300 Bohemian (Czech/German), 300 Moravian & 300 Hungarian cavalry.
In late October, Napoleon shattered Quartermaster General Karl Mack’s Austrian army at Ulm. Vienna fell shortly after. The Russian Commander, Lieutenant General Prince Mikhail Kutuzov, fell back. Many Austrian survivors joined him. He knew Napoleon needed a decisive battle. He planned to fall back to the Carpathian Mountains, drawing Napoleon after him. Once he found favourable ground, he’d turn & fight. To lure the Allies out, Napoleon feigned weakness. He sent 53,000 men to take Austerlitz & the Olmutz Road. Furthermore, he believed that with 84,000 men, the Allies would be sorely tempted to attack him. He secretly moved 3 Corps within marching distance.
Napoleon with his troops on the eve of battle, painting by Louis-François, Baron Lejeune
On 25 November, he sent an envoy to Allied headquarters. He begged them to avoid battle. On 27 November, Franz offered an armistice. Napoleon “accepted.” He ordered his men to abandon Austerlitz, as if in flight. Next day, he begged an audience with Aleksándr. Aleksándr sent Prince Pyotr Dolgorukov to negotiate. Napoleon showed anxiety & hopelessness. Kutuzov was skeptical of this sudden humility after such an impressive series of victories. He smelled a rat. He begged Allied command to wait for more reinforcements. But Napoleon’s charade utterly fooled them. They scrapped Kutuzov’s plan & decided to attack.
Napoleon deliberately weakened his right. He abandoned the Pratzen Heights dominating the battlefield’s center. Just behind it, Marshal Jean Soult’s IV Corps (21,629 foot, 2,326 horse, 35 guns) lay concealed. If the Allies swallowed the bait, he would let them commit enough forces to weaken their left & center. Then he would take the Heights, break through their center & encircle them. For now, his right really was weak. Streams & lakes protected it. He hoped Marshal Louis-Nicolas Davout’s III Corps (6,410 foot, 2,581 horse, 12 guns) would arrive in time to reinforce it. Marshal Jean Lannes’ V Corps (14,312 foot, 406 horse, 20 guns) guarded his left on the field’s north end. Marshals Jean-Baptiste Bessières’ Imperial Guard (3,885 foot, 1,288 horse, 24 guns) & Jean Bernadotte’s I Corps (10,761 foot, 420 horse, 24 guns) formed the reserve.
The Allies saw his “weak” right, which also guarded his supply lines to Vienna. Breaking it would cut him off & trap him in hostile country. It was just too tempting.
Franz & Kutuzov were suspicious of Napoleon’s dispositions. It all seemed far too easy. But most commanders were deceived. When Kutuzov objected, the Tsar stripped him of command & gave it to Austrian Major General Franz von Weyrother. Weyrother planned to make diversionary attacks on Napoleon’s left. The real attack – 4 great attack columns – would drive in his right. MG Prince Pyotr Bagration’s Advance Guard (9,200 foot, 4,500 horse) held the Allied right. Grand Duke Konstantin Pávlovich’s Imperial Guard (6,730 foot, 3,700 horse) formed the reserve.
Allied (red) and French (blue) deployments at 1800 hours on 1 December 1805
The Allied columns were poorly deployed.
They often converged, slowing each other down. At 08:00, LG Dmitry Dokhturov’s Russian Column 1 (13,240 foot, 250 horse, 64 guns) attacked Telnitz on Napoleon’s far right. The 3e Ligne (1,644 foot) fought fiercely. They were driven out. Davout’s leading men arrived & retook it. They were expelled. French artillery checked further assaults. LG Count Louis de Langeron’s Russian Column 2 (11,250 foot, 300 horse, 30 guns) attacked Sokolnitz village northeast of Tellnitz. The 26e Légère (1,564) & Po Tirailleurs (308) resisted until Langeron bombarded it. At this time, LG Ignacy Przebyszewski’s Russian Column 3 (7,700 foot, 30 guns) attacked Sokolnitz castle. The French retook the village. They were driven out. Division General Friant’s division (6,410 foot: 15e Légère; 33e, 48e, 108e & 111e Ligne) arrived & retook it. It changed hands several more times.
Kutuzov’s IV Korps held Pratzen. He recognized its importance to both sides. He was still suspicious of Napoleon’s movements. Moreover, he refused to move until the Tsar personally ordered him to join the attack. Napoleon saw his moment. At 09:00, Napoleon ordered Soult forward. He said, “One sharp blow & the war is over!” DG St. Hilaire’s division (7,832 foot: 10e Légère; 14e, 36e, 43e & 55e Ligne) led. The fog initially hid them until the sun burned it away. The Russians at Pratzen’s top became stunned to see French soldiers suddenly appear in front of them.
The Allies tried to divert some of LG Mihail Miloradović‘s & Field Marshal Lieutenant Johann Kollowrat’s Austro-Russian Column 4 (13,900 foot, 76 guns) to defend it. In just over an hour, Soult destroyed much of it. Men from Column 2 joined in. As a result, of sheer numbers Soult became forced back. St. Hilaire’s bayonet charge finally secured Pratzen.
Just north of Pratzen, DG Vandamme’s division (6,042 foot: 24e Légère; 4e, 28e, 46e & 57e Ligne) attacked.
Capture of a French regiment’s eagle by the cavalry of the Russian guard, by Bogdan Willewalde (1884)
He broke several Allied battalions. Napoleon sent Bernadotte to help. Konstantin saw the danger. He attacked Vandamme. MG Jancowitz’s Russian Guard Cavalry (2,500: Guard Chevaliers & Hussars; Horse Guards) captured the 4e Ligne’s eagle. Napoleon saw this from at Pratzen. He sent his own Guard Cavalry (1,288: Chasseurs & Grenadiers à Cheval; Gendarmes d’Elite; Mamelouks). Neither side gained advantage until DG Drouet’s division (5,786 foot: 27e Légère; 94-95e Ligne) joined in. The Guard Artillerie à Cheval (12 guns) devastated the Russians. Finally, they broke. The pursuit lasted ¼ of a mile. Kutuzov was shot through the cheek. His son-in-law died.
On Napoleon’s far left, FML Prince Johann von Liechtenstein’s Column V (5,375 horse; 24 guns) attacked DG Kellermann’s cavalry division (1,821 horse: 5e, 16e & 22e Chasseurs à Cheval; 2e & 4-5e Hussards). As a result, Kellermann was driven to retreat behind DG Caffarelli’s division (6,924 foot: 13e Légère, 17e, 30e, 51e & 61e Ligne). Cavalry Reserve Commander Marshal Joachim Murat sent DGs d’Hautpoul’s (1,344 horse: 1e, 5e, & 10-11e Cuirassiers) & Nansouty’s (1,580: 1-2e Carabiniers; 2-3e, 9e & 12e Cuirassiers) divisions. After bitter fighting, the French prevailed. Lannes drove Bagration off the field. Napoleon sprung his trap. St. Hilaire attacked south. Davout attacked north. The 2-pronged assault broke the Allied attack columns. They fled in all directions.
Napoleon lost 1,288 dead, 6,991 wounded, 573 captive & 1 eagle. Franz lost 600 dead, 1,200 wounded, 1,686 captive & 53 guns. Aleksándr lost 16-21,000 dead/wounded, 9,767 captive & 133 guns.
Also lost were 400 ammunition wagons & 45-50 flags. A famous legend holds that part of the Allied force fled over the lakes. French gunners bombarded the ice. Thousands supposedly drowned. Yet when the lakes were drained to recover sunken guns, only 2-3 men were found dead. The Russians withdrew. France & Austria signed a truce on 4 December. On 27 December, the Pressburg Treaty signaled Austria’s capitulation. She gave up huge territories to France, Italy & Napoleon’s German allies. She also paid a 40-million-franc indemnity. The Holy Roman Empire, enduring just over 1,000 years, was no more.
The battle sent shockwaves throughout Europe.
Napoleon wrote to his wife, “I have beaten the Austro-Russian army commanded by the 2 emperors. I am a little weary… I embrace you.” Parisians wildly celebrated the crushing victory. It became known as “Battle of the 3 Emperors.” Napoleon issued senior officers 2 million francs & soldiers 200 francs. Widows received large pensions. Napoleon personally adopted orphans, to whose names were added “Napoleon.” A dejected Aleksándr wrote, “We are babies in the hands of a giant.” British Prime Minister William Pitt referred to a map of Europe, “Roll up that map, it will not be wanted these 10 years.”
Napoleon addressed his men after the battle:
“Soldiers, I am pleased with you. On the day of the battle of Austerlitz, you accomplished everything just as I predicted of your bravery. They have adorned their coats of arms with their eternal fragrance. An army of 100,000 men, led by the Emperors of Austria & Russia, was defeated or disbanded in less than 4 hours. Those who hid from your sword were sunk in the lakes… Thus, within 2 months, that 3rd Alliance was conquered & disbanded. Peace will not be too far away… My people will greet him with joy who will be able to say: ‘I fought the battle of Austerlitz!’ for them to answer: ‘What a hero!’”
Written by Garrett Anderson
Military History | Napoleon
What Was Napoleon’s Greatest Victory? Battle Of Austerlitz
