In fact, it was natural to suppose the combined army would not abandon the capital of Moravia without a battle. It was well known that Brunn was a fortified town, that there was much artillery, large magazines of powder, and warlike stores of all kinds in it: its possession seemed to merit an action, and it was expected. Although the arrival of General Buxhoevden was not positively known, yet spies had reported it, and all the information received as to the march of that army in Poland, and the two Galicias, rendered it so probable, that all the calculations of the French army were founded on the supposition of this junction. The 19th November, Prince Charles had not passed Goritz; he therefore could not enter into the most remote calculation relative to the war in Moravia. The whole French army was collected, so that, if the Russian army had wished to maintain the important point of Brunn, and to defend the magazines in that place, it would two days after have been attacked by Prince Murat, by the corps of Marshals Soult, Lannes, and Davoust, and by part of that under Marshal Mortier. The Russians would have had 10,000 chosen men less than at Austerlitz, and the French 30,000 men more: and if it is asked, why, at Austerlitz, the French had not these 30,000 men more, it is, because the Emperor Napoleon, being informed that the Russian army was retiring from Wischau, and falling back on Olmutz, conjectured that the Russians were waiting for the third army under Michelson, in order to resume the offensive; or meant to take up a position under the guns of Olmutz, and so wait till Prince Charles approached nearer to the theatre of operation. Obliged to oppose both these armies; the emperor had detached Marshal Davoust to Presbourgh, and Marshal Ney into Carinthia. The corps under these two Marshals would have supported General Marmont, and have had the corps of Marshal Mortier as their reserve; and above 90,000 men would have attacked Prince Charles, before he could approach the Danube: and, _vice versa_, if the third Russian army, under Michelson, and the combined army, under Olmutz, (which were calculated by their junction to amount to 120,000 men) should resume the offensive; whether they advanced by Kremsir, or direct upon Brunn, the calculation had been made so as to be joined in a short time, by Marshal Bernadotte, who had made two days march upon Iglau; by Marshal Davoust, one of whose divisions was only two, and the other four marches distant; and lastly, by Marshal Mortier, who would also have arrived in four marches, and who, under this supposition, would have been replaced at Vienna by one of the Generals, Marmont or Ney. These were skilful dispositions; the object of which was, to oppose equal force to the enemy, although in reality superior in numbers to the French army.