A Detailed Account of the Battle of AusterlitzStutterheim, Karl von
History
A Detailed Account of the Battle of Austerlitz
Stutterheim, Karl von
Austerlitz, Battle of, Czech Republic, 1805
The fourth column of the allies abandoned a _part_ of its artillery.
The first, second, and third columns, lost the _whole_ of theirs, with
the exception of General Kienmayer's corps, which saved its cannon.
The guns were entangled in the sloughs, as before mentioned, and the
Russian horses, which are more calculated for speed than for draft,
could not drag them out of the deep clay, into which they had sunk. The
number of the Russian prisoners may be computed at 15,000 men; while
their killed and wounded must have been very considerable; in addition
to which, as always happens on such occasions, they had a great number
of soldiers missing.
The loss of the French army must also, necessarily, have been very
considerable. The fire, at the commencement of the action, was too
warmly kept up, not to have done great execution; still, however, the
French force was by no means diminished in the same proportion as
that of the allies. The Generals who were killed, wounded, and taken
prisoners are already well known.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 10: _Note by a French officer._--Marshal Bernadotte was never
seen till the day of the battle. _Two_ days before he had rested on his
arms behind Brunn, and the following day he took post in the rear of
the army, near Lattein. The French generals object in this disposition
was, not only to avoid fatiguing this corps as much as possible, but
also, not to pass the defile of Bellowitz; for not intending to risk an
action, unless the enemy committed great errors, he had determined on
retiring another day's march to the rear, if the enemy manœuvred with
skill. It was not his wish to engage a general action with a superior
army, if it were well posted. The victory might have been doubtful, and
above all, too destructive.
It was, therefore, that the divisions repassed the defiles, each day in
proportion as the enemy's plans became apparent, and the faults he was
about to commit became more probable. Besides, if instead of turning
the right of the French army, (which was what the French general rather
wished) the Russians had brought on an affair among the mountains, by
turning the left. The position of the head-quarters, behind Kritchen,
(which was always occupied by the French) was the point, from whence,
by a wheel to the left, it was the most easy to move diagonally in rear
of the Santon, upon the little hills towards the left.
The movement that may have been seen on our left, was nothing else
than the posting the divisions of Suchet and Caffarelli to support
the Santon, because it was apprehended the enemy might, in the course
of the day, attempt to get possession of that height, which was the
key to the emperor's projects. He would not allow the enemy to occupy
positions too near to Girshikowitz and Puntowitz, which might have
prevented the army from forming. For the attack, which had been planned
by the emperor, particularly depended on the rapidity with which the
centre should march on the heights of Pratzen.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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