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AUSTERLITZ (Czech Slavkov)

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Originally appearing in Volume V02, Page 938 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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AUSTERLITZ (See also:Czech Slavkov) , a See also:town of See also:Austria, in See also:Moravia, 15 m. E.S.E. of See also:Brunn by See also:rail. Pop. (1900) 3145, mostly Czech. It contains a magnificent See also:palace belonging to the See also:prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg, and a beautiful See also:church. The See also:great See also:battle in which the See also:French under See also:Napoleon I. defeated the Austrians and Russians on the znd of See also:December 1805, was fought in the See also:country to the See also:west of Austerlitz, the position of Napoleon's See also:left wing being almost equi-distant from Brunn and from Austerlitz. The wooded hills to the northward throw out to the See also:south and south-west See also:long spurs, between which are the See also:low valleys of several See also:rivers and See also:brooks. The Hrtury WaLUf Vic. See also:scene of the most important fighting was the Pratzen See also:plateau. The famous " lakes " in the See also:southern See also:part of the See also:field were artificial ponds, which have long since been drained. On the west or Brunn See also:side of the Goldbach is another and See also:lower See also:ridge, which formed in the battle the first position of the French right and centre. On the other wing is the See also:mass of hills from which the spurs and streams descend: here the See also:Olmutz-Brunn road passes.

The road from Brunn to See also:

Vienna, Napoleon's presumed See also:line of See also:retreat, runs in a southerly direction, and near the See also:village of Raigern (3 M. west of Monitz) is very See also:close to the extreme right of the French position, a fact which had a great See also:influence on the course of the battle. (The course of events which led to the See also:action is described under NAPOLEOrne See also:CAMPAIGNS.) Napoleon, falling back before the advance of the allied Austrians and Russians from Olmiitz, bivouacked west of the Goldbach, whilst the See also:allies, holding, near Austerlitz, the junction of the roads from Olmutz and from See also:Hungary, formed up in the valleys See also:east of the Pratzen heights. The See also:cavalry of both sides remained inactive, Napoleon's by See also:express See also:order, the enemy's seemingly from See also:mere See also:negligence, since they had 177 squadrons at their disposal. Napoleon, having determined to fight, as usual called up every available See also:battalion; the splendid III. See also:corps of See also:Davout only arrived upon the field after a heavy See also:march, See also:late on the See also:night of December 1st. The See also:plan of the allies was to attack Napoleon's right, and to cut him off from Vienna, and their advanced guard began, before dark on the 1st of December, to skirmish towards Telnitz. At that moment Napoleon was in the midst of his troops, thousands of whom had made their See also:bivouac-See also:straw into torches in his See also:honour. The glare of these seemed to the allies to betoken the See also:familiar See also:device of See also:lighting fires previous to a retreat, and thus confirmed them in the impression which Napoleon's calculated timidity had given. Thus encouraged, those who desired an immediate battle soon gained the upper See also:hand in the See also:councils of the See also:tsar and the See also:emperor See also:Francis. The attack orders for the znd of December (See also:drawn up by the See also:Austrian See also:general Weyrother, and explained by him to a See also:council of See also:superior See also:officers, of whom some were hostile, the greater part indifferent, and the See also:chief See also:Russian member, General See also:Kutusov, asleep) gave the five columns and the reserve, into which the Austro-Russian See also:army was organized, the following tasks: the first and second (Russians) to move south-westward behind the Pratzen ridge towards Telnitz and Sokolnitz; the third (Russian) to See also:cross the southern end of the plateau, and come into line on the right of the first two; the See also:fourth (Austrians and Russians under Kolowrat) on the right of the third to advance towards Kobelnitz. An Austrian advanced guard preceded the 1st and znd columns. Farther still on the right the 5th See also:column (cavalry under Prince See also:John of See also:Liechtenstein) was to hold the See also:northern part of the plateau, south of the Brunn-Olmutz road; across the road itself was the corps of Prince See also:Bagration, and in See also:rear of Liechtenstein's corps was the reserve (Russians under the See also:grand-See also:duke See also:Constantine). Thus, the farther the four See also:main columns penetrated into the French right wing, the wider would the gapbecome between Bagration and Kolowrat, and Liechtenstein's squadrons could not See also:form a serious obstacle to a heavy attack of Napoleon's centre.

The whole plan was based upon defective See also:

information and preconceived ideas; it has gone down to See also:history as a classical example of See also:bad generalship, and its author Weyrother, who was perhaps nothing worse than a See also:pedant, as a See also:charlatan. Napoleon, on the other hand, with the exact knowledge of the See also:powers of his men, which was the See also:secret of his generalship, entrusted nearly See also:half of his line of battle to a See also:division (Legrand's) of See also:Soult's corps, which was to be supported by Davout, some of whose brigades had marched, from Vienna, 90 m. in See also:forty-eight See also:hours. But the ground which this thin line was to hold against three columns of the enemy was marshy and densely intersected by obstacles, and the III. corps was the best in the Grande Armee, while its See also:leader was perhaps the ablest of all Napoleon's marshals. The See also:rest of the army formed in the centre and left. " Whilst they march to turn my right," said Napoleon in the inspiriting See also:proclamation which he issued on the See also:eve of the battle, " they See also:present me their flank," and the great counterstroke was to be delivered against the Pratzen heights by the French centre. This was composed of Soult's corps, with Bernadotte's in second line. On the left, around the See also:hill called by the French the Santon (which was fortified) was See also:Lannes' corps, supported by the cavalry reserve under See also:Murat. The general reserve consisted of the Guard and See also:Oudinot's grenadiers. The attack of the allies was begun by the first three columns, which moved down from their bivouacs behind the Pratzen plateau before See also:dawn on the 2nd, towards Telnitz and Sokolnitz. The Austrian advanced guard engaged at daybreak, and the French in Telnitz made a vigorous See also:defence; both parties were reinforced, and Legrand See also:drew upon himself, in fulfilling his See also:mission, the whole See also:weight of the allied attack. The contest was long and doubtful, but the Russians gradually drove back Legrand and a part of Davout's corps; numerous attacks both of See also:infantry and cavalry were made, and by the successive arrival of reinforcements each side in turn received fresh impetus. Finally, at about 10 A.M., the allies were in See also:possession of the villages on the Goldbach from Sokolnitz southwards, and Davout's line of battle had reformed more than a'mile to rearward, still, however, maintaining See also:touch with the French centre on the Goldbach at Kobelnitz.

Between the two lines the fighting continued almost to the close of the battle. With 12,500 men of all arms the See also:

Marshal held in front of him over 40,000 of the enemy. In the centre, the defective arrangements of the allied See also:staff had delayed the 4th column (Kolowrat), the line of march of which was crossed by Liechtenstein's cavalry moving in the opposite direction. The See also:objective of this column was Kobelnitz, and the two emperors and Kutusov accompanied it. The delay had, how-ever, opened a See also:gap between Kolowrat and the 3rd column on his left; and towards this gap, and the denuded Pratzen plateau, Napoleon sent forward St Hilaire's division of Soult's corps for the decisive attack. Kutusovwaspursuing this march to the south-west when he was surprised by the See also:swift advance of Soult's men on the plateau itself. Napoleon had here See also:double the force of the allies; Kutusov, however, displayed great See also:energy, changed front to his right and called up his reserves. The French did not win the plateau without a severe struggle. St Hilaire's (the right centre) division was fiercely engaged by Kolowrat's column, General See also:Miloradovich opposed the left centre attack under See also:Vandamme, but the French leaders were two of the best fighting generals in their army. The rearmost troops of the Russian 2nd column, not yet committed to the fight on the Goldbach, made a bold See also:counter stroke against St Hilaire's right flank, but were repulsed, and Soult now turned to relieve the pressure on Davout by attacking Sokolnitz. The Russians in Sokolnitz surrendered, an opportune cavalry See also:charge further discomfited the allied left, and the Pratzen plateau was now in full possession of the French. Even the Russian Guard failed to shake Vandamme's hold.

In thq meanwhile Lannes and Murat had been engaged in the defence of the Santon. Here the allied leaders displayed the greatest vigour, but they were unable to drive back the French. The cavalry charges in this See also:

quarter are celebrated in the history of the mounted See also:arm; and See also:Kellermann, the See also:hero of See also:Marengo, won fresh laurels against the cavalry of Liechtenstein's command. The French not only held their ground, but steadily advanced and eventually forced back the allies on Austerlitz, thereby barring their retreat on Olmutz. The last serious See also:attempt of the allies in the centre led to some of the hardest fighting of the See also:day; the Russian Imperial Guard under the grand-duke Constantine pressed closely upon St Hilaire and Vandamme on the plateau, and only gave way when the French Guard and the Grenadiers came into action. After the " See also:Chevalier See also:Guards " had been routed by Marshal Bessieres and the Guard cavalry, the allies had no more See also:hope of victory; orders had already been sent to Buxhowden, who commanded the three columns engaged against Davout, to retreat on Austerlitz. No further attempt was made on the plateau, which was held by the French from Pratzen to the Olmutz road. The allied army was cut in two, and the last confused struggle of the three Russian columns on the Goldbach was one for See also:liberty only. The fighting in Telnitz was perhaps the hardest of the whole battle, but the inevitable retreat, every part of which was now under the See also:fire of the French on the plateau, was terribly costly. Soult now barred the way to Austerlitz, and the allies turned southward towards Satschan. As they retreated, the See also:ice of the Satschan See also:pond was broken up by the French See also:artillery, and many of the fugitives were drowned. In the twelve hours from 7 A.M. to nightfall. the 65,000 Frenchtroops had lost 6800 men, or about 10 %; the allies (82,500 engaged) had 12,200 killed and wounded, and left in the enemy's hands 15,000 prisoners (many wounded) and 133 guns.

End of Article: AUSTERLITZ (Czech Slavkov)

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