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WAGRAM (DEUTSCH-WAGRAM)

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Originally appearing in Volume V28, Page 245 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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WAGRAM (See also:DEUTSCH-WAGRAM) , a See also:village of See also:Austria situated in the See also:plain of the Marchfeld, 11 m. N.E. of See also:Vienna. It gives its name to the See also:battle of the 5th and 6th of See also:July 1809, in which the See also:French See also:army under See also:Napoleon defeated the Austrians commanded by the See also:archduke See also:Charles. On the failure of his previous See also:attempt to pass his whole army across the See also:Danube at Aspern (see See also:NAPOLEONIC See also:CAMPAIGNS and ASPERN), Napoleon set himself to accumulate, around Vienna and the See also:island of See also:Lobau, not only his own See also:field forces, but also every See also:man, See also:horse and See also:gun available from See also:Italy and See also:South See also:Germany for a final effort. Every detachment was See also:drawn in within See also:forty-eight See also:hours' See also:call, his rearward communications being practically denuded of their covering troops. The island of Lobau itself was converted practically into a fortress, and 15o heavy guns were mounted on its See also:banks to command the See also:Austrian See also:side of the stream. Giving up, in See also:face of this See also:artillery, the See also:direct See also:defence of the See also:river-side, the Austrians See also:drew up in a See also:great arc of about 6 m. See also:radius extending from the Bisamberg, overlooking the Danube, in the See also:west, to Markgrafneusiedl on the See also:east. From this point to the Danube below Lobau a See also:gap was See also:left for the deployment of the archduke Johann's army from See also:Pressburg. This army, however, arrived too See also:late. Their See also:total front, therefore, was about 12 M. for 120,000 men, which by a forward See also:march of a couple of hours could be reduced to about 6 m.—giving a See also:density of occupation of about 20,000 men to the mile. Meanwhile Napoleon reconstructed the See also:bridge over the See also:main stream (see ASPERN) more solidly, protecting it by palisades of piles and floating booms, and organized an armed flotilla to command the waterway. On the island itself preparations were made to throw three See also:bridges across the Lobau See also:arm of the stream opposite Aspern and Essling, and seven more on the right, facing east between See also:Gross Enzersdorf and the main river.

For several days previous to the great battle the French had sent across small detachments, and hence when, on the afternoon of the 4th of July, an advanced guard was put over near Gross Enzersdorf, the See also:

attention of the Austrians was not particularly attracted and they did not interfere. The See also:emperor, however, had now men available for the battle, and under See also:cover of this detachment his pontoniers made the seven bridges. See also:Long before daylight on the 6th the troops began to stream across, and about 9 A .M. the three See also:corps destined for the first See also:line (See also:Davout, See also:Oudinot and See also:Massena) had completed their deployment on a front of some 6000 yds. and were moving forward to make way for the second line (See also:Eugene and Bernadotte) and the third line (Bessieres and the guard). About See also:noon the See also:general advance began, the French opening outwards like a See also:fan to obtain space for manoeuvre, Davout direct on Markgrafneusiedl and the Austrian left, Massena (slightly refused to cover the French left) by Breitenlee on Siissenbrunn. The Austrians held a strong position along the line of the Russbach from Deutsch-Wagram to Markgrafneusiedl with their left, whilst their right was held ready for a See also:counter-attack intended to See also:roll up the French attack from left to right when the proper moment should come. The movements of the great French masses in the confined space were slow, and the attack on the line of the Russbach did not declare itself till 8 p.m.; the corps did not attack simultaneously, and failed altogether to make any serious impression on the Austrian position. Massena on the left was scarcely engaged. But, See also:hearing of the success of his left wing on the Russbach, the archduke determined to anticipate the French next See also:morning on that side, and four corps were directed upon Massena, who had bivouacked his troops overnight on the line Leopoldsau-Siissenbrunn-Aderklaa, the latter, a strongly built village, forming, as it were, a bridge-See also:head to the passages of the Russbach at Deutsch-Wagram. Another corps with a strong See also:cavalry force was also directed to See also:pivot See also:round Markgrafneusiedl and to attack Davout on his right; on this flank also the arrival of the archduke Johann was expected later in the See also:day. The Austrian movements were somewhat See also:ill-connected; nevertheless, by 11 A.M. Massena's left had been driven backalmost to Aspern, and his right, though aided by Bernadotte, had failed to recapture Aderklaa, from which the Austrians had driven his advanced posts See also:early in the morning. The situation for the French looked very serious, for their troops were not fighting with the dash and spirit of former years.

But Napoleon was a See also:

master in the See also:psychology of the battlefield, and knew that on the other side things were much the same. He therefore sent orders along the whole line for a gigantic counter-stroke. Davout on the right was to attack Markgrafneusiedl again. Massena was to move against the troops immediately to his front; Bernadotte and See also:Marmont to advance respectively against Breiteniee and Aderklaa, whilst in the gap which would thus open between them marched the 5th corps (See also:Macdonald) on Siissenbrunn, covered by a See also:battery of 104 guns and followed by the guard and reserve cavalry. Macdonald formed his 30,000 men in a gigantic hollow square—on a front of one See also:battalion, fourteen battalions deployed at six paces distance leading, whilst the See also:remainder of the See also:infantry marched in See also:column of sections on either flank, and cavalry closed the See also:rear. The See also:idea was to compel even the weakest to go on, on See also:pain of being trampled to See also:death under the feet of the following men and horses, but the terror caused by the Austrian round-shot tearing sm°rj1Aikcr lc huge gaps through the See also:mass proved enough to counteract even this danger, and the men in the advance threw themselves down whole-See also:sale. It is admitted by French authors (Ardant du Picq) that of the 30,000 only 3000 actually delivered the attack, about 3000 were killed or wounded, but 24,000 evaded their See also:duty somehow, and the trail of the column appeared one mass of dead and dying, creating a terrible impression on all who saw it. Nevertheless, Macdonald leached his destination, for the guns had literally torn a gap in the opposing line, and the See also:guards and cavalry then followed intact. At the same See also:time Davout also had made progress, and, learning that the archduke Johann could not be counted on for that day, the archduke Charles issued orders for a See also:retreat. The whole Austrian army was gradually withdrawn, unbeaten and still available for a renewed offensive if necessary the following day. The French, however, were in no See also:condition to follow up their See also:advantage. They had seen more of the slaughter than their adversaries, and except the emperor and Davout all seem to have been completely shaken.

Even in Davout's command, always the steadiest in danger, the limit of endurance had been passed, for when about 5 P. ar. the advanced patrols of the archduke Johann's force appeared on their flank, panic on a See also:

scale hitherto unknown in the Grande Armee seized the whole right wing, and Napoleon had to confess that no further advance was possible with these men for several days. Berndt (Zahl See also:bit Kriege) gives the following figures. French, 181,7o0 (including 29,000 cavalry) and 450 guns engaged, of whom 23,000 men were killed and wounded, 7000 missing (16 %) 11 guns and 12 eagles and See also:colours were lost. Austrians, See also:English See also:Miles 9 .. , f A. Davout French...—. C B. Massena Austrians tit the crisis C. Macdonald of the battle aim 128,600 (including 14,600 cavalry) men and 410 guns engaged; losses, 19;110 killed and wounded, and 6740 missing (20%); 9 guns and one See also:colour were lost. The casualties in general See also:officers were unusually severe, 21 French and 15 Austrians being killed and wounded.

End of Article: WAGRAM (DEUTSCH-WAGRAM)

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