Battle of Dürenstein
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Dürenstein (also known as the Battle of Dürrenstein, Battle of Dürnstein, Battle of Diernstein and, in German, Gefecht bei Dürrenstein), on 11 November 1805, was an engagement in the Napoleonic Wars
during the War of the Third Coalition. Dürenstein (modern Dürnstein
) is located in the Wachau Valley, on the River Danube, 73 kilometres (45 mi) upstream from Vienna
, in Austria
. The river makes a crescent-shaped curve between Dürnstein and nearby Krems an der Donau and the battle was fought in the flood plain between the river and the mountains.
At Dürenstein, a combined force of Russian and Austrian troops trapped a French division commanded by Théodore Maxime Gazan. The French division was part of the newly created VIII. Corps, the so-called Corps Mortier, under command of Édouard Mortier. In pursuing the Austrian retreat from Bavaria, Mortier had over-extended his three divisions along the north bank of the Danube. Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov
, commander of the Coalition force, enticed Mortier to send Gazan's division into a trap and French troops were caught in a valley between two Russian columns. They were rescued by the timely arrival of a second division, under command of Pierre Dupont de l'Étang
. The battle extended well into the night. Both sides claimed victory. The French lost more than a third of their participants, and Gazan's division experienced over 40 percent losses. The Austrians and Russians also had heavy losses—close to 16 percent—but arguably the most significant was the death in action of Johann Heinrich von Schmitt
, one of Austria's most capable chiefs of staff.
The battle was fought three weeks after the Austrian capitulation at Ulm
and three weeks before the Russo-Austrian defeat at the Battle of Austerlitz
. After Austerlitz, Austria withdrew from the war. The French demanded a high indemnity
and Francis II
abdicated as Holy Roman Emperor
, releasing the German states from their allegiance to the Holy Roman Empire
.
, various European powers formed five coalitions against the First French Empire
. Like the wars sparked by the French Revolution
(1789), these further revolutionized the formation, organization, and training of European armies and led to an unprecedented militarization, mainly due to mass conscription
. Under the leadership of Napoleon
, French power rose quickly, as the Grande Armée conquered most of Europe and it collapsed rapidly after the disastrous invasion of Russia
in 1812. Napoleon's empire ultimately suffered complete military defeat in the 1813–1814 campaigns, resulting in the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy
in France. Although Napoleon made a spectacular return in 1815, known as the Hundred Days
, his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo
, the pursuit of his army and himself, his abdication, and his banishment to the Island of Saint Helena
, concluded the Napoleonic Wars.
From 1803 to 1806, the Third Coalition fought the First French Empire
and its client states
(see table at right). Although several naval battles
determined control of the seas, the outcome of the war was decided on the continent, predominantly in two major land operations in the Danube valley: the Ulm campaign
in the upper Danube, and the Vienna campaign
, in the middle Danube valley.
Political conflicts in Vienna delayed Austria's entry into the Third Coalition until 1805. After hostilities of the War of the Second Coalition
ended in 1801, Archduke Charles
, the emperor's brother, took advantage of the subsequent years of peace to develop a military restructuring plan. He carefully put this plan into effect beginning in 1803–1804, but implementation was incomplete in 1805 when Karl Mack, Lieutenant Field Marshal and Quartermaster-General of the Army, implemented his own restructuring. Mack bypassed Charles' methodical approach. Occurring in the field, Mack's plan also undermined the overall command and organizational structure. Regardless, Mack sent an enthusiastic report to Vienna on the military's readiness. Furthermore, after misreading Napoleon's maneuvers in Württemberg, Mack also reported to Vienna on the weakness of French dispositions. His reports convinced the war party advising the emperor, Francis II
, to enter the conflict against France, despite Charles' own advice to the contrary. Responding to the report and rampant anti-French fever in Vienna, Francis dismissed Charles from his post as generalissimo and appointed his Francophobic brother-in-law, Archduke Ferdinand
, as commander.
The inexperienced Ferdinand was a poor choice of replacement for the capable Charles, having neither maturity nor aptitude for the assignment. Although Ferdinand retained nominal command, day-to-day decisions were placed in the hands of Mack, equally ill-suited for such an important assignment. When Mack was wounded early in the campaign, he was unable to take full charge of the army. Consequently, command further devolved to Lieutenant Field Marshal
Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg
, an able cavalry officer, but inexperienced in the command of such a large army.
. Near the Bavarian town of Wertingen
, 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Augsburg
, on 8 October, the 1st Regiment of dragoons, part of Murat
's Cavalry Corps, and grenadiers of Lannes
' V. Corps surprised an Austrian force half their size. The Austrians were arrayed in a line, and unable to form their defensive squares quickly enough to protect themselves from the 4,000 dragoons and 8,000 grenadiers. Nearly 3,000 Austrians were captured and over 400 were killed or wounded. A day later, at another small town, Günzburg
, immediately south of the Danube River, the French 59th Regiment of the Line stormed a bridge over the Danube and, humiliatingly, chased two large Austrian columns toward Ulm.
The campaign was not entirely bad news for Vienna. At Haslach
, Johann von Klenau
arranged his 25,000 infantry and cavalry in a prime defensive position and, on 11 October, the overly-confident General of Division Pierre Dupont de l'Étang
attacked Klenau's force with fewer than 8,000 men. The French lost 1,500 men killed and wounded. Aside from taking the Imperial Eagles
and guidons
of the 15th and 17th Dragoons, Klenau's force also captured 900 men, 11 guns, and 18 ammunition wagons.
Klenau's victory was a singular success. On 14 October, Mack sent two columns out of Ulm in preparation for a breakout to the north: one under Johann Riesch
headed toward Elchingen
to secure the bridge there, and the other under Franz Werneck went north with most of the heavy artillery. Recognizing the opportunity, Ney hurried his corps forward to re-establish contact with Dupont, who was still north of the Danube. In a two-pronged attack, Ney sent one division to the south of Elchingen on the right bank of the Danube. This division began the assault at Elchingen. At the same time, another division crossed the river to the east and moved west against Riesch's position. After clearing the Austrian pickets from a bridge, the French attacked and captured a strategically located abbey at the top of the hill at bayonet point. The Austrian cavalry unsuccessfully tried to fend the French off, but the Austrian infantry broke and ran. In this engagement alone, the Austrians lost more than half their reserve artillery park, 6,000 (out of 8,000 total participants) dead, wounded or captured, and four colors. Reisch's column also failed to destroy the bridges across the Danube.
Napoleon's lightning campaign exposed the Austrian indecisive command structure and poor supply apparatus. Mack completely misread the French dispositions and scattered his forces; as the French defeated each unit separately, the surviving Austrians withdrew toward the Ulm fortifications
. Napoleon arrived to take personal command of close to 80,000 men. At Ulm on 16 October, Karl Mack surrendered his encircled army of 20,000 infantry and 3,273 cavalry. The officers were released on the condition that they do not serve against France until formally exchanged for French officers captured by the Austrians, an agreement to which they held.
army under General Mikhail Kutuzov also maneuvered away from the French, withdrawing to the east. At the Ill river
on 22 October, it joined with the retreating Austrian corps commanded by Michael von Kienmayer
. On 5 November, the Coalition forces held a successful rearguard action in Amstetten
. On 7 November, the Russians arrived in St. Pölten, and crossed the Danube river the next day. Late on 9 November, they destroyed the bridges across the Danube, holding the last one at the hamlet of Stein, near the village Krems, until the late afternoon.
in 1193. In 1645–46, during the Thirty Years War, the Swedes had fortified the castle and then demolished it when they withdrew. It stands at 159 metres (521.7 ft), on the highest ridge of a mountain fissured with clefts and pinnacles of granite. Because the mountain was sparsely vegetated, it was difficult to distinguish the ruins from the rocks. Narrow canyons cut through the mountain, and widen into the plain below. Between Dürenstein and Stein, on the flood plain, lay the hamlet
s of Oberloiben and Unterloiben. Near the hamlets, the Loiben flood plain was at its widest, extending at the most 762 metres (2,500 ft) from the base of the Loibenberg mountain to the bank of the river.
The region was known for its wine. Since the 15th century, the local inhabitants practiced viticulture
and the wine producers formed St. Paul Vintners' Guild in 1447, the oldest such guild in the German-speaking world. Terraced vineyards extended up the sides of the Krems river, until it became a mountain stream and terrain was unsuitable for cultivation. The Loiben plain supported both viticulture and agriculture. As the terrain became steeper, the vines grew in terraces built from the dark Urgestein, primordial rock. From Dürenstein to Krems, the river makes its wide curve; the mountains and the steeply terraced slopes prevent clear line-of-sight between the two towns.
The new VIII. Corps, under the overall command of Édouard Mortier, included three infantry divisions and a division of cavalry (see Order of Battle below). Corps Mortier, as it was known, crossed the Danube at Linz
and Passau
in early November 1805, and marched east, on the north bank of the Danube. Operating independently, the corp's cavalry conducted reconnaissance ahead of them, and on the flanks. General Gazan's division (about 6,000 men) took the lead; Mortier was with them. They were followed by General Dupont's division (another 4,000) about one day's march behind. Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau
's division (another 4,000), marching another day behind Dupont, brought up the rear. A flotilla of 50 boats acquired at Passau provided communications across the Danube. Before sending Mortier on his mission, Napoleon instructed him to protect his north flank at all times against possible Russian reinforcements, advice he reiterated in subsequent written orders. Napoleon also advised Mortier to secure all crossings of the Danube between Linz and Vienna.
On 9 November, Gazan's division reached Marbach an der Donau
, and covered the 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) to Dürenstein by early on the following afternoon. Here it skirmished with some Russian patrols to the east of the town, and expelled them. Feeling confident, the French established a forward post just upstream from Stein. In Dürenstein itself, Mortier set up his command post, and directed the establishment of a small field hospital. Although the position seemed secure, he had ignored Napoleon's strict instructions and neglected to protect his left (north) flank.
This failure was an important factor when Mortier lost his corps's so-called "eyes": after he and Gazan had crossed the Danube, the French dragoons had veered to the northwest, leaving only three squadrons of the 4th Dragoons available for reconnaissance. These had left the division, and were operating independently of Gazan's command. Consequently, Mortier and Gazan marched blindly through the narrow canyon west of Dürenstein, not knowing what lay ahead of them. Kutuzov had led the Coalition army across the Danube at Krems, a short distance past Stein, and destroyed the bridge behind him. Kutuzov's actions deprived the French commanders of a possible route across the Danube, putting the deployment of the entire French division at further risk in the case of retreat. In this decision, Kutuzov abandoned Vienna to the French, who were converging on the Austrian capital from the north, west and southwest, for the security of uniting with reinforcements from Galicia. Kutuzov chose a military solution over a political one.
Unknown to either Gazan or Mortier, the Coalition had concentrated a force of approximately 24,000 men (mostly Russians and a few Austrians) within a few kilometers of the French position at Dürenstein. In comparison, Gazan's division had only 6,000 men. The Austro-Russian force were mixed troops of infantry, Jägers (usually deployed as skirmishers), Russian musketeers, and Russian and Austrian cavalry, accompanied by more than 68 artillery pieces. Kutuzov, who had learned the military arts under the tutelage of the legendary Russian Generalissimo Suvorov, had overall command. The Russian cavalry, units of the greatly feared Cossacks, were well-suited for patrolling the river bank; indeed on 9 November they had taken 40 French soldiers as prisoners. Furthermore, reinforcements stood in Moravia, less than two weeks' march away. If the main body of the French army crossed the river, they would require time to prepare. Kutuzov would have ample warning of any large scale French movement.
After the afternoon's initial skirmishing with the French, Kutuzov held a council of war on the evening of 10 November at Melk
, at the great abbey
there. He knew several things. First, he knew the positions of the French from prisoners his Cossacks had captured. He also knew that Gazan had crossed at Linz, and was well ahead of any French reinforcements: Dupont had crossed at Passau, and, by 10 November, stood at Marbach, 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) upstream, and Dumonceau was another 7 kilometres (4 mi) further behind him. Kutuzov knew the size of the French force—its division strength—and its positions, and he knew that most of the dragoons were not covering the French flank, but had turned north. He also knew, or had made a good supposition, about Napoleon's orders, so he knew what to offer Mortier and Gazan as bait.
and Friedrich Karl Wilhelm, Fürst zu Hohenlohe
. Schmitt, who had retired from the military in 1800, had been recalled into service after the Ulm debacle and had come to Kutuzov highly recommended by the Emperor. He was an experienced tactician and strategist, and had served in a variety of posts in the Habsburg military; he had been Archduke Charles'
trusted adviser during the campaigns from 1796 to 1800 and had assisted in planning several of Charles' victories. Upon his recall, Schmitt was appointed Chief of the Quartermaster General Staff of the Coalition Army. The generals had found among the Austrian force one Captain Christoph Freiherr von Stiebar (1753–1824), who had knowledge of the local geography.
Together, Schmitt, Kutuzov, and the other generals, with von Stiebar's advice on the local terrain, concocted a plan to encircle the French at Dürenstein. The Russian commander Mikhail Andreyevich Miloradovich
would approach Gazan's division from the east, supported by Petr Bagration's corps, and pin the French in place. Three additional columns, commanded by Dmitry Dokhturov
(Doctorov), Major General Strik, and Schmitt, would outflank the French from the west and the north. They would offer, as bait, a rumor: the Russian army was retreating into Moravia
and only a rearguard would be left at Krems.
Mortier accepted the bait of a rumored Russian retreat. In the early morning of 11 November, he and Gazan departed from Dürenstein to seize Stein and Krems, presuming the Russians had either abandoned the settlements or left only a small rear-guard behind. As they approached Stein, a column of Miloradovich's troops attacked the French forward positions. Thinking this force was the rumored Russian rear guard, Mortier ordered General Gazan to counter-attack, and to push east towards the town of Stein. Fighting spread though the villages of Oberloiben
, Unterloiben
and the farm at Rothenhof
. Instead of withdrawing, as a rear guard would, more and more Russian troops appeared and engaged the French column.
Initially, Gazan made rapid progress, but quickly recognized that the opposing force was much stronger than the typical rear guard of a retreating army. Realizing he had been duped and that Gazan's troops were tiring rapidly, Mortier sent orders to Dupont's division to hurry forward. By mid morning, the French momentum had stalled; Mortier committed most of his remaining forces to drive Miloradovich back, leaving a single battalion—perhaps 300 troops—to cover his northern flank, and sent the rest to attack the Russian right. Within 30 minutes, he achieved the superiority of numbers he sought. His 4,500 French opposed 2,600 Russians, and forced them back toward Stein, while pressing an attack along the river. Miloradovich had no option, for neither Strik's nor Dokhtorov's flanking columns were to be seen.
At this stage of the battle, fighting paused. Mortier and Gazan waited for Dupont's arrival, while Kutuzov and Miloradovich waited for Strik's and Dokhturov's. Schmitt's column was expected to be the last to join the fight, because it had to march the greatest distance. The timing of the respite varies, depending on whose reports are consulted: fighting paused at around 12:00 or 14:00. Strik arrived first and immediately assaulted Gazan's line with three battalions, pushing the French out of Dürenstein. Caught between two strong forces, Gazan attempted to push his way back through Dürenstein, to reach the river where the flotilla could evacuate his exhausted troops. Withdrawing through the narrow Danube canyon and fighting off the Russian force at their rear, Gazan and his division were trapped when more of Strik's Russians appeared to block their retreat. The narrow defiles hampered the Russians; Strik's men had to march out of the canyons, form ranks and attack in waves. Despite Strik's continuous assault in the next two to three hours, Mortier and Gazan pushed the Russians back up the narrow fissure in the hillside. At this point, Dokhturov's column appeared behind the French line and joined the battle. The French were outnumbered more than three to one, assaulted in the front by Miloradovich's column, in the middle by Strik's, and in the rear by Dokhturov.
Earlier in the morning, Dupont had proceeded with his column south and east along the river, from Marbach, according to instructions. Even before the arrival of Mortier's courier, he heard the sound of artillery in the distance and sent riders ahead to discover the cause. They came back to report that a Russian column (Dokhturov's) was descending from the mountains to take the road to Dürenstein. Realizing this would separate him from the forward division, Dupont hustled his troops toward the sound of battle and deployed them to take the Russians in the flank. The French assault, heralded by cannon fire, caused Dokhturov's troops to turn their attention from Gazan's beleaguered force to face these new assailants. Although superior in numbers, Dokhturov's column had no supporting artillery, and the narrow space prevented them from taking advantage of their size. It was Dokhturov's turn to face attackers at his front and rear, until the arrival of Schmitt's column, which had wended its way through the mountains in the west.
Schmitt arrived at dusk, and the action continued well after dark; in mid-November, night falls at close to 17:00 in the upper Danube climes. Despite the darkness, Schmitt descended out of the defiles and deployed his own troops to assail Dupont's flank. As his Russians entered the fray, they came between a battalion of French and another of Russians. With the additional force, the French were overwhelmed, but most of the shooting subsided when the combatants could not tell apart friend from foe in the dark. Under the cover of darkness, Mortier used the French flotilla to evacuate his exhausted troops to the south bank. The French and Russians continued to skirmish fitfully into the night as sentries encountered one another in the dark. Portions of Gazan's force provided any necessary rear guard action, and the following morning, the remaining men were evacuated from the north shore of the Danube, while they maintained possession of only Spitz and Weissenkirchen on the north bank.
The losses were staggering: Gazan lost close to 40 percent of his division to death and wounds. Aside from losing five guns, 47 officers and 895 men under his command were captured, bringing the loss of effectives closer to 60 percent; furthermore, he lost the eagles
of the 4th Infantry Regiment, and the eagle and guidon
of the 4th Dragoons. The Russians lost around 4,000, about 16 percent of their force, and two regimental colors. The Austrian Lieutenant Field Marshal Schmitt was killed as the battle concluded, probably by Russian musketry in the confused melee. The vineyards and the villages of Ober- and Unterloiben were destroyed, as was most of Dürenstein and Stein. Krems was heavily damaged; the French plundered the town at least twice, and "barbarously handled" its inhabitants.
For the Coalition, the Russians were secure on the north bank of the Danube, awaiting reinforcements from Galicia; the bridges between Linz and Vienna had been destroyed, making French access to the Austrian capital more difficult, but not impossible. After six months of fighting in which the Austrians had enjoyed little good news, the Coalition could claim a difficult and timely victory. The French had retreated from the field with a badly mauled division, and Kutuzov had secured the right flank. Indeed, Francis was so pleased with the outcome at Dürenstein that he awarded Kutuzov the Military Order of Maria Theresa
.
For the French, the survival of the Corps Mortier seemed nothing short of a miracle. The remainder of Gazan's division crossed the river the next morning, and eventually recuperated in Vienna, which the French acquired by deception later in the month. More importantly for them, the French force had performed well over difficult terrain and under terrible combat conditions. Initially, there had been some panic and parts of at least one French battalion had tried to escape on the flotilla craft. They had lost control of the boats in the current and smashed into the pillars of the burned bridge at Krems, overturning their boats. Tossed into the icy river, most had drowned. Despite this initial panic, Gazan's column retained its cohesion, and responded well to various difficult demands. Dupont had demonstrated his tactical acumen: when he heard cannon fire, he directed his troops toward it to support the French division. In terms of French staffing, Mortier's failure to guard his flank, especially in the face of Napoleon's direct advice, adversely influenced his relationship with his commander. However, in the immediate weeks ahead, the flamboyant Murat did more to annoy Napoleon than Mortier had. In assessing the battle and its aftermath, historians have laid the blame and credit for its outcome not only on Mortier and Gazan: "Napoleon, aware of Morier's danger and his own culpability for it, vented his frustration on Murat, whom he unjustly accused of abandoning Mortier for the empty glory of riding through Vienna."
After the victory at Austerlitz, Napoleon dispersed the VIII. Corps and reassigned Mortier. However disappointed he may have been with Mortier, Napoleon was pleased with Gazan's performance. As recognition of his conduct in what the French called "the immortal Battle of Dürenstein", Gazan received the Officer's Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor.
The loss of Schmitt was a significant blow to the Austrian military organization. Called out of retirement for this specific task, he was arguably their most experienced general staff officer, other than the Archduke Charles. From the summer of 1796 until his retirement in 1800, he had been Chief of the Quartermaster General Staff of the Army, the Lower Rhine, the Rhine, and the Army of Germany. Furthermore, he was a trusted member of Archduke Charles'
staff. He had helped to design several of Charles' more important victories at Emmendingen
, Schliengen
, the sieges at Kehl and Hünigen
, the battles at Ostrach
and Stockach
, and the northern Swiss Campaign of 1799 that included battles at Winterthur
and Zürich
. An experienced officer and excellent tactician, he might well have made a more effective Chief of the Quartermaster General Staff of the Coalition Army at the Battle of Austerlitz
than his eventual replacement, Franz von Weyrother
. In Schmitt's absence, Weyrother, the architect of the Austrian catastrophe at Hohenlinden in 1800, was chosen to develop the general battle plan of Coalition action at Austerlitz. Schmitt, undoubtedly a far better tactician than Weyrother, and possessed of superior training and mapping skills, would have developed a more realistic Coalition plan for Austerlitz. Schmitt's presence would probably not have been enough to turn that defeat into a victory, but it would have mitigated the magnitude of the Coalition's losses; Austerlitz was arguably one of Napoleon's finest triumphs.
In the broader picture, despite the important major naval
engagements, the outcome of the War of the Third Coalition was determined on the Continent, predominantly in the two major land operations. In the Ulm campaign
, the Habsburgs achieved some minor victories, such as Klenau's at Haslach-Jungingen
, but ultimately lost an entire army and an officer corps. The latter would not resume arms against France until formally exchanged. This condition crippled the Austrian military leadership and forced the recall of such pensioners as Schmitt out of retirement. After the capitulation at Ulm, isolated portions of the Austrian military evaded capture and joined with their Russian allies; Michael von Kienmayer
's corps slipped out of the encirclement and joined Kutuzov's force. A few other small forces refused to capitulate and seemingly melted into the Bavarian mountains and the Thurgingian forests, to reappear in Bohemia for Austerlitz. Sixteen hundred cavalry, including Archduke Ferdinand and Prince Schwarzenberg, broke out of Ulm before its capitulation. Maximilian, Count of Merveldt
, led his column back through the mountains into Austria, fighting rear guard actions against pursuing French forces at the Steyer (Steyr) and Gross-Ramig. These elusive units were insufficient to balance heavy losses at key battles in which the Austrians could not hold their own against the French. Between the Ulm capitulation and the Austrian and Russian defeat at Austerlitz, there were other minor achievements: a successful skirmish between the cavalry that escaped from Ulm and the French near the town of Nördlingen
, the contested victory at Dürenstein, and another within days at Schöngrabern
.
The second determining event, the decisive French victory at the Battle of Austerlitz
over the combined Russian and Austrian armies, forced the Austrian withdrawal from the Coalition. The subsequent Peace of Pressburg
, signed on 26 December 1805, reinforced the earlier treaties of Campo Formio
and Lunéville
. Furthermore, Austria ceded land to Napoleon's German allies, and paid an indemnity
of 40 million franc
s. Victory at Austerlitz also gave Napoleon the latitude to create a buffer zone
of German states between France and the states of Prussia, Russia, and Austria. These measures did not establish a lasting peace on the continent. Prussian
worries about growing French influence in Central Europe
sparked the War of the Fourth Coalition
in 1806, in which Austria did not participate.
Richard the Lionhearted was held by Leopold V, Duke of Austria
. In 1741, during the War of the Austrian Succession
, several hundred local villagers had held off the French and Bavarian armies, intent on capturing Vienna, by painting drain pipes to look like cannons, and beating on drums, thus suggesting the presence of a large force.
After 1805, the exploits of 40,000 French, Russian, and Austrian soldiers excited the European imagination. General Schmitt's grave has never been found, but in 1811 a monument for him was erected at the Stein Tor, the gate leading from the old village of Krems to the hamlet of Stein. The house in which Captain von Stiebar lived was marked with a bronze plate commemorating his contribution to the battle. In 1840, a Spanish lithographer created an image of the battle, which was later expanded by English lithographer John Outhwaite. The image depicts the evacuation of French troops via the Danube flotilla (see Infobox image) on a moonlit night. In fact, the moon was in its last quarter phase 48 hours later, and on 11 November probably did not provide as much light as depicted in the image. In 1836, Jean Antoine Siméon Fort (French, 1793–1861), a historical
painter, created a watercolor of the battle, Combat de Dürnstein le 11 novembre 1805 ( Battle of Dürenstein of 11 November 1805), which is in the Trianon collection at Versailles. In the Russian novel War and Peace
, Leo Tolstoy
devoted several pages to the battle, its prelude, and its aftermath, and the delivery of its news to the Tsar by Prince Andrew. Between Dürenstein and Rossatz, at the edge of the Loiben plain, stands the "Little Frenchman" memorial (see image) erected in 1905 to commemorate the battle; it bears the names of Mortier, Gazan, Kutuzov, Schmitt, and others on a copper-engraved plate.
Total: fifteen battalions, six squadrons, six guns, approximately 12,000 men, not all of which were involved in the fighting.
Total: fifty-eight battalions, sixty-two squadrons, fourteen artillery batteries, approximately 24,000 men and 168 guns.
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
during the War of the Third Coalition. Dürenstein (modern Dürnstein
Dürnstein
Dürnstein is a small town on the Danube river in the Krems-Land district, in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the Wachau region and also a well-known wine growing area...
) is located in the Wachau Valley, on the River Danube, 73 kilometres (45 mi) upstream from Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. The river makes a crescent-shaped curve between Dürnstein and nearby Krems an der Donau and the battle was fought in the flood plain between the river and the mountains.
At Dürenstein, a combined force of Russian and Austrian troops trapped a French division commanded by Théodore Maxime Gazan. The French division was part of the newly created VIII. Corps, the so-called Corps Mortier, under command of Édouard Mortier. In pursuing the Austrian retreat from Bavaria, Mortier had over-extended his three divisions along the north bank of the Danube. Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov
Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov
Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov was a Field Marshal of the Russian Empire. He served as one of the finest military officers and diplomats of Russia under the reign of three Romanov Tsars: Catherine II, Paul I and Alexander I...
, commander of the Coalition force, enticed Mortier to send Gazan's division into a trap and French troops were caught in a valley between two Russian columns. They were rescued by the timely arrival of a second division, under command of Pierre Dupont de l'Étang
Pierre Dupont de l'Étang
Pierre-Antoine, comte Dupont de l'Étang was a French general of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, as well as a political figure of the Bourbon Restoration.-Revolutionary Wars:...
. The battle extended well into the night. Both sides claimed victory. The French lost more than a third of their participants, and Gazan's division experienced over 40 percent losses. The Austrians and Russians also had heavy losses—close to 16 percent—but arguably the most significant was the death in action of Johann Heinrich von Schmitt
Johann Heinrich von Schmitt
Heinrich Schmitt was a lieutenant field marshal in the Habsburg military during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars.He developed a sound military reputation as a surveyor, map-maker, and strategist during Austria's wars with the Ottoman Empire, He served on the Quartermaster's staff during...
, one of Austria's most capable chiefs of staff.
The battle was fought three weeks after the Austrian capitulation at Ulm
Battle of Ulm
The Battle of Ulm was a series of minor skirmishes at the end of Napoleon Bonaparte's Ulm Campaign, culminating in the surrender of an entire Austrian army near Ulm in Württemberg....
and three weeks before the Russo-Austrian defeat at the Battle of Austerlitz
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz, also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of Napoleon's greatest victories, where the French Empire effectively crushed the Third Coalition...
. After Austerlitz, Austria withdrew from the war. The French demanded a high indemnity
Indemnity
An indemnity is a sum paid by A to B by way of compensation for a particular loss suffered by B. The indemnitor may or may not be responsible for the loss suffered by the indemnitee...
and Francis II
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until 6 August 1806, when he dissolved the Empire after the disastrous defeat of the Third Coalition by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz...
abdicated as Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
, releasing the German states from their allegiance to the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
.
Background
In a series of conflicts from 1803 to 1815 known as the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, various European powers formed five coalitions against the First French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
. Like the wars sparked by the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
(1789), these further revolutionized the formation, organization, and training of European armies and led to an unprecedented militarization, mainly due to mass conscription
Levée en masse
Levée en masse is a French term for mass conscription during the French Revolutionary Wars, particularly for the one from 16 August 1793.- Terminology :...
. Under the leadership of Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
, French power rose quickly, as the Grande Armée conquered most of Europe and it collapsed rapidly after the disastrous invasion of Russia
French invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia of 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. It reduced the French and allied invasion forces to a tiny fraction of their initial strength and triggered a major shift in European politics as it dramatically weakened French hegemony in Europe...
in 1812. Napoleon's empire ultimately suffered complete military defeat in the 1813–1814 campaigns, resulting in the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy
Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
in France. Although Napoleon made a spectacular return in 1815, known as the Hundred Days
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
, his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, the pursuit of his army and himself, his abdication, and his banishment to the Island of Saint Helena
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
, concluded the Napoleonic Wars.
Danube campaign
| Coalition Allies | French Empire & Allies |
|---|---|
 Austrian Empire Russian Empire United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland NaplesKingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of... and Sicily Kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily was a state that existed in the south of Italy from its founding by Roger II in 1130 until 1816. It was a successor state of the County of Sicily, which had been founded in 1071 during the Norman conquest of southern Italy...  PortugalKingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal was Portugal's general designation under the monarchy. The kingdom was located in the west of the Iberian Peninsula, Europe and existed from 1139 to 1910...  Sweden |
 FranceFirst French Empire The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...  Batavian RepublicItaly Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic) The Kingdom of Italy was a state founded in Northern Italy by Napoleon, fully influenced by revolutionary France, that ended with his defeat and fall.-Constitutional statutes:... Etruria Kingdom of Etruria The Kingdom of Etruria was a kingdom comprising the larger part of Tuscany which existed between 1801 and 1807. It took its name from Etruria, the old Roman name for the land of the Etruscans.It was created by the Treaty of Aranjuez, signed on 21 March 1801...  Spain BavariaElectorate of Bavaria The Electorate of Bavaria was an independent hereditary electorate of the Holy Roman Empire from 1623 to 1806, when it was succeeded by the Kingdom of Bavaria....  Kingdom of Württemberg |
From 1803 to 1806, the Third Coalition fought the First French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
and its client states
French client republic
During its occupation of neighboring parts of Europe during the French Revolutionary Wars, France established republican regimes in these territories...
(see table at right). Although several naval battles
Trafalgar Campaign
The Trafalgar Campaign was a long and complicated series of fleet manoeuvres carried out by the combined French and Spanish fleets; and the opposing moves of the Royal Navy during much of 1805. These were the culmination of French plans to force a passage through the English Channel, and so achieve...
determined control of the seas, the outcome of the war was decided on the continent, predominantly in two major land operations in the Danube valley: the Ulm campaign
Ulm Campaign
The Ulm Campaign consisted of a series of French and Bavarian military maneuvers and battles to outflank and capture an Austrian army in 1805 during the War of the Third Coalition. It took place in the vicinity of and inside the Swabian city of Ulm...
in the upper Danube, and the Vienna campaign
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz, also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of Napoleon's greatest victories, where the French Empire effectively crushed the Third Coalition...
, in the middle Danube valley.
Political conflicts in Vienna delayed Austria's entry into the Third Coalition until 1805. After hostilities of the War of the Second Coalition
War of the Second Coalition
The "Second Coalition" was the second attempt by European monarchs, led by the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria and the Russian Empire, to contain or eliminate Revolutionary France. They formed a new alliance and attempted to roll back France's previous military conquests...
ended in 1801, Archduke Charles
Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
Archduke Charles of Austria, Duke of Teschen was an Austrian field-marshal, the third son of emperor Leopold II and his wife Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain...
, the emperor's brother, took advantage of the subsequent years of peace to develop a military restructuring plan. He carefully put this plan into effect beginning in 1803–1804, but implementation was incomplete in 1805 when Karl Mack, Lieutenant Field Marshal and Quartermaster-General of the Army, implemented his own restructuring. Mack bypassed Charles' methodical approach. Occurring in the field, Mack's plan also undermined the overall command and organizational structure. Regardless, Mack sent an enthusiastic report to Vienna on the military's readiness. Furthermore, after misreading Napoleon's maneuvers in Württemberg, Mack also reported to Vienna on the weakness of French dispositions. His reports convinced the war party advising the emperor, Francis II
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until 6 August 1806, when he dissolved the Empire after the disastrous defeat of the Third Coalition by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz...
, to enter the conflict against France, despite Charles' own advice to the contrary. Responding to the report and rampant anti-French fever in Vienna, Francis dismissed Charles from his post as generalissimo and appointed his Francophobic brother-in-law, Archduke Ferdinand
Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este
Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este was the third son of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este and of his wife Princess Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este, last member and heiress of the house of Este. For much of the Napoleonic Wars he was in command of the Austrian army.Ferdinand was born...
, as commander.
The inexperienced Ferdinand was a poor choice of replacement for the capable Charles, having neither maturity nor aptitude for the assignment. Although Ferdinand retained nominal command, day-to-day decisions were placed in the hands of Mack, equally ill-suited for such an important assignment. When Mack was wounded early in the campaign, he was unable to take full charge of the army. Consequently, command further devolved to Lieutenant Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg
Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg
Karl Philipp Fürst zu Schwarzenberg Karl Philipp Fürst zu Schwarzenberg Karl Philipp Fürst zu Schwarzenberg (or Charles Philip, Prince of Schwarzenberg (April 18, 1771 – October 15, 1820) was an Austrian field marshal.- Life :...
, an able cavalry officer, but inexperienced in the command of such a large army.
Road to Ulm
The campaign in the upper Danube valley began in October, with several clashes in SwabiaSwabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
. Near the Bavarian town of Wertingen
Battle of Wertingen
In the Battle of Wertingen on October 8, 1805, French forces led by Marshals Joachim Murat and Jean Lannes mauled a small Austrian corps commanded by Feldmarschall-Leutnant Franz Auffenberg. This was the opening battle of the Ulm Campaign.-Background:...
, 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, on 8 October, the 1st Regiment of dragoons, part of Murat
Joachim Murat
Joachim-Napoléon Murat , Marshal of France and Grand Admiral or Admiral of France, 1st Prince Murat, was Grand Duke of Berg from 1806 to 1808 and then King of Naples from 1808 to 1815...
's Cavalry Corps, and grenadiers of Lannes
Jean Lannes
Jean Lannes, 1st Duc de Montebello, was a Marshal of France. He was one of Napoleon's most daring and talented generals. Napoleon once commented on Lannes: "I found him a pygmy and left him a giant"...
' V. Corps surprised an Austrian force half their size. The Austrians were arrayed in a line, and unable to form their defensive squares quickly enough to protect themselves from the 4,000 dragoons and 8,000 grenadiers. Nearly 3,000 Austrians were captured and over 400 were killed or wounded. A day later, at another small town, Günzburg
Günzburg
Günzburg is a Große Kreisstadt and capital of the district of Günzburg in Swabia, Bavaria. This district was constituted in 1972 by combining the city of Günzburg—which had not previously been assigned to a Kreis —with the district of Günzburg and the district of Krumbach.Günzburg lies...
, immediately south of the Danube River, the French 59th Regiment of the Line stormed a bridge over the Danube and, humiliatingly, chased two large Austrian columns toward Ulm.
Battle of Haslach-Jungingen
The Battle of Haslach-Jungingen, also known as the Battle of Albeck, fought on 11 October 1805 at Ulm-Jungingen north of Ulm at the Danube, was part of the War of the Third Coalition, which was a part of the greater Napoleonic Wars.-Background:...
, Johann von Klenau
Johann von Klenau
Johann von Klenau , also called Johann Josef Cajetan von Klenau und Janowitz, the son of a Bohemian noble, was a field marshal in the Habsburg army...
arranged his 25,000 infantry and cavalry in a prime defensive position and, on 11 October, the overly-confident General of Division Pierre Dupont de l'Étang
Pierre Dupont de l'Étang
Pierre-Antoine, comte Dupont de l'Étang was a French general of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, as well as a political figure of the Bourbon Restoration.-Revolutionary Wars:...
attacked Klenau's force with fewer than 8,000 men. The French lost 1,500 men killed and wounded. Aside from taking the Imperial Eagles
French Imperial Eagle
French Imperial Eagle refers to the figure of an eagle on a staff carried into battle as a standard by the Grande Armée of Napoleon I during the Napoleonic Wars....
and guidons
Colours, standards and guidons
In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards or Guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 years ago...
of the 15th and 17th Dragoons, Klenau's force also captured 900 men, 11 guns, and 18 ammunition wagons.
Klenau's victory was a singular success. On 14 October, Mack sent two columns out of Ulm in preparation for a breakout to the north: one under Johann Riesch
Johann Sigismund Riesch
Johann Sigismund Graf von Riesch joined the army of Habsburg Austria as a cavalry officer and, during his career, fought against the Kingdom of Prussia, Ottoman Turkey, Revolutionary France, and Napoleon's French Empire...
headed toward Elchingen
Battle of Elchingen
The Battle of Elchingen, fought on October 14, 1805, saw French forces under Michel Ney rout an Austrian corps led by Johann Sigismund Riesch. This defeat led to a large part of the Austrian army being invested in the fortress of Ulm by the army of Emperor Napoleon I of France while other...
to secure the bridge there, and the other under Franz Werneck went north with most of the heavy artillery. Recognizing the opportunity, Ney hurried his corps forward to re-establish contact with Dupont, who was still north of the Danube. In a two-pronged attack, Ney sent one division to the south of Elchingen on the right bank of the Danube. This division began the assault at Elchingen. At the same time, another division crossed the river to the east and moved west against Riesch's position. After clearing the Austrian pickets from a bridge, the French attacked and captured a strategically located abbey at the top of the hill at bayonet point. The Austrian cavalry unsuccessfully tried to fend the French off, but the Austrian infantry broke and ran. In this engagement alone, the Austrians lost more than half their reserve artillery park, 6,000 (out of 8,000 total participants) dead, wounded or captured, and four colors. Reisch's column also failed to destroy the bridges across the Danube.
Napoleon's lightning campaign exposed the Austrian indecisive command structure and poor supply apparatus. Mack completely misread the French dispositions and scattered his forces; as the French defeated each unit separately, the surviving Austrians withdrew toward the Ulm fortifications
Battle of Ulm
The Battle of Ulm was a series of minor skirmishes at the end of Napoleon Bonaparte's Ulm Campaign, culminating in the surrender of an entire Austrian army near Ulm in Württemberg....
. Napoleon arrived to take personal command of close to 80,000 men. At Ulm on 16 October, Karl Mack surrendered his encircled army of 20,000 infantry and 3,273 cavalry. The officers were released on the condition that they do not serve against France until formally exchanged for French officers captured by the Austrians, an agreement to which they held.
Prelude to battle
The few Austrian corps not trapped at Ulm withdrew toward Vienna, with the French in close pursuit. A RussianRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
army under General Mikhail Kutuzov also maneuvered away from the French, withdrawing to the east. At the Ill river
Ill (Austria)
The Ill is a 72 km long tributary of the Rhine river in the western Austrian province of Vorarlberg.It flows from the northern slopes of the Silvretta mountain range and then runs north-west through Vorarlberg. The Ill passes through the Montafon and Walgau valleys and the town Feldkirch...
on 22 October, it joined with the retreating Austrian corps commanded by Michael von Kienmayer
Michael von Kienmayer
Michael von Kienmayer was an Austrian general who was active during the Napoleonic Wars.von Kienmayer joined the army of Habsburg Austria and fought against the Kingdom of Prussia and Ottoman Turkey. During the French Revolutionary Wars, he continued to make his reputation in the cavalry and...
. On 5 November, the Coalition forces held a successful rearguard action in Amstetten
Battle of Amstetten
The Battle of Amstetten was a minor engagement during the War of the Third Coalition between the First French Empire and the alliance of the Austria and Russia. It occurred on 5 November 1805, when the Austrians retreating from Vienna fought a rear-guard action against Marshal Joachim Murat's...
. On 7 November, the Russians arrived in St. Pölten, and crossed the Danube river the next day. Late on 9 November, they destroyed the bridges across the Danube, holding the last one at the hamlet of Stein, near the village Krems, until the late afternoon.
Battlefield
To the east of Stein, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) down an old road, lay Krems, with its small population of a few hundred, at the confluence of the stream of that name and the Danube. To the west of Stein, the Danube made a large curve, creating a crescent-shaped floodplain between it and the mountains. At the far western end of the floodplain, where the mountains came down almost at the river's edge, was Dürenstein, with its castle, known as Schloss Dürenstein. The castle had served as a prison for Richard I of EnglandRichard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
in 1193. In 1645–46, during the Thirty Years War, the Swedes had fortified the castle and then demolished it when they withdrew. It stands at 159 metres (521.7 ft), on the highest ridge of a mountain fissured with clefts and pinnacles of granite. Because the mountain was sparsely vegetated, it was difficult to distinguish the ruins from the rocks. Narrow canyons cut through the mountain, and widen into the plain below. Between Dürenstein and Stein, on the flood plain, lay the hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
s of Oberloiben and Unterloiben. Near the hamlets, the Loiben flood plain was at its widest, extending at the most 762 metres (2,500 ft) from the base of the Loibenberg mountain to the bank of the river.
The region was known for its wine. Since the 15th century, the local inhabitants practiced viticulture
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
and the wine producers formed St. Paul Vintners' Guild in 1447, the oldest such guild in the German-speaking world. Terraced vineyards extended up the sides of the Krems river, until it became a mountain stream and terrain was unsuitable for cultivation. The Loiben plain supported both viticulture and agriculture. As the terrain became steeper, the vines grew in terraces built from the dark Urgestein, primordial rock. From Dürenstein to Krems, the river makes its wide curve; the mountains and the steeply terraced slopes prevent clear line-of-sight between the two towns.
Dispositions
Napoleon had calculated that Kutuzov would withdraw toward Vienna, expecting reinforcements from Russia; he envisioned that the armies would engage in a great battle at Vienna, and that this battle would decide the war. Consequently, Napoleon drew divisions from four of the other seven corps of the Grande Armée to create a new VIII. Corps. This corps was to secure the north shore of the Danube, block any of the Austrian or Russian groups from reinforcing one another and, importantly, prevent Kutuzov from crossing the river and escaping to Russia.Linz
Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
and Passau
Passau
Passau is a town in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the Dreiflüssestadt or "City of Three Rivers," because the Danube is joined at Passau by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north....
in early November 1805, and marched east, on the north bank of the Danube. Operating independently, the corp's cavalry conducted reconnaissance ahead of them, and on the flanks. General Gazan's division (about 6,000 men) took the lead; Mortier was with them. They were followed by General Dupont's division (another 4,000) about one day's march behind. Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau
Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau
Count Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau de Bergendal Count Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau de Bergendal Count Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau de Bergendal (7 November 1760, Brussels – 29 December 1821, Forest was a general from the Southern Netherlands, in the service of France and the Netherlands.- Life :...
's division (another 4,000), marching another day behind Dupont, brought up the rear. A flotilla of 50 boats acquired at Passau provided communications across the Danube. Before sending Mortier on his mission, Napoleon instructed him to protect his north flank at all times against possible Russian reinforcements, advice he reiterated in subsequent written orders. Napoleon also advised Mortier to secure all crossings of the Danube between Linz and Vienna.
On 9 November, Gazan's division reached Marbach an der Donau
Marbach an der Donau
Marbach an der Donau is a town in the district of Melk in the Austrian state of Lower Austria....
, and covered the 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) to Dürenstein by early on the following afternoon. Here it skirmished with some Russian patrols to the east of the town, and expelled them. Feeling confident, the French established a forward post just upstream from Stein. In Dürenstein itself, Mortier set up his command post, and directed the establishment of a small field hospital. Although the position seemed secure, he had ignored Napoleon's strict instructions and neglected to protect his left (north) flank.
Unknown to either Gazan or Mortier, the Coalition had concentrated a force of approximately 24,000 men (mostly Russians and a few Austrians) within a few kilometers of the French position at Dürenstein. In comparison, Gazan's division had only 6,000 men. The Austro-Russian force were mixed troops of infantry, Jägers (usually deployed as skirmishers), Russian musketeers, and Russian and Austrian cavalry, accompanied by more than 68 artillery pieces. Kutuzov, who had learned the military arts under the tutelage of the legendary Russian Generalissimo Suvorov, had overall command. The Russian cavalry, units of the greatly feared Cossacks, were well-suited for patrolling the river bank; indeed on 9 November they had taken 40 French soldiers as prisoners. Furthermore, reinforcements stood in Moravia, less than two weeks' march away. If the main body of the French army crossed the river, they would require time to prepare. Kutuzov would have ample warning of any large scale French movement.
After the afternoon's initial skirmishing with the French, Kutuzov held a council of war on the evening of 10 November at Melk
Melk
Melk is a city of Austria, in the federal state of Lower Austria, next to the Wachau valley along the Danube. Melk has a population of 5,222 ....
, at the great abbey
Melk Abbey
Melk Abbey or Stift Melk is an Austrian Benedictine abbey, and one of the world's most famous monastic sites. It is located above the town of Melk on a rocky outcrop overlooking the river Danube in Lower Austria, adjoining the Wachau valley....
there. He knew several things. First, he knew the positions of the French from prisoners his Cossacks had captured. He also knew that Gazan had crossed at Linz, and was well ahead of any French reinforcements: Dupont had crossed at Passau, and, by 10 November, stood at Marbach, 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) upstream, and Dumonceau was another 7 kilometres (4 mi) further behind him. Kutuzov knew the size of the French force—its division strength—and its positions, and he knew that most of the dragoons were not covering the French flank, but had turned north. He also knew, or had made a good supposition, about Napoleon's orders, so he knew what to offer Mortier and Gazan as bait.
Battle plan
In addition to the Russian generals, the council included Austrian commanders Lieutenant Field Marshal Johann Heinrich von SchmittJohann Heinrich von Schmitt
Heinrich Schmitt was a lieutenant field marshal in the Habsburg military during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars.He developed a sound military reputation as a surveyor, map-maker, and strategist during Austria's wars with the Ottoman Empire, He served on the Quartermaster's staff during...
and Friedrich Karl Wilhelm, Fürst zu Hohenlohe
Friedrich Karl Wilhelm, Fürst zu Hohenlohe
Friedrich Karl Wilhelm, Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen was a general in the military service of the House of Habsburg during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars...
. Schmitt, who had retired from the military in 1800, had been recalled into service after the Ulm debacle and had come to Kutuzov highly recommended by the Emperor. He was an experienced tactician and strategist, and had served in a variety of posts in the Habsburg military; he had been Archduke Charles'
Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
Archduke Charles of Austria, Duke of Teschen was an Austrian field-marshal, the third son of emperor Leopold II and his wife Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain...
trusted adviser during the campaigns from 1796 to 1800 and had assisted in planning several of Charles' victories. Upon his recall, Schmitt was appointed Chief of the Quartermaster General Staff of the Coalition Army. The generals had found among the Austrian force one Captain Christoph Freiherr von Stiebar (1753–1824), who had knowledge of the local geography.
Together, Schmitt, Kutuzov, and the other generals, with von Stiebar's advice on the local terrain, concocted a plan to encircle the French at Dürenstein. The Russian commander Mikhail Andreyevich Miloradovich
Mikhail Andreyevich Miloradovich
Mikhail Andreyevich Miloradovich , spelled Miloradovitch in contemporary English sources was a Russian general prominent during the Napoleonic Wars. He entered military service on the eve of the Russo-Swedish War of 1788–1790 and his career advanced rapidly during the reign of Paul I...
would approach Gazan's division from the east, supported by Petr Bagration's corps, and pin the French in place. Three additional columns, commanded by Dmitry Dokhturov
Dmitry Dokhturov
Dmitry Sergeyevich Dokhturov was a Russian Infantry General and a prominent military leader during the Patriotic War of 1812....
(Doctorov), Major General Strik, and Schmitt, would outflank the French from the west and the north. They would offer, as bait, a rumor: the Russian army was retreating into Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
and only a rearguard would be left at Krems.
Battle
On the night of 10–11 November, a Russian column under Strik's command began its passage through the narrow canyons, intent on arriving at Dürenstein by noon; two more columns, under Dokhtorov and Schmitt, moved in wider semicircles, planning to pass through the mountains and attack the French, who were extended along the river bank. According to the plan, in late morning, Strik's column would emerge from the mountains first and launch a flanking assault on the French right. This flanking attack, combined with Miloradovich's frontal assault from Stein, would force the French into a vice; encircled, they would have no option but to surrender—or die. To insure the success of the plan, the second and third columns, under Dokhtorov and Schmitt, would arrived in early and mid-afternoon, and support the earlier assaults. In this way, even if the French tried to retreat west to Marbach, they would not escape the vice-like grip of the Coalition army.Mortier accepted the bait of a rumored Russian retreat. In the early morning of 11 November, he and Gazan departed from Dürenstein to seize Stein and Krems, presuming the Russians had either abandoned the settlements or left only a small rear-guard behind. As they approached Stein, a column of Miloradovich's troops attacked the French forward positions. Thinking this force was the rumored Russian rear guard, Mortier ordered General Gazan to counter-attack, and to push east towards the town of Stein. Fighting spread though the villages of Oberloiben
Dürnstein
Dürnstein is a small town on the Danube river in the Krems-Land district, in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the Wachau region and also a well-known wine growing area...
, Unterloiben
Dürnstein
Dürnstein is a small town on the Danube river in the Krems-Land district, in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the Wachau region and also a well-known wine growing area...
and the farm at Rothenhof
Dürnstein
Dürnstein is a small town on the Danube river in the Krems-Land district, in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the Wachau region and also a well-known wine growing area...
. Instead of withdrawing, as a rear guard would, more and more Russian troops appeared and engaged the French column.
Initially, Gazan made rapid progress, but quickly recognized that the opposing force was much stronger than the typical rear guard of a retreating army. Realizing he had been duped and that Gazan's troops were tiring rapidly, Mortier sent orders to Dupont's division to hurry forward. By mid morning, the French momentum had stalled; Mortier committed most of his remaining forces to drive Miloradovich back, leaving a single battalion—perhaps 300 troops—to cover his northern flank, and sent the rest to attack the Russian right. Within 30 minutes, he achieved the superiority of numbers he sought. His 4,500 French opposed 2,600 Russians, and forced them back toward Stein, while pressing an attack along the river. Miloradovich had no option, for neither Strik's nor Dokhtorov's flanking columns were to be seen.
At this stage of the battle, fighting paused. Mortier and Gazan waited for Dupont's arrival, while Kutuzov and Miloradovich waited for Strik's and Dokhturov's. Schmitt's column was expected to be the last to join the fight, because it had to march the greatest distance. The timing of the respite varies, depending on whose reports are consulted: fighting paused at around 12:00 or 14:00. Strik arrived first and immediately assaulted Gazan's line with three battalions, pushing the French out of Dürenstein. Caught between two strong forces, Gazan attempted to push his way back through Dürenstein, to reach the river where the flotilla could evacuate his exhausted troops. Withdrawing through the narrow Danube canyon and fighting off the Russian force at their rear, Gazan and his division were trapped when more of Strik's Russians appeared to block their retreat. The narrow defiles hampered the Russians; Strik's men had to march out of the canyons, form ranks and attack in waves. Despite Strik's continuous assault in the next two to three hours, Mortier and Gazan pushed the Russians back up the narrow fissure in the hillside. At this point, Dokhturov's column appeared behind the French line and joined the battle. The French were outnumbered more than three to one, assaulted in the front by Miloradovich's column, in the middle by Strik's, and in the rear by Dokhturov.
Earlier in the morning, Dupont had proceeded with his column south and east along the river, from Marbach, according to instructions. Even before the arrival of Mortier's courier, he heard the sound of artillery in the distance and sent riders ahead to discover the cause. They came back to report that a Russian column (Dokhturov's) was descending from the mountains to take the road to Dürenstein. Realizing this would separate him from the forward division, Dupont hustled his troops toward the sound of battle and deployed them to take the Russians in the flank. The French assault, heralded by cannon fire, caused Dokhturov's troops to turn their attention from Gazan's beleaguered force to face these new assailants. Although superior in numbers, Dokhturov's column had no supporting artillery, and the narrow space prevented them from taking advantage of their size. It was Dokhturov's turn to face attackers at his front and rear, until the arrival of Schmitt's column, which had wended its way through the mountains in the west.
Schmitt arrived at dusk, and the action continued well after dark; in mid-November, night falls at close to 17:00 in the upper Danube climes. Despite the darkness, Schmitt descended out of the defiles and deployed his own troops to assail Dupont's flank. As his Russians entered the fray, they came between a battalion of French and another of Russians. With the additional force, the French were overwhelmed, but most of the shooting subsided when the combatants could not tell apart friend from foe in the dark. Under the cover of darkness, Mortier used the French flotilla to evacuate his exhausted troops to the south bank. The French and Russians continued to skirmish fitfully into the night as sentries encountered one another in the dark. Portions of Gazan's force provided any necessary rear guard action, and the following morning, the remaining men were evacuated from the north shore of the Danube, while they maintained possession of only Spitz and Weissenkirchen on the north bank.
Losses
French Imperial Eagle
French Imperial Eagle refers to the figure of an eagle on a staff carried into battle as a standard by the Grande Armée of Napoleon I during the Napoleonic Wars....
of the 4th Infantry Regiment, and the eagle and guidon
Colours, standards and guidons
In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards or Guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 years ago...
of the 4th Dragoons. The Russians lost around 4,000, about 16 percent of their force, and two regimental colors. The Austrian Lieutenant Field Marshal Schmitt was killed as the battle concluded, probably by Russian musketry in the confused melee. The vineyards and the villages of Ober- and Unterloiben were destroyed, as was most of Dürenstein and Stein. Krems was heavily damaged; the French plundered the town at least twice, and "barbarously handled" its inhabitants.
Aftermath
Both sides claimed victory. Although losses were fairly equal in terms of numbers—4,000 wounded or dead on each side—the Coalition forces went into battle with 24,000 men while the French started with Gazan's division of about 6,000, which grew close to 8,000 when Dupont's men joined the fighting in the afternoon. Regardless, Gazan's division was nearly destroyed; the 30 percent losses experienced by the French fell predominantly on his division. Clearly for both sides, the fighting was hard. The weather had been cold; an early storm had left slick icy mud in the roadways, and icicles "like chandeliers" hung from the trees.For the Coalition, the Russians were secure on the north bank of the Danube, awaiting reinforcements from Galicia; the bridges between Linz and Vienna had been destroyed, making French access to the Austrian capital more difficult, but not impossible. After six months of fighting in which the Austrians had enjoyed little good news, the Coalition could claim a difficult and timely victory. The French had retreated from the field with a badly mauled division, and Kutuzov had secured the right flank. Indeed, Francis was so pleased with the outcome at Dürenstein that he awarded Kutuzov the Military Order of Maria Theresa
Military Order of Maria Theresa
The Military Order of Maria Theresa was an Order of the Austro-Hungarian Empire founded on June 18, 1757, the day of the Battle of Kolin, by the Empress...
.
For the French, the survival of the Corps Mortier seemed nothing short of a miracle. The remainder of Gazan's division crossed the river the next morning, and eventually recuperated in Vienna, which the French acquired by deception later in the month. More importantly for them, the French force had performed well over difficult terrain and under terrible combat conditions. Initially, there had been some panic and parts of at least one French battalion had tried to escape on the flotilla craft. They had lost control of the boats in the current and smashed into the pillars of the burned bridge at Krems, overturning their boats. Tossed into the icy river, most had drowned. Despite this initial panic, Gazan's column retained its cohesion, and responded well to various difficult demands. Dupont had demonstrated his tactical acumen: when he heard cannon fire, he directed his troops toward it to support the French division. In terms of French staffing, Mortier's failure to guard his flank, especially in the face of Napoleon's direct advice, adversely influenced his relationship with his commander. However, in the immediate weeks ahead, the flamboyant Murat did more to annoy Napoleon than Mortier had. In assessing the battle and its aftermath, historians have laid the blame and credit for its outcome not only on Mortier and Gazan: "Napoleon, aware of Morier's danger and his own culpability for it, vented his frustration on Murat, whom he unjustly accused of abandoning Mortier for the empty glory of riding through Vienna."
After the victory at Austerlitz, Napoleon dispersed the VIII. Corps and reassigned Mortier. However disappointed he may have been with Mortier, Napoleon was pleased with Gazan's performance. As recognition of his conduct in what the French called "the immortal Battle of Dürenstein", Gazan received the Officer's Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor.
The loss of Schmitt was a significant blow to the Austrian military organization. Called out of retirement for this specific task, he was arguably their most experienced general staff officer, other than the Archduke Charles. From the summer of 1796 until his retirement in 1800, he had been Chief of the Quartermaster General Staff of the Army, the Lower Rhine, the Rhine, and the Army of Germany. Furthermore, he was a trusted member of Archduke Charles'
Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
Archduke Charles of Austria, Duke of Teschen was an Austrian field-marshal, the third son of emperor Leopold II and his wife Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain...
staff. He had helped to design several of Charles' more important victories at Emmendingen
Battle of Emmendingen
The Battle of Emmendingen was a battle at Emmendingen on the Elz river in what is now southern Germany. It was a battle of the War of the First Coalition, the first of the French Revolutionary Wars. It occurred on 19 October 1796 and constituted an Austrian victory over French Revolutionary...
, Schliengen
Battle of Schliengen
At the Battle of Schliengen , both the French Republican Army commanded by Jean-Victor Moreau and the Austrian army under the command of Archduke Charles of Austria claimed victories...
, the sieges at Kehl and Hünigen
Siege of Kehl (1796)
The 1796-1797 Siege of Kehl lasted from October 1796 to 9 January 1797, during the War of the First Coalition...
, the battles at Ostrach
Battle of Ostrach
The Battle of Ostrach, also called the Battle by Ostrach, occurred on 20–21 March 1799. It was the first battle of the War of the Second Coalition. The battle resulted in the victory of the Austrian forces, under the command of Archduke Charles, over the French forces, commanded by Jean...
and Stockach
Battle of Stockach (1799)
On 25 March 1799, French and Austrian armies fought for control of the geographically strategic Hegau region in present day Baden-Württemberg. The battle has been called by various names: First Battle of Stockach, the Battle by Stockach, and, in French chronicles, the Battle of Liptingen...
, and the northern Swiss Campaign of 1799 that included battles at Winterthur
Battle of Winterthur (1799)
The Battle of Winterthur was an important action between elements of the Army of the Danube and elements of the Habsburg army, commanded by Friedrich Freiherr von Hotze, during the War of the Second Coalition, part of the French Revolutionary Wars. The small town of Winterthur lies northeast of...
and Zürich
First Battle of Zürich
The Helvetic Republic in 1798 became a battlefield of the French Revolutionary Wars. In the First Battle of Zurich on 4 – 7 June 1799, French general André Masséna was forced to yield the city to the Austrians under Archduke Charles and retreated beyond the Limmat, where he managed to fortify his...
. An experienced officer and excellent tactician, he might well have made a more effective Chief of the Quartermaster General Staff of the Coalition Army at the Battle of Austerlitz
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz, also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of Napoleon's greatest victories, where the French Empire effectively crushed the Third Coalition...
than his eventual replacement, Franz von Weyrother
Franz von Weyrother
Franz von Weyrother was an Austrian staff officer and general who fought during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars...
. In Schmitt's absence, Weyrother, the architect of the Austrian catastrophe at Hohenlinden in 1800, was chosen to develop the general battle plan of Coalition action at Austerlitz. Schmitt, undoubtedly a far better tactician than Weyrother, and possessed of superior training and mapping skills, would have developed a more realistic Coalition plan for Austerlitz. Schmitt's presence would probably not have been enough to turn that defeat into a victory, but it would have mitigated the magnitude of the Coalition's losses; Austerlitz was arguably one of Napoleon's finest triumphs.
In the broader picture, despite the important major naval
Trafalgar Campaign
The Trafalgar Campaign was a long and complicated series of fleet manoeuvres carried out by the combined French and Spanish fleets; and the opposing moves of the Royal Navy during much of 1805. These were the culmination of French plans to force a passage through the English Channel, and so achieve...
engagements, the outcome of the War of the Third Coalition was determined on the Continent, predominantly in the two major land operations. In the Ulm campaign
Ulm Campaign
The Ulm Campaign consisted of a series of French and Bavarian military maneuvers and battles to outflank and capture an Austrian army in 1805 during the War of the Third Coalition. It took place in the vicinity of and inside the Swabian city of Ulm...
, the Habsburgs achieved some minor victories, such as Klenau's at Haslach-Jungingen
Battle of Haslach-Jungingen
The Battle of Haslach-Jungingen, also known as the Battle of Albeck, fought on 11 October 1805 at Ulm-Jungingen north of Ulm at the Danube, was part of the War of the Third Coalition, which was a part of the greater Napoleonic Wars.-Background:...
, but ultimately lost an entire army and an officer corps. The latter would not resume arms against France until formally exchanged. This condition crippled the Austrian military leadership and forced the recall of such pensioners as Schmitt out of retirement. After the capitulation at Ulm, isolated portions of the Austrian military evaded capture and joined with their Russian allies; Michael von Kienmayer
Michael von Kienmayer
Michael von Kienmayer was an Austrian general who was active during the Napoleonic Wars.von Kienmayer joined the army of Habsburg Austria and fought against the Kingdom of Prussia and Ottoman Turkey. During the French Revolutionary Wars, he continued to make his reputation in the cavalry and...
's corps slipped out of the encirclement and joined Kutuzov's force. A few other small forces refused to capitulate and seemingly melted into the Bavarian mountains and the Thurgingian forests, to reappear in Bohemia for Austerlitz. Sixteen hundred cavalry, including Archduke Ferdinand and Prince Schwarzenberg, broke out of Ulm before its capitulation. Maximilian, Count of Merveldt
Maximilian, Count of Merveldt
Maximilian, Count von Merveldt , among the most famous of an illustrious old Westphalian family, entered Austrian military service, rose to the rank of General of Cavalry, served as Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor's ambassador to Russia, and became special envoy extraordinaire to the Court of St....
, led his column back through the mountains into Austria, fighting rear guard actions against pursuing French forces at the Steyer (Steyr) and Gross-Ramig. These elusive units were insufficient to balance heavy losses at key battles in which the Austrians could not hold their own against the French. Between the Ulm capitulation and the Austrian and Russian defeat at Austerlitz, there were other minor achievements: a successful skirmish between the cavalry that escaped from Ulm and the French near the town of Nördlingen
Nördlingen
Nördlingen is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Bavaria, Germany, with a population of 20,000. It is located in the middle of a complex meteorite crater, called the Nördlinger Ries. The town was also the place of two battles during the Thirty Years' War...
, the contested victory at Dürenstein, and another within days at Schöngrabern
Battle of Schöngrabern
The Battle of Schöngrabern was an engagement in the Napoleonic Wars during the War of the Third Coalition, fought on 16 November 1805 near Hollabrunn in Lower Austria, four weeks after the Battle of Ulm and two weeks before the Battle of Austerlitz.The Russian army of Kutuzov was retiring north of...
.
The second determining event, the decisive French victory at the Battle of Austerlitz
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz, also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of Napoleon's greatest victories, where the French Empire effectively crushed the Third Coalition...
over the combined Russian and Austrian armies, forced the Austrian withdrawal from the Coalition. The subsequent Peace of Pressburg
Peace of Pressburg
The Peace of Pressburg refers to four peace treaties concluded in Pressburg . The fourth Peace of Pressburg of 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars is the best-known.-First:...
, signed on 26 December 1805, reinforced the earlier treaties of Campo Formio
Treaty of Campo Formio
The Treaty of Campo Formio was signed on 18 October 1797 by Napoleon Bonaparte and Count Philipp von Cobenzl as representatives of revolutionary France and the Austrian monarchy...
and Lunéville
Treaty of Lunéville
The Treaty of Lunéville was signed on 9 February 1801 between the French Republic and the Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, negotiating both on behalf of his own domains and of the Holy Roman Empire...
. Furthermore, Austria ceded land to Napoleon's German allies, and paid an indemnity
Indemnity
An indemnity is a sum paid by A to B by way of compensation for a particular loss suffered by B. The indemnitor may or may not be responsible for the loss suffered by the indemnitee...
of 40 million franc
Franc
The franc is the name of several currency units, most notably the Swiss franc, still a major world currency today due to the prominence of Swiss financial institutions and the former currency of France, the French franc until the Euro was adopted in 1999...
s. Victory at Austerlitz also gave Napoleon the latitude to create a buffer zone
Confederation of the Rhine
The Confederation of the Rhine was a confederation of client states of the First French Empire. It was formed initially from 16 German states by Napoleon after he defeated Austria's Francis II and Russia's Alexander I in the Battle of Austerlitz. The Treaty of Pressburg, in effect, led to the...
of German states between France and the states of Prussia, Russia, and Austria. These measures did not establish a lasting peace on the continent. Prussian
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
worries about growing French influence in Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
sparked the War of the Fourth Coalition
War of the Fourth Coalition
The Fourth Coalition against Napoleon's French Empire was defeated in a war spanning 1806–1807. Coalition partners included Prussia, Russia, Saxony, Sweden, and the United Kingdom....
in 1806, in which Austria did not participate.
Battlefield commemorations
Until 1805, Dürenstein was probably best known as the village in which crusaderThird Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
Richard the Lionhearted was held by Leopold V, Duke of Austria
Leopold V, Duke of Austria
Leopold V , the Virtuous, was a Babenberg duke of Austria from 1177 and of Styria from 1192 until his death...
. In 1741, during the War of the Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
, several hundred local villagers had held off the French and Bavarian armies, intent on capturing Vienna, by painting drain pipes to look like cannons, and beating on drums, thus suggesting the presence of a large force.
After 1805, the exploits of 40,000 French, Russian, and Austrian soldiers excited the European imagination. General Schmitt's grave has never been found, but in 1811 a monument for him was erected at the Stein Tor, the gate leading from the old village of Krems to the hamlet of Stein. The house in which Captain von Stiebar lived was marked with a bronze plate commemorating his contribution to the battle. In 1840, a Spanish lithographer created an image of the battle, which was later expanded by English lithographer John Outhwaite. The image depicts the evacuation of French troops via the Danube flotilla (see Infobox image) on a moonlit night. In fact, the moon was in its last quarter phase 48 hours later, and on 11 November probably did not provide as much light as depicted in the image. In 1836, Jean Antoine Siméon Fort (French, 1793–1861), a historical
History painting
History painting is a genre in painting defined by subject matter rather than an artistic style, depicting a moment in a narrative story, rather than a static subject such as a portrait...
painter, created a watercolor of the battle, Combat de Dürnstein le 11 novembre 1805 ( Battle of Dürenstein of 11 November 1805), which is in the Trianon collection at Versailles. In the Russian novel War and Peace
War and Peace
War and Peace is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in 1869. The work is epic in scale and is regarded as one of the most important works of world literature...
, Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...
devoted several pages to the battle, its prelude, and its aftermath, and the delivery of its news to the Tsar by Prince Andrew. Between Dürenstein and Rossatz, at the edge of the Loiben plain, stands the "Little Frenchman" memorial (see image) erected in 1905 to commemorate the battle; it bears the names of Mortier, Gazan, Kutuzov, Schmitt, and others on a copper-engraved plate.
French VIII. Corps (Corps Mortier)
On 6 November, Édouard Adolphe Mortier commanded the following forces:- 1st Division under command of Pierre Dupont de l'Étang (formerly 1st Division of VI. Corps), six battalions, three squadrons, and three guns, most of which were involved in the fighting after mid-day.
- 2nd Division under command of Honoré Théodore Maxime Gazan de la Peyrière (formerly 2nd Division of the V. Corps), nine battalions, three squadrons, three guns.
- 3rd Division under command of Jean-Baptiste DumonceauJean-Baptiste DumonceauCount Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau de Bergendal Count Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau de Bergendal Count Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau de Bergendal (7 November 1760, Brussels – 29 December 1821, Forest was a general from the Southern Netherlands, in the service of France and the Netherlands.- Life :...
(Batavian Division, formerly 3rd Division of the II. Corps). The 3rd Division was not involved in the fighting. - Dragoon Division under command of Louis Klein. Klein's division included the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 14th Regiments of Dragoons. They were not involved in the fighting.
- Danube fleet of fifty boats, under the command of Frigate Captain Lostange.
Total: fifteen battalions, six squadrons, six guns, approximately 12,000 men, not all of which were involved in the fighting.
Coalition columns
- First Column, commanded by General of Brigade Prince Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration, included three battalions of infantry, three grenadier battalions, and three Jäger battalions, ten squadrons of Hussars.
- Second Column, Lieutenant General Essen, included six battalions of infantry, three battalions of grenadiers, and five squadrons of Hussars.
- Third Column, commanded by Lieutenant General Dokhturov, including six battalions of infantry, one battalion from the 8th Jäger regiment, and ten squadrons of the Hussar Regiment Mariupol.
- Fourth Column, commanded by Lieutenant General Schepelev, nine battalions of infantry.
- Fifth Column, Lieutenant General Freiherr von Maltitz, nine battalions of infantry.
- Sixth Column, Lieutenant General Freiherr von Rosen, with six battalions of Infantry and ten squadrons of cavalry. The Sixth Column did not take part in the fighting.
- Austrian Infantry Brigade, Major General Johann Nepomuk, Count Nostitz-Rieneck, four battalions of Border Infantry, including the highly decorated 9th Regiment Peterwardeiner.
- Austrian Cavalry Division, Lieutenant Field Marshal Friedrich Karl Wilhelm, Fürst zu Hohenlohe, twenty-two squadrons of cavalry.
Total: fifty-eight battalions, sixty-two squadrons, fourteen artillery batteries, approximately 24,000 men and 168 guns.
Further reading
- Alison, Archibald (Sir). History of Europe, from the Commencement of the French Revolution in MDCCLXXXIX [i.e. 1789] to the Restoration of the Bourbons in MDCCCXV [i.e. 1815]. Edinburgh: Blackwood, 1847–48. Alombert-Goget, Paul Claude; Colin, Jean-Lambert-Alphonse. La Campagne de 1805 en Allemagne: Saint Poelten et Krems. Paris: Librairie militaire R. Chapelot, 1902–1908, v. 4.
- Blanning, TimothyT. C. W. BlanningTimothy C. W. Blanning, FBA is currently Professor of Modern European History at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Sidney Sussex College...
. The French Revolutionary Wars. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996, ISBN 0-340-56911-5. Bodart, GastonGaston BodartGaston Bodart was a military historian, statistician, and government official. He was born in 1867 in Vienna, Austria. He achieved distinction for his analysis of casualties of war in Austria's wars, from the Thirty Years War to the Russo-Japanese War in 1905 and for many years his studies of...
. Militär-historisches Kriegs-Lexikon (1618–1905). Wien: Stern, 1908. Duernstein Official Website. Maps of towns. Accessed 7 March 2010. Ebert, Jens-Florian. "Heinrich von Schmitt". Die Österreichischen Generäle 1792–1815. Napoleon Online: Portal zu Epoch. Markus Stein, editor. Mannheim, Germany. 14 February 2010 version. Accessed 5 February 2010. Egger, Rainer. Das Gefecht bei Dürnstein-Loiben 1805. Wien: Bundesverlag, 1986. - Fremont-Barnes, Gregory. The Napoleonic Wars: the Rise and Fall of an Empire. Oxford: Osprey, 2004, ISBN 978-1-84176-831-1.
- Gates, DavidDavid GatesDavid Gates is an American singer-songwriter, best known as the lead singer of the group Bread, which reached the tops of the musical charts in Europe and North America on several occasions in the 1970s. The band was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame...
. The Napoleonic Wars 1803–1815. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997, ISBN 0-340-61447-1. - Goetz, Robert. 1805: Austerlitz, the Destruction of the Third Coalition. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2005, ISBN 1-85367-644-6.
- Kagan, Frederick W. The End of the Old Order. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press 2006, ISBN 978-0-306-81545-4. Kerschbaumer, Anton. Geschichte der Stadt Krems. Krems: Österreicher Verlag, 1885, Mullié, Charles. "Honoré Théodore Maxime Gazan", Biographie des Célébrités Militaires des Armées de Terre et de Mer de 1789 à 1850, 1852.
- Murray (John) Company. Handbook for travellers in southern Germany. London: J. Murray, 1873. Musée National des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon, Combat de Dürnstein le 11 novembre 1805. Inventory 26557. Ministry of Culture. Accessed 3 March 2010.
- National Aerodynamics and Space Administration. Phases of the Moon: 1801–1900. NASA. Accessed 6 February 2010.
- Parker, Robert M. Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide, 7th Edition: The Complete, Easy-to-Use. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2008. ISBN 978-0-7432-7198-1.
- Porter, Darwin; Prince, Danforth. Frommer’s Austria. "Krems and Dürenstein". Hoboken, N.J. : Frommer's, 2009.
- Smith, DigbyDigby SmithDigby Smith is a British military historian. The son of a British career soldier, he was born in Hampshire, England, but spent several years in India and Pakistan as a child and youth. As a "boy soldier," he entered training in the British Army at the age of 16...
. Napoleonic Wars Databook: 1805, London: Greenhill Publishing Co., 1998, ISBN 1-85367-276-9. - Smith, Digby. Heinrich von Schmitt, Mack and Weyrother. Leopold Kudrna and Digby Smith (compilers). Charles Burnham (editor in chief). A Biographical Dictionary of all Austrian Generals in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1792–1815. Napoleon Series. 1995–2010. Accessed 26 February 2010.
- Smith, Digby. Napoleon's Regiments. PA: Stackpole, 2001. ISBN 185367413. Stadt Krems an der Donau. Chronik. English version: Chronicle. Accessed 8 March 2010.
- Tolstoy, Leo. War and Peace. Chapter 8. Ware, Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions, 1995, ISBN 1-85326-062-2.