MARSHAL LOUIS N. DAVOUT AND THE ART OF COMMAND A ...

The French carabiniers fired a volZey and drew sabers. The French and Austrian cuirassiers then met each other in the center. A general melee ensued with the sheer number of the French overwhelming the Austrian horsemen. Another factor contributing to the defeat of . .the Austrians was that they only wore a front cuirass while the French cuirass protected the front and back. As the horses passed each other during the charge the French simply thrust at the Austrians1 sides and rear. At the conclusion of the battle, which lasted all of about ten minutes, there were ten Austrian dead for every Frenchman. 11 Davout's men slept where their pursuit ended. They had borne the burden of the heaviest fighting during . . . ... .the last four days and were exhausted. Napoleonts actions and decision to move on Eckmuehl saved the day. Without the entire army, Davout!s small corps would have been overwhelmed by sheer numbers alone. However, if not for the perseverance of the redoubtable Davout the victory wo.uld not have been possible. Davout developed a plan to hold the Austrians in the morning and possessed the physical and moral courage to stand and await Napoleon's arrival. Davout was confident he had convinced the Emperor to move and trusted the ability of Lannes and Vandamme to put their forces in motion. He managed to hold his positions until the