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

Maintaining this vision or coup d'oeil requires a certain coolness in battle. During the fighting at Teugen-Hausen Davout received disparate and numerous reports, any one of which could make a less resolute commander panic. Davout's ability to maintain a coolness during action allowed him to maintain his vision. He would not let himself become confused or perplexed by good or bad reports. When he received conflicting reports he would move to the place of action and conduct his own assessment. As Davoutls conduct shows, battlefield.vision must be tempered by the commander's ability to calmly interpret the facts. Davout displayed a lucid example of this trait when St Hilaire's men panicked at Teugen- Hausen. Napoleon -aptly put it into perspective when he . .said; "A general's mind must in respect of clearness and lucidity resemble the lens of a telescope and never create any mirage. ft4' The second tfsub-elementlf of the art of command as demonstrated by Davout is battlefield leadership, or more precisely, boldness accompaniedby a reflective mind. It is simply the boldness or moral courage to act upon one's vision. The reflective mind implies that it is not boldness alone but boldness that is tempered with wisdom and knowledge. Clausewitz refers to this as "Boldness directed by an overruling intelligen~e.~~' He points out