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

who never made a mistake. The key is to not let any mistake override one's thinking. An old poker adage aptly applies, never throw good money after bad. Davout realized that he had made a mistake by not controlling Ratisbon and the bridge over the Danube. However, he did not overreact by splitting his forces or return to Ratisbon to recover the loss of the bridge. Instead, he acknowledged the mistake and remained in control of the situation at hand. Coup d'oeil, boldness, moral courage, decisiveness and superior intellect: that certainly sounds like a laundry list of terms. Perhaps, however, their strength and definition lies in theirapplication in the context of battle. It is not simply the presence of these characteristics, it is their proper balance that counts. Marshal Louis Davout and the battles of Abensberg-Eckmuehl provided a vehicle to examine them in detail. Before ending this paper one question comes to mind and that is; what was Davoutls motivation to become a great commander and display such an art of command as that which has been described? The answer to this question remains in one characteristic or attribute which has not been overlooked but at the same time has not been clearly illustrated up to this point. Although it seems like the art of command has been fully examined and defined, this one characteristic must be considered before coming to