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

CHAPTER 3 THE AUSTRIANS ARE OUR WORST NEIGHBORS Military intelligence, as part of the art of command, was often ignored by many of Napoleon's marshals. However, its use is important for the successful execution of battles and campaigns. Intelligence is important throughout all three levels of warfare. It enables the commander to gain knowledge about his enemy and helps him to make correct decisions on the battlefield, and so is an important ingredient in the art of command. Intelligence is knowing what your enemy is doing and how he plans to execute his operations. Desaix was one of the first of the Napoleonic generals to use intelligence and fully appreciate its importance. Davout learned this from Desaix and developed an excellent network and system of intelligence gathering during 1808. !'The Austrians are our worst neighbors" wrote Davout on 15 June 1808.2 He wrote this because he knew that the Austrians were preparing for war while talking about peace. Later in August he wrote to Napoleon, "all the measures being taken by the Austrians cause me to believe that they are preparing for war because they want war or because they fear it.l13 We see that as early as 29