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

organization, always slow to act. Meddling in his affairs as commander, they served as a great source of frustration for Charles during the campaign. The Aulic Council's decision to go to war was based on many factors to include the agreement that Russia would remain .neutral. They hadalso secretly received a promise from Prussia to commit forces and the British had promised money to finance the affair.* Moreover, German exiles vowed their support for Austria should they attack .the French. These exiles claimed their states would not support France but would rally to the Austrian cause. From Paris, Prince Clemens von Metternich, the Austrian ambassador to France, further fueled the desire for war. He relayed information to the Austrian King indicating .' that French involvement in Spain would preclude her fromstopping an Austrian attack.The original Austrian plan called for an assault on central Germany out of Bohemia with 200,000 men. This would be supported by a secondary attack south of the Danube and one in Italy. Another corps of 30,000 men would be positioned to threaten Poland. By the end of February the Austrians had positioned six corps in Bohemia, two corps south of the Danube and two corps south of the Alps in Italy. The Austrian plan was to advance and join forces between Ratisbon and Ingolstadt then advance down the Danube toward the Rhine River. However,