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

Again, Davout's operational sense of battle was true to form. He detected the Austrian movements and positioned his forces to best meet their attack. Had he not accomplished that, the French Army would have concentrated north of the Danube. Then the lower Bavarian plateau would have been open to attack by the Austrians. This was the first instance in which Davout's insight and actions directly saved the French forces from what may have been defeat. For the first time in Davout's career he had been a completely independent commander. At Auerstaedt he fought independently from the Emperor but was operationally in the same theater. In Germany in 1808 and 1809 Davout was virtually on his own. Napoleon never directed him to set up and develop an intelligence network. In fact Napoleon had given him little direction in the management of affairs. All the actions taken were the result of Davoutls ability to decide what needed to be done. During a period when most of Napoleon's subordinates did not rely on strategic intelligence gathering, Davout realized its value and understood its importance. He alone made sure that he was always informed and that no actions could take place without his knowledge. This was the mark of an excellent commander. He displayed unique initiative coupled with keen insight 44