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

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failure to ensure I11 Corps was properly supported at Auerstaedt. Davout's controlling personality and his distrust of Berthier did nothing to help the tactical problems created by Napoleon's letters and Berthier's failure to adjust. Davoutls intelligence gathering and his ability to synthesize all the information available led him to believe that Charles had a sizeable force north of the river. Davout was correct that Charles could now pinch Davoutts exposed corps between his two wings and then turn south to face Massena and Lefebvre and defeat them in detail. Davout foresaw the problems that would be encountered with his positioning at Ratisbon. Davout also understood the necessity to concentrate forces in the face of the enemy and not separate them. This was communicated to his superior, Berthier, who chose to ignore its significance. Finally on 16 April, Berthier received Napoleon's much belated Paris dispatch. This was the first dispatch sent by semaphore to Strassbourg and then by horseback to the front. This correspondence pointed out that if the attack came before the fifteenth the concentration should be behind the Lech River. However, taken out of order Berthier became even more confused. He still had in his mind that Napoleon wanted Davout at Ratisbon whether or not the Austrians attacked before the fifteenth. So
Berthier chose to overlook this correspondence in its entirety; additionally, he disregarded the sage advice of Marshal Davout. The French army stretched from Ratisbon to Augsburg with only three small Bavarian divisions posted between the two towns. The Austrians continued to move slowly forward at a rate of eight miles a day. On the sixteenth Charles made contact with the Bavarians at Landshut. The Franco- Bavarian divisions under General Deroy and the Crown Prince of Bavaria began to fall back along the front and Charles took Landshut. The Austrians now had the crossing site over the Isar that they needed. By the end of the day they had one division over the river and four corps ready cross (see Appendix A, Figure 1). Bellegarde and Kollowrat were in the north near Amberg. Charles had 90,000 men, with 20,000 more to his rear, ready to split the French in two. On the seventeenth the initiative remained with the Austrians. Davout had moved north to occupy Ratisbon and completed his movement on the seventeenth. I11 Corps now stood alone astride the Danube river, occupying the position dictated by Berthier. That same day Davout wrote to Berthier another letter showing his displeasure with his current positioning. He stated "1 fear for the safety of Ingolstadt, Charles is pushing forward and the town is now uncovered. I also have a large enemy force to my
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ABSTRACT MARSHAL LOUIS N. DAVOUT AN
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TABLE OF CONTENTS ?&%slsAPPROVALPAG
Page 7 and 8:
CHAPTER 1 BUT WHAT ARE WE TO UNDERS
Page 9 and 10: the study of simple strategy and ta
Page 11 and 12: This fact becomes even more obvious
Page 13 and 14: the grand tactic. Operational warfa
Page 15 and 16: Burgundian countryside. He was born
Page 17 and 18: In1803 Davout was given command of
Page 19 and 20: then launch a major offensive into
Page 21 and 22: This attack'then ensured victory fo
Page 23 and 24: would actually go to war. However,
Page 25 and 26: Bluecher made four unsuccessful att
Page 27 and 28: fight entirely on his own. The batt
Page 29 and 30: title until two years after the bat
Page 31 and 32: Without hesitation Davout pushed fo
Page 33 and 34: most of his marshals, generals, the
Page 35 and 36: CHAPTER 3 THE AUSTRIANS ARE OUR WOR
Page 37 and 38: Finally, with Davout's information
Page 39 and 40: Austrian influence in Germany and I
Page 41 and 42: organization, always slow to act. M
Page 43 and 44: course of action. They now had a be
Page 45 and 46: elieved Prince Eugene and Marshal A
Page 47 and 48: 22 March Davout had sent a message
Page 49 and 50: were designated VII Corps and consi
Page 51 and 52: and intelligence at the strategic l
Page 53 and 54: across the Danube. The Austrians al
Page 55 and 56: transmitted from Napoleon to Berthi
Page 57 and 58: Normally, the message dispatched by
Page 59: me that the best maneuver would be
Page 63 and 64: Landshut were only one corps and no
Page 65 and 66: destroy him. On the eighteenth Char
Page 67 and 68: critical for the French. Napoleon r
Page 69 and 70: Throughout these ten days before th
Page 71 and 72: CHAPTER 5 YOU ONLY HAVE A CURTAIN O
Page 73 and 74: Gudin to support the movement of hi
Page 75 and 76: well. They bought Davout the necess
Page 77 and 78: The remainder of the Austrians then
Page 79 and 80: His tactical leadership was at its
Page 81 and 82: Napoleon's vision of the battlefiel
Page 83 and 84: against the French. His troops succ
Page 85 and 86: to surrender at 5:00 P.M. Now Charl
Page 87 and 88: pursuit on two parallel roads leadi
Page 89 and 90: important part in Davout's decision
Page 91 and 92: orders and directions. While Davout
Page 93 and 94: Corps. He received no reply from th
Page 95 and 96: convinced he was being attacked by
Page 97 and 98: CHAPTER 6 THE DUKE OF AUERSTAEDT IS
Page 99 and 100: eginning to feel the fatigue of con
Page 101 and 102: Just as the Austrians began to move
Page 103 and 104: effect, Davoutfs forces became the
Page 105 and 106: The French carabiniers fired a volZ
Page 107 and 108: Charles would lose his desire to st
Page 109 and 110: The ~re'nch prevailed over the Aust
Page 111 and 112:
CHAPTER 7 IN BATTLE MEN ARE NOTHING
Page 113 and 114:
counter orders did nothing but conf
Page 115 and 116:
doctrine, and most importantly the
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The art of war on land is an art of
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Maintaining this vision or coup d'o
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internal fears rather than obstinac
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who never made a mistake. The key i
Page 125 and 126:
too seemed only to be small diversi
Page 127 and 128:
helped to provide definition to the
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Figure 1.Theater of Operations.
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INITIALACTIONSABOUT 1500Counteratta
Page 133 and 134:
Figure 5.Davout's Running Fight on
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N1- 'LABER RIVER' SCHlERLlNGLANNESI
Page 137 and 138:
Reserve Division: Demont' (3,215) 2
Page 139 and 140:
APPENDIX C ORDER OF BATTLE CHANGES
Page 141 and 142:
ll~avidG. Chandler, The Cam~aians o
Page 143 and 144:
3~hisis noted in Napoleon's corresp
Page 145 and 146:
20~his is from correspondence numbe
Page 147 and 148:
WORKS CITED Primarv Sources Bonapar
Page 149 and 150:
Arnold, James R. Crisis on The Danu
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ackground material and specifics on
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secondary source but all informatio
Page 155 and 156:
INITIAL DISTRIBUTION LIST 1. , Comb
Page 157:
STATEMENT A: Approved for public re
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