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

Charles issued orders late on the twentieth to assemble his forces for an eventual attack against Davout. However, Charles had not yet devised a plan for his actions. He would accomplish that plan in the morning as his forces assembled on the battlefield. This proved to be a tactical error on the part of the Austrians. In true form, Davout attacked before Charles could formulate any plan. The decision to attack a force that outnumbered his own by over two to one was again risky. One must remember these troops were not the antiquated Prussians of Auerstaedt or the old Austrian army of 1805. They were a new and well led army that had spent the last three years rebuilding and training. However, Davout decided that the best way to deceive the Austrians of his numerical weakness was to go on the offensive. By attacking, the Austrians would surely think they were facing a superior French force and not just a few divisions. l7 By doing this Davout hoped that the Austrian commanders would loose their resolve to stand and fight. Hohenzollern was deceived by first Davoutts attack and then by the ferociousness of the French infantry. As Davout suspected, Hohenzollern could never imagine such an attack by only two divisions. Davout always made it a point to understand his enemy as well as their leaders. This understanding would play an