3. An army’s effectiveness
depends on its size, training,
experience, and morale, and
morale is worth more than any
of the other factors combined.
--Napoleon
4. 1806 Campaign
14 October
Jena
1805 Campaign
2 December
Austerlitz
5. major topics for this session
! Boulogne
! Trafalgar
! Le Grande Armée
! Austerlitz
! Prussia
7. Boulogne
« Première distribution de la Légion d'honneur au camp de Boulogne, le 16 août 1804 »
par Victor-Jean Adam. Lithographie en couleur de C. Motte (1829)
8. They want us to jump
the ditch, and we will
jump it!
NAPOLEON
9. from Potter & Nimitz, Sea Power, p. 152
! 1803-with little comprehension of naval warfare, his first plan was to build flat-
bottomed unseaworthy barges to “jump the ditch”
10. from Potter & Nimitz, Sea Power, p. 152
! 1803-with little comprehension of naval warfare, his first plan was to build flat-
bottomed unseaworthy barges to “jump the ditch”
11. ! this diagram from the period shows the different types, generally flat-bottomed, of
the 2,000 invasion barges nested in the basin which was dredged out for them
! the caption reads :
Disposition of theEquipment
of the Imperial Flotilla
at the port of Boulogne
Thermidor (July-August) year 13 (1805)
12. from Potter & Nimitz, Sea Power, p. 152
! 1803-with little comprehension of naval warfare, his first plan was to build flat-
bottomed unseaworthy barges to “jump the ditch”
! they were assembled here at Boulogne at the Channel’s narrowest point
! the huge camp where the Army of England assembled did have one worthwhile
accomplishment. It allowed for extensive training, drill and large scale tactical
experiments
13. ...le Grande Armée... was shaped and trained in the Boulogne camp of
1804-05….
The army was originally planned as a force of well over 100,000 men to
invade southeast England and it conducted extensive training for
embarkation on to the large flotilla of transports and warships that was
specially collected for the task…. in the event it was never called upon to
perform amphibious operations any more ambitious than river crossings. Its
prolonged training in large-unit drill turned out to be far more significant
than its nautical training -- it perfected the art of maneuver on land rather
than transport by sea….
...the frequent field days and drill exercises implanted order, discipline and
correct methods that would soon prove to be invaluable on the
battlefield…. the army that emerged from Boulogne was no longer a
hesitant collection of conscripts whose formations were likely to dissolve
under pressure. It was a tough and professional army in every meaningful
sense.
Paddy Griffith, French Napoleonic Infantry Tactics, pp. 29-31
14. The School of the Soldier
Preparatory Command = Command of Execution
15. From the Simple to the Complex
! individual drill; attention, left face, right face, about face, dress right dress
! squad drill; forward march, column right, wheel right, to the rear march
! platoon drill; ditto
! company drill; ditto
! battalion drill;
! regiment drill;
! brigade drill;
! division drill;
! Corps d’Armée drill;
16. As the invasion plan became clear in 1803, a flurry of British
caricatures asserted a defiant attitude
17. As the invasion plan became clear in 1803, a flurry of British
caricatures asserted a defiant attitude
18. As the invasion plan became clear in 1803, a flurry of British
caricatures asserted a defiant attitude
19. As the invasion plan became clear in 1803, a flurry of British
caricatures asserted a defiant attitude
20. As the invasion plan became clear in 1803, a flurry of British
caricatures asserted a defiant attitude
21. As the invasion plan became clear in 1803, a flurry of British
caricatures asserted a defiant attitude
22. As the invasion plan became clear in 1803, a flurry of British
caricatures asserted a defiant attitude
23. The initial defensive strategy
Major coastal fortifications, Sea Fencibles, and the
smaller Martello towers
24. The initial defensive strategy
Major coastal fortifications, Sea Fencibles, and the
smaller Martello towers
25. The initial defensive strategy
Major coastal fortifications, Sea Fencibles, and the
smaller Martello towers
26. The initial defensive strategy
Major coastal fortifications, Sea Fencibles, and the
smaller Martello towers
27. PARIS
NAPOLEON
90,000
TROOPS
ANTWERP
BREMEN
HAMBURG
AM BREST
S DOVER
TE
RD
AM
LONDON
KEITH-- ENGLAND
11 SHIPS &
140 CRUISERS
THE INVASION FRONT, 1805
! England’s strategy always placed supremacy in the Channel ahead of the Continental blockade
! thus Admiral Keith had so many frigates and smaller “cruisers” at his disposal to maintain an
iron-clad watch over the Army of England at Boulogne
28. PARIS
NAPOLEON
90,000
TROOPS
ANTWERP
BREMEN
HAMBURG
AM BREST
S DOVER
TE
RD
AM
LONDON
KEITH-- ENGLAND
11 SHIPS &
140 CRUISERS
THE INVASION FRONT, 1805
! England’s strategy always placed supremacy in the Channel ahead of the Continental blockade
! thus Admiral Keith had so many frigates and smaller “cruisers” at his disposal to maintain an
iron-clad watch over the Army of England at Boulogne
! the other blockaders would be able to converge “like iron filings to a magnet”
29. As Mahan put it, “Those distant, storm-beaten ships upon which the Grand
Army never looked stood between it and the domination of the world.”
Potter and Nimitz, p. 153
30. For twenty-three years, almost without interruption, the Royal
Navy maintained a blockade off the French coast
As Mahan put it, “Those distant, storm-beaten ships upon which the Grand
Army never looked stood between it and the domination of the world.”
Potter and Nimitz, p. 153
34. ! the Peace of Amiens gave Napoleon the opportunity to use the seas once again and
give his sailors the chance to train and prepare for war
! he was determined to use this time to recover his overseas colonies such as Saint-
Domingue (Haiti)
! “only briefly were the English deceived. They had disarmed; Napoleon had not
! “his shipyards hummed with activity. He planned to build 25 ships of the line a year
! “with his new ships he need no longer fear the crushing blockade of the Royal
Navy” --Potter & Nimitz
35. As First Consul, Napoleon wanted a navy and--having had one fleet shot
out from under him at the battle of the Nile--insisted on a first-class navy.
Practically the whole thing had to be built up again from scratch; the
Revolution had closed the naval schools in favor of on-the-job training for
young aspirants (candidates) who spent three years aboard ship earning an
ensign’s commission. [America wouldn’t open Annapolis until 1845] Few
new ships had been built; many had been lost to battle, storm, or accident.
The naval arsenals were empty, and naval morale was utterly low. Men
could be found…. There were gifted ship designers…. Money was found,
in part through the work of the free-wheeling professional ancestor of our
modern…”gimme” fundraisers. Many regiments threw a day’s pay on their
drumheads; Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish clergy preached and
solicited…. It all seems very modern.
Elting, Swords, p. 300
36. Even among Frenchmen there were great variations. Normans were good
sailors and daring, savage fighters but easily discouraged and irritated.
Bretons were orderly, stoically courageous, and very fond of getting drunk.
Gascons were talkative but intelligent and industrious and made excellent
bosuns. The southerners were hard-working but apt to drop everything to
wave their arms and gabble over nothing; they frightened easily, but a spell-
binding officer sometimes could talk them into putting up a first-rate fight.
Elting, Swords, p. 301
37. The Return of Pitt
! Napoleon had tested the peace in Europe by breaking its
provisions. He became President of what he called the Republic
of Italy. Britain made no protest
! emboldened, Napoleon had his agents stir up violence in the
Swiss Cantons. He sent Ney to invade “to protect French
interests”
! when the Swiss appealed to Britain, Addington’s government
made impotent protests to Paris which Napoleon ignored
! Pitt’s friends in Parliament begged him in vain to return to power
! 16 May 1803-finally, French plans to evict the British from Malta
brought Addington’s government to declare war
! apart from re-instituting the blockade there was no strategic
direction of the war
! Pitt loyally supported his friend Addington for the first year of
the war as the threat from Boulogne grew
! 26 April 1804-St. George’s Day, he reluctantly attacked the
government’s lack of fighting spirit
38. The Third Coalition
! 7 May-the King sent for Pitt
! thus the human embodiment of the offensive spirit was once more
leading the British
! on the same day that Pitt undertook his duties, Napoleon had
himself declared Emperor of the French and executed, on
trumped up charges, the Duke of Enghien
! the monarchs of Europe were prepared to listen when Pitt’s
ambassadors proposed an alliance against the bloody Corsican
! all summer Pitt worked to gain allies for a Third Coalition
! November 1804-the Russians, in conjunction with Austria were
prepared to sign a treaty for an Armed League to be led by Russia
but paid for by Britain
! 12 December 1804-Napoleon responded by compelling his
satellite Spain to declare war on Britain
! with the combined fleets of France and Spain, Bonaparte
prepared a “Grand Design” for the conquest of England
39. Napoleon’s Grand Design
Note
in this map the Brits
are the “good guys,”
hence blue.
Allied = French and
Spanish
40. Napoleon’s Grand Design
! in order to clear the Channel for his invasion
barges Napoleon had either to defeat the British
Note there or lure them away
in this map the Brits
are the “good guys,”
hence blue. ! Villeneuve was to escape from Toulon, release the
Allied = French and Spanish ships at Cartagena, and passing
Spanish Gibraltar, take the ships at Cadiz with him to the
West Indies
! there he would join Missiessy and be joined by
Ganteume
! then the huge Armada would sail for the Channel
! if Ganteume did not appear, Villeneuve was to
wait 40 days, then recross the Atlantic, liberate
Ganteume, and cover the invasion
! the Grand Design failed for many reasons, but its
inherent weakness was not understanding that
Britain would never fail to protect her strategic
home waters
41. !! here French are “good guys, hence
blue and Brits are “bad guy” red
NAVAL OPERATIONS
MARCH-OCTOBER 1805
42. Although Nelson’s arrival was not marked with outward show, his spirit
quickly permeated the fleet. Never had Nelson’s leadership shown itself
more inspired…. Every officer and man who came under his influence soon
realized this Admiral was no autocrat to demand blind obedience. He was
rather a leader who inspired his subordinates to work with a will, with
intelligence, and with freedom to exercise initiative to achieve a common
goal.
Potter & Nimitz, p. 163
43. No one could tell where the blow would
fall. So long as Nelson held his course, the
Allied van had to brace to receive the
onslaught of Nelson’s 12 juggernauts. Yet
by simply putting the helm over, Nelson
could deliver his thrust to Villeneuve’s
center, with the van held out of action by
the wind…. Thus was concentration
achieved at Trafalgar, for Nelson’s
squadron acted as a holding force on the
Allied center and van to support
Collingwood’s attack on the rear…. In this
double role for his own squadron lay
Nelson’s brilliance...by his knowledge of
the enemy’s psychology and by his threat
to the van, insured it would be out of
action while he and Collingwood disposed
of the center and rear.
Potter & Nimitz, p. 165
45. N
westerly wind
shifting west by southwest
to west by northwest
53. ...Hardy hastened below to speak to his dying leader. “I hope that none of
our ships have struck [surrendered], Hardy”…
“No, my Lord, there is no fear of that.”
Then Hardy was summoned to the quarterdeck to repulse a counterattack..
Within 20 minutes the attack had failed and once again he went below to
report to Nelson to report to Nelson that 14 or 15 of the enemy had struck.
“That is well,” whispered Nelson, “but I had bargained for 20.”
“Anchor, Hardy, Anchor!”
“Thank God I have done my duty. God and my Country.”
Potter & Nimitz, pp. 166-167
63. Le Grande Armée
Le Serment de l'armée fait à l'Empereur après la distribution des Aigles au Champ-de-Mars le 5 décembre* 1804
(The Oath the Army makes to the Emperor after the distribution of the Eagles on the Field of Mars…)
* note the date Jacques-Louis David, 1810
64. The famous Imperial eagle
---
The first French Eagle to be captured by the
British was taken by the 87th Foot from the
French 8e Ligne at the Battle of Barrosa on 5
March 1811. The first British soldier to
touch the battle standard was a young
officer, Ensign Edward Keogh, although as
his hand grasped it, he was immediately shot
through the heart and killed. He was
followed by Sergeant Patrick Masterson
who grabbed the eagle from the French
ensign who carried it, reputedly with the cry
"By Jaysus, boys, I have the Cuckoo!".
66. Infantry
Les Grognards (the Grumblers/Growlers)
map symbol
for the crossed
belts each soldier
wears to support
his cartridge box
and his sword
67. Cavalry
un beau sabreur (a fine swordsman)
map symbol
for the single belt
each rider wears to
support his his
sword
68. Artillery T
le brutal (the brutal one) e
map symbol Txt
ec
xt
c
c
for the cannon ball
69. The Corps d’Armée System
! traditional armies marched along a single line of communication (road) with
infantry, then those cavalry not thrown out as a screen, the artillery and the
baggage train
! this clogged up the roads of the time and slowed the advance
! Napoleon combined all these elements at the corps size (12,000-15,000 men),
small armies, and directed them to advance along separate lines of
communication a day’s march from one another
! this confused his enemies as to his direction and speed of advance
! each corps d’armée might have attached two to four divisions of infantry with
their organic artillery, it had its own cavalry division and corps artillery, plus
support units. With this organization a corps was expected to be able to hold
its ground against, or fight off, an enemy army for a least a day, when
neighboring corps could come to its aid
70. The Corps d’Armée System
in Motion
The operational flexibility afforded
by the widely placed location of the
French corps would enable
Napoleon to trap the enemy
wherever he chose to mass--in other
words, Napoleon was not
committed to any one course of
action by his initial dispositions, but
could adjust his master plan to any
particular circumstances.
Chandler, p. 152
71. Grand Tactics: Napoleon’s Basic
Battle Plan (the Strategic Battle
by Phases); schematic
Chandler, p. 186
83. Text Text
Text
Text Text Text
Text
Text Text
Text
Text
Text
Text
Like the grenadier
Text
Text companies, they were
élite; no guard or
Text work details, extra
T pay. Also like the
grenadiers, they
earned their place by
demonstrated
bravery
Text
Text
Text
Text
Text
Text Text
92. Ammunition
Limber
Infantryman attached to the
foot artillery
Artilleryman gunners
96. famous for saying “The
army marches on its
stomach,” Napoleon
continued the work of
the Revolutionary Army
on canning food
model of a mobile field kitchen
101. The First Blitzkrieg?
The Austrian commander-in-chief, Archduke Charles,...advanced into
Italy to confront the French forces there under Marshal Masséna, while
further east a Russian army under General Mikhail Kutusov
( kuh•TOO•zuf) slowly advanced through Poland to assist the Austrians in
Moravia. The Austrians were shocked to discover that Napoleon had made
such remarkably rapid progress, crossing the Rhine on 26 September and
reaching the Danube on 6 October. In the course of this march, the French
had moved in a broad arc around Mack’s army near Ulm, cutting his lines
of communication and isolating him from reinforcement. After a feeble
attempt to break through the cordon at Elchingen on 14 October, Mack
surrendered his entire force of 27,000 men on 17 October, making the
encirclement at Ulm one of history’s greatest strategic manoeuvres.
Gregory Fremont-Barnes, Napoleon Bonaparte, pp. 15-16
108. In the foreground a cuirassier displays captured Russian colors while guarding a Hungarian officer
of grenadiers and a Russian general. Here, at 0800, an aide-de-camp hands the emperor a message
that the Allies Pratzen Heights have sent troops south. Napoleon orders Soult to advance up the
slope, out of the fog, to take this key feature.
113. Napoléon at the Battle of Austerlitz,
by François Gérard (Galerie des Batailles, Versailles)
114. One has but a short time for war.
In another five or six years
[1810-1811] even I will be unable to
continue.
--Napoleon
115. The general who cannot
look dry-eyed upon a battlefield
will lose lives unnecessarily. One
cannot make an omelette without
breaking eggs.
--Napoleon
117. The Outcome
Austerlitz stands as one of the greatest victories in military history.
Napoleon’s prowess and the effectiveness of the Grande Armée as a
fighting force reached its apogee there, and it constituted the battle of
which the Emperor was most proud. In 20 days he had marched his army
from Boulogne to the Rhine; in two months it had entered the Austrian
capital; and three days later he had destroyed the Third Coalition.
Napoleon had gambled supremely in the campaign of 1805, and generally
gambled correctly. If any single factor contributed to success it was speed,
which enabled him to encircle Mack before the Russians could come to his
aid…. On 26 December Napoleon and Francis concluded a treaty of peace
at Pressburg, where the latter agreed to cede German and Italian territory
to France….
Gregory Fremont-Barnes, Napoleon Bonaparte, pp. 26-27
118. The End of the Holy Roman Empire
800 (?)-1806
! this medieval, feudal dinosaur had endured such modern upheavals as the
Thirty Years War, 1618-1648
! but in the age of modern nation states such a collection of tiny principalities,
each enjoying “the German liberties” of sovereignty was anachronistic
119. The End of the Holy Roman Empire
800 (?)-1806
! this medieval, feudal dinosaur had endured such modern upheavals as the
Thirty Years War, 1618-1648
! but in the age of modern nation states such a collection of tiny principalities,
each enjoying “the German liberties” of sovereignty was anachronistic
120. The End of the Holy Roman Empire
800 (?)-1806
! this medieval, feudal dinosaur had endured such modern upheavals as the
Thirty Years War, 1618-1648
! but in the age of modern nation states such a collection of tiny principalities,
each enjoying “the German liberties” of sovereignty was anachronistic
! 1789-the 306 separate principalities varied in size from the 40 million Austrian
Empire, to the Abbey of Heiligenblut in the Rhineland, which consisted of the
Abbess, 27 nuns and the peasants who worked their lands, some 58 hectares
(143 acres)
121. The End of the Holy Roman Empire
800 (?)-1806
! this medieval, feudal dinosaur had endured such modern upheavals as the
Thirty Years War, 1618-1648
! but in the age of modern nation states such a collection of tiny principalities,
each enjoying “the German liberties” of sovereignty was anachronistic
! 1789-the 306 separate principalities varied in size from the 40 million Austrian
Empire, to the Abbey of Heiligenblut in the Rhineland, which consisted of the
Abbess, 27 nuns and the peasants who worked their lands, some 58 hectares
(143 acres)
122. The End of the Holy Roman Empire
800 (?)-1806
! this medieval, feudal dinosaur had endured such modern upheavals as the
Thirty Years War, 1618-1648
! but in the age of modern nation states such a collection of tiny principalities,
each enjoying “the German liberties” of sovereignty was anachronistic
! 1789-the 306 separate principalities varied in size from the 40 million Austrian
Empire, to the Abbey of Heiligenblut in the Rhineland, which consisted of the
Abbess, 27 nuns and the peasants who worked their lands, some 58 hectares
(143 acres)
! Napoleon considered it his mission to bring the principles of the Revolution to
this part of Europe
123. The Vendôme Column
! Napoleon erected the original column, modeled after
Trajan’s column, to celebrate the victory at Austerlitz
! its veneer of 425 spiraling bas-relief bronze plates were
made out of cannon taken from the combined armies of
Europe, according to his propaganda
! the usual figure given of guns is hugely exaggerated:
133 cannon were actually captured at Austerlitz
! A statue of Napoleon, bare-headed, crowned with
laurels and holding a sword in his right hand and a
globe surmounted with a statue of Victory in his left
hand, was placed atop the column
! after the Bourbon restoration the statue was pulled
down
125. the triggering event
! 1805-Prussia mobilized but had remained neutral during
the formation of the Third Coalition and the events
leading to Austerlitz
! 1806-but when Bonaparte created the Confederation of
the Rhine on Prussia’s border, a shift occurred
! the Treaty of Lunéville (1801)had incorporated the
German left (west) bank of the Rhine directly into France
! now, in effect the Holy Roman Empire was ended and a
huge German satellite was added to the all-conquering
French Empire
! the Rheinbund was right against Prussia’s border
127. immediate aftermath
! 12 July 1806-on the signing of the Rheinbundachte, 16 German states formally
left the Holy Roman Empire and joined a confederation (états confédérés du Rhin)
! Napoleon was its “protector”
! 6 August-following an ultimatum by Napoleon, Francis II gave up his title of
Emperor and declared the Holy Roman Empire dissolved
! In the years that followed, 23 more German states joined the Confederation;
Francis's Habsburg dynasty would rule the remainder of the empire as Austria
! According to the treaty, the confederation was to be run by common
constitutional bodies, but the individual states (in particular the larger ones)
wanted unlimited sovereignty
! the Confederation was above all a military alliance: the members had to supply
France with large numbers of military personnel. In return for their
cooperation some state rulers were given higher statuses. Divide and conquer
128. the end of “Old Prussia
! 1792-94--as Crown Prince he had fought in the
Revolutionary wars against France
! 1797-as monarch he had all the Hohenzollern
determination to retain personal power without
the Hohenzollern genius for using it
Frederick William III
(German: Friedrich Wilhelm III.)
(1770 -1797-1840)
129. the end of “Old Prussia
! 1792-94--as Crown Prince he had fought in the
Revolutionary wars against France
! 1797-as monarch he had all the Hohenzollern
determination to retain personal power without
the Hohenzollern genius for using it
! October 1806-the 36-year-old monarch led his
country into war with Saxony as his ally
! his military command structure was unequal to
the task:
! positions were held by multiple officers, e.g., Chief of Frederick William III
Staff by three men, resulting in over a month’s delay (German: Friedrich Wilhelm III.)
before the final order of battle was prepared (1770 -1797-1840)
! five main plans of battle emerged for discussion, shifting
the initiative to the French
130. Officers of the élite Prussian Gardes du Corps, wishing to provoke war, ostentatiously
sharpen their swords on the steps of the French embassy in Berlin in the autumn of 1805.
131. Wars generally begin because of irrational acts by one or both of the
opponents. King Frederick William’s decision to make war on France in
autumn of 1806 was so irrational as to defy belief. It might have seemed
reasonable prior to the battle of Austerlitz...though considering the obsolete
state of the Prussian army that would have been far from certain. Now, nine
months later, it was a foreordained disaster.
Robert B. Asprey, The Reign of Napoleon Bonaparte, p. 25
132. Prologue
I have shown the Emperor, Monsieur le général Pino, the report
which you have sent me. It is essential that you write your reports more
legibly, and especially show the date plainly; that which you have
written is not clear; one cannot tell whether it is the 11th, the 21st, or
the 22d. Besides the date, it is always necessary to show the hour at
which you write, and the place.
Berthier in Mémoirs de Prince Eugene
On October 12, 1806, French cavalry swept abruptly through the little
Saxon city of Zeitz, some 25 miles south of Leipzig. Chasseurs a cheval in
dark green, jaunty hussars in brown-and-blue, white-and-blue, and green-
red-and-yellow, they were the leading squadrons of the cavalry screen that
shrouded the swift northward advance of the Emperor Napoleon’s Grande
Armée.
Close behind the leading brigade, his white uniform a dazzle of gold
braid, lace, and galloons, rode Marshal Joachim Murat, the army’s cavalry
commander. Probably he halted impatiently in the Zeitz market square
while his staff interrogated the local postmaster, minister, and mayor as to
the whereabouts of the Prussian and Saxon armies for which his troopers
133. Prologue
I have shown the Emperor, Monsieur le général Pino, the report
which you have sent me. It is essential that you write your reports more
legibly, and especially show the date plainly; that which you have
written is not clear; one cannot tell whether it is the 11th, the 21st, or
the 22d. Besides the date, it is always necessary to show the hour at
which you write, and the place.
Berthier in Mémoirs de Prince Eugene
On October 12, 1806, French cavalry swept abruptly through the little
Saxon city of Zeitz, some 25 miles south of Leipzig. Chasseurs a cheval in
dark green, jaunty hussars in brown-and-blue, white-and-blue, and green-
red-and-yellow, they were the leading squadrons of the cavalry screen that
shrouded the swift northward advance of the Emperor Napoleon’s Grande
Armée.
Close behind the leading brigade, his white uniform a dazzle of gold
braid, lace, and galloons, rode Marshal Joachim Murat, the army’s cavalry
commander. Probably he halted impatiently in the Zeitz market square
while his staff interrogated the local postmaster, minister, and mayor as to
the whereabouts of the Prussian and Saxon armies for which his troopers
134. were probing. Somewhere in Zeitz, at any rate, an inconspicuous civilian
sifted through the gawking townspeople, identified himself as a French
spy, and reported that the principal enemy army lay to the west and south
around Erfurt.
A staff officer fished pen, paper, and a portable inkwell from his saddle-
bags, settled himself at a chair and table outside a nearby beer hall, and
quickly converted the spy’s report into several copies of a message to the
Emperor. Murat handed one copy to an aide-de-camp, who buckled it
carefully into the sabretache dangling from his sword belt, then put his
eager horse into a gallop southward. A second copy went to a scar-faced
brigadier of Murat’s guides. A horse was found for the spy, and spy and
brigadier pounded off together in the aide’s wake. Ten minutes later
another aide spurred away with orders to follow a different road from that
taken by his comrades. A final copy went into the staff records folder, with
the name of each messenger and the date and hour of his departure.
The roads southward were filled with the infantry of Marshal Jean
Bernadotte’s I Corps, pressing forward through a low haze of dust and the
hanging smell of sweat, onions, and rank French tobacco. Along the
principal road waited a string of small cavalry detachments serving as
estafettes; mounts at those relay stations--the distinctive fawn-amaranth-and
135. were probing. Somewhere in Zeitz, at any rate, an inconspicuous civilian
sifted through the gawking townspeople, identified himself as a French
spy, and reported that the principal enemy army lay to the west and south
around Erfurt.
A staff officer fished pen, paper, and a portable inkwell from his saddle-
bags, settled himself at a chair and table outside a nearby beer hall, and
quickly converted the spy’s report into several copies of a message to the
Emperor. Murat handed one copy to an aide-de-camp, who buckled it
carefully into the sabretache dangling from his sword belt, then put his
Zeitz
eager horse into a gallop southward. A second copy went to a scar-faced
brigadier of Murat’s guides. A horse was found for the spy, and spy and
brigadier pounded off together in the aide’s wake. Ten minutes later
another aide spurred away with orders to follow a different road from that
taken by his comrades. A final copy went into the staff records folder, with
Erfurt
the name of each messenger and the date and hour of his departure.
The roads southward were filled with the infantry of Marshal Jean
Bernadotte’s I Corps, pressing forward through a low haze of dust and the
hanging smell of sweat, onions, and rank French tobacco. Along the
principal road waited a string of small cavalry detachments serving as
estafettes; mounts at those relay stations--the distinctive fawn-amaranth-and
136. were probing. Somewhere in Zeitz, at any rate, an inconspicuous civilian
sifted through the gawking townspeople, identified himself as a French
spy, and reported that the principal enemy army lay to the west and south
around Erfurt.
A staff officer fished pen, paper, and a portable inkwell from his saddle-
bags, settled himself at a chair and table outside a nearby beer hall, and
quickly converted the spy’s report into several copies of a message to the
Emperor. Murat handed one copy to an aide-de-camp, who buckled it
carefully into the sabretache dangling from his sword belt, then put his
eager horse into a gallop southward. A second copy went to a scar-faced
brigadier of Murat’s guides. A horse was found for the spy, and spy and
brigadier pounded off together in the aide’s wake. Ten minutes later
another aide spurred away with orders to follow a different road from that
taken by his comrades. A final copy went into the staff records folder, with
the name of each messenger and the date and hour of his departure.
The roads southward were filled with the infantry of Marshal Jean
Bernadotte’s I Corps, pressing forward through a low haze of dust and the
hanging smell of sweat, onions, and rank French tobacco. Along the
principal road waited a string of small cavalry detachments serving as
estafettes; mounts at those relay stations--the distinctive fawn-amaranth-and
137. white uniforms of Murat’s aides and guides were authority enough for such
an exchange.
On into the deepening night they galloped, to be halted at last outside
the city of Gera by a challenge from the vedettes of the 1st Hussar
Regiment, temporarily serving as Napoleon’s escort, their faded sky-blue
uniforms almost invisible in the gloom. Directed to a nearby chateau, they
were passed in by sentinels from the grenadiers of the Imperial Guard, tall,
fierce-eyed veterans in lofty bearskin caps. And so they came to a quiet
room where beside a crackling fire their Emperor worked over his orders
for the next day. Beside him was a stocky older officer in equally simple
uniform, Marshal Louis-Alexandre Berthier, Napoleon’s chief of staff.
Around them the quiet officers of the advance echelon of the Imperial
Headquarters came and went.
Even while Napoleon minutely interrogated the spy and the aides-de-
camp, their messages went into the routine staff processing. In the next
room, where the Emperor’s situation map lay spread across a banquet
table, lighted by candles at each corner, Chef d’Escadron Louis Bacler d’
138. white uniforms of Murat’s aides and guides were authority enough for such
an exchange.
On into the deepening night they galloped, to be halted at last outside
the city of Gera by a challenge from the vedettes of the 1st Hussar
Regiment, temporarily serving as Napoleon’s escort, their faded sky-blue
uniforms almost invisible in the gloom. Directed to a nearby chateau, they
were passed in by sentinels from the grenadiers of the Imperial Guard, tall,
fierce-eyed veterans in lofty bearskin caps. And so they came to a quiet
room where beside a crackling fire their Emperor worked over his orders
for the next day. Beside him was a stocky older officer in equally simple
uniform, Marshal Louis-Alexandre Berthier, Napoleon’s chief of staff.
Around them the quiet officers of the advance echelon of the Imperial
Headquarters came and went. Gera
Even while Napoleon minutely interrogated the spy and the aides-de-
camp, their messages went into the routine staff processing. In the next
room, where the Emperor’s situation map lay spread across a banquet
table, lighted by candles at each corner, Chef d’Escadron Louis Bacler d’
139. Albe of the Topographical Engineers shifted pins with heads of various
colors to indicate the last reported positions of the enemy and Murat’s
cavalry screen. Each messenger was given a receipt showing the time and
place he had made delivery. Other messengers came striding in, to report
with a clash of spurs and scabbard: a rider from Marshal Pierre Augereau
VII Corps, 20 miles to the southwest; another from Marshal Louis
Davout’s III Corps, 20 miles to the northwest. All had the same word--the
enemy was massing to wedtward around Erfurt and Weimar.
Finally, his questioning finished, the Emperor turned to Berthier and be-
gan a rush of rapid, harsh-accented orders, seemingly too swift for pen to
follow. unperturbed, Berthier made quick entries in a green-covered note-
book. The dictation over, he turned to his waiting staff. Breaking down
Napoleon’s general operations order, Berthier drafted specific orders for
each of the major units involved. The finished versions were presented to
the Emperor for any necessary corrections and additions and his approval.
That secured, additional copies were written out, aides and staff officers
summoned to deliver them. Meanwhile, Berthier went ahead with supple-
mentary orders to ensure that the supply trains and supporting units
140. further to the rear were properly redirected to follow the Grande Armée’s
westward wheel.
One such order dealing with resupply of shoes and overcoats, went
through the rear echelon of Imperial Headquarters, two days of ordinary
marching (approximately 60 miles) farther south, and then on south and
west to the Grande Armée’s administrative headquarters, where Intendent
General Pierre Daru wrestled with a chaotic logistical situation. Daru
started what stocks he had been able to collect forward in requisitioned
wagons and dispatched another urgent appeal to the Ministry of the
Administration of War. Reaching the fortress city of Strasbourg, his
courier handed his message to the local director of the Telegraph Service,
who sent it off along the line of semaphore signal towers to Paris.
At the Ministry, somehow, things always went more slowly than they
should, but eventually a bored commissaire des guerres took notice of the
message and summoned an equally bored clerk.
Elting, Swords Around A Throne, pp. 1-3
142. (26,000)
Davout
(26,000) Bernadotte Murat
Brunswick (20,000)
(6,000)
(63,000) AUERSTADT
WEIMAR
converging on Jena
(84,000)
Hohenlohe
(35,000)
Soult
(20,000)
“There are moments in war when no Lannes
(20,500)
consideration should override the
Napoleon
advantage of anticipating the enemy JENA
and striking first -- NAPOLEON Ney
Augereau (19,500)
(16,500) Murat
(7,300)
145. Davout’s corps wrote one of the most brilliant chapters in military history,
Bernadotte’s one of the most dismal. Attacked by an enemy nearly three
times his strength, in just 4 hours Davout put that enemy to flight. Success
cost dearly: 40 per cent casualties in Gudin’s division, a total corps loss of
7,000 men. Bernadotte’s corps suffered no casualties. Although his orders
were, should he find himself at Dornburg, to march to the sound of cannon,
he marched to support neither nor Napoleon…. Napoleon praised the one
and damned the other, but in so doing added yet another footnote. Never
ever would he refer to the battle as other than that of Jena.
Asprey, Reign, p. 33
146. Morandʼs Flexible Maneuvers
about 9,000 men in 9 battalions & 12 guns
1-the 1er Battalion of
the 61é Régiment de
Ligne from column of
march into column of
attack.
skirmish line forward
2-from column into
line
when the Prussian infantry
falls back, it is the turn of
Blücherʼs cavalry (6) to
attack and the battalion to
form a square (7). After the
square drives off the
cavalry, Morandʼs
battalions once more form
columns of attack (8) and
help drive the enemy off
the field.
147. Morandʼs Flexible Maneuvers
about 9,000 men in 9 battalions & 12 guns
when the Prussian infantry
falls back, it is the turn of
Blücherʼs cavalry (6) to
attack and the battalion to
form a square (7). After the
square drives off the
cavalry, Morandʼs
battalions once more form
columns of attack (8) and
help drive the enemy off
the field.
149. Morandʼs Flexible Maneuvers
about 9,000 men in 9 battalions & 12 guns
1 Theory
drill book diagram for wheeling a three
rank platoon from facing the front to
facing the right flank
150. Morandʼs Flexible Maneuvers
about 9,000 men in 9 battalions & 12 guns
2 Reality
1 Theory
drill book diagram for wheeling a three
rank platoon from facing the front to
facing the right flank
151. Morandʼs Flexible Maneuvers
about 9,000 men in 9 battalions & 12 guns
3 From column
to Square
2 Reality
1 Theory
drill book diagram for wheeling a three
rank platoon from facing the front to
facing the right flank
157. Seldom in history has an army been reduced to impotence more swiftly or
decisively. The great traditions of Frederick the Great and his justly famed
techniques proved fatal to his successors. Complacency led to the rejection
of all schemes of modernization, and overconfidence resulted in a complete
misappreciation of what was needed to face Napoleon…. Opposed to them
had been the will of a single man, with complete control over his forces and
a clear notion of how to effect the overthrow of his adversaries.
Chandler, p. 503
158. Prussia’s humiliation led to agonizing reappraisals. It demonstrated the
need for liberal reforms in what was then still a very much feudal Prussian
state and army. Important Prussian reformers like Scharnhorst, Gneisenau
and Clausewitz served at the battle. Their reforms, together with civilian
reforms instituted over the following years, began Prussia's transformation
into a modern state, which took the forefront in expelling France from
Germany and eventually assumed a leading role on the continent.
wikipedia
159. The “World Spirit” on Horseback
! in the small university town of Jena a
36-year-old “extraordinary professor”
of philosophy was finishing a treatise
! 13 October 1806-the day before the
battle, he recorded his impressions after
seeing Napoleon:
GFW Hegel in 1831
160. The “World Spirit” on Horseback
! in the small university town of Jena a
36-year-old “extraordinary professor”
of philosophy was finishing a treatise
! 13 October 1806-the day before the
battle, he recorded his impressions after
seeing Napoleon:
! I saw the Emperor – this Weltgeist (world-
soul )– riding out of the city on reconnaissance.
It is indeed a wonderful sensation to see such an
individual, who, concentrated here at a single
point, astride a horse, reaches out over the world GFW Hegel in 1831
and masters it . . . this extraordinary man,
whom it is impossible not to admire
161. In 1807, Napoléon ordered the construction of a bridge overlooking
the Military School, and named the bridge after his victory in 1806 at
the Battle of Jena.