Austerlitz: Napoleon and the Eagles of Europe
Read Austerlitz: Napoleon and the Eagles of Europe Online
Authors: Ian Castle
Tags: #History, #Europe, #France, #Military, #World, #Reference, #Atlases & Maps, #Historical, #Travel, #Czech Republic, #General, #Modern (16th-21st Centuries), #19th Century, #Atlases, #HISTORY / Modern / 19th Century
Austerlitz: Napoleon and the Eagles of Europe
Ian Castle
Pen & Sword (2012)
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: History, Europe, France, Military, World, Reference, Atlases & Maps, Historical, Travel, Czech Republic, General, Modern (16th-21st Centuries), 19th Century, Atlases, HISTORY / Modern / 19th Century
Historyttt Europettt Francettt Militaryttt Worldttt Referencettt Atlases & Mapsttt Historicalttt Travelttt Czech Republicttt Generalttt Modern (16th-21st Centuries)ttt 19th Centuryttt Atlasesttt HISTORY / Modern / 19th Centuryttt
In this authoritative and beautifully illustrated new account of Napoleon's greatest victory and the campaign that preceded it, Ian Castle sheds new light on the actions of the commanders and questions the assumptions - and explores the myths - that have shaped our understanding of the event ever since. His account follows every twist and turn of a war that was fought out across central Europe two centuries ago. In particular he reconstructs the course of the action in every sector of the Austerlitz battlefield, using French, Austrian and Russian records, and re-evaluates the place of the battle in the history and mythology of the Napoleonic era.
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About the Author
Ian Castle is a leading historian of the Napoleonic Wars, he is a co-founder of the Napoleonic Association and he is also an authority on British colonial campaigns in southern Africa. His books include studies of the battles of Aspern and Wagram as well as volumes on the Zulu War and Majuba Hill.
First published in Great Britain in 2005 by
Pen & Sword Military
an imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S70 2AS
Copyright © Ian Castle 2005
ISBN 1-84415-171-9
PRINT ISBN: 9781844151714
EPUB ISBN: 9781844683291
PRC ISBN: 9781844683307
The right of Ian Castle to be identified as
Author of the Work has been asserted by
him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is
available from the British Library
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying,
recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission from the Publisher in writing.
Typeset in 11/13pt Plantin by Mac Style Ltd, Scarborough, N. Yorkshire
Printed and bound in England by CPI UK
Pen & Sword Books Ltd incorporates the Imprints of Pen & Sword Aviation,
Pen & Sword Maritime, Pen & Sword Military, Wharncliffe Local History, Pen
& Sword Select, Pen and Sword Military Classics and Leo Cooper.
For a complete list of Pen & Sword titles, please contact
Pen & Sword Books Limited
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Contents
2. ‘Woe To Those Who Do Not Respect Treaties’
4. ‘Every Delay and Indecision Causes Ruin’
5. To the Danube and the Rhine
7. Jealousy and Misunderstanding
9. ‘From the Ends of the Earth’
11. ‘March! Destroy the Russian Army’
12. ‘The Russians Are Coming!’
13. ‘To Make the Russians Dance’
15. ‘We Are Heroes After All, Aren’t We?’
For Nicola,
Who actively indulges my passion for times long ago and willingly accompanies me on the historical path that I tread.
List of Maps
The Strategic Plans of the Third Coalition
Napoleon's March to the Danube
Ulm: Napoleon's Search for the Austrian Army
Ulm: Austrian Breakout and French Encirclement
Kutuzov's Retreat Through the Danube Valley
Austerlitz: The Austro-Russian Plan
Author’s Note
While researching this book I spent much time working with German, French and Russian language texts. In an attempt to retain some of the flavour of a multi-national war, I have decided to retain the ranks of army officers in their relevant languages, when naming individuals. I have occasionally used abbreviations for some senior officer ranks. A table is given below detailing these rank definitions and abbreviations for the reader’s convenience.
| English | French | Austrian | Russian |
| Lieutenant | Lieutenant | Leutnant | Porudchik |
| Captain | Capitaine | Hauptmann | Kapitan |
| Major | Chef de Bataillon (inf.) or de Escadron (cav.) | Major | Maior |
| Lieutenant Colonel | Major | Oberstleutnant | Podpolkovnik (PP) |
| Colonel | Colonel | Oberst | Polkovnik |
| Brigadier General | Général de Brigade (GB) | Generalmajor (GM) | Brigadir |
| Major General | Général de Division (GD) | Feldmarschal-leutnant (FML) | General Maior (GM) |
| Lieutenant General | No equivalent | Feldzeugmeister (FZM - infantry) or General de Kavallerie (GdK - cavalry) | General Leitenant (GL) |
In a similar vein, I also intended giving regimental titles in their respective languages. This has been relatively straightforward for the French and Austrian armies, examples of which are given below:
| French Army | English Comparable Version |
| 2ème Régiment de Hussards (abbreviated in text to 2ème Hussards) | 2nd Hussar Regiment |
| 12ème Régiment de Dragons (abbreviated in text to 12ème Dragons) | 12th Dragoon Regiment |
| 4ème Régiment d’Infanterie de Ligne (abbreviated in text to 4ème Ligne) | 4th Line Infantry Regiment |
| 26ème Régiment d’Infanterie de Légère (abbreviated in text to 26ème Légère) | 26th Light Infantry Regiment |
N.B. In addition to the above infantry abbreviations I have also used 1/4ème Ligne and 2/26ème Légère to indicate 1st and 2nd battalions of particular regiments.
| Austrian Army | English Comparable Version |
| Infanterieregiment 4. Deutschmeister (abbreviated in text to IR4 Deutschmeister) | 4th Infantry Regiment Deutschmeister |
| 4. Hessen-Homburg-Husaren | 4th Hessen-Homburg Hussars |
| 1. Erzherzog Johann-Dragoner | 1st Archduke John Dragoons |
I hoped to operate a similar system for the Russian army (see examples below), but on reflection, it has been decided to use English translations of regimental titles, in order to simplify understanding of their roles.
| Russian Army | English Comparable Version |
| Novgorod Mushketyorskii Polk | Novgorod Musketeer Regiment |
| Phanagoria Grenaderskii Polk | Phanagoria Grenadier Regiment |
| 6. Egerskii Polk | 6th Jäger Regiment |
| Mariupol Gusarskii Polk | Mariupol Hussar Regiment |
Another anomaly in the Russian army is the occasional use of numerals after officers’ names. This system was introduced because a great number of officers serving in the army had the same surname. For instance, there were three officers with the name ‘Essen’ on active service in 1805 and they were known as Essen I, Essen II and Essen III.
The spelling of Russian officers’ names varies considerably in primary sources, and in Napoleonic literature in general. For the sake of consistency, I have followed the spellings given in Alexander Mikaberidze’s authoritative
The Russian Officer Corps in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1792–1815
. This source has also been relied upon for regimental names.
Preface
I first visited the battlefield of Austerlitz in 1989 in the company of some 100 members of the Napoleonic Association, including in our number the late Dr David Chandler. Back then Czechoslovakia formed a Communist state and I remember our coaches being held at the border for five long hours while our paperwork was rejected and ‘correct paperwork’ processed in its place. Later that year massive anti-government demonstrations led to the ‘Velvet Revolution’ and the abandoning of former ties with the Soviet Union. Now Austerlitz lies in the Czech Republic (Czechia), member state of NATO and the European Union. When I visited Austerlitz again in 2000 it took less than five minutes to cross the border.