Austerlitz: Napoleon and the Eagles of Europe (24 page)

But help was at hand. As the leading elements of Dupont’s breathless division finally appeared, they immediately engaged the last of Dokhturov’s battalions approaching Dürnstein. Dupont’s men gained the upper hand but then the long-overdue appearance of the final Russian column, led by FML Schmitt, emerged from the hills about 2 miles west of Dürnstein, throwing the battle into confusion in the gathering darkness. Dupont pulled back but Schmitt advanced too far and found himself caught between Russian and French crossfire. In the chaos, Schmitt was shot dead, his death a huge loss to the Allied cause. Dupont abandoned his attempt to break through to Dürnstein and fell back to Weißenkirchen: the exhausted Russians were in no position to exploit the situation.

For Mortier the position was now critical: he stood isolated without support, surrounded by Russians on three sides and with his back to a soaring range of steep hills. But after a long day of tortuous marching and intense fighting, numbers of cold, hungry, and thirsty Russian troops began to slip away from their positions after dark to seek food and drink. This weakening of the cordon coincided with a last desperate breakout attempt by Mortier. Striking suddenly towards Dürnstein, the French broke through the undermanned Russian lines and rapidly dispersed into the night. Although taken by surprise, the Russians rallied in time to intercept the tail end of the column, taking many of the 4ème Légère captive.

In the early hours of the following morning Mortier transferred his badly shaken corps to the south bank of the Danube, and it was with great relief that Napoleon received news that, despite heavy losses, he had managed to extricate Gazan’s severely wounded division.

Kutuzov spent the day regrouping his army and granted it desperately needed rest. He had not destroyed Gazan’s division but he had forced the new corps to retire across the river: a reverse for La Grande Armée. When the news reached Vienna, Kaiser Francis expressed his delight by awarding Kutuzov with the Knights Cross of the Maria Theresa Order. Now, separated from Napoleon’s army by the great obstacle of the Danube, Kutuzov at last began to feel secure, and once the Austrians completed the destruction of the bridge at Vienna, he could await reinforcements in safety.

Two days earlier, General Leitenant Buxhöwden arrived at Troppeau, about 180 miles to the north-east, with the second army. Yet this security came at a price: at the Battle of Dürnstein each side probably lost between 3,000 and 4,000 men killed, wounded, missing, or taken prisoner. The 22nd Bulletin of La Grande Armée succinctly summed up the ferocity of the battle: ‘This day was a day of slaughter’.

As soon as he knew Mortier was safe, Napoleon began to create a new plan. He believed that if he moved fast he might still be able to gain the bridge at Vienna. Then his army could file across the Danube and attempt once more to cut off Kutuzov from his reinforcements.

On 12 November Napoleon instructed Murat to recommence his advance on Vienna and capture – by any means possible – the Tabor bridge. The Austrian authorities were well aware of the importance of the bridge and plans for its destruction were already in place. With the departure of the kaiser, Count Wrbna remained behind as the imperial representative in Vienna and on 10 November the security of the city became the responsibility of the civilian militia. Three days earlier, FML Fürst Auersperg, drawn reluctantly out of retirement, took command of a reserve corps formed from garrison troops of Vienna. For the previous twelve years he had held only ceremonial commands: now he had 13,000 men under his orders.
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On the approach of the French, Auersperg was to abandon Vienna, retire over the Danube, and prepare the bridge for destruction. He left the city at 2.00pm on 11 November.

The Tabor bridge was in fact three separate wooden structures, two short ones closest to the city crossing narrower branches of the Danube, then one long stretch, extending for 550 paces over the main arm of the river to Jedlersdorf. Oberst Geringer of the 11. Szeckel-Husaren commanded the rearguard, and he placed twenty men of his regiment under Oberleutnant Herbay to guard the southern gateway of the first bridge. At the northern end of the main bridge, sixteen artillery pieces stood defiantly ready to defend this vital link. The bridge was prepared for burning but Auersperg received a request from Count Wrbna to delay its destruction: there were strong rumours circulating of an armistice and Wrbna insisted he needed the bridge to allow rapid communication with the kaiser. The rest of Auersperg’s command stood 3 miles to the north of the river, between Stammersdorf and Gerasdorf on the edge of the Marchfeld, the scene of great battles four years later.

The task of capturing the bridge fell to Murat and Lannes. On the morning of 12 November, as he approached the city, Murat received a deputation from the citizens of Vienna leading a wagon convoy of bread, wine and meat for the French army. They declared Vienna an open city and urged Murat to respect this decision and spare it the horrors of war. He assured them he would – if the Tabor bridge remained intact. Advanced troops entered the city later that day. One man who welcomed their arrival was none other than Charles Schulmeister. Having survived his beating on the road to Königsgrätz he had made his way back to Vienna under cover of darkness, finally arriving in the city two days before the arrival of the French. Savary gave him money and clothes. Schulmeister offered the spymaster his services once more.

That evening, French troops prepared for a ceremonial entry into Vienna to take place the following morning, while a crowd of curious onlookers gathered
to watch the invading army. Throughout the night, Count Wrbna kept up the pressure on Auersperg not to authorise the destruction of the bridge, claiming the need to keep open a supply route for the city as well as championing the possibility of an imminent armistice. On the morning of 13 November French forces entered the city as the Viennese lined the streets to watch the army pass. There were no protests, only curiosity. The civilian population had never supported this war and the leading citizens were determined that no harm should come to their city. To this end the city even provided a guide to lead a detachment of French hussars around the city walls to a position from where they could observe the southern end of the Tabor bridge undetected. With great relief, they discovered it was still intact and guarded by a mere handful of hussars.

Oberleutnant Herbay, was under strict instructions. On the first sign of the French army, he was to fire a carbine and retire. At this signal, all troops deployed south of the main arm of the Danube would fall back to the north bank and fire the bridge. What his orders did not cover was the arrival at the bridge of first one, and then another carriage, containing passengers demanding to see Prince Auersperg.

Herbay was confused. The two passengers in the first carriage, Viennese officials, informed Herbay that Maréchal Murat was on his way and wished to speak to Auersperg. While he was considering this development, a civilian arrived in the second coach demanding permission to cross the bridge, as he bore important despatches for Auersperg. Herbay refused permission, whereby the gentleman descended from his coach and vehemently argued his right to cross the bridge, becoming most agitated in the process and causing great confusion. In the light of these requests Herbay despatched details back down the line. Then, in the midst of this turmoil a party of high-ranking French officers appeared with Count Wrbna following behind. They asked when Auersperg would appear and demanded to see Herbay’s commanding officer. The group of officers, including such luminaries as Murat and Lannes, as well as Napoleon’s aide, GB Bertrand, increased the pressure on the humble lieutenant, as demands mounted on all sides. Herbay sent for Oberst Geringer, but just before he arrived a couple of French soldiers smashed the locks shutting the gate of the bridge. In response the nervous Austrian guards fired the agreed warning shot just as Geringer arrived. The French officers increased the chaos by immediately berating Geringer for opening fire. Bertrand insisted that the bridge remain intact, falsely claiming an armistice now existed and hostilities were over between Austria and France.

Harassed on all sides, Geringer despatched Herbay to ride to Auersperg and advise him of this development, but on demanding written confirmation of the armistice, Bertrand instead offered him the guarantee of his word of honour and requested permission to deliver the news to Prince Auersperg in person. In an effort to extricate himself from this bewildering position, Geringer agreed to
escort Bertrand and three other French officers to Prince Auersperg, on the agreement that no French troops would advance on to the bridge in their absence. Herbay, riding ahead, found Auersperg and Kienmayer at Stammersdorf at around 1.00pm. Kienmayer wanted to order the immediate destruction of the bridge, but Auersperg decided they should first see the situation for themselves. As they approached they encountered Geringer and Bertrand, whereupon the French officer repeated his story of the conclusion of an armistice.

Meanwhile, back on the southern bank of the Danube, Oudinot’s grenadiers, who had remained hidden in the trees and thick bush growing close to the river, advanced onto the first bridge and pushed on over the second. The road then wound for a mile or so towards the main bridge, but the attackers remained hidden from its defenders by the bends in the road and thick vegetation that grew everywhere. Murat and Lannes now began the final part of their plan. With the grenadiers concealed, they openly advanced towards the southern end of the main bridge, accompanied by their staff, gesticulating and loudly announcing the signing of an armistice. The sentries held their fire as these officers approached, then, brushing aside their protests with talk of the armistice, continued on to final stretch of the bridge. The Austrian gunners at the northern end of the bridge, aware of the general opinion circulating that an armistice seemed likely, hesitated to fire into the confused jumble of Austrian and French soldiery rolling towards them. Only when Oudinot’s grenadiers appeared at the far end of the bridge did the artillery suspect something was wrong, but as they prepared to fire, Murat, Lannes and the other senior officers were close enough to the guns to plausibly convince them otherwise.

While this confusion abounded, the French grenadiers moved amongst the gunners and disarmed them without fuss. By the time the shocked Auersperg arrived on the scene, his batteries were turned, mutely facing inland with the French firmly in possession of the bridge. His demand that the French should hand back the bridge fell on deaf ears: Murat, continuing the pretence of an armistice, merely advised him to march away with his men, but that he must leave his artillery behind. Seeing no other choice, Auersperg sent off messengers to carry the desperate news to Kutuzov and the kaiser and then retired. Murat’s action – taking the bridge ‘by any means possible’ – delighted Napoleon and redeemed him in the emperor’s eyes. But even amongst the French there were some who did not agree that gaining the bridge by such methods – which Murat called his ‘little ruse’ – was acceptable, pointing out that GB Bertrand, a senior French officer, had given confirmation of an armistice on his word of honour, when no armistice existed.

As soon as Kaiser Francis heard the news he relieved the unfortunate Auersperg of his command and sent him to the fortress of Königsgrätz to await court martial. FML Johann Fürst Liechtenstein took command of his men as they headed north. After a lengthy trial, Auersperg was found guilty of failing to destroy the Tabor bridge. Three years imprisonment followed, but in 1812
he received an official pardon. Oberst Geringer also found himself incarcerated, for three months. Yet there was no investigation of Count Wrbna’s role in the failure to destroy the bridges. And what of the mysterious civilian who distracted Oberleutnant Herbay as the French approached the first bridge? Although never proven, there are strong suggestions that this was yet another example of Charles Schulmeister’s contribution to the campaign.

What is certain is that two days later Schulmeister received an appointment as Commissioner General of the Viennese Police – only a week after his beating and narrow escape from death on the road to Königsgrätz! He retained this role throughout the occupation of Vienna and ran an extensive spy network that helped to calmly control and run the city. But for a man of his abilities this was not enough. From Vienna it is reported that his network penetrated the headquarters of the army of Archduke Charles in Hungary, as well as that of Grand Duke Constantine of the Russian Imperial Guard, keeping Napoleon aware of their movements and allowing him to assess their threat.
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While Napoleon pressed his advance on Vienna with all speed, Archduke Charles had continued his slow retirement out of northern Italy, fending off Masséna as he went. On the same day that Murat and Lannes captured the Tabor bridge, Charles passed the Isonzo river and finally distanced himself from his pursuers. But he was too far away to be of assistance – about 275 miles across mountainous terrain from Vienna. So in the meantime he continued to march north-east, through Laibach (Ljubljana), Cilli (Celje), towards Marburg (Maribor) on the Drave river, where he hoped to unite his forces with those of his brother, Archduke John.

For John the retreat from Tirol was a tough one. The geographical nature of the area convinced him of the need to distribute his army widely to protect every possible point of ingress into the region. Therefore, when he received the order from Charles to abandon Tirol, he first had to instruct his numerous detachments to regroup on the Brenner Pass above Innsbruck before marching to the valley of the Drave.

Ney, ordered into Tirol by Napoleon, broke through the Austrian defences at Scharnitz and Leutasch on the road to Innsbruck where he arrived on 5 November. Some 50 miles to the north-east, Deroy’s division of Bavarians released from Bernadotte’s command at Salzburg, attacked the fortress of Kufstein, defended by a single battalion. The Bavarians were reluctant to press their attack against a very strong position and the two sides continued to scowl at each other until, on 10 November, they struck a deal and the garrison marched off to join John.