The Battle of Schöngrabern

16 November, 1805

Map by [HWK]Marengo

 

 

Introduction

 

On November 16, 1805 for the battle of Schöngrabern (often named Hollabrunn), Marshal Murat had under his command the 4th and 5th Corps and the Reserve Cavalry for a total of 45,806 men. Major-General Prince Bagration's rear guard only totaled 7,300.

 

Kutusov learned of Murat's advance, taking the precaution of sending a detachment of some 7,000 men to delay the French at Hollabrünn, 25 miles north-west of Vienna. Murat came up with his vanguard and, believing that he had the whole Russian army in front of him, resorted to a ruse similar to that which had proven so successful at the crossing of the Danube.

 

(Note: On the morning of November 13, as the French vanguard reached Vienna, the Austrians stood ready to demolish the bridges when they were deceived by Murat and Lannes into believing that an armistice had already been concluded and that hostilities had ceased. The French thereby had bluffed the Austrians into an unapposed crossing.)

 

Murat now offered the Russians a truce in the expectation of gaining time for the arrival of reinforcements. Nothing could have better suited Kutusov: he was glad to continue futile negotiations while his main body made good its escape. Kutusov sent an aide-de-camp of the Russian Emperor --- "for there was never a want of such officers at the Russian headquarters" (Yorck von Wartenberg) --- to conclude an armistice with Murat, who agreed to advance no farther, while Kutusov promised to withdraw his forces from Germany when the armistice had been confirmed by Napoleon.

 

When Napoleon learned of this development on the morning of the 16th he flew into a rage, sending this reprimand to his brother-in-law:

 

"I cannot find words to express my displeasure. You only command my vanguard and have no right to agree to an armistice without my orders. You will cost me the fruits of a campaign. End the armistice at once, and attack the enemy. Inform him that the general who has signed this convention [Wintzingerode, a favorite of the Czar] has no power to make it, that only the Russian Emperor has the right, and that when the Russian Emperor ratifies this agreement, I will also ratify it. But it is only a ruse. March, destroy the Russian army. You are in a position to take his baggage and artillery." (Correspondance de Napoleon Ier, XI 505 (No. 9497))

 

Thus spurred on, Murat lost no time in advising the Russians at 1:00pm that he would attack them at 5:00pm. Fighting lasted until 11:00pm with Russian losses of 3,139 men including 1,448 captured. This represented about a 43% loss. The French only used three Divisions of infantry for a total of about 20,661 men of which 1,200 were lost or 6% of those engaged.

 

 

References

 

 

The Map

 

The map presents the situation where the French under Murat are poised to attack the Russian/Austrian rear-guard under Bagration near Schöngrabern.

 

(See tile map)

 

Victory Conditions

 

The French (blue) must capture and destroy the Russian (green) HQ tents (three), situated near the right-hand edge of the map, within one hour of game-play.

 

Conversely, the Russian forces must prevent the capture and destruction of their three HQ tents for one hour of gameplay.