Age of Eagles - Game Report 6

The Battle of Eckmuhl 19 April 1809

Background

This is the fifth battle of the 1809 campaign, and it was not planned that the battle was going to be refought at one of the places of the original campaign, but with different terrain!

Situation

The Austrian 3rd and 4th Armee Korps had advanced across the Rivar Isar and had advanced North West to try and bring the French to battle with their backs against the Danube and hopefully with the other Austrian Korps advancing from the North and East to complete their destruction. Alas it was not meant to be and the French, skillfully or through blind luck, avoided contact.

Meanwhile in avoiding contact the French forces of Davout’s III Corps D’Armee were completing their regrouping. South of Regensberg. By the 19th all 4 Line Divisions and the 5th Reserve Division with Confederation of the Rhine troops had joined the Corps at ECKMUHL. Further reinforcements of two Heavy Cavalry Divisions were expected at some stage on the 19th. The most significant reinforcement was that the Emperor joined Davout prior to the battle and assumed command.

The Austrians felt that they were sufficiently strong to give battle. A council of war between Hohenzollern and Rosenburg agreed that they would support each other. Hohenzollern’s 3rd Korps would attack ECKMUHL from the West, while Rosenburg would take his 4th Korps on a wide outflanking movement and link up with 3rd Korps from the South. Together they would attack and destroy the French. Recently discovered archive material on the French pre-battle assessment and plan sheds light on the French plan of battle. This will be discussed later.

Battlefield Map and Terrain

Around Eckmuhl the terrain is relatively benign, with good open ground for Cavalry engagements.

Opposing Forces

The French had concentrated 5 divisions of infantry with supporting artillery on ECKMUHL. There were two heavy cavalry divisions marching hard to join Davout. From the West.

The Austrians had their 3rd and 4th Armee Korps available. Both were complete giving a total of 18 Infantry Regiments, 4 Light Cavalry Regiments and 23 artillery batteries. Meanwhile the Austrian 3rd Division of the 2nd Armee Korps marched to the sound of guns, and was North of ECKMUHL. Given its strength it prudently decided not to engage the French, but it did provide fire support to interdict French reinforcements.

The Battle

The French deployed in a line from the North West to South East. Prior experience suggested that they would hold in this position and defeat the Austrians in a defensive battle.

The Austrian 3rd Armee Korps arrives at 0700hrs and is moving East behind the woods before deploying line to their left. Unusually the French despite their superior initiative were caught flat footed and unable to respond initially. There was some suggestion that the Emperor was having a late breakfast, and hence their failure to react quickly. Other pundits opine that this was simply a ruse de guerre to fool the Austrians.

Two battalions of the Erzherzog Karl Legion were sent to secure Haching.

The situation at 0830hrs. Against all previous experience the French have launched a general offensive from their right, led by the 5th(Res) Division. They have rapidly removed the Austrians from HACHING. The Austrian left is looking fragile despite the effort being made to deploy line to the left. The Austrian artillery on the left is looking particularly exposed.

Also at the same time Hussar Regiment 10 (HR10), arrive from the South and launch an attack on the left of the French line. The attack forces the French into square while the cavalry bounce of and reform.

By 0900hrs the French line is ready to close with the Austrian line. The Austrian artillery have been extricated to the rear; too many Austrian batterys have been sacrificed for little gain in previous battles!

Contact!

Although the Austrian centre has managed to throw back the French, the Austrian left has been overwhelmed and is about to be turned.

By 0930hrs The Austrians have further extricated their guns from the French threat. Their line is almost coherent. The reserves that were thrown in prevented the immediate demise of the Austrian left flank. HR10 had an excellent opportunity to try and turn the French left, however, their Commanding Officer refused to seize his chance and decided to wait for orders from his Corps Commander.

At 1000hrs Hohenzollern seized the initiative and issued orders to break contact and to withdraw to the South to consolidate with Rosenburg’s 4th Korps. The French declined to follow-up immediately, instead preferring to regroup until The Heavy Cavalry arrived, or at least one of the two divisions arrived.

Outcome

The aggressive French attack prevented the junction of the two Austrian Korps. Battle would be re-joined in the afternoon further South as the French committed themselves to pursue.

Letters discovered in the French archives show that Napoleon surmised the Austrian plan. He assessed that the strength and quality of Davout’s Corps was sufficient to overcome at least one of not two Austrian Korps. He gave orders that there should be an aggressive attack as early as possible from the right of his line. It is still not clear whether allowing the Austrians to advance unmolested for an hour was part of this plan or not. Napoleon’s biographers paint the best possible light on this decision or his inaction.

Cumulative casualty report for this battle and the continuation battle are on the next report.