La Bataille d' Eggmuhl 1809

Eggmühl Final Win For Napoleon Favorite

Archduke Charles, By Johann Peter Kraff--Lannes Nemesis Down The Danube

When Lannes returned to France in early 1809, he appeared to have changed considerably. While visiting the Empress Josephine in Paris, Lannes left her with the impression that his time left was short, and his next campaign might be his last. In the Eggmühl campaign, his corps cleaned up fleeing Austrians at Eggmühl. But at Eggmühl, he lost his good friend General Cervoni. The next day at Ratisbon, he led a charge of grenadiers to scale the walls of that fortress city. He was stopped from personally assaulting the breach in the Ratisbon wall by his subordinates, and he was only stopped from crossing the Rhine by the archduke Charles. Lannes was again in the vanguard of the French advance down the Danube towards Vienna, keeping the Archduke Charles at arm’s length. Then Napoleon attempts to cross the Danube at Aspern-Essling. Many of Lannes close friends were lost at that battle including De Albuquerque; d’Espagne; St. Hilaire; and Pouzet. The French were defeated, but the most important loss was Lannes, who was mortally wounded while talking with Pouzet. Napoleon lost his engine with the loss of Lannes--subsequent to Aspern-Essling, he never again had a general or marshal who could make a difference like Lannes did. The wars would go on for the next six years, and after Wagram, Napoleon could never win the decisive battle. The closest comparison might be the loss of Stonewall Jackson to the Confederacy after Chancellorsville. Death Surrounds Lannes During His Last Days

We wonder whether Lannes had a premonition about what would happen to his beloved France when he visited Josephine in Paris in 1809.

Marshal Enterprises

Page 3 of 3