La Bataille de Prusse 1809

As Austerlitz took place, the perceptions of a ragged and undermanned French army were swept away. The battle reports coming from the Russians after Austerlitz suggested something else entirely. Despite the supposed precariousness of the French positions, reports from at least four of the Russian column commanders suggested that the French must have had 150,000 or even 200,000 soldiers at Austerlitz. Here is what each of them

said:….Prince Peter Bagration wrote to Kutuzov eight days after the battle on December 10, 1805…”having received Your Excellency’s disposition to defend my position at Proedlitz until Count Buxhowden turned the enemy right flank, I was firm in my decision to successfully carry out, but superior enemy columns, both cavalry and infantry attacked me early on”…for Bagration, the battle was lost due to the superior enemy forces. Buxhowden, for his part, reported of the success of his columns and their attacks, and had it not been for the failures of the other parts of the Russian army, the Russians might have carried the day…”all senior and lower ranks of the 2 nd Column attacked the enemy with incredible gallantry, repulsed the enemy attacks as hard as they could, but unfortunately were overwhelmed by the much superior enemy.” General Count Mikhail Miloradovich (a Serb in Russian service) reported that his column…”thus began a battle in which four Russian regiments mustering some five thousand men and two Austrian battalions resolutely fought 28,000 enemy troops (as it was later established)”…Miloradovich blames Austrian failures for his defeat, and assumes the mantle of savior of the Russian army. His column became the only element stopping the Russians being overrun completely at the battle. Miloradovich and his feisty small band of Russians holding off somehow Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult’s massive attack on the Pratzen Heights. The greatest victory was apparently achieved by General Przhebishevsky’s forces of the Third Column. He reported to Kutuzov, “having defeated the enemy and completely secured the crossing site, I was completely surrounded despite all my endeavors….before being finally captured by the enemy.” He further reports that “although did not achieve complete success in the battle, but commemorated it with their steadfast faithfulness to you (Kutuzov).”

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