Napoleon's military campaigns

Question 1

Battle of Marengo?

Answer 1

(14 June 1800)
France v Austria
French initially losing and become outnumbered
Austrians complacent and tired; slow to move attack
Desaix saves the day, who hearing gunshots marched to N’s location without direct orders
Fresh troops able to repel Austrian attack and devilver devastating counter-attack
Victory led to treaties of Luneville (1801) and Amiens (1802)
Luneville: Austrians had to recognise Helvetic Republic and whol of Rhineland came under F control

Question 2

Battle of Ulm?

Answer 2

France v Austria
Napoleon got across Rhine 3 weeks sooner than expected
Mack sought so take advantage of N marching past them and cut off supply lines but Ferdinand vetoed this order (weak/incompetent) - Would have severely hindred French campaigns.
Lannes and Murat also effective in containing Austrians in time for N to wheel forces round to face them
Mack’s cowardly retreat to Prague encouraged other senior officers to do so
Austrian forces depleted from 72k-27k when battle began
Austrian forces severely outnumbered and lacked sufficient senior officers, making F victory almost inevitable

Question 3

Battle of Austerlitz?

Answer 3

France v Austria + Russia
Kept large reserve of Murat’s cavalry and Bernadotte’s corps
Deployed to break up centre and divide Russian army in 2
Russians left centre undermanned and decided to leave troops stationed near frozen up marsh
Alexander relieved more capable Kutuzov of overall command (Alexander’s military experience much more limited)
While the allied troops attacked the French right flank, Kutuzov’s IV Corp stopped at the Pratzen Heights and stayed still. Just like Napoleon, Kutuzov realized the importance of Pratzen and decided to protect the position. But the young Tsar did not, so he expelled the IV Corp from the Heights.
Allowed imperial guard to easily take it and divide Russian army in 2
Only success was withdrawal which was prevented from being turned into massacre nominally because Kutuzov was in charge of rear
Soult and Davout effectively held N’s right, Lannes and Murat left

Question 4

Jena (14 October 1806)?

Answer 4

France v Prussia
Kept guard in reserve while sending Lannes to attack
Prussians lacked numbers to damage/split advancing F flank
N had 96k troops and Hohenlohe only had 38k and another 13k reinforcements under Ruchel

Question 5

Battle of Auerstadt?

Answer 5

Napoleon mistook Hohenlohe’s small force for bulk of P army
Davout with 26k v bulk of Prussian army under Brunswick
Duke shot in face early in battle and 2nd in command killed too (misjudgement by commanders)
Davout turned likely massacre into victory
Threw back Prussian attack and turned enemy flank

Question 6

Jena and Auerstadt

Answer 6

Disunited command: Hohenlohe and Brunswick rivals and didn’t communicate
Prussians overestimated strength and effectiveness of armies
Napoleon after victories created Duchy of Warsaw

Question 7

Eylau (7-8 February 1807)

Answer 7

Knew that Russian Cossacks had intercepted his uncoded messages but refused to change strategy
Allowed him to march blindly into battle in which Russians had a force twice his size and had deployed themselves in more strategic position around hills, knowing he’d station himself in town below
Blindly assaulted Russian positions with limited visibility
Soult’s and Augereau’s divisions mown down by R firepower
French dominated to extent that that N’s command post was overrun and he was nearly captured
Davout’s reinforcements bolstered French forces and startled Bennigsen
Bennigsen ordered a retreat, though he could have feasibly stayed to renew hostilities another day (outnumbered F 2:1 and had more horses and artillery)

Question 8

Friedland (14 June 1807)

Answer 8

Lannes held of 60k-strong Russian army with just 18k men in time for F to send reinforcements
Deployed troops in high wheat fields for surprise attacks and use of hills and used natural landscape to create impression of much larger fighting force
Once Napoleon arrives he easily mops up Russians and effectively crushes them (knows how to put enemy away unlike Benngisen)
Russians trapped themselves with back to Alle River, facilitating F massacre of their forces
Led to treaty of Tilsit on 25 June 1807
Russia would lose no territory but had to join continental system
Prussia required to give up its part of Poland
Prussian lands west of Elbe and those of allies became Kingdom of Westphalia
Prussia forced to enter continental system and pay indemnity of 140m francs