Eggmühl—Day 2 Alteglofsheim

As the infantry of the beaten Austrian army passed northwards, Schneller’s exhausted Austrian Cuirassier brigade reformed yet again. They were joined by Stutterheim’s light cavalry, which included some of the very best troopers in the Hapsburg army. Both commanders knew …

1809-04-22

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As the infantry of the beaten Austrian army passed northwards, Schneller’s exhausted Austrian Cuirassier brigade reformed yet again. They were joined by Stutterheim’s light cavalry, which included some of the very best troopers in the Hapsburg army. Both commanders knew there was little chance for victory, and that their only real hope was to delay the victorious French long enough for darkness to halt the pursuit. Save the guns! The Austrian artillery was ordered to limber and retire, and only then was the first Cuirassier charge of this moonlight battle launched against Nansouty’s equally tired Cuirassier Division. The Austrians crashed into the Carabinier Brigade and stopped the French cavalry advance, but were in grave danger of being surrounded by superior French numbers when they were rescued by the second wave. The Austrian light cavalry moved to outflank the French cavalry that were now engaged in melee, but the Württemberg cavalry dashed across the stream and threw back the attempted Austrian flanking move while Seydewitz brought more Bavarian cavalry forward. With this, the outnumbered Austrians broke and ran. Charles himself and some Austrian infantry were caught up in the disorder of the retreat, but the French cavalry were by then completely blown, and could not maintain an effective pursuit.

Eggmühl, Germany

The Battle of Eckmühl, fought on 21 April – 22 April 1809, was the turning point of the 1809 Campaign, also known as the War of the Fifth Coalition. Napoleon I had been unprepared for the start of hostilities on 10 April 1809, by the Austrians under the Archduke Charles of Austria and for the first time since assuming the French Imperial Crown had been forced to cede the strategic initiative to an opponent. Thanks to the dogged defense waged by the III Corps, commanded by Marshal Davout, and the Bavarian VII Corps, commanded by Marshal Lefebvre, Napoleon was able to defeat the principal Austrian army and wrest the strategic initiative for the remainder of the war.

Wikipedia: Battle of Eckmühl

French

Austrians

Fifth Coalition