The Russian army of Kutuzov was retiring north of the Danube before the French army of Napoleon. On 13 November 1805 Marshals Murat and Lannes, commanding the French advance guard, had captured a bridge over the Danube at Vienna by falsely claiming that an armistice had been signed, and then rushing the bridge while the guards were distracted. Kutuzov needed to gain time in order to make contact near Brno (Brünn) with reinforcements led by Buxhowden. He ordered his rearguard under Major-General Prince Pyotr Bagration to delay the French.[3]
Murat and Lannes commanded the 4th and 5th Corps and the Reserve Cavalry. Bagration took up a position about 6 km north of Hollabrunn, on the hill above the small town of Schöngrabern (today part of Grabern). Murat believed that the whole of the Russian army was before him, and hesitated to attack. Bagration then suggested to Murat that negotiations for an armistice should be opened. Murat agreed, and did not attack.[3] When Napoleon was informed of this he was furious and wrote to Murat:
I cannot find words to express my displeasure. You only command my vanguard and have no right to agree to an armistice without my orders. You will cost me the fruits of a campaign. End the armistice at once, and attack the enemy. Inform him that the general who has signed this has no power to make it, that only the Russian Emperor has the right, and that when the Russian Emperor ratifies this agreement, I will also ratify it. But it is only a ruse. March, destroy the Russian army. You are in a position to take his baggage and artillery.[4]
On 16 November 1805 Murat informed Bagration that the armistice would end at 5:00 pm. The confused action took place during the night. After sustaining several French assaults and holding the position for some six hours, Bagration was driven out and executed a skilled and organised withdrawal to retire northeast to join the main Russian army. His skillful defence in the face of superior forces successfully delayed the French enough for the Russian forces of Kutuzov and Buxhowden to unite at Brno (Brünn) on 18 November 1805.[5]
In popular culture
The battle is depicted in Leo Tolstoy’s novel War and Peace. Prince Andrei Bolkonsky is present and attaches himself to the artillery battery of Captain Tushin. As the battle progresses the battery ends up alone and unsupported, becoming the deciding factor in the successful withdrawal of the Russian troops. Later that evening, some Russian staff officers accuse Captain Tushin of having abandoned his artillery pieces, rather than retreating with the guns as ordered. Prince Andrei tells Bagration that there were no supporting Russian troops, and that Captain Tushin and his men might well have been the vital point in delaying the French advance.[6]: 105–117
Given the lack of detail in historical sources for this battle, it is unclear how closely Tolstoy's version of the battle relates to the historical action.
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This article is about the battle of 1805 For the 1809 battle of Hollabrunn see Battle of Hollabrunn 1809 For the 1809 combat of Schongrabern see Combat of Schongrabern The Battle of Schongrabern also known as the Battle of Hollabrunn was an engagement in the Napoleonic Wars during the War of the Third Coalition fought on 16 November 1805 near Hollabrunn in Lower Austria four weeks after the Battle of Ulm and two weeks before the Battle of Austerlitz Slavkov Moravia now Czech Republic 3 Battle of Schongrabern or Hollabrunn Part of the War of the Third CoalitionBattle of Shengraben of Hollabrunn by K BujnitskyDate16 November 1805LocationSchongrabern Hollabrunn48 36 51 N 16 01 11 E 48 6142 N 16 0197 E 48 6142 16 0197ResultFrench victory 1 Belligerents France RussiaCommanders and leadersJoachim Murat Jean Lannes Nicolas Oudinot Louis SuchetPyotr BagrationStrength20 661 2 30 000 1 7 000 1 7 300 2 Casualties and losses1 200 2 2 000 1 2 648 2 3 000 1 class notpageimage Location within Europe War of the Third Coalition Austria Interactive fullscreen map current battle Napoleon in command Napoleon not in command Contents 1 Battle 2 In popular culture 3 Notes 4 References 5 External linksBattle EditThe Russian army of Kutuzov was retiring north of the Danube before the French army of Napoleon On 13 November 1805 Marshals Murat and Lannes commanding the French advance guard had captured a bridge over the Danube at Vienna by falsely claiming that an armistice had been signed and then rushing the bridge while the guards were distracted Kutuzov needed to gain time in order to make contact near Brno Brunn with reinforcements led by Buxhowden He ordered his rearguard under Major General Prince Pyotr Bagration to delay the French 3 Murat and Lannes commanded the 4th and 5th Corps and the Reserve Cavalry Bagration took up a position about 6 km north of Hollabrunn on the hill above the small town of Schongrabern today part of Grabern Murat believed that the whole of the Russian army was before him and hesitated to attack Bagration then suggested to Murat that negotiations for an armistice should be opened Murat agreed and did not attack 3 When Napoleon was informed of this he was furious and wrote to Murat I cannot find words to express my displeasure You only command my vanguard and have no right to agree to an armistice without my orders You will cost me the fruits of a campaign End the armistice at once and attack the enemy Inform him that the general who has signed this has no power to make it that only the Russian Emperor has the right and that when the Russian Emperor ratifies this agreement I will also ratify it But it is only a ruse March destroy the Russian army You are in a position to take his baggage and artillery 4 On 16 November 1805 Murat informed Bagration that the armistice would end at 5 00 pm The confused action took place during the night After sustaining several French assaults and holding the position for some six hours Bagration was driven out and executed a skilled and organised withdrawal to retire northeast to join the main Russian army His skillful defence in the face of superior forces successfully delayed the French enough for the Russian forces of Kutuzov and Buxhowden to unite at Brno Brunn on 18 November 1805 5 In popular culture EditThe battle is depicted in Leo Tolstoy s novel War and Peace Prince Andrei Bolkonsky is present and attaches himself to the artillery battery of Captain Tushin As the battle progresses the battery ends up alone and unsupported becoming the deciding factor in the successful withdrawal of the Russian troops Later that evening some Russian staff officers accuse Captain Tushin of having abandoned his artillery pieces rather than retreating with the guns as ordered Prince Andrei tells Bagration that there were no supporting Russian troops and that Captain Tushin and his men might well have been the vital point in delaying the French advance 6 105 117 Given the lack of detail in historical sources for this battle it is unclear how closely Tolstoy s version of the battle relates to the historical action Notes Edit a b c d e Bodart 1908 p 369 a b c d Napoleon Series Battle Lists War of the 3rd Coalition www napoleon series org a b c Chandler 1979 p 201 Correspondance de Napoleon Ier XI 505 No 9497 Chandler 1979 p 202 Tolstoy Leo 1949 War and Peace Garden City International Collectors Library References EditBodart Gaston 1908 Militar historisches Kriegs Lexikon 1618 1905 Retrieved 8 July 2022 Chandler David G 1979 Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars London Arms and Armour Press ISBN 0853683530 Retrieved 8 July 2022 Bowden Scott 1997 Napoleon and Austerlitz Chicago Emperor s Press ISBN 0 9626655 7 6 External links EditRussian Hussar Charge at the Battle of Schongrabern in 1805 War amp Peace 2016 at Youtube Napoleon Series Napoleon Miniatures Wargame Society of Toronto Order of Battle Media related to Battle of Schongrabern at Wikimedia CommonsPreceded byBattle of Durenstein Napoleonic WarsBattle of Schongrabern Succeeded byBattle of Austerlitz Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Battle of Schongrabern amp oldid 1122231120, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
