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London, England, 1805-12-31 00:00:00

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area? but, whether it shall be turned and taken ?
had only done so much through the cowardice of
4 Austria's. We arc assured due. several old
ustrian Generals, who had made campaigns
• ?ainst the Emperor, warned the Council, that it
•as not with that confidante that one ought to
sarch sg•sinst odd Soldiers, and Officers of the first
writ. They said, they had seen the Emperor, re-
nted to a leaactful of men, re-pocsess himsclf of
Wharfs under the most difficult circumstances, by
avid and unforeseen operations, end destroy the
meet numerous aeries; that here no advantage had
seer obtained; that, on the contrary. all the affairs
eith the rear-guard of the first Russian army had
aeon in favour of the French army ; but, to that
the presumptuous young men opposed the bravery
of the 80,000 Russians, the enthusiasm inspired by
the presence of their Emperur, the pickfil corps of
the Imperial Guard of Russia, and, what probably
they dared not say, their talents, of which they sez
astonished the Austrians would not acknowledge

the power.
On the Ist of December, the Emperor, from the
heights, saw, with indescribable joy, the
Army beginning, within twice the distance of cane
non-shot irons his advanced posts, II flank movement.
to turn his right He perceived then to what a pitch
presumption and ignorance of the art of war had
misled the Councils of that brave Army. lie said,
several times, " Before to-morrow night, that Army
shall be in my power." Yet the enemy's idea was
• far different ; they appeared before our posts withie
• Pistol-shot; they defiled by a dank march upon a '
lino four leagues lohg. In passing the length of the
Trench Army, which seemed not to dare to quit its
position, tl.e, had but one fear, that the French
Army should escape. Every thing was done to
confirm the enemy in this idea. Prince Murat sent
out a small corps on the plain; but all at once it
seemed astonished at the immense force of the ene-
my, and returned in haste. Hence every thing
tended to confirm the Russian Genet al in the mis-
salcalated operation which he had determined upon.
The Emperor put the annexed Proclamation in the
Order of the Day. At night, he wished to visit on
foot, and 14cJirnit.t, all the posts; but he had not gone
many steps wheu ha was recognized. It ould be
impossible to depia the enthusiasm of the soldiers
upon seeing him. Lighted straw was placed in an
instant upon the tops of thousands of poles, and
80.000 mess appeared before the Emperor, saluting
him with acclamations : some to celebrate the anni-
versary of hie coronation, others saying, that the
Army would to-morrow offer its b9mgea to the Em-
peror. One of the oldest grenadiers went up to him,
and said, " Sire, you ntcd not expose yourself—l
promise you, in the name of the grenadiers of the
Army, that you shall only have to fight with your
eyes, and that we will briag you tomorrow the co-
lours and attiilet y of the Russian Jemmy to celebrate
the anniversary of your coronation."
The Emperor said, upon his recalls to his guard-
house, which consisted of a miserable straw cabin,
without a rcof, which the grenadiers had made for
him, " This is the finest evening of my life ; but
I regret to think that I shall lose a good number of
these brave fellows. I feel, by the pain it gives me,
that they are indeed my children, and I otten re-

I

.!

I

preach •nyulf tor this sentiment, for I fear it will
te►minate in rendering me unfit to carry on war."
It the enemy had seen the sight, it would have ter-
rified them—but the unthinking enemy continued
their movements, and hastened, with quick steps, to
their ruin.

~~

The Emperor mad: his dispositions for battle im-
mediately. He sent off Marshal Davoust, in great
haste, to the Convent of Raygern ; he was, with
one ot his divisions, and a division of dragoons, to
krep in check the enemy's left wing, in order that,
upon a given signal, it might be quite surrounded.
He gave to Marshal Lannes the command of the
left wing ; to Marshal Soult the command ot the
right I and to Marshal'Bernadotte the command of
the centre. Prince Murat received the command
of the Cavalry, with which he was posted on one
point. The left of Marshal Lannes approached
Simon, a tape' b position, which had been fortified
and mounted wiz.: eighteen pieces of cannon. From
the preceding ever dog. he had en:Tasted the keeping
of that firm pisit•n :o the 17th Light Infantry, and
certainly it could not be guarded by better troops.
General Snelvt.> Division formed the left of Mar-
shal Lannes; the division of General Cafarelli
formed his right, and was supported, at the same
time. by Prince Murat's cavalry. The latter had
before it the Hussars and Chasseurs under General
Tbellemcn, mid the Dragoon divisions of Walther
and Beaumont, and, in reserve, the Cuirassier di-
vision of Generals Nansnety and Hautpoult, with
f/4 pieces of light artillery.
Marshal Bernadotte, that is to say the centre,
bad, on the left, tie division of General Rivals.),
which also communicated with Prince Murat's right
wing. and, on the right, the division of General

I)rnuet.
Marshal Soult, who eosnmapclesl the right wing

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of the army, had, on his ler:, tilt di. ision of GenrrA

Van Damme; is his eentte, the division of General
St. Hilaire ; and. on his right, the division of Ge-
neral Legrand.

Marsh.tl Davoust was detached to the right of

General Legrand, to observe the road between the

lakes, and the villages of Sok()!Mir and Celnita.
He had with him General etiAnt's division, and the
Dragoons of General Bouchiet's division. The
division of General Gudin was direiled to march

at day-break from Nicolsburg, to !top the corps ~1
the enemy which migist have outitiniced the right
win*.
he Emperor, with his faithf•il companion in

. war, Alarishal Berthicr, his first aid-de-ramp, Coto-
nel Juttot, and ali his eutt-major, were in res-rve,
with the ten battAlions of his guard, and the ten

battalions of General Oudinot's grenadiers, part

of sChorn were commanded by General 1 /tune.
'nit reserve, ranged in two lines, in columns by
battalion, deployed at a distance, having in the in-
tervals 40 pieces of cannon, served by the can-
noniers af the guard. It was with this rani ve,
that the enperor intended to push invward wherever

it would have Leen necessary; we may say this

reserve was worth an army.

At one in the morning, the Emperor got on

horseback to visit the posts, 'reconnoitre the files of
the enemy, and get an scot:luta of wh.it the gourds

bad learned •f the movements rt the Rtrsi.tis--he

hard that they had pissed the alight in drunken-

floss and noise; and that a corps of Russian. In-
fantry had appeared in the village of lokolnits,
occupied by a regiment of the diri•iuus tonler Ge-

neral. Legrand, who had orders to reinforce it.
Day d.iwi,ed at length on the second—the sun
rose bright; and the anniversary of the coronation
of the E )eror, upon which one of the greatest
feats in arms of the age was to be peifortned, was
one of the finest days in autumn.
. This battle, which the soldiers persist in calling

the day of the Three Emperors, which others call
the day of the Anniversary, and which the Emperor
named the Battle of Austerlitz, will he ever memor-
able in the annals of the Great Nation.

The Emperor, surrounded by all the Marshals,
waited only for the horizon to clear up, to issue his"
last orders. When the sun shot forth his first rays,
the orders were issued, and tacit Marshal joined his
corps, fell gallop.
The Emperor said, in passing along the front of
several regiments—', Soldiers, we must finish this
campaign by a thunderbolt, which shall confound
the pride of our enemies ;" and instantly bats were
placed at the point of bayonets, and cries of Par
fEnetcreur were the signal for battle. A moment
afterwards, the cannonade began at the extremity of
the right, which the enemy's advanced guard had
already outflanked, but the unexpeeled meeting with
Marshal Davoust, stopped the enemy short, and the
battle began.
Marshal Soult put himself in motion at the same
moment, proceeded to the heights of the village of
Pratzen, with Generals Vandamme and St. Hi-
laire's division, and cot off the enemy's right, whose
movements became uncertain. Surprised by a flank
march, whilst it was flying, believing itself to be at-
tacking, and seeing itself attacked, it considered it-
self as half defeated.
Prince Murat was in motion with his cavalry.—
The left wing, under the command of Creneral
Lannes, marched forward also, rn echelon, by regi-
ments, in the same manner as if they had been
exercising by divisions. A tremendous cannonade
took place along the whole line : '203 pieces of
cann or, and nearly 200,000 men, made a dreadful
noise. It was really a giant combat. Not an hour
had elapsed, and the enemy's whole left was cut off ;
their right h.td already reached Austerlitz, the
Head-quarters of the two iimperors, who marched
immediately to the Emperor of Russia's Guard, to
endeavour to restore the communication of the
centre with the left. A battalion of the 4th of the
line was charged by the Imperial Russian Guard,
on horseback, and routed ; but the Emperor was
at hand ; he perce;7ed this movement ; ordered
Marshal Bessieres to go to the succour of his right,
with his Invincibles, and the two guards were soou
engaged.
Success could not be doubtful ; in a moment the
Russian guard wee routed ; Colonel, artillery, stand-
ards, every thing was taken. The regiment of the
Grand Duke Constantine was annihilated. Ile
owed his safety only to the swiftness of his horse.
From the heights of Austerlitz the two Emperors
beheld the defeat of all the Russian guard. At the
same moment, the centre of the army, commanded
by Marshal Bernadotte, advanced ; three of his regi-
ments made a very fine charge of cavalry. the left,
commanded by Marshal I.aanes, made several. All
the charges were vietorious. General Caffarelli's
division distinguished itself. The Cuirassier di-
vision took the enemy's batteries. At one, p. is. the
viaory was decided ; it had not been doubtful for a
moment ; not a man of the reserve was wanted, and
had assisted so Whet! j II cannonade was kept up