Battle of Dürenstein The Battle of Dürenstein ( also known as the Battle of Dürrenstein , Battle of Dürnstein , Battle of Diernstein and , in German , Gefecht bei Dürrenstein ) , on 11 November 1805 , was an engagement in the Napoleonic Wars during the War of the Third Coalition . Dürenstein ( modern Dürnstein ) is located in the Wachau Valley , on the River Danube , upstream from Vienna , in Austria . The river makes a crescent - shaped curve between Dürnstein and nearby Krems an der Donau and the battle was fought in the flood plain between the river and the mountains . At Dürenstein , a combined force of Russian and Austrian troops trapped a French division commanded by Théodore Maxime Gazan . The French division was part of the newly created VIII . Corps , the so - called " Corps Mortier " , under command of Édouard Mortier . In pursuing the Austrian retreat from Bavaria , Mortier had over - extended his three divisions along the north bank of the Danube . Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov , commander of the Coalition force , enticed Mortier to send Gazan ' s division into a trap and French troops were caught in a valley between two Russian columns . They were rescued by the timely arrival of a second division , under command of Pierre Dupont de l ' Étang . The battle extended well into the night . Both sides claimed victory . The French lost more than a third of their participants , and Gazan ' s division experienced over 40 percent losses . The Austrians and Russians also had heavy losses — close to 16 percent — but arguably the most significant was the death in action of Johann Heinrich von Schmitt , one of Austria ' s most capable chiefs of staff . The battle was fought three weeks after the Austrian capitulation at Ulm and three weeks before the Russo - Austrian defeat at the Battle of Austerlitz . After Austerlitz , Austria withdrew from the war . The French demanded a high indemnity and Francis II abdicated as Holy Roman Emperor , releasing the German states from their allegiance to the Holy Roman Empire . Background . In a series of conflicts from 1803 to 1815 known as the Napoleonic Wars , various European powers formed five coalitions against the First French Empire . Like the wars sparked by the French Revolution ( 1789 ) , these further revolutionized the formation , organization , and training of European armies and led to an unprecedented militarization , mainly due to mass conscription . Under the leadership of Napoleon , French power rose quickly , as the " Grande Armée " conquered most of Europe and it collapsed rapidly after the disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812 . Napoleon ' s empire ultimately suffered complete military defeat in the 1813 – 1814 campaigns , resulting in the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in France . Although Napoleon made a spectacular return in 1815 , known as the Hundred Days , his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo , the pursuit of his army and himself , his abdication , and his banishment to the Island of Saint Helena , concluded the Napoleonic Wars . Danube campaign . From 1803 to 1806 , the Third Coalition fought the First French Empire and its client states ( see table at right ) . Although several naval battles determined control of the seas , the outcome of the war was decided on the continent , predominantly in two major land operations in the Danube valley : the Ulm campaign in the upper Danube , and the Vienna campaign , in the middle Danube valley . Political conflicts in Vienna delayed Austria ' s entry into the Third Coalition until 1805 . After hostilities of the War of the Second Coalition ended in 1801 , Archduke Charles , the emperor ' s brother , took advantage of the subsequent years of peace to develop a military restructuring plan . He carefully put this plan into effect beginning in 1803 – 1804 , but implementation was incomplete in 1805 when Karl Mack , Lieutenant Field Marshal and Quartermaster - General of the Army , implemented his own restructuring . Mack bypassed Charles ' methodical approach . Occurring in the field , Mack ' s plan also undermined the overall command and organizational structure . Regardless , Mack sent an enthusiastic report to Vienna on the military ' s readiness . Furthermore , after misreading Napoleon ' s maneuvers in Württemberg , Mack also reported to Vienna on the weakness of French dispositions . His reports convinced the war party advising the emperor , Francis II , to enter the conflict against France , despite Charles ' own advice to the contrary . Responding to the report and rampant anti - French fever in Vienna , Francis dismissed Charles from his post as " generalissimo " and appointed his Francophobic brother - in - law , Archduke Ferdinand , as commander . The inexperienced Ferdinand was a poor choice of replacement for the capable Charles , having neither maturity nor aptitude for the assignment . Although Ferdinand retained nominal command , day - to - day decisions were placed in the hands of Mack , equally ill - suited for such an important assignment . When Mack was wounded early in the campaign , he was unable to take full charge of the army . Consequently , command further devolved to Lieutenant Field Marshal Karl Philipp , Prince of Schwarzenberg , an able cavalry officer , but inexperienced in the command of such a large army . Road to Ulm . The campaign in the upper Danube valley began in October , with several clashes in Swabia . Near the Bavarian town of Wertingen , northwest of Augsburg , on 8 October , the 1st Regiment of dragoons , part of Murat ' s Cavalry Corps , and grenadiers of Lannes ' V . Corps surprised an Austrian force half their size . The Austrians were arrayed in a line , and unable to form their defensive squares quickly enough to protect themselves from the 4 , 000 dragoons and 8 , 000 grenadiers . Nearly 3 , 000 Austrians were captured and over 400 were killed or wounded . A day later , at another small town , Günzburg , immediately south of the Danube River , the French 59th Regiment of the Line stormed a bridge over the Danube and , humiliatingly , chased two large Austrian columns toward Ulm . The campaign was not entirely bad news for Vienna . At Haslach , Johann von Klenau arranged his 25 , 000 infantry and cavalry in a prime defensive position and , on 11 October , the overly - confident General of Division Pierre Dupont de l ' Étang attacked Klenau ' s force with fewer than 8 , 000 men . The French lost 1 , 500 men killed and wounded . Aside from taking the Imperial Eagles and guidons of the 15th and 17th Dragoons , Klenau ' s force also captured 900 men , 11 guns , and 18 ammunition wagons . Klenau ' s victory was a singular success . On 14 October , Mack sent two columns out of Ulm in preparation for a breakout to the north : one under Johann Riesch headed toward Elchingen to secure the bridge there , and the other under Franz Werneck went north with most of the heavy artillery . Recognizing the opportunity , Ney hurried his corps forward to re - establish contact with Dupont , who was still north of the Danube . In a two - pronged attack , Ney sent one division to the south of Elchingen on the right bank of the Danube . This division began the assault at Elchingen . At the same time , another division crossed the river to the east and moved west against Riesch ' s position . After clearing the Austrian pickets from a bridge , the French attacked and captured a strategically located abbey at the top of the hill at bayonet point . The Austrian cavalry unsuccessfully tried to fend the French off , but the Austrian infantry broke and ran . In this engagement alone , the Austrians lost more than half their reserve artillery park , 6 , 000 ( out of 8 , 000 total participants ) dead , wounded or captured , and four colors . Reisch ' s column also failed to destroy the bridges across the Danube . Napoleon ' s lightning campaign exposed the Austrian indecisive command structure and poor supply apparatus . Mack completely misread the French dispositions and scattered his forces ; as the French defeated each unit separately , the surviving Austrians withdrew toward the Ulm fortifications . Napoleon arrived to take personal command of close to 80 , 000 men . At Ulm on 16 October , Karl Mack surrendered his encircled army of 20 , 000 infantry and 3 , 273 cavalry . The officers were released on the condition that they do not serve against France until formally exchanged for French officers captured by the Austrians , an agreement to which they held . Prelude to battle . The few Austrian corps not trapped at Ulm withdrew toward Vienna , with the French in close pursuit . A Russian army under General Mikhail Kutuzov also maneuvered away from the French , withdrawing to the east . At the Ill river on 22 October , it joined with the retreating Austrian corps commanded by Michael von Kienmayer . On 5 November , the Coalition forces held a successful rearguard action in Amstetten . On 7 November , the Russians arrived in St . Pölten , and crossed the Danube river the next day . Late on 9 November , they destroyed the bridges across the Danube , holding the last one at the hamlet of Stein , near the village Krems , until the late afternoon . Battlefield . To the east of Stein , down an old road , lay Krems , with its small population of a few hundred , at the confluence of the stream of that name and the Danube . To the west of Stein , the Danube made a large curve , creating a crescent - shaped floodplain between it and the mountains . At the far western end of the floodplain , where the mountains came down almost at the river ' s edge , was Dürenstein , with its castle , known as " Schloss Dürenstein " . The castle had served as a prison for Richard I of England in 1193 . In 1645 – 46 , during the Thirty Years War , the Swedes had fortified the castle and then demolished it when they withdrew . It stands at , on the highest ridge of a mountain fissured with clefts and pinnacles of granite . Because the mountain was sparsely vegetated , it was difficult to distinguish the ruins from the rocks . Narrow canyons cut through the mountain , and widen into the plain below . Between Dürenstein and Stein , on the flood plain , lay the hamlet s of Oberloiben and Unterloiben . Near the hamlets , the Loiben flood plain was at its widest , extending at the most from the base of the Loibenberg mountain to the bank of the river . The region was known for its wine . Since the 15th century , the local inhabitants practiced viticulture and the wine producers formed St . Paul Vintners ' Guild in 1447 , the oldest such guild in the German - speaking world . Terraced vineyards extended up the sides of the Krems river , until it became a mountain stream and terrain was unsuitable for cultivation . The Loiben plain supported both viticulture and agriculture . As the terrain became steeper , the vines grew in terraces built from the dark " Urgestein " , primordial rock . From Dürenstein to Krems , the river makes its wide curve ; the mountains and the steeply terraced slopes prevent clear line - of - sight between the two towns . Dispositions . Napoleon had calculated that Kutuzov would withdraw toward Vienna , expecting reinforcements from Russia ; he envisioned that the armies would engage in a great battle at Vienna , and that this battle would decide the war . Consequently , Napoleon drew divisions from four of the other seven corps of the " Grande Armée " to create a new VIII . Corps . This corps was to secure the north shore of the Danube , block any of the Austrian or Russian groups from reinforcing one another and , importantly , prevent Kutuzov from crossing the river and escaping to Russia . The new VIII . Corps , under the overall command of Édouard Mortier , included three infantry divisions and a division of cavalry ( see Order of Battle below ) . Corps Mortier , as it was known , crossed the Danube at Linz and Passau in early November 1805 , and marched east , on the north bank of the Danube . Operating independently , the corp ' s cavalry conducted reconnaissance ahead of them , and on the flanks . General Gazan ' s division ( about 6 , 000 men ) took the lead ; Mortier was with them . They were followed by General Dupont ' s division ( another 4 , 000 ) about one day ' s march behind . Jean - Baptiste Dumonceau ' s division ( another 4 , 000 ) , marching another day behind Dupont , brought up the rear . A flotilla of 50 boats acquired at Passau provided communications across the Danube . Before sending Mortier on his mission , Napoleon instructed him to protect his north flank at all times against possible Russian reinforcements , advice he reiterated in subsequent written orders . Napoleon also advised Mortier to secure all crossings of the Danube between Linz and Vienna . On 9 November , Gazan ' s division reached Marbach an der Donau , and covered the to Dürenstein by early on the following afternoon . Here it skirmished with some Russian patrols to the east of the town , and expelled them . Feeling confident , the French established a forward post just upstream from Stein . In Dürenstein itself , Mortier set up his command post , and directed the establishment of a small field hospital . Although the position seemed secure , he had ignored Napoleon ' s strict instructions and neglected to protect his left ( north ) flank . This failure was an important factor when Mortier lost his corps ' s so - called " eyes " : after he and Gazan had crossed the Danube , the French dragoons had veered to the northwest , leaving only three squadrons of the 4th Dragoons available for reconnaissance . These had left the division , and were operating independently of Gazan ' s command . Consequently , Mortier and Gazan marched blindly through the narrow canyon west of Dürenstein , not knowing what lay ahead of them . Kutuzov had led the Coalition army across the Danube at Krems , a short distance past Stein , and destroyed the bridge behind him . Kutuzov ' s actions deprived the French commanders of a possible route across the Danube , putting the deployment of the entire French division at further risk in the case of retreat . In this decision , Kutuzov abandoned Vienna to the French , who were converging on the Austrian capital from the north , west and southwest , for the security of uniting with reinforcements from Galicia . Kutuzov chose a military solution over a political one . Unknown to either Gazan or Mortier , the Coalition had concentrated a force of approximately 24 , 000 men ( mostly Russians and a few Austrians ) within a few kilometers of the French position at Dürenstein . In comparison , Gazan ' s division had only 6 , 000 men . The Austro - Russian force were mixed troops of infantry , " Jägers " ( usually deployed as skirmishers ) , Russian musketeers , and Russian and Austrian cavalry , accompanied by more than 68 artillery pieces . Kutuzov , who had learned the military arts under the tutelage of the legendary Russian " Generalissimo " Suvorov , had overall command . The Russian cavalry , units of the greatly feared Cossacks , were well - suited for patrolling the river bank ; indeed on 9 November they had taken 40 French soldiers as prisoners . Furthermore , reinforcements stood in Moravia , less than two weeks ' march away . If the main body of the French army crossed the river , they would require time to prepare . Kutuzov would have ample warning of any large scale French movement . After the afternoon ' s initial skirmishing with the French , Kutuzov held a council of war on the evening of 10 November at Melk , at the great abbey there . He knew several things . First , he knew the positions of the French from prisoners his Cossacks had captured . He also knew that Gazan had crossed at Linz , and was well ahead of any French reinforcements : Dupont had crossed at Passau , and , by 10 November , stood at Marbach , upstream , and Dumonceau was another further behind him . Kutuzov knew the size of the French force — its division strength — and its positions , and he knew that most of the dragoons were not covering the French flank , but had turned north . He also knew , or had made a good supposition , about Napoleon ' s orders , so he knew what to offer Mortier and Gazan as bait . Battle plan . In addition to the Russian generals , the council included Austrian commanders Lieutenant Field Marshal Johann Heinrich von Schmitt and Friedrich Karl Wilhelm , Fürst zu Hohenlohe . Schmitt , who had retired from the military in 1800 , had been recalled into service after the Ulm debacle and had come to Kutuzov highly recommended by the Emperor . He was an experienced tactician and strategist , and had served in a variety of posts in the Habsburg military ; he had been Archduke Charles ' trusted adviser during the campaigns from 1796 to 1800 and had assisted in planning several of Charles ' victories . Upon his recall , Schmitt was appointed Chief of the Quartermaster General Staff of the Coalition Army . The generals had found among the Austrian force one Captain Christoph Freiherr von Stiebar ( 1753 – 1824 ) , who had knowledge of the local geography . Together , Schmitt , Kutuzov , and the other generals , with von Stiebar ' s advice on the local terrain , concocted a plan to encircle the French at Dürenstein . The Russian commander Mikhail Andreyevich Miloradovich would approach Gazan ' s division from the east , supported by Petr Bagration ' s corps , and pin the French in place . Three additional columns , commanded by Dmitry Dokhturov ( Doctorov ) , Major General Strik , and Schmitt , would outflank the French from the west and the north . They would offer , as bait , a rumor : the Russian army was retreating into Moravia and only a rearguard would be left at Krems . Battle . On the night of 10 – 11 November , a Russian column under Strik ' s command began its passage through the narrow canyons , intent on arriving at Dürenstein by noon ; two more columns , under Dokhtorov and Schmitt , moved in wider semicircles , planning to pass through the mountains and attack the French , who were extended along the river bank . According to the plan , in late morning , Strik ' s column would emerge from the mountains first and launch a flanking assault on the French right . This flanking attack , combined with Miloradovich ' s frontal assault from Stein , would force the French into a vice ; encircled , they would have no option but to surrender — or die . To insure the success of the plan , the second and third columns , under Dokhtorov and Schmitt , would arrived in early and mid - afternoon , and support the earlier assaults . In this way , even if the French tried to retreat west to Marbach , they would not escape the vice - like grip of the Coalition army . Mortier accepted the bait of a rumored Russian retreat . In the early morning of 11 November , he and Gazan departed from Dürenstein to seize Stein and Krems , presuming the Russians had either abandoned the settlements or left only a small rear - guard behind . As they approached Stein , a column of Miloradovich ' s troops attacked the French forward positions . Thinking this force was the rumored Russian rear guard , Mortier ordered General Gazan to counter - attack , and to push east towards the town of Stein . Fighting spread though the villages of Oberloiben , Unterloiben and the farm at Rothenhof . Instead of withdrawing , as a rear guard would , more and more Russian troops appeared and engaged the French column . Initially , Gazan made rapid progress , but quickly recognized that the opposing force was much stronger than the typical rear guard of a retreating army . Realizing he had been duped and that Gazan ' s troops were tiring rapidly , Mortier sent orders to Dupont ' s division to hurry forward . By mid morning , the French momentum had stalled ; Mortier committed most of his remaining forces to drive Miloradovich back , leaving a single battalion — perhaps 300 troops — to cover his northern flank , and sent the rest to attack the Russian right . Within 30 minutes , he achieved the superiority of numbers he sought . His 4 , 500 French opposed 2 , 600 Russians , and forced them back toward Stein , while pressing an attack along the river . Miloradovich had no option , for neither Strik ' s nor Dokhtorov ' s flanking columns were to be seen . At this stage of the battle , fighting paused . Mortier and Gazan waited for Dupont ' s arrival , while Kutuzov and Miloradovich waited for Strik ' s and Dokhturov ' s . Schmitt ' s column was expected to be the last to join the fight , because it had to march the greatest distance . The timing of the respite varies , depending on whose reports are consulted : fighting paused at around 12 : 00 or 14 : 00 . Strik arrived first and immediately assaulted Gazan ' s line with three battalions , pushing the French out of Dürenstein . Caught between two strong forces , Gazan attempted to push his way back through Dürenstein , to reach the river where the flotilla could evacuate his exhausted troops . Withdrawing through the narrow Danube canyon and fighting off the Russian force at their rear , Gazan and his division were trapped when more of Strik ' s Russians appeared to block their retreat . The narrow defiles hampered the Russians ; Strik ' s men had to march out of the canyons , form ranks and attack in waves . Despite Strik ' s continuous assault in the next two to three hours , Mortier and Gazan pushed the Russians back up the narrow fissure in the hillside . At this point , Dokhturov ' s column appeared behind the French line and joined the battle . The French were outnumbered more than three to one , assaulted in the front by Miloradovich ' s column , in the middle by Strik ' s , and in the rear by Dokhturov . Earlier in the morning , Dupont had proceeded with his column south and east along the river , from Marbach , according to instructions . Even before the arrival of Mortier ' s courier , he heard the sound of artillery in the distance and sent riders ahead to discover the cause . They came back to report that a Russian column ( Dokhturov ' s ) was descending from the mountains to take the road to Dürenstein . Realizing this would separate him from the forward division , Dupont hustled his troops toward the sound of battle and deployed them to take the Russians in the flank . The French assault , heralded by cannon fire , caused Dokhturov ' s troops to turn their attention from Gazan ' s beleaguered force to face these new assailants . Although superior in numbers , Dokhturov ' s column had no supporting artillery , and the narrow space prevented them from taking advantage of their size . It was Dokhturov ' s turn to face attackers at his front and rear , until the arrival of Schmitt ' s column , which had wended its way through the mountains in the west . Schmitt arrived at dusk , and the action continued well after dark ; in mid - November , night falls at close to 17 : 00 in the upper Danube climes . Despite the darkness , Schmitt descended out of the defiles and deployed his own troops to assail Dupont ' s flank . As his Russians entered the fray , they came between a battalion of French and another of Russians . With the additional force , the French were overwhelmed , but most of the shooting subsided when the combatants could not tell apart friend from foe in the dark . Under the cover of darkness , Mortier used the French flotilla to evacuate his exhausted troops to the south bank . The French and Russians continued to skirmish fitfully into the night as sentries encountered one another in the dark . Portions of Gazan ' s force provided any necessary rear guard action , and the following morning , the remaining men were evacuated from the north shore of the Danube , while they maintained possession of only Spitz and Weissenkirchen on the north bank . Losses . The losses were staggering : Gazan lost close to 40 percent of his division to death and wounds . Aside from losing five guns , 47 officers and 895 men under his command were captured , bringing the loss of effectives closer to 60 percent ; furthermore , he lost the eagles of the 4th Infantry Regiment , and the eagle and guidon of the 4th Dragoons . The Russians lost around 4 , 000 , about 16 percent of their force , and two regimental colors . The Austrian Lieutenant Field Marshal Schmitt was killed as the battle concluded , probably by Russian musketry in the confused melee . The vineyards and the villages of Ober - and Unterloiben were destroyed , as was most of Dürenstein and Stein . Krems was heavily damaged ; the French plundered the town at least twice , and " barbarously handled " its inhabitants . Aftermath . Both sides claimed victory . Although losses were fairly equal in terms of numbers — 4 , 000 wounded or dead on each side — the Coalition forces went into battle with 24 , 000 men while the French started with Gazan ' s division of about 6 , 000 , which grew close to 8 , 000 when Dupont ' s men joined the fighting in the afternoon . Regardless , Gazan ' s division was nearly destroyed ; the 30 percent losses experienced by the French fell predominantly on his division . Clearly for both sides , the fighting was hard . The weather had been cold ; an early storm had left slick icy mud in the roadways , and icicles " like chandeliers " hung from the trees . For the Coalition , the Russians were secure on the north bank of the Danube , awaiting reinforcements from Galicia ; the bridges between Linz and Vienna had been destroyed , making French access to the Austrian capital more difficult , but not impossible . After six months of fighting in which the Austrians had enjoyed little good news , the Coalition could claim a difficult and timely victory . The French had retreated from the field with a badly mauled division , and Kutuzov had secured the right flank . Indeed , Francis was so pleased with the outcome at Dürenstein that he awarded Kutuzov the Military Order of Maria Theresa . For the French , the survival of the Corps Mortier seemed nothing short of a miracle . The remainder of Gazan ' s division crossed the river the next morning , and eventually recuperated in Vienna , which the French acquired by deception later in the month . More importantly for them , the French force had performed well over difficult terrain and under terrible combat conditions . Initially , there had been some panic and parts of at least one French battalion had tried to escape on the flotilla craft . They had lost control of the boats in the current and smashed into the pillars of the burned bridge at Krems , overturning their boats . Tossed into the icy river , most had drowned . Despite this initial panic , Gazan ' s column retained its cohesion , and responded well to various difficult demands . Dupont had demonstrated his tactical acumen : when he heard cannon fire , he directed his troops toward it to support the French division . In terms of French staffing , Mortier ' s failure to guard his flank , especially in the face of Napoleon ' s direct advice , adversely influenced his relationship with his commander . However , in the immediate weeks ahead , the flamboyant Murat did more to annoy Napoleon than Mortier had . In assessing the battle and its aftermath , historians have laid the blame and credit for its outcome not only on Mortier and Gazan : " Napoleon , aware of Morier ' s danger and his own culpability for it , vented his frustration on Murat , whom he unjustly accused of abandoning Mortier for the empty glory of riding through Vienna . " After the victory at Austerlitz , Napoleon dispersed the VIII . Corps and reassigned Mortier . However disappointed he may have been with Mortier , Napoleon was pleased with Gazan ' s performance . As recognition of his conduct in what the French called " the immortal Battle of Dürenstein " , Gazan received the Officer ' s Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor . The loss of Schmitt was a significant blow to the Austrian military organization . Called out of retirement for this specific task , he was arguably their most experienced general staff officer , other than the Archduke Charles . From the summer of 1796 until his retirement in 1800 , he had been Chief of the Quartermaster General Staff of the Army , the Lower Rhine , the Rhine , and the Army of Germany . Furthermore , he was a trusted member of Archduke Charles ' staff . He had helped to design several of Charles ' more important victories at Emmendingen , Schliengen , the sieges at Kehl and Hünigen , the battles at Ostrach and Stockach , and the northern Swiss Campaign of 1799 that included battles at Winterthur and Zürich . An experienced officer and excellent tactician , he might well have made a more effective Chief of the Quartermaster General Staff of the Coalition Army at the Battle of Austerlitz than his eventual replacement , Franz von Weyrother . In Schmitt ' s absence , Weyrother , the architect of the Austrian catastrophe at Hohenlinden in 1800 , was chosen to develop the general battle plan of Coalition action at Austerlitz . Schmitt , undoubtedly a far better tactician than Weyrother , and possessed of superior training and mapping skills , would have developed a more realistic Coalition plan for Austerlitz . Schmitt ' s presence would probably not have been enough to turn that defeat into a victory , but it would have mitigated the magnitude of the Coalition ' s losses ; Austerlitz was arguably one of Napoleon ' s finest triumphs . In the broader picture , despite the important major naval engagements , the outcome of the War of the Third Coalition was determined on the Continent , predominantly in the two major land operations . In the Ulm campaign , the Habsburgs achieved some minor victories , such as Klenau ' s at Haslach - Jungingen , but ultimately lost an entire army and an officer corps . The latter would not resume arms against France until formally exchanged . This condition crippled the Austrian military leadership and forced the recall of such pensioners as Schmitt out of retirement . After the capitulation at Ulm , isolated portions of the Austrian military evaded capture and joined with their Russian allies ; Michael von Kienmayer ' s corps slipped out of the encirclement and joined Kutuzov ' s force . A few other small forces refused to capitulate and seemingly melted into the Bavarian mountains and the Thurgingian forests , to reappear in Bohemia for Austerlitz . Sixteen hundred cavalry , including Archduke Ferdinand and Prince Schwarzenberg , broke out of Ulm before its capitulation . Maximilian , Count of Merveldt , led his column back through the mountains into Austria , fighting rear guard actions against pursuing French forces at the Steyer ( Steyr ) and Mariazell . These elusive units were insufficient to balance heavy losses at key battles in which the Austrians could not hold their own against the French . Between the Ulm capitulation and the Austrian and Russian defeat at Austerlitz , there were other minor achievements : a successful skirmish between the cavalry that escaped from Ulm and the French near the town of Nördlingen , the contested victory at Dürenstein , and another within days at Schöngrabern . The second determining event , the decisive French victory at the Battle of Austerlitz over the combined Russian and Austrian armies , forced the Austrian withdrawal from the Coalition . The subsequent Peace of Pressburg , signed on 26 December 1805 , reinforced the earlier treaties of Campo Formio and Lunéville . Furthermore , Austria ceded land to Napoleon ' s German allies , and paid an indemnity of 40 million franc s . Victory at Austerlitz also gave Napoleon the latitude to create a buffer zone of German states between France and the states of Prussia , Russia , and Austria . These measures did not establish a lasting peace on the continent . Prussian worries about growing French influence in Central Europe sparked the War of the Fourth Coalition in 1806 , in which Austria did not participate . Battlefield commemorations . Until 1805 , Dürenstein was probably best known as the village in which crusader Richard the Lionhearted was held by Leopold V , Duke of Austria . In 1741 , during the War of the Austrian Succession , several hundred local villagers had held off the French and Bavarian armies , intent on capturing Vienna , by painting drain pipes to look like cannons , and beating on drums , thus suggesting the presence of a large force . After 1805 , the exploits of 40 , 000 French , Russian , and Austrian soldiers excited the European imagination . General Schmitt ' s grave has never been found , but in 1811 a monument for him was erected at the " Stein Tor " , the gate leading from the old village of Krems to the hamlet of Stein . The house in which Captain von Stiebar lived was marked with a bronze plate commemorating his contribution to the battle . In 1840 , a Spanish lithographer created an image of the battle , which was later expanded by English lithographer John Outhwaite . The image depicts the evacuation of French troops via the Danube flotilla ( see Infobox image ) on a moonlit night . In fact , the moon was in its last quarter phase 48 hours later , and on 11 November probably did not provide as much light as depicted in the image . In 1836 , Jean Antoine Siméon Fort ( French , 1793 – 1861 ) , a historical painter , created a watercolor of the battle , " Combat de Dürnstein le 11 novembre 1805 " ( " Battle of Dürenstein of 11 November 1805 " ) , which is in the Trianon collection at Versailles . In the Russian novel " War and Peace " , Leo Tolstoy devoted several pages to the battle , its prelude , and its aftermath , and the delivery of its news to the Tsar by Prince Andrew . Between Dürenstein and Rossatz , at the edge of the Loiben plain , stands the " Little Frenchman " memorial ( see image ) erected in 1905 to commemorate the battle ; it bears the names of Mortier , Gazan , Kutuzov , Schmitt , and others on a copper - engraved plate . Orders of battle . French VIII . Corps ( Corps Mortier ) . On 6 November , Édouard Adolphe Mortier commanded the following forces : Total : fifteen battalions , six squadrons , six guns , approximately 12 , 000 men , not all of which were involved in the fighting . Coalition columns . Total : fifty - eight battalions , sixty - two squadrons , fourteen artillery batteries , approximately 24 , 000 men and 168 guns .