BATTLE OF WAGRAM

In the 'Battle of Wagram' (5 July – 6 July 1809) Napoleon's French forces defeated Archduke Charles' Austrian army, near Vienna,
effectively bringing the War of the Fifth Coalition to an end.
The battle centered around the isle of Lobau on the Danube and on the plain of the ''Marchfeld'' around the town of Deutsch-Wagram. Artillery was a major factor with 300,000 men clashing in the largest battle yet of the Napoleonic Wars. Casualties soared above 80,000, with the Austrians losing slightly more than the French.

Contents

Prelude

The battle

Present day

External links

References

Prelude

After the strategic disaster at the Battle of Aspern-Essling in May 1809, Napoleon reinforced his main army with a Bavarian division under General Wrede and stocked up on supplies at Lobau Island just north of Vienna. Marmont, Prince Eugene and Józef Antoni Poniatowski were causing problems on all fronts for the Austrian army. However, a major revolt in Tyrol led by Andreas Hofer saw to the fact that Napoleon could not call in any more Bavarian troops. At the same time Britain was preparing to invade northern Europe, meaning extra troops from France would not be forthcoming. However, Napoleon recalled his ''Army of Italy'' under Eugene and MacDonald and those troops had joined him by the time of the battle. Napoleon prepared himself and by July he was ready to take another shot at Archduke Charles' army.

The battle

By the day of the battle, Lobau Island was a massive warehouse and Napoleon was ready to move out. Using a fortified bridgehead, Napoleon started a full scale crossing of the island with his 190,000 men. His army was composed mainly of 4th corps under Massena, the Saxon 9th corps under Bernadotte, Oudinot's 3rd corps and Davout's 3rd corps. Additionally present were the Imperial Guard and reserve cavalry as well Eugene and MacDonald each commanding an Italian corps. On the other side of the Marchfeld, Archduke Charles was busy maneuvering 140,000 men on the Heights of Russbach. His force was composed of Nordman's advanced guard corps, Bellegarde's 1st corps, Hechingen's 2nd corps, Kolowrat's 3rd corps, 4th corps under Orsini-Rosenberg, Klenau's 6th corps, Liechtenstein's reserve corps and reserve forces of cavalry. Marshal Berthier, Napoleon's chief of staff, when giving orders to the various corps, accidentally assigned the same bridge to 2 corps. Although a very long delay ensued, Davout, Massena and Oudinot and their corps were across. Bernadotte and his Saxons joined them, and on the 5th of July, Napoleon began his deployment near Aspern and Essling. Artillery smashed up the area around the two towns whilst the French army deployed. A few outpost divisions under generals Nordmann and Klenau were sent reeling back, battered to a pulp, and by noon all of the area around Aspern and Essling was in the hands of the French. By late afternoon, the French army formed a semicircle with Masséna on the extreme left, then centre with Bernadotte, Eugène and Oudinot, Davout formed the right flank. By nightfall, in an attempt to decide the battle in a single day and to prevent the Austrian reserves under Archduke John coming up, Napoleon ordered a final attack. The attack by MacDonald's troops was poorly coordinated and although it carried the high ground beyond Wagram, the attack failed under the heavy Austrian fire.
At dawn of the following day, the Austrians first counterattacked the French right flank. This move was designed as a feint in order to draw French reserves away. The real attack was aimed at the French left around the village of Aderklaa where two Austrians corps succeeded in throwing back Bernadotte's 9th corps of Saxons. To stem the Austrian attack, Napoleon created a ''Grand Battery'' of 112 cannon which poured shot into the advancing Austrian formations. Masséna's Corps was then called upon the stabilize the Saxon front and in cooperation with the cavalry was able to hold the river line. Meanwhile on the French right flank things were going better, with Oudinot and Davout advancing towards the village of Markgrafsneusiedl. A large conflict erupted around the village with Davout's corps forcing back the troops under Orsini-Rosenberg.
The decisive attack of the battle was launched against the Austrian advancing centre by General MacDonald, for which he was granted a Marshal's baton on the field of battle. MacDonald made his troops form a wedge about 8,000 strong and utilizing this formation, after ferocious fighting at bayonet point, he broke through the Austrian center, splitting the army and winning the day for the Emperor. However, in the fighting Lasalle, a French cavalry General, was among those killed.
Charles had sent for help from his brother, Archduke Johann, but Johann only got his troops (13,000) on the road by the next morning, far too late to help Charles. Five days after the battle, the French defeated the rear guard of the retreating Austrians at Znaim forcing Charles to agree to an armistice.
Wagram was the first battle in which Napoleon failed to score an uncontested victory with relatively few casualties. The French forces suffered 34,000 casualties, a number compounded by the 20,000 suffered only weeks earlier at Aspern-Essling. This would be indicative of the gradual decline in quality of Napoleon's troops and the increasing experience and competence of his opponents, who were learning from previous errors. The heavy losses suffered, which included many seasoned troops as well as over thirty generals of varying rank, was something that the French would not be able to recover from with ease. Bernadotte's dismissal from the Grande Armée for his failure would have severe consequences for Napoleon in later years. Being unexpectedly elected heir to the throne of Sweden the following year, the former Marshal would eventually prove an asset to the Allies.
After the battle MacDonald, Oudinot and Marmont were given Marshal's batons and the army soon had a new chant about the three men:
''La France a nommé MacDonald, L'armée a nommé Oudinot, L'amitié a nommé Marmont'' (France chose MacDonald, the army chose Oudinot, friendship chose Marmont).

Present day

Avenue de Wagram, one of the avenues leading up to the Arc de Triomphe on the Place de l'Etoile in Paris, France, is named after this battle.

External links

★ Battle of Wagram 1809 - maps, order of babtle, detailed account

★ A wargame on the battle of Wagram

References

★ David Chandler, ''Napoleon's Marshals'', Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1998, p 247-251.