Battle of Amstetten

Battle of Amstetten
Part of theWar of the Third Coalition
Battle of Amstetten byProsper LafayeandJean Alaux,1834-1837
Date 5 November 1805 Location Amstetten,Lower Austria 48.1167°N 14.8667°E/48.1167; 14.8667 Result Inconclusive
Belligerents
France	Habsburg Empire Russia
Commanders and leaders
Joachim Murat Jean Lannes	Michael Kienmayer Pyotr Bagration
Strength
Around 10,000 soldiers	6,700-7,900soldiers
Casualties and losses
1,000	Russian Empire: 300 killed or wounded <700 prisoners Austrian Empire: 1,000 killed, wounded, or prisoners

War of the Third Coalition:
Austria

100km
62miles

Austerlitz

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

  

current battle

Napoleon in command

Napoleon not in command

TheBattle of Amstettenwas a minor engagement during theWar of the Third Coalitionbetween theFirst French Empireand the alliance ofAustriaandRussia.It occurred on 5 November 1805, when the retreating Russo-Austrian troops, led byMikhail Kutuzov,were intercepted byMarshalJoachim Murat's cavalry and a portion of MarshalJean Lannes' corps.Pyotr Bagrationdefended against the advancing French troops and allowed the Russian troops to retreat. This was the first fight in which a major part of the Russian Army opposed a significant number of French troops in the open.The total number ofRusso-Austriantroops was around 6,700, while the French troops numbered roughly 10,000 troops. The Russo-Austrian forces suffered more casualties but were still able to successfully retreat.

Background

The Battle of Amstetten took place during theWar of the Third Coalition,which lasted from 1803 to 1806. This battle took place immediately after the Austrian surrender in theUlm Campaign.Following the surrender ofKarl Mack von Leiberichin theBattle of Ulm,the Russian forces led byKutuzovdecided to retreat along the Danube to regroup with other Russian troops.Napoleonwas determined to pin down the Russian army and sent Joachim Murat and Jean Lannes to intercept the retreating Russian army.

Battle

The French army initially caught up the Russians around Enns, Austria roughly 50 km west of Amstetten and then again at Oed, which was 3 km west of Amstetten. Bagration decided to fend off the French Army at Amstetten and posted his infantry and cavalry atop the hills on both sides of the main road. The artillery was positioned on the main road for the best line of fire. Murat led an initial charge with his cavalry escort of two squadrons against three Austrian cavalry regiments. His troops were overwhelmed and forced to fall back. Murat's troops were then reinforced byNicolas Oudinot’s grenadiers who were able to preventBagration’s advance and forced his line to retreat back into Amstetten.Muratwaited for the balance of his column to arrive with Lannes. Lannes was ordered to move against positions held by Bagration and proceeded to attack. Bagration requested reinformancements and was then joined by Miloradovich along with four infantry regiments, ten cavalry regiments and extra artillery. As the battle persisted, The RussianJägerswere forced to fall back and a further attack upon Amstetten routed aGrenz infantrybattalion. The battle dwindled down by nightfall.

Aftermath

One thousand Austrian soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured. Three hundred Russian soldiers were killed or wounded, and fewer than seven hundred were captured. Bagration successfully performed his duty as therear guardand allowed the remaining Russo-Austrian troops to retreat overnight. The Russo-Austrian troops suffered more casualties than the French army, but there is still confusion regarding who won the battle with both sides stating they were outnumbered.

References

• Bruce, George (1981).Harbottle's Dictionary of Battles.Van Nostrand Reinhold.ISBN0-442-22336-6.
• Bowden, Scott (1997).Napoleon and Austerlitz.Chicago: Emperor's Press.ISBN0-9626655-7-6.
• Kagan, Frederick W.(2007).The End of the Old Order: Napoleon and Europe, 1801–1805.Da Capo Press.ISBN978-0306811371.
• Rickard, J. (2012).Battle of Amstetten, 5 November 1805.ISBN978-0306811371.Archived fromthe originalon 2021-07-28.
• Goetz, Robert (2005).1805, Austerlitz: Napoleon and the destruction of the Third Coalition.ISBN1853676446.

External links

• Napoleonic wargame site featuring an article with orders of battle and a map[1].
• Media related toBattle of Amstettenat Wikimedia Commons

Preceded by Battle of Cape Ortegal

Napoleonic Wars Battle of Amstetten

Succeeded by Battle of Dürenstein