Wolf Hunt

by Isabel Reid (Translator) Armand Cabasson

  The men advanced in serried ranks but broke rank the moment they set foot on the bridges. The officers reorganised the soldiers once they were safely on the other bank. In the predawn gloom, torches provided the only light. As the hours passed, the Grande Armée formed an extremely dense unit: the army corps of Masse-na, Oudinot and Davout marched at the front, supported by Mont-brun’s light cavalry and Grouchy’s dragoons. The French were able to position themselves rapidly without losing their cohesion. When Archduke Charles finally understood what Napoleon was doing he hastily sent troops to prevent the French from advancing as they pleased. But those troops were insufficient to interrupt the march of Oudinot’s and Davout’s sixty thousand men. Meanwhile Massena’s IV Corps was taking the villages of Essling and Aspern from the rear.

  By six o’clock that evening, Napoleon’s operation had been successfully completed. His army had crossed the Danube unimpeded, manoeuvring itself with spectacular speed. The Austrians, taken unawares, had not been able to hinder their deployment. The Grande Armée occupied the immense plain of Marchfeld, the terrain earmarked by the Emperor. It formed a convex arc backing onto the river. The centre was about six miles north-east of the bridges. The majority of the troops, the corps of Bernadotte, Macdonald, Grenier, Marmont and Oudinot, were positioned on the front line. The Imperial Guard was placed behind, with Bessiere’s heavy cavalry, that is to say, eight thousand cuirassiers and carabineers. The left flank, spread over six miles, was relatively weak. It consisted only of part of Bernadotte’s Saxons and Massena’s IV Corps. Behind this last lay the villages of Aspern and Essling. The right wing was made up of Davout’s III Corps, Montbrun’s light cavalry and the dragoons of Pully and Grouchy. Napoleon had therefore constructed a strong right flank, very mobile thanks to the high preponderance of cavalry, and a powerful centre that he intended to use in a phenomenal hammer blow to smash the Austrian centre. These concentrations of soldiers had been put together to the detriment of the left flank.

  The Austrians mirrored the French line, presenting a concave front stretching over twelve miles. Klenau’s VI Corps and Kolowrat’s III Corps assured their right flank. The élite reserve troops of the Prince of Liechtenstein joined the right flank to the extremely impressive centre. It dominated the heights of Wagram, fifty feet high and bordered by the Russbach river whose banks were extremely marshy. In the centre, Bellegarde’s I Corps, Hohen-zollern’s II Corps and the reserve cavalry of Nostitz were stationed. Finally, their left flank was made up of Rosenberg’s IV Corps and Nordmann’s vanguard.

  On the evening of 5 July Archduke Charles anxiously awaited the arrival of Archduke John, whose men were supposed to fall upon the French right, placing Napoleon in a very difficult situation. He did not know that his brother was still a long way off and was having no success in hurrying his troops along.

  Napoleon knew that time was not on his side: he would have to act quickly in order to ensure that Charles did not receive John’s reinforcements. He had no idea what Charles was planning. The Austrians had not really tried to confront him. Did Archduke Charles plan to withdraw and attack elsewhere? Until now, everything had turned out perfectly for the French. Napoleon decided to exploit the gains made during the day, contrary to his initial plan, which had not envisaged launching the principal battle until the next day. The Emperor ordered Bernadotte’s Saxons to take the village of Deutsch-Wagram, to the right of the Austrian centre. Oudinot, Prince Eugene - whose army included the corps of Macdonald and Grenier - and Davout were charged with attacking the Austrian centre.

  Napoleon told an aide-de-camp, ‘Go and tell Oudinot that I can hear nothing at the moment, that he must march a little further and give us a little music before nightfall.’

  The battle began at seven thirty. Oudinot failed in the face of the Austrians’ tenacity. Prince Eugene almost broke through but Archduke Charles came in person to galvanise his men, and there also the French had to withdraw. The French Seras Division, seeing the French beat a retreat pursued by soldiers in white coats, opened fire on these last. In fact they were Saxons attached to Dupas’s division, who had been caught in the crossfire and were fleeing. These men jostled into the Lamarque, Seras and Durutte

  Divisions, also retreating in disarray. It took a long while for these troops to regroup. Only Davout succeeded in advancing, but as his division was isolated, he too had to retreat to his starting position.

  As night fell, Bernadotte’s Saxons were still wandering about on the outskirts of the village of Deutsch-Wagram. Other Saxons, the grenadiers of the Leibgarde and the von Bose and von Edigy Battalions, were sent as reinforcements, but these infantrymen did not know exactly where their compatriots were. When they arrived in the village, the gloom and the smoke of combat added to the confusion. Soldiers in white coats appeared and the reinforcements opened fire. But they were firing on the other Saxons. While the Saxons were killing each other, the Austrians counterattacked and routed their assailants.

  This first attempt at an attack therefore ended in abject failure. Archduke Charles did not take action to profit from this, however; it was too hazardous to continue fighting at night.

  CHAPTER 31

  DURING the night, plans were revised on both sides.

  The Emperor still intended to attack the Austrian centre. Should he succeed, the enemy army would be annihilated. Napoleon wanted to achieve total victory to force Austria to surrender and to dissuade other countries from taking up arms against him. For that he had to weaken the enemy centre. He therefore chose to keep his left flank relatively fragile. It was very extended and only defended by Massena’s IV Corps. This weakness was in reality a trap. It was designed to entice the Archduke to attack on the French left. In this way Charles would be obliged to withdraw troops from his centre to reinforce the troops on his right charged with vanquishing the French left flank. In addition Davout was to overwhelm the Austrians on their left flank, to such an extent that other enemy regiments would also have to abandon the centre, to bolster this flank. And further, this French manoeuvre would prevent Archduke John’s forces from eventually joining his brother’s.

  Napoleon would then launch his principal attack: a surge against the Austrian centre. The tactic of the weak flank had worked admirably at Austerlitz. But it was absolutely imperative that Masse-na hold firm on the left flank, which would be on the receiving end of a powerful Austrian attack.

  However, Napoleon underestimated yet again the fighting spirit of the Austrians. He thought that Charles would limit himself to trying to break the French left. Against all expectation, the Austrian commander-in-chief opted for a widespread offensive. He not only decided to crush the left flank of the French with Kolowrat’s III Corps and Klenau’s VI Corps but he also ordered Rosenberg’s IV Corps to attack the French right flank while Bellegarde’s I Corps and Hohenzollern’s II Corps assailed the centre. The Liechtenstein reserve corps would launch the final onslaught.

  On 6 July, at four in the morning, Rosenberg’s IV Corps flung itself on the French right flank constituted by Davout’s III Corps. Taken by surprise, Davout’s men began to fall back. Napoleon hurried to the area with Nansouty and d’Arrighi’s cuirassiers.

  Meanwhile, Bellegarde’s I Corps took over the village of Aderklaa, which marked the angle between the French centre and its left flank. Bernadotte’s Saxon IX Corps, which had been severely tested by the previous evening’s panic, had evacuated the village. Marshal Bernadotte had considered that he would not be able to resist the Austrians and had withdrawn. Napoleon had never imagined losing Aderklaa to the Austrians; it was crucial to the success of his scheme. If the Grande Armée were to try to crush the Austrian centre with Aderklaa still in the hands of the enemy, the Austrian I Corps under Bellegarde would be free to come to offer support to the centre. In addition, the Archduke’s troops positioned on the right would be able to join the endangered centre much more rapidly, because they would not have to waste time skirting round the village. So Napoleon ordered Marshal M
assena, ‘the golden boy’ known for his victories, to retake Aderklaa. But this meant that several of Massena’s regiments would no longer be available to protect the left flank, which would become even more fragile.

  Margont was serving in the Legrand Division of Massena’s IV Corps. Three of Massena’s divisions had massed to the north-east of the left flank, very near the centre. The Boudet Division had been left three miles from there to constitute the south-west of the left flank, with only three thousand seven hundred men facing fourteen thousand soldiers of Klenau’s VI Corps, who were not yet moving from their positions.

  The 18th of the Line stayed still, in battle order, under a lowering sky of massive clouds. Margont tried to work out what was planned. Thanks to the many plumes of white smoke and to the din of the cannon and the fusillades, he could tell that battle had commenced on the French right. He asked Lefine and Saber for their opinions. The former always knew everything and the latter had a particular talent for seeing through the plans of the general staff. Lefine, normally sanguine, showed increasing signs of anxiety. He kept readjusting his coat. His agitated fingers seemed to knit his worry.

  ‘We’re on the left wing! The wings are unlucky! At Austerlitz, don’t you remember? Our right flank was destroyed! The Emperor adores offering up a flank, it’s well known.’

  Saber also seemed put out.

  There’s a better chance of promotion in the centre than on the wings. How much longer am I going to languish in the role of subaltern? For pity’s sake, if they would only give me a regiment, you would see what I am capable of! But no, here we are on the edge of the “Route to Glory”! What terrible luck!’

  ‘There’s something I can’t grasp,’ said Margont worriedly. ‘If we're to the north-east of the left wing ... who exactly is the left wing?’ ‘Boudet,’ replied Saber.

  Margont, Lefine and Piquebois looked at him in consternation. ‘Surely there must be other divisions ...’ said Lefine.

  When they looked towards the south-west they could indeed only see Boudet’s division, a minuscule dark blue rectangle surrounded by the immense golden blanket of ripe corn that no peasant had come to harvest. Whereas looking towards the centre, they could make out a stupefying conglomeration of troops. The regiments were stacked one against the other. Column succeeded column, blue rectangle succeeded blue rectangle, lines of cuirassiers glinted in the sun, batteries were positioning themselves ... Compared to these masses, Boudet’s division appeared derisory, a little stone fallen by accident from Napoleon’s pocket. ‘It’s bait designed to attract a very large Austrian fish,’ explained Saber. ‘But if the fish is hungry and if he struggles, he will swallow everything ...’

  Should Boudet’s division get into difficulties, there was every chance that the Legrand Division, the closest unit, would be sent to help them out. Margont realised that after having been unwitting bait in Relmyer’s trap, he now found himself bait once again, this time in Napoleon’s trap ...

  Massena was being carried in a barouche, having been injured a few days earlier in a fall from his horse. His carriage, pulled by four white horses, attracted round shot that missed the marshal but felled the members of his general staff one by one. Massena had come to supervise the assault on the village of Aderklaa. He launched the Carra Saint-Cyr Division, which did indeed succeed in taking over the village. Bernadotte’s Saxons supported it on the right. But the soldiers of Carra Saint-Cyr, galvanised by their success, passed on from Aderklaa and flung themselves on Belle-garde’s Austrians, whereupon they were decimated by horrifying fire power. Archduke Charles arrived to lead a counterattack and the Austrians retook the village. The Saxons were in the process of withdrawing when the enemy light cavalry charged them. Under the nose of the appalled Marshal Bernadotte, the majority of IX Saxon Corps disintegrated into a mass of fleeing men. Napoleon, who had hurried to the right flank to try to avert disaster, crossed the battlefield in the opposite direction, trying to rally the fleeing and demoralised Saxons.

  Margont was facing his company to make sure they were correctly aligned. He saw with astonishment dozens of faces registering horror. He turned round to see a knot of soldiers in flight. It was a frightening rout. Saxons, French and Hessians were running until they were out of breath, barging into each other. This wave was hurrying towards the Legrand Division. Lefine looked at this spectacle, unable to take it in, as if it were a vast optical illusion.

  ‘Well, we’re not ready to play “Victory Is Ours” he murmured. ‘Don’t panic! Close ranks!’ exclaimed Margont.

  Everywhere, officers were giving similar orders. If the Legrand Division did not manage to stay in battle order, the Austrians would attack it in its turn.

  Piquebois, who considered himself rather dashing playing the role of the wounded soldier bravely preparing to enter battle again, a role he supplemented with an entirely unnecessary cane, shouted: ‘Don’t worry, the 8th Hussars are in the vicinity! I was one of them; they’re a fiercesome bunch! I’ll break my cane over the head of the first man to run for it!’

  Saber was even more vindictive.

  ‘We don’t need the Saxons! They’re traitors! I’m sure they did it on purpose because they’re hand in glove with the Austrians! We’ll have them shot after the victory.’

  But the ranks broke up anyway, undulating and fusing together ...

  the formation becoming more and more confused. The recruits were no longer listening to anything. Many had practically never fought. Up until now, they had imagined that battles took place in an orderly fashion; that Napoleon understood the situation in a single glance, clicked his fingers to make the soldiers advance and a great victory was immediately won. This debacle alarmed them. They had the impression that it was the entire Grande Armée that was fleeing and they certainly did not want to be the last to have stayed in place ...

  Margont saw his company subsiding in on itself as if squeezed by gigantic invisible hands. It was like a child curling up into a ball. ‘Stay calm! Close up,’ he repeated, while the first fugitives ran past him.

  Major Materre suddenly appeared at full gallop, and pulled on his reins. His horse pirouetted, finally stopped, and snorted. The superior officer was outraged.

  ‘Captain Margont, keep control of your company! You’re causing chaos!’

  The major immediately departed again, which worried the infantry still further. The bulk of the fleeing soldiers was now almost upon them and as they could not go round the Legrand Division, they struck through the middle, barging through the ranks, knocking over the aligned infantry, who took advantage of the chaos to join them ... The fugitives were like a hailstorm carrying away fragments of the formation. Officers hit them with the flat of their sabres to frighten them and oblige them to stop. The entire division began to retreat in a gigantic mass, carried gradually away by the flood.

  Saber hurried over to Margont. ‘Has someone given the order to retreat? Must we stay in position or should we pull back?’

  ‘What do I know?’

  General Legrand’s seven thousand men were moving backwards at a growing pace. Loud detonations could be heard, coming more and more quickly until they turned into a continuous roar. Belle-garde’s Austrians had installed batteries in front of the village of Aderklaa and were bombarding the French at point-blank range.

  The round shot decimated the lines of infantry, causing horrifying gaps. Now the Legrand Division resembled a gigantic creature from which the Austrian artillery was tearing lumps of flesh. A ball ricocheted past Margont and landed on his company, scything off a series of legs. Margont froze, petrified, and then mechanically followed his retreating men.

  ‘Close ranks!’ he shouted, his mind focused on one thing: if the division did not stay packed closely together, it would be exterminated.

  The left flank and the left of the French centre were on the brink of collapse. Bellegarde’s I Corps and the élite Liechtenstein Corps would have been able to launch a massive attack on that weakened part of the French ar
my. But Archduke Charles was a prudent strategist. He insisted that a corps should only advance after he was certain that it could stay linked to its neighbouring corps, so as to avoid leaving any breaches in their line. Bellegarde therefore waited for the arrival of Kolowrat’s III Corps on his right, before acting. But Kolowrat still had several miles to cover because he

  was positioned too far west, the Archduke having thought that Napoleon would choose the same battlefield as he had used in May.

  Napoleon profited from this relative respite. He went to the menaced zone and succeeded in rallying some of the fleeing soldiers. He immediately sent the remains of the Saxon regiments to the centre of his arrangement - the safest position - so that they could regain their confidence. The Legrand and Carra Saint-Cyr Divisions stopped retreating and began to re-establish themselves for battle. Nansouty’s cuirassiers, come to reinforce these divisions, offered protection. Napoleon was therefore present for an impressive spectacle. The enemy right wing finally began to act, after having been delayed by the slow working of the Austrian army mechanism. Kolowrat’s sixteen thousand men started to attack the north-east of the French left flank, while Klenau’s fourteen thousand soldiers of VI Corps marched against the south-west, defended only by Boudet’s division and the heavy artillery of the Isle of Lobau. The noise of the long, wide white columns advancing was deafening. They streaked the plain in perfectly ordered lines.

  It was both good and catastrophic news for Napoleon. Good news because the Austrians were falling into his trap. Catastrophic because, with the poor state of the left flank and the left part of the centre, it could be considered that in fact it was the French who were falling into their own snare. A race against time began: Napoleon had to smash the Austrian centre before his adversaries could sweep away his left flank.