I Innovations in
warfare toward the end of the eighteenth century
A Old Regime
1 Belidor, Gribeauval: lighter weight artillery, 1763
2 Du Teil brothers: the tactic of massing artillery, 1770s
3 Broglie:
self-contained divisions, dispersal for trave l&
concentration for battle
4 Guibert: ordre mixte (mixed
order) of line and column
B The Revolution
1 Use of free skirmishers (fusiliers,
grenadiers, light cavalry) for reconnaissance
2 Elimination of huge baggage trains
and tactic of requisitioning off the land
3 Levée
en masse, or the nation in arms, and
mixing of conscripts and volunteers
4 Careers open to talent and a young, talented officers corps
II
Elements
of Bonaparte’s tactical genius
A Combination of meticulous planning
and improvisation
B Almost unfailing sense of whole
chess board
C Offensive-mindedness,
or instinct for the jugular
D Use of concentrated heavy cavalry
at decisive juncture in battle
III The Ulm-Austerlitz
campaigns of 1805, and background
A Elements of breakdown of brief Peace
of Amiens with
1
2 French annexation
of Piedmont & Genoa & actions in
3 English seizure of French ships on
high seas and French seizure of
B Formation of hostile coalitions
1 Third Coalition:
2 French alliance with
C Beginning of hostilities
1
Concentration of army near
2
3 Bonaparte’s decision to break camp
in
D “
1 False assumption of
2 Mack’s invasion of
3 Approach of
Russian army (Kutusov); Bonaparte’s speedy entry into
empire
4 Encirclement of Mack and surrender
of 25,000 in
E Battle of
1 Bonaparte’s unsuccessful pursuit of
Kutusov, crossing Danube at
2 Juncture of Kutusov
with Buxhowden & Czar Alexander near Olmütz (90,000)
3 Juncture of Archdukes Charles and
John in
4 Threat of Prussian intervention,
with Convention of Potsdam of 3 November
5 Bonaparte’s temporary occupation of
6 Strategic dispersal of French
corps; calculated withdrawal from Pratzen heights
7 Battle of Austerlitz (protagonists:
Weyrother, Kolowrat,
Liechtenstein, Bagration and Emperor Francis on
Austro-Russian side, Le Grand, Davout, Soult, Bernadotte, Lannes, Murat, Vandamme, Saint-Hilaire and Nap.
on French side