0940 HOURS ON 2 DECEMBER 1805 Historically, the Russians opened the action on the north flank that fateful December morning, with Bagration riding along the infantry lines shouting encouragement and the cavalry of V. Column advancing against the French by Blasowittz. (Bowden, 387) By the luck of a better initiative roll and unit movement roll, the Russians were the first to move in the wargame reconstruction. The Old Ingermanland Regiment of Musketeers moved forward slowly under their drummers steady cadence. Prince Bagration ordered his reserve horse battery to follow this mass of infantry, and the caissons rolled away, moving to the left rear of these three battalions. To the left of this advance, the Cossacks under MG Chaplits galloped off toward the waiting French line. Further south, the cavalry of V. Column made their appearance on the field. The large Uhlan Regiment under MG Penitzki leading the way. These horseman were followed - in some disorganized fashion - by the regiments comprising Uvarov's Brigade. Each of these regiments however, had a half-battery of horse guns attached. A single battalion of Guard Jaegers also made its way onto the field. These smartly dressed and veteran infantry moved with some purpose toward the houses and garden walls of Blasowitz. The French response to this rapidly developing mounted threat on their right was limited. (Their die roll for unit activation / movement was not very good.) Nansouty's heavy horse remained in place, but the attached horse battery moved forward and unlimbered. Kellermann's light horse moved up with its horse battery in train. And, betting on the fact that history may not repeat itself, Eppler, commanding the right-most brigade in the French battle line, ordered his two veteran battalions to form square. General de Brigade Eppler himself, moved his suite of officers into the battalion square at the very edge of the French line. The French squares offered too tempting a target for the now deployed guns of the Old Ingermanland Regiment. But due to range, the stiffness of the gunners muscles from the cold and most of all, a very poor throw of the dice, the Russian cannon fire could not find these stationary targets. The French too, were poor shots during these initial turns. The deployed horse battery of Nansouty's division bounced its round shot to the left of the massed regiment of Uhlans. Kellermann's light horse continued their advance, moving to a screening position in front of the squares of the 13th Legere. Their supporting battery unlimbered at this point, just to the right of the Van Marisy's troopers. Nansouty ordered his troopers forward, too. They walked their horses up slowly, making sure to maintain alignment. When the command to halt was given, these three regiments stood at an angle to their light brothers in Kellermann's command. It was at this hour that Walther's Dragoons made their appearance on the field. These impressive mounts trotted on in column formation, coming in just behind Marshals Lannes and Murat. Both men were too busy with what was beginning to take shape on the plain in front of them - especially to their right (south of the Brunn-Olmutz Road) to acknowledge the arrival of this cavalry. Both men were perplexed too, by the seemingly sudden cessation in the Russian advance. Then, just as suddenly, the Russians resumed their rapid march. Their efforts continued to be focused on this left flank of the field. Chaplits' Cossacks, perhaps unwisely, threw themselves at Kellermann's horse and paid dearly. Staggered by horse artillery as they went in, the irregular horsemen were decimated by the countercharges of the French light horse. Fully two regiments of Cossacks ceased to exist, and one-half of the remaining regiment was unhorsed. MG Chaplits, not being attached and not being that keen on mixing it up with the French sabers, survived this first bloody action. The French were not completely unscathed, however. The Uhlans came up in support of the reckless charge and when Van Marisy's troopers broke through, they were met by a wall of leveled lances. Half of the Frenchmen wound up on the wrong end on the lance and the survivors broke off to try and rally behind Eppler's squares. Picard's men were unaffected by all this, though they were in a state of some disorder after beating back the Russian irregular horsemen. As this was taking place, another melee developed to the French right. Nansouty's heavy horse moved up and engaged the first two regiments of Uvarov's Brigade. Having forced the retreat of the French lights, the Uhlan regiment did not pursue but wheeled smartly to the left and engaged the flank of Saint-Germain's Brigade of Cuirassiers. And yet, even with this added weight, the Russian battle cavalry were not a match for the French horse. All along the line, squadron after squadron of Hussars and Dragoons were decimated. The Elisabetgrad Hussars alone, suffered 80% loss in dead and wounded! The Kharkov Dragoons and Uhlans each suffered almost 20% losses in this swirling engagement. Fortunately, the Russians had a Dragoon Regiment in close reserve. These troopers watched as their much reduced comrades fell back from the French line. On the right end of the victorious French line. Piston's Carabiniers pursued and fell upon the Guard Jaegers. These men had not yet reached the safety of Blasowitz. Even though caught in the open and in a poor formation, the Jaegers gave a good account of themselves. In a very close fought melee, the Carabiniers finally did break these stalwart Russians and send them routing. After such a hard-fought melee, the Carabiniers rallied back to their sister regiments, who were also reorganizing after the sharp contest. Faced as these regiments were, with a relatively large number of deployed Russian guns (three half-batteries of artillery had deployed behind the Russian regiments) and a fresh regiment of Dragoons, Nansouty did not want to press his or his mens fortune. Cafferelli's infantry did not move during this combat to its right front. The General briefly considered having a couple more of his brigades adopt the defensive square formation, but decided that his commanders were experienced enough to know when and if to do so. His fellow division commander, Suchet, was under no such pressure. To the north of the dividing Brunn-Olmutz Road, the men under Suchet's command moved out smartly at this mid-morning hour. The foot batteries of the division leading the way; the wheels of their caissons creaking as they rolled over the frozen ground. Behind the serried ranks of infantry, d'Hautpoul Cuirassiers walked their mounts in support. In a little over an hour of scaled game time then, the reconstruction seemed to be following the historical course of the battle accurately. By no means was this my intention, for as Featherstone relates in Battlenotes for Wargamers, "This is an historical exercise, not a wargame, and will only serve as a demonstration of what occurred in the real-life battle." (11) The opening actions were fought on the southern portion of the battlefield, and the Russian cavalry had borne the brunt of fighting and casualties. The Cossacks - what were left - as expected, did not rally and continued their retreat. The Hussars did, despite grievous loss and reformed behind their artillery. The Kharkov Dragoons however, also continued to fall back. The Uhlans, more embarrassed than hurt, rallied quickly as well. These splendid horsemen reforming to the right of the Russian horse batteries. The French concentrated on reforming and reorganizing, too. The handling by the Uhlans proved too much for Van Marisy's troopers though, and these men decided that it would be better to run away and so, live to fight another day. While the cavalry of both sides sorted themselves out, the artillery of each side kept up a lively fire. It was only lively in respect to volume and smoke produced in the morning air, however. The Russians, now with a number of batteries (or halfbatteries) deployed could not find the range against the squares of Eppler's light infantry or even the reforming cavalry of Nansouty's command. The greatly outnumbered French guns replied as best they could: counter-battery fire against the main line of Russian guns proved ineffective. Kellermann's attached battery did succeed in knocking over a file or three of Uhlans, bringing that unit close to 50% effectiveness. In order to avoid further harm from the French, the Uhlans withdrew out of range. Their sister regiment, the Elisabetgrad Hussars did rally and recovered on the right flank of the Chernigov Dragoons. Both cavalry units were in line about 60 yards behind the deployed horse guns. The Prince's own battery of artillery galloped into the approximate center of the southern part of the field and unlimbered. These additional guns would bring the number of Russian cannon in action on the left flank to 36 pieces. Against this, the French had only the guns of Cafferelli's infantry and the horse guns of Kellermann's and Nansouty's divisions. As the morning wore on, this advantage would prove costly for the French. With the threat posed by the Russian horse ended, the French light infantry came out of their squares and reformed into lines. Believing he could better influence the action when he was at the center of it, Marshal Murat nodded to Lannes and galloped off with his suite of officers and aides following. Having just received orders to move to this point of the French battle line, Walther's Dragoons seemed to chase after the Marshal. These sturdy horsemen remained in column formation however, and moved at a slow canter. At about an hour from mid-day, a detached battalion of Guard Fusiliers marched on the field. They made for the village of Blasowitz. Following behind this lone battalion of infantry came yet another battery of horse guns. These cannon, however, were manned by crews of the Imperial Guard. The Russians could not fully expect to hold the ground on this flank with just cavalry and cannon. Indeed, two of their original regiments failed to rally after their drubbing at the hands of the French and withdrew off the field. The Cossacks (much reduced) were no great loss, but the Kharkov Dragoons were one-third of Uvarov's Brigade. Lt. Gen. von Essen II wondered, while he sorted out what remained of the V. Column horse, just what a single battalion of Fusiliers could do against an entire division of French Infantry and two of French cavalry. A heavy exchange of artillery fire announced the arrival of the Fusiliers on the field. The Russian guns found targets in the newly formed lines of light infantry of Eppler's regiments as well as in the ranks of La Houssaye's Cuirassiers. In response, a French battery added insult to injury and further discomforted the remnants of the Elisabetgrad Hussars. Kellermann's horse battery was also successful in suppressing a section of Prince Bagration's reserve battery. These pieces were forced to withdraw from the firing line. The exchange of fire served as a kind of signal as well for the lethargic French. As if one body, their whole line suddenly surged forward. This movement included the units of Suchet's division on the north end of the field. Additionally, the assorted French light cavalry on the far left of the line made a bold advance toward the still Russians. (On this flank, the cavalry contest was basically even: the French having three light brigades and two heavy versus the three heavy and two light brigades of the Russian Advanced Guard.) The south end of the field remained the focus for most commanders however, as Murat was directing no less than seven regiments of French horse (Nansouty's division in the lead, Walther in support and Kellermann's remaining brigade guarding the left of the Cuirassiers) against the rough line of Russian guns and supporting horse. The Russians had, altogether, two regiments. There was the untouched regiment of Dragoons and then, what was left of the Uhlans and the poor Hussars. On the following turn, the initiative swung back to the Russian side though both they and the French would be moving a similar number of units. With respect to artillery fire, the volume remained high and the Russian batteries began to find the range. The 2nd battalion of the 13th Legere was the first to feel this weight as 2 companies were wrecked by very effeative ball shot. On the far left of the Russian line, horse artillery let fly with canister rounds against the French heavy cavalry which had misjudged the distance. No less than three squadrons of Carabiniers and Cuirassiers were felled by this fire. Saint-Germain's Brigade, remarkably, emerged unscathed. It's sister regiments however, were quite bloodied. The guns of the French were screened by their cavalry and so, could not find any targets. On the north edge of the field however, Suchet's field batteries had deployed and had found the range against the Russian light horse making up part of the front line. The Mariupol Regiment took some casualties; the Pavlograd Regiment, suffering less but still being disordered by the iron passing through the ranks. The French light horse increased their pressure against this flank of the Russian line, and forced the Jaeger battalions of the 5th Regiment to form square. The response to the French came from farther back too, as Voropaitzki's battle cavalry moved up in support of the 5th. Back on the other end of the field, Lt. Gen von Essen II attached himself to the Chemigov Dragoons and advanced through the battery line to attack the disordered French horse of Nansouty's 1st Division. The Uhlans saw this charge too late and could not move up in full support in time. The threat did force Saint-Germain's Brigade to peel off from the line of heavies so that they could counter this advance. The much depleted Hussars of the V. Column stayed behind the Russian gun line. Picard's Brigade (part of Kellermann's command) found an opening in the Russian line here on this flank, and as other elements were engaged or were about to be so, this veteran unit cantered forward looking for deeper gaps or even flanks of infantry that could be exploited. Just south of the Brunn-Olmutz Road, Caffarelli's men marched forward and his division guns unlimbered. The musketeers of the Old Ingermanland Regiment, though outnumbered 3-1, marched forward as well. In the hard-fought melee between the Chernigov Dragoons and Nansouty's heavy horsemen, the Russians prevailed. The French were still disorganized from the effects of the canister and the Dragoons were fresh and seeking revenge for the drubbing their sister regiments had taken earlier in the morning. La Houssaye's and Piston's Brigades took additional losses and then fell back in fair order. The Russian commander exercised firm control over this regiment and recalled them as soon as he noticed the French give way. Part of one squadron did reach Nansouty's position however and succeeded in killing two aides and wounded the General. Similarly, Saint-Germain ordered an immediate recall after his troopers destroyed what there was left of the Grand Duke Constantine Regiment. A breakthrough could have been attempted, and the Russian guns threatened thereby. Such a move by SaintGermain's Brigade would have resulted in its isolation though and left it subject to concentrated cannon fire and whatever Lt. Gen von Essen or Skepelov could scrape together and throw in its way. Saint-Germain decided that it would be better to recall and reform along with the other brigades of Nansouty's 1st Division. The initiative stayed with the Russians as the hour of Noon approached. Their fortune with regard to effective artillery fire remained as well. The poor men of the 2nd Battalion / 13th Legere were once again shredded by terrible canister from the half-battery of Bagration's reserve battery. And though they had withdrawn out of canister range, La Houssaye's Cuirassiers now suffered from solid shot, as the line of Russian horse guns from V. Column found the range. This Brigade had taken three times as many casualties from the enemy cannon as it had from enemy troopers. Counter-battery fire by the French guns did succeed in destroying a couple of pieces and suppressing one of the half-batteries, however. The line infantry of the 17th Regiment took their first casualties of the day as the battalion guns (combined into one battery for ease of movement, etc.) of the Old Ingermanland Regiment also found the range. This fire was returned in kind; the French field guns knocking down several files of musketeers in the 2nd Battalion. And at this same time, on the French left, the batteries of Suchet's Division were starting to find the range against the 5th Jaeger Regiment. Here too, the center battalion took casualties as cannon  balls ripped through the front and back sides of the square. And, as the Noon hour rapidly approached, both sides drew closer. On the northern aspect of the battlefield, the Russian battle cavalry maneuvered between the squares of the Jaeger regiment, sorting themselves back into line and facing off against the French lights some 700 yards distant. Cavalry movement was taking place in the center and at the south edge of the field as well. Picard's Brigade wheeled and charged into the flank of Bagration's Reserve Battery. This was the same half-battery which had so roughly handled the one battalion of Eppler's light infantry. Farther down the French right, Walther and Murat were in the advance of the 2nd Dragoon Division as another cavalry "charge" against the Russian gun line was planned. While all this was going on, the infantry of the French 1st Division and the musketeers of the Old Ingermanland Regiment dressed their ranks in preparation for first volleys. The Hussars of Picard's Brigade made quick and bloody work of the Russian artillerymen. In a matter of minutes, not one crew member was left standing. Flushed with this sharp victory, the light horsemen were drawn to the exposed flank of a battalion of the Old Ingermanland Regiment. These men were engaged in a musketry duel with the battalions of the 30th Line Regiment. Initially, these first shots were poor but then, the musketeer battalion on the other end of the line delivered a crushing first volley against the 2nd Battalion of the 30th; killing or wounding half of the blue-coated soldiers. Engaged as they were with the action to their front, the 3rd Battalion of the Old Ingermanland Regiment did not see the French horse until it was too late. The Hussars came on in no order, but were very soon in the midst of startled and surprised infantry. These men broke under the attack, most throwing down their weapons and running to the rear. The rout did not go unnoticed by the commander of the 2nd Battalion, however. He was able to shift one company to meet the bloodlusted Frenchmen. In a swirling contest - more of wills than of actual contact as the Hussars lacked any formation whatsoever - more than several troopers were dropped from their saddles by effective small arms fire. Kellermann too, found himself the target of some of this fire. He escaped, luckily enough, with only a ball in the left arm. Four of his junior officers were not so lucky. Holding his sword and reins in the same hand, he ordered that recall be played and turned what was left of his suite around. What remained of Picard's Brigade then, retreated through the gaps of Caffarelli's infantry formations. (Please see Map II for status of field at this point in the wargame.) The arrival of Noon witnessed an inexplicable immobility by all of the French forces. Perhaps the near loss of two Generals, the effectiveness of the Russian artillery fire and the fact that they were really just supposed to be fighting a holding action against this Advanced Guard, explained this away. The Russians did not worry about what might be the answer, they simply continued to decrease the number of French facing them with shot and shell from their artillery. Once again, French cavalry was subjected to galling canister fire on the southern flank of the field. Walther's 2nd Brigade, under Belloguet, took a number of casualties as the Russian guns spewed forth a withering fire. Fortunately, Walther and Murat escaped the effects of this issue. The flanking brigades of the Dragoon Division were also untouched by the artillery. In the developing contest between infantry commands near the center of the field, the 17th Line took a number of hits too, from the Russian battalion guns. The French could reply to none of it, as on this half of the ground, their batteries were screened by friendly forces. On the north end of the field though, the French guns did again find the range. Half of one company of musketeers of the Pskov Regiment would not be leaving the field at the end of the day. The move by the Russian battle cavalry to the front of the Jaeger squares brought them into canister range of Suchet's pieces. In short order, the roll of the Leib-Cuirassier Regiment was reduced by one-third. Back on the other flank of the field, the Chemigov Dragoons were reduced to nothing. Gambling that he could repeat the effect of the previous charge against French horsemen bloodied and disordered by artillery, Lt. Gen. Von Essen II ordered this remaining Russian regiment against the center of the French Dragoon Division. The commands of Walther and Murat sought the protection afforded by Belloguet's surviving squadrons. These same squadrons were only to happy to be able to repay the Russian horse for the damage they had suffered moments ago. Only a few Dragoons rode back with von Essen to the security of the gun line. The rest of their regiment - excluding mounts - was either dead, wounded or captured. With the exception of the "squadron" of Elisabetgrad Hussars still standing, the cavalry of V. Column had ceased to exist. The Russians did have, however, a very solid line of artillery on this sector of the field. The Guard Fusilier Battalion too, would prove a difficult "piece of work" as it had finally arrived in the village of Blasowitz. In the immediate area, the French had only mounted troops. There was no way that these men could threaten the Fusiliers who were quickly making the houses on the edge of the village into strong points. The French could try to bring artillery to bear. However, they had mainly light guns and without infantry to follow up the disorder created by this fire, any attempt to wrest the village from the Russians would prove futile. Things did indeed look futile for the remaining two battalions of the Old Ingermanland Regiment. Pressured by three times their number, the Russian infantry began a fighting withdrawal. They gave almost as good as they received; each volley bringing down as many Frenchmen as fell from their own ranks. Prince Bagration was hurriedly trying to bring his remaining musketeers into line and thereby offer some support and or relief for these battered men. North of the Brunn-Olmutz Road, instead of reacting to the French, the Russians were trying to make the blue-coated infantry and cavalry "dance to their tune." The strong line of battle cavalry surged forward, almost coming to grips with the French light horse. The Russian light horse followed suit, coming up in the middle. As they had farther to go, they found themselves, unfortunately, just inside canister range of the French field pieces. The French Dragoon Division had yet to advance up to and or through the line of Russian horse guns on the southern flank. Taking advantage of the lack of French resolve, the Russians let fly with more rounds of canister. The Guard battery which had come on the field with the Fusilier battalion, joined in this "fun." Belloguet's Brigade again suffered the worst of it. Sebastiani's troopers felt the heat of this fire, too. It was small consolation then, that return fire from Kellermann's light battery ended the existence of the Elisabetgrad Hussars. French cannon fire was effective as well, on the other side of the field. The Pavlograd Hussars losing half their men as canister swept the squadrons. Its sister regiment escaped without too much loss, but was staggered nonetheless. In the center, the advantage fell with the Russians as the combined weight of battalion guns and Bagration's half-battery decimated (again) the men of the 17th Line Regiment. Seeing the condition of his front rank units, General de Division Caffarelli gave orders for a passage of lines. The reduced battalions of the 30th and 17th Regiments would withdraw through the fresh and full-strength battalions of the 51st and 61st Regiments. To Caffarelli's right, Walther and Murat were of a similar mind. They agreed that the Dragoons should turn about and reform outside of canister range before making another attempt to rid the French right of any Russian presence. The Guard Fusiliers sniped at the Dragoons as they rode past Blasowitz, but this fire was largely ineffective. Back to the north side of the field, the Russian battle cavalry did finally close with their French counter-parts. The light cavalry that had come up as well, charged the batteries of Suchet's Division. This proved disastrous. It seemed that this day was just not a day for cavalry versus the artillery arm. One regiment was obliterated by the combined effects of close-range canister and supporting musketry from nearby infantry. The other regiment endured this galling fire and made it into the guns. However, the battery commander had kept half his pieces in reserve and these were double-shotted. Sheets of flame and great clouds of white-grey smoke signaled the end of many a Hussar's life. Only one-quarter of the troopers made their way back to reform and rally under Wittgenstein's hand. Not having to face any cannon, the Russian battle cavalry faired much better in their combat with the French light horse. All three French regiments were forced to retreat. Milhaud's command was especially harmed in the action. Treillard's units made up for this loss however, by breaking the St. Petersburg Dragoons. In order to maintain integrity, these Frenchmen made no pursuit of the survivors. They pulled back with the rest of this ad hoc division. The Russians made no attempt to pursue, either. Major General Voropaitzki recalled his troopers and consolidated on the newly won - but at a steep price - ground. As the one o'clock hour approached, artillery continued to be the dominating factor on the battlefield. This was evident in the experience of the 51st Line Regiment of Caffarelli's Division. These men had relieved the decimated battalions of the 17th Regiment, only to find themselves in the direct line of galling Russian canister fire. With a single discharge, half of this proud regiment lay dead or wounded on the frozen ground. Indeed, there were a large number of men from the 1st Division littering the field - so effective had the Russian cannon fire been. Surprisingly, the batteries on the south end of the field did not shoot so well. For the better part of two hours, these guns had wrecked havoc on the French heavy horse when it dared to attempt to close. Now that they had withdrawn to a relatively safe distance, the Russian crewmen seemed to have forgot what they knew about solid shot and finding the range. The French horse guns replied more effectively. The battery with the Guard Fusiliers lost two pieces to well-aimed fire and the remainder of the battery was suppressed. And then, north of the BrunnOlmutz Road, one of Suchet's batteries crippled a battalion of the Pskov Regiment. North of the main road too, the 5th Jaegers redeployed into line formation from square. Maj. General Dolgoruky determined that the threat of French infantry and artillery was now more immediate than cavalry. Having reformed his troopers, Voropaitzki led a new charge against the withdrawn French lights. These bodies of horse were met again, just before the village of Bosenitz. Claparede's light infantry could only watch from their position just inside the village hedgerows and walls. In response to this "penetration," the 88th Line Regiment formed into square and d'Hautpoul re-arranged his heavy cavalry squadrons. He ordered his battery of horse artillery to deploy forward. In the center of the field, Prince Bagration had ordered the Arkangelgorod Regiment to replace the battered Old Ingermanland Regiment in the front line. This was accomplished without pressure from the French, as their units were in no real shape to take advantage of the passage of lines. On Bagration's left, the small 6th Jaeger Regiment came out of square and moved forward to support the developing contest. They were countered by the French light infantry of Eppler, though one of his battalions was much reduced in strength. In the subsequent musketry duel, French battalions from the bloodied 1st Division gave as much punishment as they endured. Three Russian battalions were staggered and one lost approximately half of its men. The French also succeeded in bringing down a number of crewmen from the battery that had caused them so much trouble. On the French side of the exchange, a battalion of the 61st Line lost half of its men. Of the 10 battalions making up this French division, there were only two battalions that had not been touched by enemy fire. The majority of the battalions were operating at 50% effectiveness. Some units, like the 1st of the 13th Legere, were operating with just a couple of companies positioned around the colors. On the north flank of the field, for the second time in an hour, the Russian battle cavalry defeated the French light horse and sent the survivors flying to the rear. Milhaud's squadrons were completely destroyed. And this time, Treillard's Hussars did not reply in kind against the Russians. For the second time too, the Russians opted not to pursue. Their commanders noting the village directly to their front; their relatively isolated position in the French lines; and, the fresh regiments of French heavy cavalry, standing ominously still to the south of their present position. Voropaitzki again ordered recall. As it had done throughout the day, at the turn of the one o'clock hour, artillery continued to dominate the field. In the south, Belloguet's Dragoons succumbed to long range fire from the Russian horse batteries. Walther immediately ordered his surviving regiments to cover the open frontage. Counter-battery fire proved marginally effective in this corner of the field as the French forced another suppression result against a stand of Russian guns. In the center of the field, though many cannon were screened by the wrestling formations of infantry, the Russian battalion guns scored yet another hit on the 51st Line Regiment. This added to the already bloody casualty rolls for the 1st Division. Russian fire on the north side of the Brunn-Olmutz Road was effective as well. Here, Beker's men of the 34th Line came under cruel canister fire and were mowed down. The French, in contrast, did not shoot so very well. The exposed flank of Voropaitzki's horse was completely missed by the light guns of the 2nd Heavy Cavalry Division. d'Hautpoul cursed when he saw that his battery had no effect on the Russians. He then ordered his Cuirassiers into the charge against this same exposed flank. With respect to the contest between infantry of either side, the exchange was more equitable for the French. On the north flank, the 34th and 40th Line Regiments traded fire and casualty rates with battalions of the 5th Jaegers and with Musketeers of the Pskov Regiment. Meanwhile, in the center, casualties continued to mount for the 1st Division. In a sharp fight, the last of the 1/61st Line went down under two Russian volleys. This loss was avenged by the French heavy horse of d'Hautpoul's Division, however. These troopers hit the Russians in the flank and rear, just after Claparede's light infantry fired a volley from the protection of Bosenitz into the Russian ranks. The Russian battle cavalry was swept away by the French; Voropaitzki dying in the thick of the one-sided melee. With this loss of cavalry (the Russians had only one regiment left on the field - the Mariupol Hussars - and it was operating at less than half-strength), the initiative finally swung to the French. But it was a case of too little too late, for the main bodies were at small arms range and it was now a contest of men, musketry and morale. Cannon of the 3rd Division fired into the 5th Jaeger line and brought down a number of files. The Russians countered with their own cannon in the center of the field; Prince Bagration's reserve section of horse guns destroying what remained of a battalion of the 51st. On their left flank however, the Russian fire proved ineffective. It seemed that only at shorter ranges could their guns find targets. French counterbattery fire on this same flank, in contrast, continued to be effective. Yet another section of horse artillery was forced to Withdraw from the firing line after losing two pieces, a caisson and a number of men and horses. Seeing this development, Walther and Murat once again ordered the 2nd Dragoon Division into action. These troopers were followed by the artillery of the division in addition to Kellermann's battery. The heavy division of Nansouty remained in place. Any forward advance would have skirted the edge of Blasowitz and would have brought flanking fire on the Carabiniers. For once, it appeared as if the French horse on this side of the field would have the advantage over the Russian gun line. Only one battery stood untouched. All the others were in a state of some disorder; either withdrawing or trying to get back into line. In the center, just south of the Brunn-Omultz Road, what remained of Debilly's Brigade charged into the depleted ranks of the Arkangelgorod Musketeers. A similar attack was launched on their left, as the 34th Regiment advanced against the Pskov Musketeers. This advance had a little more support than that of the center if only for the reason that the units of the 3rd Division were not as reduced as those of the 1st Division. Additionally, d'Hautpoul's cavalry was on this flank and they were reforming and getting in formation to maneuver against the right end of the Russian line. When the firing ceased - there were a few discharges here and there - the Russian lines stood. It was reduced in number, but it remained in place. The 5th Jaegers lost a battalion in the fire fight against the 40th, but everywhere else, the Russian infantryman stood his ground. Every French battalion save one was thrown back in disorder by the crushing volleys. The one battalion that did come to grips with the Musketeers of the Pskov Regiment, was very roughly handled. Only a few survivors made their way back to brigade command. They would have no more of the action on this field. Effective artillery fire - from both sides - sent other units packing for the rear. Another battalion of Jaegers from the 5th fell to canister from French guns. In the morass or cauldron that one could call the center of the field, Russian guns took two French units enfilade. Another of Beker's battalions broke under this fire. Eppler's fresh battalion was welcomed to the battle late, with a whiff of grape down it's entire front. More than several score of light infantry fell, never to re-enter the ranks. Canister fire was attempted at the Dragoons of the 2nd Division by Essen's halfbattery. For perhaps the second time in the battle, the Russian guns missed at close range. Both Walther, Murat and several front-rank troopers breathed sighs of relief at this apparent ineptitude or simple bad luck. As quick as they had fired their rounds, the Russian gun crews decided that the time was right to try and get away. Limbers were brought up with all haste and the half-battery decamped to join its under-strength comrades. The French did not give pursuit as they still smarted from previous attempts to close with the Russian batteries. The horse guns of Kellermann's Division and of Walther's horse did move into the gap on the Russian left however, in the direction of the hamlet of Krug. Back around Blasowitz, the French positioned Nansouty's guns outside of musket range and settled in for however long it would take to force the Fusiliers from the village. Nansouty's regiments kept a safe distance from the Fusiliers, also biding time until they could ride down the survivors of the artillery fire. Other than this repositioning on the south end of the field, there was little movement or maneuver. The French infantry divisions, having been thrown back easily on the first try, decided against another frontal assault on the weak Russian lines. Though weak, the Russians could still put forward a deadly fire. This was proven as the Pskov Regiment laid waste to the 34th Regiment of Line. Beker and a little more than a company of men - most of these wounded - retreated to the relative safety of the 64th Regiment. The 40th Regiment stood its ground against the feeble charge of what was left of the Mariupol Hussars. The volley was ill-timed, but the Frenchmen remained in line formation and defended themselves admirably. In groups of five or seven, the Hussars made dashes in and were just as readily unseated. With this desperate gamble, the last of the Russian cavalry was eliminated. With this defeat, the heart went out of the Russian command. They had however, fought very well against the French. This was especially evident on the south flank of the field and as the battle lengthened, it was proven time after time in the center. There were no more volleys exchanged. The front lines of infantry seemed to recognize that each side had had enough. The Russians withdrew, taking the wounded that could be carried and helped; taking what artillery could be saved. The rest was left to a stretched-to-its-limit V Corps. Map II Bagration vs. Lannes Shako Treatment of Right of Austerlitz Introduction Russian OOB French OOB Terrain and Deployments Amendments and Additions Replay Commentary and Conclusion Back to MWAN # 120 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2002 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com