Battle of Eckmühl facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Eckmühl
Part of the War of the Fifth Coalition
Battle of Eckmühl by Bagetti Giuseppe Pietro
Date 22 April 1809 Location Eggmühl, Bavaria 48°50′38″N 12°10′56″E / 48.8438°N 12.1823°E / 48.8438; 12.1823 Result French victory
Belligerents
France Bavaria  Württemberg	Austria
Commanders and leaders
Napoleon I Louis-Nicolas Davout François Joseph Lefebvre	Archduke Charles Archduke John
Strength
70,000	75,000
Casualties and losses
3,000	10,700

The Battle of Eckmühl was a very important fight that happened on April 22, 1809. It was a key moment in the 1809 war, also known as the War of the Fifth Coalition.

Napoleon, the leader of France, wasn't ready when the Austrians attacked on April 10, 1809. For the first time as emperor, he had to let his enemy, Archduke Charles of Austria, take the lead. But thanks to the tough defense by Marshal Davout's soldiers and the Bavarian army led by Marshal Lefebvre, Napoleon was able to beat the main Austrian army. This victory helped him take control of the war again.

How the Armies Were Set Up

The French and Austrian armies were spread out over a wide area, about 50 miles long. The land was rough and wooded. Neither side knew much about where the other army was or what they planned to do.

Napoleon thought most of the Austrian army was near Landshut, protecting the main road to Vienna. So, on April 20, 1809, he sent most of his army to attack to the southwest. This led to the Battle of Abensberg, which the French won.

After this win, Napoleon ordered his troops to chase the defeated Austrians. He left only Davout's soldiers and Lefebvre's Bavarian troops behind.

However, Napoleon's attack had only split the Austrian army in two. Two Austrian groups, led by Archduke Charles, moved north. They formed a line from Abbach on the Danube River to Eckmühl.

What Napoleon didn't know was that the Austrians had won their own victory on April 20. They had captured the French soldiers and the important bridge at Regensburg. This bridge allowed Archduke Charles to connect with his other troops, who had been separated by the Danube River.

Battle Plans for Each Side

Where the armies were positioned at midnight, April 21–22, 1809

With the bridge at Regensburg captured, Archduke Charles didn't need to protect Landshut anymore. Instead, he decided to gather his forces to surround and destroy Davout's army.

He ordered two of his army groups, led by Prince Friedrich of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Prince Franz Seraph of Rosenberg-Orsini, to hold their ground. Their job was to keep Davout's soldiers busy. Meanwhile, fresh Austrian troops and elite soldiers were to attack Davout's left side from Regensburg.

Strangely, Archduke Charles didn't give any orders to another large group of his soldiers. So, this powerful group stayed on the north side of the Danube River and didn't join the battle.

Napoleon, on the other hand, wanted to trap and destroy the Austrian forces retreating towards Landshut. He ordered two of his army groups, about 57,000 men, to cross the Isar River. Their goal was to stop the Austrians from crossing to the south bank.

Meanwhile, another large group of French and German soldiers, about 51,000 men, were told to chase and destroy the defeated Austrians. Napoleon thought Davout's smaller force could easily handle what he believed were just a few Austrian regiments. He even took away some of Davout's soldiers for the other attack.

Despite Davout's warnings that the Austrians were stronger than Napoleon thought, Napoleon ordered him to attack the next morning. He said Lefebvre's troops would help if needed. Davout and Lefebvre together had about 36,000 men.

The Battle on April 22

The Austrian attack began by running into tough French cavalry led by General Montbrun. The hilly and wooded land helped the French cavalry slow down the Austrian charge.

The Austrian general, Rosenberg, became worried. He realized that Davout's troops weren't moving as expected, and he guessed that more French soldiers were on their way. He was right! Napoleon had started moving his army around 2 AM on April 22. His men marched 18 miles north in just a few hours, meaning help for Davout would arrive sooner than planned.

The first French soldiers to attack were German troops led by General Vandamme. They bravely stormed the bridge at Eckmühl and even captured the town's castle after fierce fighting with the Austrians.

At this point, Davout sent his men to attack the Austrian center at the village of Unterlaichling and the nearby woods. The famous 10th Legere Regiment fought very hard in the woods. They were later joined by Bavarian soldiers and managed to capture the positions.

North of Unterlaichling, Davout's troops steadily pushed back the Austrian defenders. They took over a strong position held by Hungarian soldiers, which made Archduke Charles order a full retreat.

The battle then turned into a series of big cavalry fights. The Austrians tried to get their army away without losing too many prisoners. Some of the best Austrian cavalry fought on a ridgeline between Eckmühl and the woods. They defeated some German light cavalry but were stopped by Bavarian foot soldiers.

Napoleon wanted this position captured right away. He sent forward two large cavalry groups. These horsemen were hit hard by Austrian cannons but kept going. They managed to defeat the enemy cavalry and capture the cannons.

The first part of the Austrian retreat ended, but the fight wasn't over. The Austrians found a narrow part of the road and tried to stop the French. Three French cavalry groups, supported by more German cavalry, attacked. A huge, swirling fight broke out. The Austrians fought hard but were greatly outnumbered and had to retreat. During this time, more French cavalry attacked their side, and the remaining Austrian horsemen quickly fled north towards Ratisbon.

What Happened After

The French won the battle, but it wasn't a complete victory. Napoleon had hoped to trap the Austrian army between Davout's forces and the Danube River. However, he didn't know that Ratisbon had fallen to the Austrians. This gave the Austrians a way to escape across the river.

Even so, the French caused 10,700 Austrian casualties while only losing 3,000 of their own men. Napoleon's quick arrival and his smart change in how his army was positioned helped defeat the Austrians.

After this battle, the French recaptured Ratisbon. The Austrians were forced out of Southern Germany, and the city of Vienna fell to Napoleon.

Napoleon is said to have called the series of moves that ended at Eckmühl "the finest" he ever made.

Following the victory at Eckmühl, Napoleon's war council led to the Battle of Ratisbon.

See also

• Eckmühl
• Marshal Davout