Battle of Schöngrabern facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Schöngrabern (or Hollabrunn)
Part of the War of the Third Coalition
Battle of Shengraben (of Hollabrunn) by K. Bujnitsky
Date 16 November 1805 Location Schöngrabern, Hollabrunn 48°36′51″N 16°01′11″E / 48.6142°N 16.0197°E / 48.6142; 16.0197 Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Russia
Commanders and leaders
Joachim Murat Jean Lannes Nicolas Oudinot Louis Suchet	Pyotr Bagration
Strength
20,661-30,000	7,000-7,300
Casualties and losses
1,200-2,000	2,648-3,000

The Battle of Schöngrabern, also called the Battle of Hollabrunn, was a fight during the Napoleonic Wars. These wars were a series of big conflicts led by Napoleon Bonaparte of France. This battle happened on November 16, 1805, in Lower Austria. It was part of the War of the Third Coalition, where France fought against countries like Russia and Austria. The battle took place a few weeks after the Battle of Ulm and before the famous Battle of Austerlitz.

A Tricky Plan

In 1805, the Russian army, led by General Mikhail Kutuzov, was moving north. They were trying to avoid the French army, led by Napoleon. On November 13, French commanders Joachim Murat and Jean Lannes used a clever trick. They captured a bridge over the Danube River in Vienna. They pretended that a peace agreement, called an armistice, had been signed. While the guards were confused, the French quickly took the bridge.

General Kutuzov needed more time. He wanted his army to meet up with more Russian soldiers near Brno (now in the Czech Republic). To do this, he ordered a small group of his soldiers, known as the rearguard, to slow down the French. This rearguard was led by Major-General Prince Pyotr Bagration.

The Stand at Schöngrabern

Prince Bagration set up his soldiers on a hill about 6 kilometers north of Hollabrunn. This spot was above the small town of Schöngrabern. The French commander, Murat, thought that Bagration's small group was the entire Russian army. Because of this, he hesitated to attack.

Bagration then suggested to Murat that they should talk about a ceasefire. Murat agreed, and the fighting stopped for a short time. But when Napoleon found out about this, he was very angry. He sent a message to Murat, saying:

I cannot find words to express my displeasure. You only command my vanguard and no right to agree to an armistice without my orders. You will cost me the fruits of a campaign. End the armistice at once, and attack the enemy. Inform him that the general who has signed this has no power to make it, that only the Russian Emperor has the right, and that when the Russian Emperor ratifies this agreement, I will also ratify it. But it is only a ruse. March, destroy the Russian army. You are in a position to take his baggage and artillery.

Napoleon told Murat that the ceasefire was a trick. He ordered Murat to attack the Russians right away.

The Battle and Retreat

On November 16, 1805, Murat told Bagration that the ceasefire would end at 5:00 pm. The battle began that night. Bagration's small force fought bravely against the much larger French army. They held their position for about six hours.

Even though they were outnumbered, Bagration's soldiers managed to pull back in an organized way. They moved northeast to join the main Russian army. Bagration's clever defense helped the Russian forces gain the time they needed. Kutuzov's army was able to meet up with reinforcements at Brno on November 18, 1805. This allowed the Russian army to continue fighting in the war.