| Battle of Wertingen | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theWar of the Third Coalition | |||||||
 Bas-relief of the battle from theColumn of the Grande Armée | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 First French Empire |  Austrian Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Joachim MuratJean Lannes |  Franz von Auffenberg | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Cavalry ReserveV Corps | Auffenberg's Corps | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 12,000 | 5,500 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 319 killed or wounded | 400 killed or wounded 2,900 captured | ||||||
In theBattle of Wertingen (8 October 1805)Imperial French forces led byMarshalsJoachim Murat andJean Lannes attacked a small Austrian corps commanded byFeldmarschall-LeutnantFranz Xaver von Auffenberg. This action, the first battle of theUlm Campaign, resulted in a clear French victory.Wertingen lies 28 kilometres (17 mi) northwest ofAugsburg. The combat was fought during theWar of the Third Coalition, part of theNapoleonic Wars.
EmperorNapoleon Bonaparte had launched his 200,000-man Grand Army across theRhine. This huge mass of maneuver wheeled to the south and crossed theDanube River to the east of (i.e., behind) GeneralKarl Freiherr Mack von Leiberich's concentration at Ulm. Unaware of the force bearing down on him, Mack stayed in place as Napoleon's corps spread south across the Danube, slicing across his lines of communication with Vienna.
Murat's advance guard included the heavy cavalry divisions ofGeneral of DivisionLouis Klein (16 squadrons of the 1st, 14th, 20th and 26th Dragoon Regiments) and General of DivisionMarc Antoine de Beaumont (18 squadrons of the 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, 12th and 16th Dragoons), plusGeneral of BrigadeAntoine Lasalle's light cavalry brigade (8 squadrons of 9th and 10th Hussars), a total of 42 squadrons. These were supported by eight battalions of General of DivisionNicolas Oudinot's Grenadier division and three battalions of the 28th Light Infantry Regiment.
Auffenberg's command included 26 battalions, 20 cavalry squadrons and 24 guns. Feldmarschall-LeutnantMaximilien de Baillet's division included Infantry RegimentsKaunitz Nr. 20,Archduke Ludwig Nr. 8,Franjo Jelačić Nr. 62, a brigade of four grenadier battalions, Cuirassier RegimentAlbert Nr. 3 andChevau-léger RegimentRosenberg Nr. 6. Feldmarschall-LeutnantPrince Friedrich Franz Xaver of Hohenzollern-Hechingen's division was made up of Infantry RegimentsSpork Nr. 25,Wurttemberg Nr. 38,Reuss-Greitz Nr. 55,Stuart Nr. 18, Hussar RegimentPalatine Nr. 12 and Chevau-léger RegimentLatour Nr. 4.[1]
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Apparently because his troops were surprised, Auffenberg seems to have only brought nine battalions and one squadron,[2] about 5,500 men, into action. There are conflicting accounts. One historian talks about individual battalions being broken by cavalry or surrounded and forced to surrender.[1] Another writer says that Austrian grenadiers formed in a massive square which resisted cavalry charges until the French brought up Oudinot's grenadiers.[3]
French losses are stated as 319 killed and wounded.[4] The Austrians suffered 400 killed and wounded, plus 2,900 men and 6 cannons captured.[1] One historian says 2,000 Austrians were captured.[2] Cut off from Vienna, the Austrians retreated westward toward their base at Ulm.
One historian remarks, "It is not clear why ... Mack had sent this small force to such an isolated position." He added, "His continual reorganization of the troops on the battlefield sowed confusion and demoralization."[1]
Media related toBattle of Wertingen at Wikimedia Commons| Preceded by Battle of Cape Finisterre (1805) | Napoleonic Wars Battle of Wertingen | Succeeded by Battle of Haslach-Jungingen |
