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| Combat of Schöngrabern | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theWar of the Fifth Coalition | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 French Empire |  Austrian Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Claude Legrand | Prince Heinrich XV of Reuss-Plauen | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 11,000 men 24 cannons | 27,000 men (6,000 engaged) 32 cannons | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
 | |||||||
TheCombat of Schöngrabern was a relatively minorrearguard action fought byAustrian V Korps and supporting elements of theKaiserlich-königliche Hauptarmee underPrince Heinrich XV of Reuss-Plauen against elements of the French IV Corps of theArmée d'Allemagne, under the command ofClaude Legrand.[1]
The brief combat ended in favour of the French but Reuss did manage to delay the French sufficiently in order to prevent them from getting to thebattle of Znaim on 10 July.[1]
FollowingJohann von Klenau's successful Austrian rearguard action atHollabrunn the day before, Austrian Prince Reuss, commander of V Korps, to which several additional units were attached for a total of 27,000 men and 32 cannons, took position near Schöngrabern. Reuss's orders were to form a rearguard and delay the enemy before him, preventing them from arriving atZnaim, where the main Austrian force was massed and combat was set to begin. Opposite to Reuss lay thevanguard of theMarshalAndré Masséna's IV Corps, under the overall command of General Legrand. Legrand's command was 11,000 men and 24 cannons strong and included the 1st division of IV Corps and the Corps cavalry. Masséna's orders were to push on towardsHaugsdorf and then head to Znaim where GeneralAuguste de Marmont's XI Corps had made contact with the enemy's main force.[1][2]
Masséna sent his cavalry, as well as Legrand's andClaude Carra Saint-Cyr's infantry divisions towards Haugsdorf, while leavingJean Boudet's division atStockerau andGabriel Jean Joseph Molitor's division in between. Executing his orders, Legrand moved forward but, towards 09:00, encountered staunch opposition towards Schöngrabern, a village in front of which Reuss had left a rearguard of 6,000. It took Legrand some time before he was able to take the position, with the Austrians leading a superb fighting retreat. Losses following this battle are unknown but it is clear that Masséna's march to Znaim had been delayed, as towards 20:00, he had to stop at Jetzlsdorf, with the divisions of Legrand, Carra Saint-Cyr and his cavalry after these troops had been fighting and then marching all day. The delaying action at Schöngrabern meant that Masséna was only able to arrive to thebattle of Znaim on 11 July. However, Reuss also had difficulties in containing Masséna and was himself only able to arrive at Znaim late on the evening of 10 July. Masséna and Reuss would face each other again on 11 July, at the battle of Znaim.[1][2]
Media related toCombat of Schöngrabern at Wikimedia Commons| Preceded by Battle of Hollabrunn (1809) | Napoleonic Wars Combat of Schöngrabern | Succeeded by Armistice of Znaim |
