French artillery on Lobau which, finding a perfect target in Charles's
would-be enveloping forces, mowed them down in droves.
Next Napoleon filled the gap vacated by Massena with massed
artillery; one hundred cannon opened up on the Austrians at close range.
For a while the battle settled down to slugging, bloody attrition, with
Oudinot's men directing artillery fire on the Austrian centre at Wagram
but not yet engaging it. By midday Massena succeeded in reaching his
new position and was poised for counterattack; the plan was that he
would switch flanks at the decisive moment to aid Davout.
Meanwhile a titanic struggle between Davout's corps and the Austrian
left was finally resolved in favour of the French, but not before Davout's
first line was broken. Shortly after midday Napoleon saw through his
spyglass that Davout's firing line was passing the church tower at
Markgrafneusiedl, the prearranged signal that Davout had turned the
Austrian left and was about to curve towards Wagram fr om the rear. It
was time to move up the Army of Italy under MacDonald and Eugene.
Following a heavy, sixty-gun bombardment, the Emperor launched
Oudinot, Massena and the Army of Italy under MacDonald against
Wagram and the enemy centre. MacDonald deployed 30,ooo men in a
gigantic hollow square, six ranks deep, with other infantry in column on
either flank and 6,ooo cavalry in the rear. Austrian cannonballs devastated
the square but it still came on. MacDonald's force finally dug in at a
sandpit and under this cover reinforcements were brought up. By now
Napoleon had spotted a weakness on the Austrian left centre caused by
having to reinforce their left against Davout. He ordered Davout to strike
at this hinge while Massena attacked the enemy right. But the Austrians
continued to fight like dervishes and MacDonald's attack again seemed to
be petering out when Napoleon finally broke the deadlock by committing
all his reserves except two regiments of the Old Guard.
This was a crucial decision. Finally the Austrians broke and by 2 p.m.
the French were advancing confidently on both sectors. Learning that his
own reinforcements would not arrive until nightfall, shortly after 2.30
Charles was fo rced to order a general retreat to Bohemia; Napoleon's
forces were too exhausted to pursue him. The Austrians had been beaten
but by no means routed and withdrew in good order, leaving no guns or
standards behind. This was no Austerlitz or Jena. Having fought six
hours non-stop, the French were at the limits of endurance and could not
be prodded to follow the enemy; in any case Napoleon still feared that
Archduke John might arrive, in which case a third day's fighting was
likely.
Wagram was Napoleon's last great victory on the battlefield but it had
marcin
(Marcin)
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