BATTLES - 1805
| Date | Name | Attacker | Defender | Description | Victor | Casualties |
| August 1805 | Innsbruck |
Napoleon 110,000 |
John 20,000 |
110,000 Frenchmen and Italian allies under the eye of the Emperor storm the mountain passes below Innsbruck. John has 20,000 Austrians to defend the position. After a brief and violent struggle, the Austrians are overwhelmed but not before they give a good account for themselves. The battle ends with Napoleon entering the city as the last Austrians depart. |
|
5,000 French 15,000 Austrians |
| August 1805 | Ulm |
Soult/Davout 105,000 |
Mack 20,000 |
Davout and Soult led 105,000 Frenchman and Bavarians on Ulm expecting to find the massed forces of Mack and Ferdinand. Instead, they encounter a delaying force or 20,000 Austrians led by Mack in the fortress itself, Ferdinand and the remainder of the Austrian army having slipped out toward Vienna the previous day. The French immediately assault the city. Under orders to preserve the forces under his command, Ferdinand does not march to the sound of the guns. The defenses hold momentarily before superior numbers carry the day. Mack surrenders the city and the survivors of the garrison march into captivity. |
|
5,000 French 20,000 Austrians |
| Sept. 1805 | Karlstadt |
Napoleon 80,000 |
Charles 90,000 |
In a series of forced marches from Innsbruck, 80,000 weary Frenchmen commanded by Napoleon attack Charles’ larger Army of Italy of 90,000 men near Trieste. Napoleon commits the Guard as the battle opens. The gamble pays off and the Austrian center is pierced. The Austrians panic and the battle turns into a rout. Charles finally rallys his men but not before the battlefield is left firmly in French hands. However, the price paid by Napoleon for his victory is high as 10,000 men of his Guard are rendered hors de combat. |
|
10,000 French 35,000 Austrians |
| Sept. 1805 | Salzburg |
Soult/Davout 85,000 |
Ferdinand 45,000 |
Davout and Soult lead 85,000 men in a march around the Austrian garrisons at Munich and Ratisbon to engage Ferdinand’s retreating army of 45,000 men. The French assault is clumsy and slow to develop, allowing Ferdinand to disengage at an early stage. The numerically superior Austrian cavalry keeps the enemy at bay and Ferdinand slips away with the bulk of his troops. |
|
5,000 French 5,000 Austrians |
| Oct. 1805 | Vienna |
Napoleon 60,000 |
John 30,000 |
Napoleon arrives on the outskirts of the Austrian capital with 60,000 men. Facing him are 30,000 entrenched Austrians under the Archducke John. The French have outrun their supply lines and have not slept in days. Nevertheless, Napoleon attackes immediately. Much of the Austrian force consists of hastily raised landwehr which cannot resist the French onslaught. When the battle swings in the French favor, John extricates his remaining forces and retreats, leaving Vienna open to occupation by a token French force. |
|
5,000 French 15,000 Austrians |
| Oct. 1805 | Turnitz |
Lannes 65,000 |
Charles 25,000 |
Lannes overtakes Charles 80 miles to the southwest of Vienna at Turnitz. Lannes finds his army is best with the same supply difficulties as the French forces attacking Vienna but attacks anyway. Charles shows no stomach for the fight and withdaws at the first opportunity. |
|
5,000 French 10,000 Austrians |
| Oct. 1805 | Loeben |
Hiller 35,000 |
Massena 25,000 |
Massena, expecting to lead his 25,000 man Franco-Italian corps to join the Emperor, is surprised by 35,000 Austrians under Hiller streaming out of the mountain passes. The victor of the Battle of Zurich quickly rallies his troops to defend the town. The defense holds for most of the day before Austrian cavalry find a ford downstream and allows Hiller to turn the postion. Massena's Itian allies lose heart and he is forced to retreat. Hiller is healded as a hero throughout the Hapsburg dominions. |
|
10,000 French 10,000 Austrians |
| Oct. 1805 | Amsterdam |
10,000 Russian 10,000 British |
5,000 | British and Russian transports arrive off the Batavian coast with 15,000 reinforcements for the 5,000 starving Russians landed the previous month. The expeditionary force promptly attacks the city and overwhelms 5,000 defenders. French warships caught in the harbor are scuttled rather than face the Royal Navy lurking offshore. |
 
|
5,000 French |
| Oct. 1805 | Hannover |
Blucher 15,000 |
5,000 | Blucher leads 15,000 Prussians and Brunswickers in a quick victory over the French garrison at Hannover. |
|
5,000 French |
| Nov. 1805 | Prague |
Napoleon 105,000 |
Brunswick 35,000 |
Napoleon arrives on the outskirts of the city with two of his marshals and 105,000 men. The joint Prussian/Austrian garrison commanded by the 70 year old Duke of Brunswick consists of 10,000 Prussians and 15,000 Austrians. Taking one look at the size of the French host, the Austrians promptly withdraw into the city and invite the Prussians to do the same. Brunswick refuses, is heard to insult the French and their upstart hop-o-my-thumb "Emperor," and marches his 10,000 men into battle. The Austrians watching from the walls have just enough time to catch a glimpse of the mauled Prussians retreating from the field before they are overwhelmed themselves. |
|
5,000 French 35,000 Allied |
| Nov. 1805 | Ratisbon | 20,000 | 5,000 | Cut off, out of supply and outnumbered by 20,000 Frenchmen, the end comes quickly for the city's 5,000 Austrian defenders. |
|
5,000 French 5,000 Austrian |
| Dec. 1805 | Dresden |
Napoleon 75,000 |
15,000 | French columns descend from the mountains to surround the city. Facing the 75,000 strong french army are 15,000 Prussians. The Prussians have used the time to dig extensive entrenchments around the city but the odds are too great. The 10,000 men defending outside the city walls are quickly overwhelmed followed in turn by the garrison. King Freidrich August, who was travelling with the Prussian king, slips away with his entourage upon hearing of the fall of his capital (and Leipzig to Bernadotte) and signs a treaty with the french pledging Saxon support for the French cause. |
|
5,000 French 15,000 Prussian |
| Dec. 1805 | Bamberg |
Soult 15,000 |
Blucher 10,000 |
Soult's corps of 15,000 men and Blucher's 10,000 Prussians collide just north of Bamberg to the northwest of Leipzig. A limited skirmish between cavalry outposts turns into a full fledged battle under appalling weather conditions. The battle turns against the Prussians when Blucher is thrown from his horse and knocked unconscious, leaving the Prussians leaderless at a critical point. Soult takes advantage of the confusion in the enemy camp and defeat turns into rout. |
|
5,000 French 10,000 Prussian |
| Dec. 1805 | Leipzig |
Bernadotte 35,000 |
5,000 | Bernadotte with 35,000 men advances to the city walls and settles down for a seige. News of Napoleon's victory at Dresden and Soult's defeat of Blucher encourages the marshal to instead assault the city and overwhelm the 5,000 Prussian defenders. Bernadotte then proceeds to raise the Imperial ire by issuing a bulletin implying that the victory has turned the campaign in favor of the french. |
|
5,000 French 10,000 Prussian |