2-693-201 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The Battle of Austerlitz, 2 December 1805, (c1850). 'Commanded by the Emperor of the French in person'. Regarded as Napoleon Bonaparte's greatest victory, Austerlitz was a sublime trap that destroyed the armies of his enemies Russia and Austria. Tricking his opponents into thinking he was weaker than he actually was, and then calling in nearby reinforcements. The French emperor deliberately abandoned a strong central position on the Pratzen Heights and left his right flank weak. The Allies eagerly moved forward to occupy the heights and then weakened the centre to crush the French right. As the bulk of Austrian and Russian troops attacked, Marshal Davout's III Corp arrived to bolster the French line. After much hard fighting the French crushed the Allies. Thousands of fleeing troops drowned when a frozen lake split under the weight of men and guns. French losses amounted to 8000 while the Russian and Austrian emperors, present at the battle, saw more than 27,000 men killed, wounded and captured. Bonaparte also captured 180 cannon. Print from a series depicting the campaigns of Napoleon I, published c1850.