Battle of Eckmühl

The Battle of Eckmühl took place from 21 to 22 April 1809. It was a key moment in the War of the Fifth Coalition. At this time, Napoleon I was not ready for the war, which began on 10 April 1809 when the Austrians, led by Archduke Charles of Austria, attacked. For the first time since becoming the ruler of France, Napoleon had to react to his enemy’s moves.

Thanks to strong defense by the III Corps under Marshal Davout and the Bavarian VII Corps under Marshal Lefebvre, Napoleon was able to defeat the main Austrian army. This victory let Napoleon take control of the war for the rest of the conflict. The battle showed Napoleon’s ability to recover from early setbacks and turn the war in his favor.

Strategic situation

The Battle of Eckmühl took place over a large area of about fifty miles, from Regensburg to Pfaffenhofen. The land there was rough and full of woods, making it hard for either the French or the Austrians to know much about where the other army was or what they planned to do. On April 20, 1809, Napoleon sent most of his army to attack to the southwest, winning the Battle of Abensberg. He then sent his troops after what he thought were the remaining Austrian forces, except for Davout's III Corps and Lefebvre's (Bavarian) VII Corps.

However, the French attack only divided the Austrian Army. Archduke Charles of Austria pulled two Austrian corps to the north, creating a line nine miles long from Abbach on the Danube to Eckmühl on the Grosse Laber. Importantly, the Austrians also won a victory by capturing the French soldiers at Regensburg and taking a key bridge over the Danube. This allowed Charles to reconnect with the rest of his army.

Plans

Archduke Charles planned to focus his forces to surround and defeat Marshal Davout's army group. He sent some troops to hold Davout's position while others moved to attack from an unexpected direction.

Napoleon wanted to trap the Austrian forces moving toward Landshut. He sent part of his army to block their path and another part to chase them down. He also told Davout to attack the Austrians in front of him, with help from another commander if needed. In total, Napoleon had around 100,000 soldiers, while the Austrians had about 75,000.

Battle

On April 21, a strong fight happened between French and Austrian soldiers at Schierling near Eckmühl. The next day, Austrian troops met French cavalry led by Montbrun, who slowed their advance because of the hilly and wooded land.

General Vandamme’s German troops crossed a bridge at Eckmühl and captured a castle there after tough fighting. Davout’s soldiers then attacked the Austrian center near Unterlaichling. With help from Bavarian troops, they took control of important positions. As the battle continued, French cavalry fought hard against Austrian horse soldiers but eventually pushed them back. The Austrians tried to retreat but were followed closely by French forces.

Aftermath

The French won the battle, but it was not a final victory. Napoleon hoped to trap the Austrian army, but he did not know that the city of Ratisbon had already fallen, allowing the Austrians to escape across the river.

Still, the French caused many more losses than they suffered, and Napoleon's quick actions helped his army change direction to defeat the Austrians. Later battles led to the French taking back Ratisbon, pushing the Austrians out of Southern Germany, and capturing Vienna.

After the victory at Eckmühl, Napoleon’s advisors decided to fight the next battle at Ratisbon.