Battle of Wagram

The Battle of Wagram was a major battle that took place from 5 to 6 July 1809 during the Napoleonic Wars. It was fought between the French army, led by Emperor Napoleon, and the Austrian army, commanded by Archduke Charles of Austria-Teschen. This battle was one of the largest in European history up to that time, with around 300,000 soldiers involved.

The battle happened after Austria tried to take advantage of a reduced French military presence in a region called the Confederation of the Rhine. Austria invaded a French ally, the Kingdom of Bavaria, but Napoleon’s forces managed to recover and occupy Vienna in early May 1809. Despite several defeats, Archduke Charles managed to keep an army together and continued fighting.

Napoleon prepared carefully for his next attack, gathering over 150,000 soldiers near Vienna. The battle began when Napoleon crossed the Danube River and attacked the Austrian forces, which had over 130,000 men. After a tough fight, Napoleon’s army gained the upper hand, and Archduke Charles was forced to retreat. Although Napoleon won, the battle was very bloody, and the Austrians suffered heavy losses, which lowered their will to keep fighting. This victory led to the Treaty of Schönbrunn, where Austria lost some land and many people. After the battle, Napoleon honored one of his key generals, Louis-Alexandre Berthier, by giving him the title of Prince of Wagram.

Prelude

Context

In 1809, the First French Empire was very strong in Europe. Napoleon had won many battles from 1805 to 1807, making other countries very careful about challenging him. However, he couldn’t get the United Kingdom to agree to peace. To fight back, he tried to stop Britain from trading with Europe by using the Continental System. He also tried to make Portugal follow this rule, and when they didn’t, he sent soldiers there. He even changed the leader of Spain to his own brother, which made many people in Spain very unhappy and led to fighting there.

France’s main enemy was the Austrian Empire. Even though Austria had lost before, they had rebuilt their army. By 1809, they were ready to try and take back some power. They hoped people in Germany would join them, and they thought Prussia might help too. Austria got ready for war, planning to fight in places like Bavaria and Italy.

Opening campaign

By March 1809, war between Austria and France seemed very likely. Austria’s main army of about 200,000 soldiers was ready. On April 9, 1809, Austria started fighting without warning by moving into Bavaria, which was a friend of France. Napoleon was in Paris at the time and wasn’t ready. The French commander, Marshal Berthier, wasn’t prepared and made some mistakes. But on April 17, Napoleon arrived and started to organize his troops. There were several battles, and the Austrians were pushed back.

One big battle happened at Aspern-Essling in May. Napoleon tried to cross the Danube River but faced strong Austrian forces. The battle was very hard, and both sides lost many soldiers. Napoleon had to retreat, marking his first big defeat.

Towards another battle

After the battle, both sides were tired but ready for more fighting. Archduke Charles, Austria’s leader, wasn’t sure he could win but hoped Napoleon might agree to peace. Napoleon, however, wanted to fight again. He worked hard to fix his army and plan another crossing of the Danube. He built strong bridges and prepared his soldiers for the next battle. Both sides were getting ready for what would become the Battle of Wagram.

The first day

The Battle of Wagram was a big fight during the Napoleonic Wars. It happened on July 5th and 6th, 1809, between Napoleon's French army and the Austrian army led by Archduke Charles. This battle was important because it was the largest battle in Europe at that time and helped end the Fifth Coalition against France.

Before the battle, the Austrian leaders knew the French were getting ready on Lobau island. They thought the French would cross from the north, like they did before, so they built defenses there. But Napoleon had other plans. He moved his army through the south of the island, which surprised the Austrians. The Austrians had to change their plans and moved to higher ground, thinking this would be safer.

During the battle, the French crossed the Danube River under cover of a storm. They fought through many Austrian troops and took several important places. The Austrians tried to stop them but were pushed back. Both sides fought hard, and there were many clashes and attacks throughout the day. The battle was tough, and both sides suffered losses, but Napoleon’s forces were able to push forward and set up for more fighting the next day.

The second day

Rosenberg's attack

On the left side of the Austrian army, near the village of Markgrafneusiedl, Prince Rosenberg-Orsini led 18,140 soldiers and 60 cannons. His force also included around 6,000 infantry and some cavalry, as well as 3,120 cavalry from another division. Rosenberg organized his troops into three columns to attack. The first column, led by Hessen-Homburg, aimed for Grosshofen. The second, with 16 battalions, moved toward Glinzendorf, led by Radetzky. The third column, under Nostitz, had 30 cavalry squadrons and aimed to outflank the French near Leopoldsdorf.

Facing them was Davout’s III Corps, with 31,600 infantry, 6,200 cavalry, and 120 cannons. Davout was preparing his own attack when the Austrians struck. Radetzky’s forces pushed French outposts from Grosshofen and attacked Glinzendorf. Davout quickly counterattacked, with Puthod attacking frontally and Gudin from the flank, while defenders in Glinzendorf held strong. French dragoons and light cavalry moved to counter the Austrian cavalry.

Crisis at Aderklaa

General Bellegarde, leading the Austrian 1st Korps, moved his troops toward Aderklaa, a village with strong defenses. Bellegarde’s vanguard occupied the village surprising its lack of defenders. However, Bellegarde had to wait for reinforcements before attacking further.

Maréchal Bernadotte, commanding the Saxon IX Corps, had to abandon Aderklaa during the night after suffering heavy losses the day before. He withdrew without informing Napoleon, weakening the French left. When Austrian artillery attacked, it knocked out several Saxon guns. Masséna arrived with reinforcements and ordered an attack to retake Aderklaa, which succeeded after fierce fighting. However, the Saxons and some French troops retreated in disorder.

Klenau's flank march

To envelop the French left, Klenau and Kollowrat moved their Austrian corps forward. Klenau’s troops attacked Aspern, capturing French guns before being slowed by French heavy batteries. Kollowrat’s corps moved cautiously, focusing on securing his position rather than attacking.

The French reaction

Napoleon reassessed the situation and ordered Masséna to break contact and attack Klenau’s corps. Bessières’s cavalry launched a charge against the Austrian line, but faced strong resistance. Nansouty’s cavalry captured an Austrian battery but was later repelled. Napoleon then ordered a massive artillery battery to attack the Austrians, forcing them to retreat.

Davout's flanking attack

Davout prepared to attack the Austrian left, focusing on the village of Markgrafneusiedl. After a fierce battle, French forces captured key positions, and Davout committed his cavalry to break through. Though the cavalry charge failed, the French gained ground.

MacDonald's column

MacDonald’s V Corps moved toward Süssenbrunn to pin down Austrian forces. Despite heavy losses, the attack succeeded in drawing Austrian attention, preventing reinforcements to their left.

Masséna's "Infernal Column"

Masséna disengaged from Aderklaa and marched against Klenau. His forces captured Essling and Aspern after intense fighting, continuing to pressure Klenau’s retreating corps.

Austrian retreat

Archduke Charles ordered a retreat as his troops were exhausted and facing overwhelming French forces. The Austrian army withdrew in an orderly manner, with French troops too tired to pursue effectively. The Battle of Wagram ended in a decisive French victory.

Aftermath

By the end of July 6, the Austrian army had stopped fighting and moved away. Napoleon worried they might fight again the next day, but when he checked the battlefield on July 7, he saw they had left. The French army, very tired, started chasing the Austrians. They didn’t know exactly where the Austrians were going—some reports said Brünn, others said Moravia or Znaim.

The Austrians were heading to Znaim in Bohemia. They had lost many soldiers in the battle and left some behind, but they took many French prisoners and some weapons. Archduke Charles gathered his troops at Korneuburg. He and his leaders decided to stop fighting because they wanted to make peace. Between July 9 and 12, French soldiers met Archduke John’s troops in several small fights and pushed them back toward Hungary. Masséna’s troops fought the Austrian rear guard, especially at Hollabrunn.

Marmont’s small group met the Austrian army at the Battle of Znaim. Even though they were outnumbered, Marmont attacked to slow the Austrians down. Napoleon soon arrived with more soldiers. The fighting continued the next day, and the Austrians lost many men. As more French troops arrived, Charles decided to ask for a pause in fighting, called an armistice. He did this without permission from Emperor Francis I. Napoleon agreed, even though some of his leaders wanted to keep fighting. The Armistice of Znaim ended the active part of the war between France and Austria in 1809.

The Battle of Wagram was the largest battle in Europe up to that time, with over 300,000 soldiers fighting. It was also one of the deadliest battles of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, with at least 72,000 soldiers hurt or lost. The high number of casualties happened because there were many cannons on a flat field, and their shots caused serious injuries.

Napoleon said his army lost only “1,500 dead and 3,000 to 4,000 wounded,” but the real numbers were much higher. French medical teams were overwhelmed, especially for regular soldiers. Many were hurt by cannon fire, which often led to losing a limb. Survival after such injuries was difficult due to shock, blood loss, and infection.

Official French records said they lost 6,901 dead and 26,757 wounded—about 24 percent of Napoleon’s army. Some estimates say 17,000 were killed and 25,000 wounded. Five French generals died, along with 238 officers.^{[Note 10]} The Austrian army also suffered heavy losses. By July 11, they reported 51,626 officers and soldiers missing. This included losses from the Battle of Wagram and smaller fights afterward, as well as the Battle of Znaim. Four Austrian generals were killed or badly wounded during the battles.

Analysis

The Battle of Wagram was a hard-fought battle where Napoleon did not win easily. The French army lost about 34,000 soldiers, and many experienced troops and generals were among the casualties. These heavy losses made it difficult for the French to recover. One of Napoleon's important leaders, Bernadotte, was dismissed from his position and later became a leader in Sweden, which eventually led to conflicts between Sweden and France.