Battle of Ulm
October 20, 1805
French victory.
Less of a battle and more of a strategic envelopment, the events of Ulm generally refer to Napoleon's maneuvering to surround Ulm and the subsequent Austrian surrender. While numerous skirmishes and small battles played out with these events, no large battle occurred, as there was no need.
With France and Austria at war, the Austrian General Mack and Archduke Ferdinand took up position at Ulm with roughly 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers. Overconfident in their abilities, they patiently waited for the allied Russian army to arrive from the east so they could unite and enjoy superior numbers over the French.
Meanwhile, the French Emperor Napoleon had no intention of letting his enemies unite, and quickly moved his army of 200,000 to crush General Mack. Using Marshal Murat's cavarly and natural terrain to screen his army's movement, Napoleon manuevered his troops around Mack's position without the Austrians ever realizing it. By the time the Austrians realized that the French army had them cut off and surrounded, it was too late. While they attempted to break out of the noose that was tightening around them, all of their attempts failed against strong French resistance. A detachment of 6000 cavalry under Archduke Ferdinand made a run for safety, barely eluding the French net, only to be caught and forced to surrender within a few weeks.
With the French army concentrating at Ulm, and the Austrians horrifically outnumbered, Napoleon demanded the surrender of Ulm. General Mack attempted to negotiate, not considering it hopeless if the Russians arrived soon, but the French knew the Russian army was not close enough to impact any of the events. An agreement was made where Mack would surrender if no reinforcements attempted to rescue him by the 25th, but as he finally realized the hopelessness of the situation, he surrended his entire force and the city on October 20th.
Napoleon had won a great victory with barely a shot being fired, simply by superior maneuvering. Mack and his 27,000 remaining soldiers marched out of the city and laid down their arms as Napoleon and his officers watched.
Sources: Chandler (Campaigns of Napoleon), Chandler (Dictionary)
External Links:
| Officer | Unit | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Berthier | La Grande Armée - Chief of Staff | Maréchal |
| Bonaparte | La Grande Armée | Empereur |
| Claparède | V Corps (Lannes) - 3rd Division (Suchet) - 1st Brigade | Général de brigade |
| Dessaix | Général de brigade | |
| Grouchy | 2nd Division (II Corps) | Général de division |
| Kirgener | V Corps (Lannes) - Engineers | Colonel |
| Lannes | V Corps | Maréchal |
| Larrey | Imperial Guard - Chief Surgeon | Chief Surgeon |
| Marmont | Général de division | |
| Nansouty | Cavalry Reserve (Murat) - 1st Heavy Cavalry Division | Général de division |
| Pajol | (II Corps) | Colonel |
| Suchet | V Corps (Lannes) - 3rd Division | Général de division |
| Wathiez | Cavalry Reserve (Murat) - Staff | Capitaine |