Flaptekst

An account of Napoleon's most accomplished victory by an Austrian officer.


The Battle of Austerlitz, fought on the 2nd of December 1805, was one of the most significant victories for Napoleon Bonaparte and the First Empire of the French during the War of the Third Coalition. Indeed, the conflict brought about the end of the war, but also the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and the creation of the Confederation of the Rhine. The defeated Austrian and Russian armies were commanded by their emperors which led to the engagement being known as, 'The Battle of the Three Emperors'. This unique Leonaur edition, containing four accounts of the battle, principally features the account of the Austrian Major-General (later Lieutenant-General) Karl Wilhelm von Stutterheim. This contribution to our knowledge of the battle is particularly important to modern students of Napoleonic warfare, because Stutterheim's account comes from one who took part in the battle and so offers a rarely considered perspective from the Austrian camp. In fact, this version of events became considered as the official Austrian version of the Battle of Austerlitz. Stutterheim committed suicide in 1811 aged just 41 years. Essential though it is, Stutterheim's work was possibly too small to be readily republished alone so it was been supported here to by two other accounts of the engagement to give it context, together with a personal account from the French Army by Baron Lejeune. This edition contains maps and illustrations which were not present in any of the original editions.