Continuing from HERE

10 AM

Lannes begins implementing the main French attack with a major assault on Bagration’s line, sending Caferrili’s division to attack the hill position east of Bosenitz and the Russian right flank, while Suchet’s division attacks Bagration’s center and left flank. The Russians hold the line, but take heavy losses. Bagration moves his 6th Jaegar from his reserve into the line on the left, and launches 4 cavalry regiments to shore up his right flank. The entire 17th Ligne take heavy losses and are sent scurrying back to Bosenitz. Lannes follows up his attacks, successfully grabbing the hill on the right flank and again punishing the left and center of the Russian line with heavy casualties. Bernadotte moves his corps up onto Bagration’s faltering left flank, eliminating the 6th Jaegar. The I corps now has a straight shot to the Post House only a mile away. Kutuzov, realizing Bagration’s left flank is crumbling, gallops over to Prince Constantine of the Guard and orders him to plug the huge mile-wide opening on the Russian northern flank. Murat, Duroc and Bessieres mill about Blasowitz and are in a position to attack North or South.

Soult continues his attacks on the southern and central portion of the Pratzen Heights. Vandamme attacks with the 10th Legere, 18th and 24th Ligne regiments, supported by artillery. After heavy losses, Prebyshevsky’s Galician Musketeer and 7th Jaegar regiments are forced to retreat. The 7th Jaegar counterattacks, however, and successfully regains some lost ground and routs a battalion of the 10th Legere. With elements of the 3rd Dragoon moving to outflank the Heights, the Butyrsk Musketeer regiment is destroyed by the 24th Legere. Further attacks on the 7th Jaegar continue to punish the Jaegars, but they do well and hold the line. Meanwhile, St. Hilaire and Kolowrat continue to bombard each other from long-range.

Dokhturov (1C) attacks the western portion of Sokolnitz and is again repulsed with losses. Langeron (2C) launches a major attack on the entire village of Telnitz, but the 3rd Ligne regiment (III) again proves the value of their excellent training, as the entire Perm Musketeer regiment routs, while Kamensky’s 2nd Bridage (the excellent Fanagorie and Riazan regiments) take heavy losses and retreat. The Allied offense has stalled again, while staff officers and even the Tsar himself attempt to reform the two attack Columns.

Commentary:

The French are moving as planned in the North. Bagration has little choice but to fall back, with half of his infantry (8 steps of 18 left, with one more routing) hors de combat. He still retains a strong cavalry force, and this will be needed to keep the French at bay. The French are being careful in advancing after combat, to prevent counterattacks from strong Russian cavalry forces. Such attacks, without the benefit of forming square, would be disastrous. Although Bernadotte’s forces have a wide open shot at the Post Office, the Russian Guard is moving to attack Bernadotte. However, Murat and Duroc are within striking distance and will force part of the Russian Guard to watch the French there. In the center, Soult has turned the flank of Prebyshevsky. These Coalition force have taken heavy losses (7 of 14 left), as half of their infantry has become casualties. Clearly, Kolowrat is going to have to adjust his lines to take this into account. An attack on the village of Pratze is out of the question, as Napoleon’s best troops are milling around Kolowrat’s rear. Lichtenstein (5C) would not be able to entirely stop this force. The Coalition’s attack in the south has failed abysmally, as not one VP has been taken by the Coalition. Davout’s artillery has been extremely successful in breaking up attacks, leaving Coalition forces often attacking at even odds. A choice will have to be made with Keinmayer’s exploitation forces – continue awaiting a breakthrough across the Goldbach or attack the French north of St. Anton to rescue Prebyshevsky. Given Davout’s increasing strength and bad Coalition luck, time is slipping away to successfully gaining the left bank of the Goldbach.