Davout Louis Nicola. The only Marshal of Napoleon who has not lost a single battle

Louis Nikola Davout is one of the best generals in the Napoleonic wars. He was the only marshal of Napoleon, who did not lose a single battle. Let's take a closer look at the biography and achievements of this famous military leader.

Childhood and Education

The future commander was born in Burgundy on May 10, 1770 in a noble family. Louis Nicola was brought up in the military school of the commune of Brienne-le-Chateau. It is interesting to note that a year before his arrival, Napoleon Bonaparte graduated from the same school. Being true to the family tradition, in 1788 Davout began his service in the cavalry regiment, in which his father and grandfather used to serve.

French revolution

In the time of the Great French Revolution, the beginning military, without thinking twice, decided to uphold the positions of the revolutionary people. Since many of the Bourbon supporters fled or left the army, a large number of vacant posts appeared in it. They were occupied by young officers, and in some cases even by ordinary soldiers with leadership inclinations. Davus Louis Nikola became one of many officers who, thanks to their elevation, owe the revolution and victory over the Bourbons. From 1794 to 1797, Davout, in the rank of brigadier general, fought in the ranks of the Rhine Army. However, the real ascent to the Olymp of the military glory of Davout began under the banner of Bonaparte.

Egyptian expedition

In the period from 1798 to 1801, in the rank of Major-General Davout took part in the Egyptian expedition of Napoleon. He was commanded by the French cavalry. In the battle for Abukir, which occurred on June 25, 1799, the young commander especially distinguished himself. On that day, a 7,000-strong French army defeated the 15,000-strong army of a Turkish military leader named Mustafa Pasha. Two-thirds of the enemy troops fell on the battlefield, and the rest, along with Mustafa Pasha, surrendered. A small reserve detachment, commanded by Louis Davout, made a huge contribution to this victory. Many historians tend to believe that it was in this battle that Bonaparte considered in the hero of our conversation a fearless and capable commander.

Despite the fact that the Egyptian expedition was crowned with a complete failure for France, it opened many new names, on which Napoleon's military glory continued in the future. In the course of this battle, General Louis Davout found himself in the immediate entourage of Bonaparte, who confidently moved on the way to the top of state power.

Marshal's rank

Immediately after the Egyptian expedition Davout successfully led the Cavalry of the Italian army Bonaparte, who fought with the Austrians. In 1804, the hero of the Egyptian expedition and the Italian company of the emperor was awarded the military rank of Marshal of France and the post of adviser to Napoleon.

The first successes in command of the corps

In the period from 1805 to 1814 Marshal Davout headed the army corps. In 1805, his wards showed themselves well under Ulm, where the army of the emperor defeated the Austrian army. Baron McK von Leiberich, the commander-in-chief of the Austrians, together with the 30,000-strong army, was forced to surrender to the enemy, for which he was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by a military tribunal.

October 9, 1805 Davout wards successfully crossed the Danube, prompting the crossing in the city of Gunzburg and its environs. The Austrians, who defended the Danube city, had to retreat after a hard battle.

Marshal Davout became one of the active participants in the offensive of Bonaparte's army to Vienna. On 8 November, at the head of his corps near the town of Mariazell, he won a battle with the Austrian corps headed by General von Meerfeld. In this battle, the French managed to take 4 thousand prisoners. This victory was a defining event in the fate of Vienna.

The Battle of Austerlitz

On December 2, 1805, at Austerlitz, a battle took place, which went down in history as "The Battle of Three Emperors." On that day, the French army defeated the allied Russian-Austrian army. Austerlitz victory was the end for both the anti-French coalition and the Holy Roman Empire. Franz II - the last emperor of the Roman Empire, having concluded peace with Napoleon, became simply the Roman Emperor Franz first. In the historic collapse of the once powerful empire, an important role was played also by the French commander Davout.

Jena-Auerstedt battle

In 1806, the military biography of Davout was replenished with new victories. In the Ien-Auerstedt battle, held between the Napoleonic and Prussian armies on October 14, the Marshal was one of the main characters. The battle was divided into two stages. The first took place at Auerstedt, and the second - at Jena. The corps of Marshal Louis Davout distinguished himself in the first stage.

Marshal was entrusted with the command of the first flank of the imperial army. Under his command were 26 thousand soldiers and 44 guns. Against Davout came the left flank of the Prussian army under the leadership of the Duke of Braunschweig, which included 54,000 soldiers and 230 guns. A single correlation of forces is sufficient to unambiguously assess the capabilities of the parties. Nevertheless, in a fierce battle, Davout managed not only to defeat the enemy army, but also to kill his leader.

In the battle of Jena, the French army was personally ruled by Napoleon. He completely defeated the army of the Prussian commander Prince Hohenlohe. However, in this battle the balance of forces was almost equal. In total, in the Ien-Auerstedt battle, the French army lost 11 thousand people, 7 of which are in the battle of Auerstedt.

Aristocratic title

In the same year 1806, Davout Louis Nikola was forced to encounter Russian troops. On December 24, his corps, along with the army of Napoleon, crossed the Uka River, and at night, under the Czarnowo, a 15,000-strong Russian army attacked. In this battle, the French lost about half as much as the Russians.

The brilliant victory of Davout at Auerstedt could not go unnoticed, and Napoleon honored the commander not only with the Order, but with the honorary title of the Duke of Auerstedt. It is worth noting that Napoleon Bonaparte, being a native of a poor Corsican-Italian noble family, becoming emperor of France, generously endowed his associates with titles, trying to create a new elite in the state.

The Battle of Eckmühl

April 22, 1809 Napoleon's army once again fought with the Austrian army, the command of which was entrusted to the Archduke Charles. The Austrians managed to occupy the most favorable positions on the heights below Ekmule. Napoleon sent his best corps to storm the enemy positions, including Marshal Davout's corps. Only after a brutal battle, more than once passing into hand-to-hand fighting, the French managed to knock out the enemy from the heights. With the onset of darkness, the Archduke Charles withdrew his army to Regensburg. His losses in the battle of Eckmühl were 11 thousand people from the 76 thousand army. The victory in this battle opened excellent prospects for Napoleon - the army of the Austrians was divided into two parts. The generals, who played a decisive role in this victory, were generously rewarded. Thus, Davout Louis Nikola received the prince's title to the duke's title - he became the prince of Ekmulsky.

The Battle of Wagram

In 1809, Davout again met in the battle with the Archduke Charles. This time the battle took place at Wagram. At night before the battle, the army of Napoleon through the island of Lobau forced the deep-water Danube. The Austrian army, which has more than a hundred-thousand-strong army and 452 guns, withdrew to Vagram and settled there. In the evening of July 5, the emperor ordered his Italian army, which was strengthened by the Saxon Corps, to attack the enemy. Because of the error of the Italians, who took Saxons for the enemy, the order had to be canceled.

The main events unfolded the next day, when Napoleon rebuilt his army, which had numerical superiority over the enemy, into a new battle formation. Davout and Udino Corps worked together against the left wing of the enemy's position. The Austrians massively attacked the French on this side, but they did not succeed. And yet under the onslaught of the enemy, the center and the left flank of the French army had to be retreated. Having sent reinforcements in the form of the Italian corps of McDonald to the central part of the troops, pulling the artillery there, the emperor was able to save the situation. Powerful artillery fire stopped the onslaught of the Austrians. Davout Louis Nikola, meanwhile, did without reinforcements and, having bypassed the left flank of the enemy army, took over it. Marshal managed to get into the rear of the Austrian army and dismember it near Vesdele. The corps of his comrade-in-arms Udino was reconquered by Vahram. In the 11-hour battle, Karl lost about 50 thousand people. As a result, he had to retreat in the direction of Moravia.

The victory at Wagram was quite expensive for the French. First, the Napoleonic army lost 32 thousand soldiers. Secondly, after this battle, Britain and the Russian Empire entered against Napoleonic France in the war.

Trek to Russia

The French emperor was not frightened by the European coalition of monarchs created against him. In 1812, Russia was left alone - former allies in the anti-Napoleonic battles, Austria and Prussia, were forced to become allies of the French Empire.

July 12, the army of Napoleon, crossing the river Neman, invaded the Russian Empire. Before the superior forces of the enemy, the Russian armies had to flee, avoiding the battle. By giving battle alone, they practically ensured a complete rout.

The corps of Marshal Davout was sent to help the army of Jerome Bonaparte, who pursued the second Russian Western army of General Bagration, retreating from Vaukavysk to the southeast. With a skillful maneuver, the Russian commander-in-chief withdrew his troops from the double blow of the enemy, as a result of which both French marshals found themselves catching up. When the army of Bagration began to cross the Niemen, the French commanders made yet another unsuccessful attempt to take her into the encirclement. Having foreseen the plans of the enemy, General Bagration turned to Minsk.

At Mogilev, Davout's corps collided with the persecuted army, approaching the city before the enemy. The second Russian Western army was once again cut off from the first Western army of General Barclay de Tolly, retreating north. In the current situation, Bagration had no choice but to delay further advance of the enemy. To do this he entrusted the corps of General Raevsky.

The avant-garde parts of Davout's corps met Raevsky's regiments near the village of Saltanovka. In the battle of Saltanovka, the Russians managed to pin down the French aspirations, and the army of Bagration again came out from under the blow of the imperial army. This time it went to Smolensk.

Near Smolensk, the 1st and 2nd Western armies of the Russians joined together. On August 4, the Smolensk battle began (the war of 1812), in which the Davout corps took part. One of his divisions, led by Guden, was able to excel in battle under Valutina Gora, attacking the detachment of Major-General Tuchkov-the third. The latter was seriously wounded and captured.

During the Battle of Borodino, according to the dispositions of the emperor, Davout's corps stood directly in the center of the army. The center was responsible for the main attack of the Napoleonic army. He had to master the field fortifications of the Russians who entered the military history as Bagration's flushes.

According to the tradition that Napoleon started, before the big battle the soldiers of his empire were dressed in a ceremonial uniform. On August 26, 1812, with the dawn of the sun, a powerful artillery attack began on both sides. About 6 o'clock in the morning the French began to massively storm flushes. Two Davout divisions aimed at the southern flush. Despite the numerical advantage of the French, the Russians still managed to repulse the attack.

By 7 o'clock in the morning the corps of Davout had put himself in order and resumed the onslaught. This time he managed to capture a southern flash. However, the bayonet attack of several infantry battalions, which Bagration sent to this flash, allowed the French to be knocked out of the fortification. Then Napoleon sent to the aid of Davout Murat's cavalry, Ney's corps and other troops. The French broke into the right and left flushes, but the massive counterattack of the Russians again knocked them out. Attacks on the Bagrationov flushes that day followed one after another ...

At the retreat of Napoleon's Great Army, Davout Louis Nicola directed her rear guard, who constantly had to fight off the Cossacks ataman Platov and the fighters of General Miloradovich. October 22, near Vyazma, the Russians blocked the enemy rear guard road to the West. Despite the fact that the army Davout received reinforcements, the Russians defeated him. On that day the Napoleonic army lost about 8 thousand soldiers. After the defeat at Vyazma, the emperor replaced the "Iron Marshal" (as Davau was called in his homeland) as commander of the army rear guard for Marshal Neem.

Another major loss from the Russian army corps Davout suffered in the battle of the village of Krasnoe, which was held from 3 to 6 November. Retreating from the side of Smolensk, the French wanted to break away from the Russian persecution and reach the river Berezina. After this battle, Marshal Davout's corps existed except in documentary form.

Defeat of France

Davout was not among the marshals of Napoleon, who surrendered allies to Paris. In 1813 and 1814 he fought in the north of Germany, defending Hamburg from the siege of the Russians and Prussian troops. Despite the fact that the siege took place without fierce offensives and bombardments, the Hamburg garrison still laid down its arms before the Allies.

When Napoleonic France suffered a military and political defeat, Davout Louis Nicola, whose biography was always connected with Napoleon, remained true to him. And even when he was in exile on the island of Elba, Davout did not give up his views. When Napoleon, having landed in the south of the country, began a victorious march-march to Paris, Louis Davout joined him. At the time of the "hundred days" he was the minister of France.

When the Bourbons returned to power, Davout enjoyed great popularity in the country, and especially in the army. He, like the other marshals of Napoleon, lost all his ranks and titles, but not for long - in 1817, in order to avoid irritation in society, he was returned all the previous titles and ranks. Two years later, Davout managed not only to achieve the location of the authorities, but also to become a peer of France.

On June 1, 1823, Davout Louis Nikola died of pulmonary tuberculosis in Paris.