Six Days in October: The Collected Correspondence of Marshal Davout

[James Sterrett]

[From the Umpire]

Yours is correct.


Your presence with the forward cavalry is why you received this notice immediately...

[James Sterrett]

[To the Umpire]

Excellent.  Die, Prusskie beer-swillers, die!

I will wait where I am as the cav goes to pursue, so I can direct 2nd
over the bridge, and be in position to direct 3rd as events warrant.

[James Sterrett]

DISPATCH -- LANNES to DAVOUT, 1400, 14th October

SENT 1100, 14th October

To: V Corps, LaSalle, d'Hautpol, Morand
Copies to Davout, Murat, and Bernadotte

Generals!

M. Murat has engaged the enemy north of Erfurt. Generals LaSalle and Foucher are probing toward Erfurt now to locate the enemy, and we can all hear the guns.

We must march to the sound of the guns! Make all haste to Erfurt. Murat's Corp will fix the enemy for our hammer blow from the west. Advance to Erfurt and engage the foe with all dispatch!

Lannes

[James Sterrett]

Sent: 1400, 14 October
From: Marshal Davout, marching hard up the east side of the river
south of Erfurt
To: 2nd and 3rd Divisions
Copies to Lannes, Murat, and Bernadotte

Hear those cannons?

March, boys, march!

Remember, the best things in life are wine, women, and bayoneting
Prussian soldiers...  and not necessarily in that order.

[James Sterrett]

DISPATCH -- VIALLANNES to DAVOUT -- 1500, 14th October

SENT 1300, 14th October

My Lord Marshal,

We have identified the men marching towards Weimar as the men of Arnim's division.

We are presently outnumbered by them.

Shall we engaged their rearguard?

S!

JBT Viallanes

[James Sterrett]

To Vialannes, 1500 14 OCT

Thank you for your report!

   Please maintain reconnaissance contact with Arnim.

   Avoid decisive engagement.
  Spread out to look for other Prussian forces.
  Please inform me of developments.

   Please do not advance beyond Weimar.

- Davout

[James Sterrett]

DISPATCH -- VIALANNES to DAVOUT, 1930, 14th October

SENT 1800, 14th October

My Lord Marshal,

We have been engaged by troops of Scharnhorst's cavalry Southwest of Weimar who fell on us without warning.  Their numbers -- entirely cavalry -- were at least two times our own.

We were surprised and have suffered a bloody repulse.  Withdrawing to a safe distance to await further orders.

S!

Viallanes

[James Sterrett]

Send 1930, 14 October

General Vialannes

Thank you for your report and your scouting.  Scharnhorst was sunk by
the Royal Navy, so he sucks in the end.

In the nearer term, however, I expect to move westwards towards Erfurt
tomorrow.  Maintain the screen and avoid decisive engagement.

Davout

[James Sterrett]

DISPATCH -- DAVOUT to Lannes, Murat, Bernadotte, 1930, 14th October

FROM: Davout
TIME: 1930 14 October
TO: Marshals Murat, Ney, and Bernadotte

Where I am: Somewhere under a disgusting "rainbow" in the hinterlands of Germany

My fellow marshals!

I have heard the cannon fire of your presumed victory over Ruchel, but
the difficult terrain has prevented me from joining you so far. The
Germans should learn to improve their roads so we can invade them more
easily.

Vialannes' cavalry reconnoitered eastwards towards Weimar, following
Arnim's division eastwards but then being driven off by Scharnhorst's
cavalry, somewhere southeast of Weimar.   This suggests that Brunswick
is in the Weimar area.

I am attempting to assemble my forces on the road east of Erfurt.

Unless you hear otherwise, we will, as planned, punch westwards
towards Erfurt in order to link up with you tomorrow.

- Davout

[James Sterrett]

DISPATCH -- FROM CONTROL -- 2000, 14th October

My Lord Marshal,

You and the division with which you ride have arrived at Erfurt.

The smoke and sound of battle to the North and West appear to have abated.

S!

[James Sterrett]

DISPATCH -- FROM DAVOUT -- 2000, 14th October

From: Marshal Davout
To: Marshals Lannes, Murat, and Bernadotte
Time: 2000, 14 Oct

My column is arriving at Erfurt.  As planned, I will head westwards to
meet you tomorrow.

It is entirely possible that our meeting will outpace this dispatch!

As noted in the previous message, evidence suggests that Brunswick's
corps is in the vicinity of Weimar.

- Marshal Davout

[James Sterrett]

DISPATCH -- MURAT to DAVOUT -- 2300, 14th October

SENT 2000, 14th October

To Marshalls Davout and Lannes
(Davout believed to be south/southeast of Erfurt)
(Lannes believed to be on the road between Gotha and Erfurt)
From Marshal Murat (approx 10km north of Erfurt)

My dear comrades -

Today has been a very good day for French arms! If you have not already heard, I have the pleasure to report that this evening I accepted the surrender of some 5000 Prussian soldiers, the survivors of Weimar's division of Ruchel's corps, and have also seen the shattered remnants of his Advance Guard division fleeing to the northeast in full rout. Sadly, General Weimar himself has managed to evade capture, and Saxe's division remains on the field near Erfurt in relatively intact condition.

I hope this does not offend, but I have issued orders to General Friant of Davout's corps' 2nd division to break off his pursuit of the Prussians. The formation he is pursuing (the Advance Guard) is the smallest of Ruchel's divisions and has already been severely mauled. Even if this unit manages to escape, it will be days before it is in any condition to pose a threat to our operations -- meanwhile, we have no idea where either Brunswick or Hohenlohe are, and theirs are the largest and most dangerous of the forces arrayed against us. I believed it was essential that Friant be recalled to support Marshall Davout's further advance on the city of Weimar as this is the most likely direction in which the main Prussian armies lie (rather than to the northeast, which is the direction in which Ruchel is headed).

My proposal for tomorrow is that Marshall Davout advance as expeditiously as possible on Weimar. I believe this to be critical to maintain pressure on the Prussians so that they will be unable to concentrate against the Emperor as he and the rest of our army advance north from the Hof gap. Meanwhile I believe that Marshall Lannes should concentrate on crushing Saxe's division before it can escape from the Erfurt area. I will attempt to support Lannes as practical, but my cavalry have been heavily engaged for the past two days and fatigue and disorganization is becoming a significant factor.

In accordance with the Emperor's wishes, once we have occupied Erfurt I will be relinquishing command of the western wing of our army to Marshall Davout. Once that occurs and unless otherwise directed by Marshall Davout, my intent is to then continue with his majesty's previous orders and proceed with my cavalry to circle north and east to Halle (via Weissensee and Eisleben).

My request to both of you would be that you provide me with updates on your current locations, your recent activities (so that I may accurately inform the Emperor of what has transpired today), and your intentions for tomorrow. I eagerly await your responses.

- Marshall Murat

[James Sterrett]

Sent 2300, 4 October
To: Marshals Lannes, Murat, and Bernadotte
From Marshal Davout, Erfurt

Comrades -- We rejoice in the news of your victory over Rachel!

We have had contact with Brunswick's forces - specifically Arnim's
infantry and Scharnhorst's cavalry - in the vicinity of Weimar.  I
suspect all of our forces are tiring, and Brunswick outnumbers us on
most counts.

I suggest a threefold change in plan:

1) Tomorrow, we converge and annihilate Saxe's division.  Our combined
forces should ensure a positive outcome and thus complete the rout of
Rachel's corps, freeing us to conduct operations towards Weimar.

2) On the day after tomorrow, rest and reorganize the troops; and make
use of the stocks of food and ammunition in the Erfurt depot.

3a) On the third day, we all march on Brunswick.  Our combined force
is roughly equal to his; without Murat's corps we will be heavily
outnumbered in cavalry.  During the second day we can come up with a
plan of maneuver for the march east.

or

3b) Use either Lannes' corps or mine to defend the river line east of
Erfurt, while the other corps travels with Murat to make a stronger
left hook.

If we adopt the first two parts of this suggestion, then we could meet
during the troops' rest day in order to discuss the next step in
detail.

- Davout

[James Sterrett]

DISPATCH -- FRIANT to DAVOUT, 2200, 14th October

SENT 2100, 14th October

My Lord Marshal,

Despite our best efforts, our want of cavalry has prevented our further pursuit of the enemy.  We now rest less than five kilometers from Erfurt and will encamp for the evenign awaiting your orders.

S!

Friant

[This "unable to pursue" helped leave me in doubt about the scale of the defeat of Ruchel's corps.  That isn't a complaint; confusion and uncertainty is a significant part of the fun in a Kriegsspiel!]

[James Sterrett]

Sent 2300, 14 October
To: General Friant, Marshals Lannes and Murat
From Marshal Davout

Could you inform me of where Saxe's division might be in relation to
Erfurt? I am in the town but my pickets have not reported any contact.

- Davout