Читать книгу Battlefields - Michael Rayner - Страница 14

By 14:00 French army headquarters had moved to the Chapel of St Anthony, where Napoleon issued fresh orders for the final stages of the battle. Bernadotte was ordered to hold the Pratzen feature, and the Guard, Oudinot and Soult were to envelop the enemy left (Buxhöwden’s force), defeat of which was nothing less than a rout. Many eminent historians claim that Napoleon ordered the frozen ‘ponds’ near the village of Satchen to be shelled, thus drowning many of the fleeing Allies. However, when drained on Napoleon’s orders between 8 and 12 December 1805, the bodies of only two Russians were found. Nevertheless the Allies suffered casualties amounting to about 15,000 killed and wounded and 12,000 prisoners, as well as 180 guns and 50 colours. French losses were reported as 1305 killed, 6940 wounded and 573 captured.