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Today, the battlefield of Austerlitz is relatively unspoiled. The recommended map is the 1:30,000 SLAVKOV – Austerlitz, bitva tri cisarú ISBN 80-85302-03-9 published by Geodézie Brnõ, 1991. On the site of Napoleon’s tactical headquarters stands a memorial installed in 1930 and bearing an engraved sketch map of the battle. It is, of course, the ideal viewpoint from which to view the area, and is easy to find, just off the old Olmutz road (Route 403, Olomoucke Strasse) about 9km (6 miles) east of Brnõ (Brünn). One can appreciate how the low mist hid Soult’s troops along the Goldbach in the early hours, while allowing observation of the enemy on the Pratzen plateau beyond. One can walk up the Santon hill and see the remains of the defensive earthworks. On the hill south of the village of Pratzen is the Peace Monument and a small museum.

BATTLE NAME

The battle of Austerlitz took place short of the village of that name. It is said that on the eve of the battle the emperors of Austria and Russia had slept at the chateau of Austerlitz, and when Napoleon drove them from this, he wished to heighten his triumph by giving that name to the battle.

At Sokolnitz, the castle mentioned in many accounts was no more than a large country house, which was destroyed at an early stage of the battle. The present house was built some years afterwards. Nearby, however, is a huge granary similar to the one which formed the defensive bastion at Essling during the battle of 1809.

Near the village of Zatcany (Satchen) the flat fields around the Litava river (now controlled) were once the famous Satchen Ponds.

No tour of the site would be complete without a visit to Schloss Kaunitz, where Napoleon’s headquarters moved after the battle.

AUSTERLITZ TIMELINE

25 September	Grande Armée crosses the Rhine.
Mid-October	Most of Archduke Ferdinand’s army surrounded at Ulm.
20 October	General Mack obliged to surrender.
10 November	Kutuzov’s army crosses the Danube unopposed to the north bank after reaching the River Inn and withdrawing eastward along the Danube.
13 November	The French enter Vienna and bluff their way across the one remaining bridge to the north bank.
17 November	Napoleon heads north to join the advance guard.
18 November	Arsenal at Brünn (Brnõ) captured by Napoleon
28 November	Marshal Soult’s advance guard is attacked just east of the village of Austerlitz and, following Napoleon’s orders, falls back to a position west of the Goldbach
1 December	Chaotic attempt by allied staff to deploy during the night.
2 December	Shortly before dawn, battle begins.
08:00	Sunrise reveals large numbers of Russian troops moving southward across the centre of the battlefield. Soult estimates it would take his men 20 minutes to reach the Pratzen feature.
09:00	‘The Sun of Austerlitz’ burns through the mist.
09:30	The French central attack going well, with St Hilaire’s division on the Pratzen hill and Vandamme’s on the Vinhorady feature. The Russian Imperial Guard makes a spirited cavalry counterattack, but arrive winded. General Rapp restores the position, with two squadrons of Chasseurs and the Mamelukes of Napoleon’s guard.
14:00	French army headquarters has moved to the Chapel of St Anthony. Napoleon issues fresh orders for the final stages of the battle. Bernadotte is ordered to hold the Pratzen feature, and the guard, Oudinot and Soult to envelop the enemy left (Buxhöwden’s force), resulting in a rout.