Editing Battle of Wagram (section)

=== Davout's flanking attack ===
[[File:Markgrafneusiedl - Kirchenruine (2).JPG|thumb|left|A modern photo of the tower at Markgrafneusiedl, which was the scene of heavy fighting during the second day of the Battle of Wagram.]]
While battle was raging on the western side of the battlefield, some 10 kilometers to the east, ''Maréchal'' Davout was preparing his attack, the manoeuvre with which Napoleon intended to win the battle. In order to gain a foothold on the plateau before him, Davout had to drive back the forces of Rosenberg's Austrian IV Korps. The two forces had already clashed during the abortive night attacks the day before and again earlier that morning, between 05:00 and 06:00, when Rosenberg made a surprising attack, which the French managed to repulse. Due in part to the fact that Austrian Corps on other sectors of the battlefield failed to attack at the same time, Rosenberg was forced to draw his troops back to their initial positions, occupying the plateau and the strategic village of Markgrafneusiedl, situated just below the escarpment. This village was the key position, which Davout had to take at all costs, in order for his manoeuvre to succeed. Despite his vast numerical superiority, Davout's mission was not easy, as the Austrians had a numerous cavalry and artillery available to support their infantry. Furthermore, the defensive position was solid, with the village of Markgrafneusiedl formed of sturdy stone houses and a number of large buildings, such as a disused stone church with a tall, conspicuous tower, a monastery and a mill, all of which constituted easily defendable structures. The only weakness of Rosenberg's position was its left side, where the plateau formed a gentle slope, descending northeast.<ref name=Nau62>Naulet 62.</ref>{{sfn|Rothenberg|1995|pp=186–187}}

While the French were preparing their attack, artillery on both sides opened up, with Rosenberg's batteries placed on high ground and at times behind earthworks.<ref name=Nau62/>{{sfn|Rothenberg|1995|pp=186–187}} Despite the superior Austrian tactical position, after about two hours of bombardment, the French managed to put out of action most of the Austrian pieces and cause fast-spreading fires in the village of Markgrafneusiedl.{{sfn|Castle|1990|p=77}} The fact that the French artillery won its duel with the Austrian artillery was due in part to the larger number of French high-calibre pieces, but most of all to their superior concentration of fire, with the artillery of French III Corps and II Corps cooperating and creating a deadly [[crossfire]].<ref name=Nau63>Naulet 63.</ref> By 09:30, Davout's troops were in position and ready to commence their attack. Initial orders provided that Davout should send his four infantry divisions in a frontal assault northwards, but early that morning Napoleon changed his mind, after reconnoitering the position in person and noticing that he could take advantage from the weakness on the left of the Austrian position.{{sfn|Rothenberg|1995|pp=186–187}} The new orders stated that two of Davout's divisions, those of Gudin and Puthod, were to advance from [[Grosshofen]] towards Markgrafneusiedl, forcing Rosenberg to commit a part of his forces in order to meet them, while the remaining infantry divisions, Friant's and Morand's, supported by Grouchy's and Montbruns cavalry divisions, would storm the plateau from the east. This order caused a significant delay, as the troops had to move to their assigned positions eastwards and artillery bridges had to be built, in order for the divisional artillery to be able to cross the Russbach stream. Commanding the Austrian forces in this sector, Rosenberg could rely on reinforcements from Nordmann's Advance Guard, and a numerous cavalry under Nostitz, all of which were placed under his direct command. He was also counting on support from the east, with Archduke John's "Army of Inner Austria" set to arrive on the battlefield, but so far these badly needed reinforcements had failed to materialise.<ref name=Nau62-63>Naulet 62–63.</ref>

[[File:Battle of Wagram - Davout orders the assault of Markgrafneusiedl.png|300px|thumb|Davout ordering the assault of Markgrafneusiedl. The commander of III Corps had his horse shot under him while leading his men from the front but continued his relentless attacks on the Austrian left.]]
The French began their steady advance between 09:30{{sfn|Rothenberg|1995|p=186}} and 10:00, their movement hidden from view by the thick smoke resulting from the intense artillery bombardment. On the right, Montbrun's cavalry had already advanced towards [[Obersiebenbrunn]], repulsing Fröhlich's Austrian cavalry elements and clearing the way for Friant and Morand, who began their enveloping manoeuvre against the enemy left. Rosenberg responded by redeploying his reserves to form a new flank: Mayer's brigade in first line, supported by Riese's brigade and Infantry Regiment 58 ''Beaulieu''. However, all these troops were drawn from Nordmann's Advance Guard, a Corps which had sustained heavy casualties the previous day. During this manoeuvre, Nostitz's cavalry, placed initially on the plain below the escarpment, were pushed back and forced up the slope of the plateau by Grouchy's and [[Charles-Joseph Randon de Pully|Pully]]'s [[dragoon]]s; the Austrian horse subsequently redeployed to protect Nordmann's flank. Meanwhile, Davout personally led forward the divisions of Gudin and Puthod, who were to storm Markgrafneusiedl frontally. The village was defended by three Austrian brigades (Weiss, Hessen-Homburg and Swinburn), supported in second line by Infantry Regiment 3 ''Erzherzog Karl'' and the ''Landwehr'' battalion ''Unter dem Manhartsberg''. The Austrian first line met the advancing columns of Gudin and Puthod with steady fire, which forced the French attack to a temporary halt. Further east, Morand, leading the French attack, faced a similar fate, when the Austrians launched a combined infantry and cavalry attack which forced the French to draw back and reform. The first Austrian line, the two regiments from Mayer's brigade, the 4th ''Hoch und Deutschmeister'' and 49th ''Kerpen'', supported by eight squadrons of [[hussar]]s from the ''Erzherzog Ferdinand'' regiment counterattacked and Morand's frontline regiments, the 13th Light and 17th Line were momentarily in a difficult situation. However, Friant was quick to react in support of his fellow commander, sending the [[Jacques Laurent Gilly|Gilly]] brigade against the now exposed flank of the Austrians. At this point, ''Feldmarshalleutnant'' Nordmann intervened in person to reestablish the situation and was mortally wounded while doing so, with the Austrian counterattack in this sector failing completely. The brave Nordmann was to be discovered moments later by the French in a ditch, where he was abandoned during the hasty retreat of his men, who sought refuge behind Riese's brigade, where they reformed. Despite being present in large numbers, the Austrian cavalry failed to launch a massed charge and instead launched several small-scale charges, which produced little effect. At this crucial juncture, Friant committed his entire division and, despite the failure of a first attack, soon managed to gain a firm foothold on the escarpment, pushing towards the tower at Markgrafneusiedl, a sign that the battle in this sector was turning in favour of the French.{{sfn|Rothenberg|1995|pp=188–189}}<ref>Naulet 63–64.</ref>{{sfn|Castle|1990|pp=78–81}}

[[File:Charles Étienne Gudin.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right|General Gudin, in command of Davout's 3rd Division, was instrumental in the attack of the III Corps.]]
In the meantime, Gudin and Puthod had also rallied their men and launched them in another attack against Markgrafneusiedl. They were met this time by Rohan's division from Rosenberg's IV Korps, which valiantly attempted to hold its ground, in a stubborn house-to-house defense, despite the fact that village was by now largely engulfed in flames. The French were equally determined and even senior commanders exposed themselves to the greatest dangers (Davout's horse was shot under him and Gudin was seriously wounded) in order to give heart to the men. French pressure and the fast-spreading fire forced Hessen-Homburg's brigade, which had been drawn up in support of Rohan's division, to evacuate the position and reform on the escarpment behind the village, closely followed by Gudin's [[skirmisher]]s. Combat did continue around the disused church, where Riese's battered brigade, infantry regiments 44 ''Bellegarde'', 46 ''Chasteler'', 58 ''Beaulieu'', nine battalions in total, was still holding out with remarkable tenacity and despite the fact that their commander, ''General-Major'' Riese, did not bother to show himself throughout the day. The church, with its conspicuous stone tower, was finally lost by the Austrians towards noon, when Friant managed to push through and link up with Gudin and Puthod, forcing the three Austrian regiments to withdraw, in order to avoid being outflanked. When Rosenberg failed to retake the tower with Hessen-Homburg's brigade, he decided to redeploy his entire force further back on the plateau and form a new line. This timely action temporarily stopped any further French advance. Seeing this development, Davout chose to force a decisive breakthrough and committed his ultimate reserve, the 3rd Heavy Cavalry Division. The Marshal ordered the heavy cavalry up the plateau west of Markgrafneusiedl, in an immediate frontal assault against the enemy line, rather than on the more favourable cavalry terrain east, where Grouchy, Pully and Montbrun were already operating. The 3rd Heavy Cavalry Division, a unit that the Emperor had attached to III Corps that very morning,{{sfn|Rothenberg|1995|p=189}} was led by 31-year-old ''[[General of Division|Général de Division]]'' [[Jean-Toussaint Arrighi de Casanova|Arrighi de Casanova]], who had no previous command experience at divisional level.<ref>Tulard (volume 1) 196.</ref> The division was formed of four cuirassier regiments, the 4th, 6th, 7th and 8th, totaling 16 squadrons and almost 2,000 men.{{sfn|Castle|1990|p=23}} Receiving his orders to charge immediately, Arrighi hastily formed his squadrons and led forward [[Étienne Tardif de Pommeroux de Bordesoulle|Bordessoule]]'s brigade up the slope, but once there, he found himself in the middle of enemy barricades and was, according to his own account, unable to deploy a single squadron. The steel-clad cuirassiers made several attempts to break the sturdy Austrian masses, but the terrain was not proper for such action and their best attempts came to nothing. Taking some 300 casualties after several frustratingly ineffective charges, Arrighi pulled his men back to safety down the slope and furiously set off to find Davout and protest against the orders he had given.<ref>Naulet 64.</ref>

[[File:Napoléon à Wagram.jpg|200px|thumbnail|left|Napoleon following the smokeline of Davout's columns. The attack of III Corps constituted the crucial French offensive at Wagram.]]
It was just after noon and, despite the failure of the French cavalry assault, Rosenberg was aware that his beleaguered line was about to give way, with possibly catastrophic consequences for the entire Austrian army. With his entire force already committed and no reserves, the Austrian commander could do little to prevent the seemingly unstoppable French onslaught. It was at this decisive moment that Archduke Charles personally brought reinforcements to his battered left wing: five battalions from Infantry Regiment 57 ''Joseph Colloredo'' and 15 ''Zach'', one battery of six-pounders, all drawn from Austrian II Korps and four squadrons of hussars, as well as the entire 8th ''Hohenzollern'' Cuirassier regiment, from the Cavalry Reserve. With the cavalry thus reinforced and placed under the overall command of ''Feldmarschalleutnant'' Nostitz, Archduke Charles ordered his horsemen to charge the enemy. At first, ''General-Major'' Wartensleben's brigade, the 3rd ''O'Reilly'' ''Chevaulegers'' and the 6th ''Blackenstein'' Hussars, charged Montbrun's first line, overwhelming the French 7th Hussars. The Austrians then made a dash towards Montbrun's second line, which made a surprising attempt to drive off the attackers with a carbine volley, which failed to break the impetus of the charge and sent the French horse reeling. As a result of his successful charge, Wartensleben was able to capture ten French horse artillery pieces. But the Austrian triumph was fleeting and Montbrun had carefully prepared a countercharge with his reserve and skilfully launched the 12th ''Chasseurs-à-Cheval'' frontally, while the 11th  ''Chasseurs-à-Cheval'' charged the ''O'Reilly'' ''Chevaulegers'' from flank. On the French side, Grouchy soon brought his dragoons in support and Nostitz was forced to counter them by committing ''General-Major'' Rothkirch's brigade, formed by the 1st ''Erzherzog Johann'' and 6th ''Riesch'' Dragoons. A massive, albeit brief, cavalry clash occurred and in the melee, both Nostitz and Rothkirch were wounded and the Austrians were driven back, leaving behind the cannon they had captured moments earlier and taking refuge behind the infantry. This was the major cavalry action of the battle and, despite the fact that the Austrians committed over 30 of their 40 squadrons present in the sector, the French gained the upper hand, thanks largely to their superior training for massed action. Charging by single regiments against an enemy who committed entire brigades and divisions in coordinated actions, the Austrians, although superior in overall numbers, had been overwhelmed, a testament to their chronic inability to coordinate large-scale cavalry charges. Towards 13:00, after the failure of his cavalry charge, Rosenberg reckoned that he was unable to hold out on his current positions and began organising a fighting retreat towards [[Bockfliess]], some {{convert|10|km|mi}} northwest.{{sfn|Rothenberg|1995|p=190}}