Editing Battle of Hohenlinden (section)

==Battle==
[[Image:Battle of Hohenlinden, by Schirmer.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.0|Plan of battle, from Schirmer's Kriegsgeschichtlicher Atlas]]

===Kollowrat and Grouchy's fight===
All Austrian columns started at dawn. Marching on the all-weather highway, Kollowrat's column made good time despite heavy snow. At 7:00&nbsp;am, his advance guard under General-Major Franz Löpper collided with Colonel [[Pierre-Louis Binet de Marcognet]]'s 108th Line Infantry [[Demi-brigade|Demi-Brigade]] of Grouchy's division. Defending deep in the forest, the 108th held their ground at first. However, General-Major Lelio Spannochi sent a [[grenadier]] battalion in a flank attack and drove the French back. Kollowrat committed General-Major [[Bernhard Erasmus von Deroy]]'s Bavarian brigade and a second grenadier battalion to keep the attack rolling.<ref>Arnold pp 229–230</ref>

As the Austrians burst from the tree line, Grouchy led a powerful infantry and cavalry counterattack. Kollowrat's troops reeled back as the 11th [[Chasseurs à cheval]] Regiment broke a square of grenadiers and the 4th [[Hussar]] Regiment overran an artillery battery. Both Spannochi and the wounded Marcognet became prisoners. Having lost five cannon, Kollowrat decided to suspend his drive until Latour and Riesch came up on his flanks. Anxious about his open left flank, he sent two grenadier battalions back in search of Riesch's column.<ref>Arnold, pp 230–233</ref>

===Attack on Grenier's wing===
[[Image:General Paul Grenier.JPG|thumb|left|170px|upright=0.5|Paul Grenier]]

To the north, Kienmayer flushed French outposts from Isen. These executed a planned withdrawal westward to Grenier's main line of defense. Feldmarschall-Leutnant [[Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg|Prince Karl of Schwarzenberg]], who led Kienmayer's left division, pushed southwest to crash into the divisions of Bastoul and Ney. An Austrian force captured the town of [[Forstern]], but Moreau committed d'Hautpoul's reserve cavalry to help drive them out. A back and forth struggle began over the [[Hamlet (place)|hamlets]] of Tading, Wetting, Kreiling, and Kronacker, which run in a north to south line. The Austrian ''Murray'' Infantry Regiment Nr. 55 distinguished itself in the fighting for Kronacker, which lies only 1.3&nbsp;km north of Hohenlinden. On the far north flank, Feldmarschall-Leutnant [[Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este|Archduke Ferdinand's]] division began coming into action against Legrand near the town of Harthofen.<ref>Arnold, pp 233–234</ref>

Latour, moving along muddy forest trails amid snow and sleet squalls, fell badly behind schedule. At 10:00&nbsp;am, his column was still well to the rear of Kollowrat's corps. By this time, the gunfire from Kienmayer's and Kollowrat's combats could be clearly heard to the front. Even more disturbing were sounds of battle from the south. Latour made the extraordinary decision to divide the divisions of Feldmarschall-Leutnants Prince Friedrich of Hessen-Homburg and Friedrich Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen into small task forces. He sent one infantry battalion and six cavalry squadrons to the north to look for Kienmayer. One battalion and four squadrons marched south to find Kollowrat. After advancing the bulk of his column to the village of Mittbach, Latour sent two battalions and two squadrons to assist Schwarzenberg's attack and three battalions and an artillery battery to help Kollowrat. This left him with only three battalions and six squadrons.<ref>Arnold, p 233</ref>

===Richepanse's envelopment===
[[Image:Battle of Hohenlinden March of Richpanse.jpg|thumb|right|170px|upright=1.0|Hohenlinden: Richepanse's march]]

Like Latour, Riesch's troops had to contend with terrible roads and snow squalls. They fell far behind Kollowrat, reaching [[Albaching]] only at 9:30&nbsp;am. Consequently, Richepanse's division passed in front of Riesch. Near the village of St. Christoph, the two Austrian grenadier battalions sent by Kollowrat stumbled upon Richepanse's marching column, cutting his division in half. With single-minded determination, the Frenchman left his rear brigade under General of Brigade [[Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'Erlon|Jean-Baptiste Drouet]] to fight it out and drove to the north with his leading brigade.<ref>Arnold, p 237</ref>

With the 8th Line Demi-Brigade and 1st Chasseurs à Cheval leading, Richepanse seized the village of [[Maitenbeth]] and advanced to the main highway. There he confronted elements of Feldmarschall-Leutnant [[Johann I Joseph, Prince of Liechtenstein|Prince Johann of Liechtenstein's]] cavalry division. Leaving his two advance units to bear the brunt of General-major Christian Wolfskeel's [[cuirassier]] charges, Richepanse wheeled the 48th Line Demi-Brigade west onto the highway. Aware that this route took him directly into Kollowrat's rear area, he formed the demi-brigade's three battalions side by side with skirmishers protecting the flanks. Hearing firing to the east, Weyrother gathered up three Bavarian battalions from Kollowrat's column and sent them to investigate. These units moved to the southeast and became embroiled in the fight with Drouet. Two more Bavarian battalions under General-major [[Karl Philipp von Wrede]] now appeared and blocked Richepanse's path. After a brief fight, the 48th Line overwhelmed Wrede's men and Weyrother fell wounded.<ref>Arnold, pp 237–243</ref>

Riesch's patrols told him that two French divisions were in the area. Instead of pushing into the combat raging to his front, he cautiously decided to wait for his stragglers to arrive at Albaching. He then fell into the same error as Latour. Dividing his two powerful divisions under Feldmarschall-Leutnant [[Ignaz Gyulai]] and Feldmarschall-Leutnant [[Maximilian, Count of Merveldt]] into five small columns, he sent each forward on a separate forest trail. Riesch held back three battalions and most of his cavalry as a reserve.<ref>Arnold, p 235</ref>

===Crisis===
[[File:Marechal Ney.jpg|thumb|right|170px|upright=0.5|Michel Ney]]

At 11:00&nbsp;am, Decaen came up in support of Drouet's brigade near the southern edge of the battlefield. The situation was very fluid, with units blundering into each other in a heavy snowfall. The fresh infusion of French troops finally broke through the opposition. Drouet led his troops north to the highway, where the 8th Line still battled Liechtenstein's cavalry. Spearheaded by the Polish [[Danube Legion]], Decaen turned east to grapple with Riesch. Decaen's men overcame Riesch's small columns one by one and pushed them back to the heights of Albaching.<ref name="Arnold, pp 243-244">Arnold, pp 243–244</ref> The Austrian managed to hold onto his hilltop position and capture 500 French soldiers while suffering 900 casualties.<ref>Arnold, p 248</ref>

Sensing victory, Moreau ordered Grenier's divisions and Grouchy to attack around noon. Undeterred by Latour's weak pressure on his front, Ney swung to his right and began pounding Kollowrat's troops. Pressing his attack, he overran their positions, capturing 1,000 soldiers and ten cannons. Grouchy also returned to the offensive. Hemmed in on three sides by Ney, Grouchy and Richepanse, Kollowrat's column finally disintegrated in a disorderly rout.<ref name="Arnold, pp 243-244"/> Archduke John escaped capture on a fast horse, but many of his men were not so lucky and thousands of demoralized Austrians and Bavarians surrendered. In addition, over 60 artillery pieces fell into French hands.<ref>Arnold, p 247</ref>

Latour learned of the left center column's fate when its fugitives flooded the nearby woods. Abandoning his position, he retreated to Isen, leaving Kienmayer to fend for himself. When Kienmayer got news of Kollowrat's destruction, he ordered his division commanders to fall back. After a brief fight against Legrand on the north flank, Archduke Ferdinand pulled back with General-major [[Karl von Vincent]]'s [[dragoon]] brigade covering his withdrawal. Legrand reported fewer than 300 casualties while rounding up 500 prisoners and three guns. Thanks to Schwarzenberg's able combat leadership, his division escaped a very tight spot. At one point, a French officer came forward under a flag of truce to demand his surrender, but the Austrian successfully disengaged his command and brought them to safety that evening without the loss of a single cannon.{{clarification needed|date=April 2024}}<ref>Arnold, pp 248–249</ref>