History fact;
The Great Cavalry clash; Austerlitz 1805 Dec 2
As part of the grand allied plan Prince Bagration (Russian Column Commander) held his position in the hills east of the 4th. His position was in the hills around Posoritz until it became clear that the battle was underway. Then he was to push forward, driving the French before him. General Liechtenstein's V column (the Austrian Cavalry Leader) was to occupy the large area between Bagration and the IV Column. Behind them was the Russian Imperial Guard under Grand Duke Constantine (the brother of the Emperor of Russia).
The confusion of the fog -shrouded Pratzen plateau at daybreak it ensured that Liechtenstein was late arriving at his appointed position between the village of Blasowitz and Krug. Due to the disruption caused by marching between elements of the III Column, Liechtenstein Cavalry arrived in two separate bodies. The Russian Cavalry of General Uvarov was the other, but Prince Bagration moved off early when they arrived. The allied line was for the Russians towards the village of Blasowitz and the Austrians protecting the left. Due to the late arrival of the Cavalry, Grand Duke Constantine sent the Guard forward to patch the hole made by their late arrival. He sent three infantry battalions the Imperial Guard Jager's (elite Light Infantry) and the Guard Fusiliers (elite line Infantry) plus the Semenovsky regiment (regular line infantry)
The French on the other hand were west of this under Marechal Jean Lannes, his V corps delay committing there selves also then moved east on the Brunn-Olmutz road, Lannes positioned General Suchet's Division to the left or north of the road and his other Division under General Caffarelli to the right or south of the road. He also sent a detached Legere regiment to garrison the Santon hills were the Army Artillery was looking down on the rest of the valley.
Marechal Murat the overall commander of the French left flank placed his two light Cavalry divisions on the flanks of the road and held his two heavy cavalry divisions in reserve.
General Kellermann had mixed fortunes that day of Napoleon's greatest triumph. Detached from the 1st Corps to the Cavalry Reserve under Murat he was station on the French left or north of the allies supporting V Corps .At 7; 00 a.m. his regiments the 2nd and the 5th Hussars under Van Marisy and the 4th Hussars and the 5th Chasseurs under Picard they moved east to screen General Suchet's 34th and 40th line under General Beker and 64th and the 88th under General Valhubert, as they closed with that of Bagrations Russians.
As Kellermanns Division came forward they were in column of squadron’s one squadron behind the other. He was suddenly bombarded and his division disordered by a Russian battery unmasked by Cossacks (irregular Cavalry wild tribesman of the Steeps in Russia). Another Allied Cavalry unit then fell on his flank as he tried to change to line to meet the threat. The 4th Hussars beginning the next to last formation behind the other was able to charge out at this threat the 1st squadron which was Capitaine Jasmine charged the allied horseman and give the other's time to maneuver. The 5th Chasseurs turn tail and ran, behind the infantry of General Suchet's who witness the whole affair.
General Kellermanns moves were being observed by Grand Duke Constantine; being unwilling to wait for General Uvarov's Brigade to rally he ordered a charge by the Guard Uhlans (elite Lancers). Seeing this mass of Lancers coming at him General Kellermann orders the Division into the French infantry who were in squares, passing though the intervals between the squares he got his division safely though, leaving the Russian Guards Lancers to the infantry squares they were confronted by a rolling fire of close -range musketry by the French Infantry. By the time that they pulled away the Uhlans had suffered heavily and their commander was a prisoner.
Despite the setbacks, General Kellermann returned to the fight with his light Division, though the same intervals that he had just pass into. Leading the counter charge was the 4th Hussars with General Picard and General Kellermann at the front with Capitaine Rick’s stone city band at the head of the charge they caught the Uhlans as they were milling around the French squares. He routed ten of their squadrons, which was one of the finest regiments of the Russian Army.
Then a Russian dragoon regiment hit the 4th in the flank killing all of the stone city band and in the process General Kellermann was badly wounded and was carried from the field by a wounded Capitaine Jasmine. Four hundred of the light division was killed that morning. Le Lapider la bande de ville, died as they lived hard and fast, I can still hear their songs!
Capitaine Rick Jacques 1805; Le’ Lapider la band de Ville at the charge