Six Days in October - The Consolidated Dispatches of Marshal Lannes

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From Lannes

Why is this wine so sweet?

Naumbourg it is, then. V Corps needs to stretch it legs a bit and walk some more.

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Lannes to V Corps

To: All V Corps

Generals,

We will be marching for ten hours along the road from Weimar to Naumbourg, as part of a larger movement of the western half of the army. We will be following M. Davout's III Corps, who is in turn behind M. Augereau.

Be prepared to march quickly in support of the troops to our front; contact with the Prussians is expected. The order of march will be our cavalry, 1st Division, 2nd, Division, 3rd Division. our cavalry is to keep contact with M. Davout's corps. I will maintain my headquarters with 1st Division.

Allons y!

Lannes

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From Davout

Let's kick some (more) Prussian ass.

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DISPATCH -- MURAT to LANNES -- 1230, 17th October

SENT 0930, 17th October

SENT 0930, 17th October

From:  Murat, heading cross-country from north of Weimar to Sommerda
To: Lannes, on the Erfurt-Weimar road
      Davout, vicinity Weimar

Comrades,
In accordance with our wing commander's instructions I am headed northwest towards Sommerda and thence to Weissensee. Rather than backtracking along the Weimar-Erfurt road I have instead chosen to cut across the bleak German heath and head directly for Sommerda; this should help keep the road clear and uncongested for your use.

I have received reports from my rear guard (General Grouchy's division of dragoons) that his scouts have sighted two Prussian divisions deployed on the road between Naumbourg and Weimar, and notes that one of those two divisions appears to be in considerable disorder. I suspect these may be the remains of Ruchel's corps, acting as a screen to cover the withdrawal of other, larger, Prussian forces (possibly Brunswick's army). I have no intention of engaging this enemy force and will doubtless have lost contact with it by the time you receive this communique.

I will send another courier updating my status once I reach Sommerda.
Please keep me apprised of your movements.

- Murat

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DISPATCH -- DAVOUT to LANNES -- 1630, 17th October

SENT 1400, 17th October

From: Davout
To: Emperor Napoleon, Marshalls Lannes, Bernadotte, Augereau

Please find enclosed a copy of a note from Marshal Murat;  he notes a brief contact with two disorganized Prussian divisions on the Weimar-Naumbourg road.

Presumably, though Murat's cavalry's northwestern march will cause them to lose contact with this rabble, Marshal Augereau will sweep these Prussian road fleas into the dustbin of history.

- Davout

From:  Murat, heading cross-country from north of Weimar to Sommerda
To: Lannes, on the Erfurt-Weimar road
      Davout, vicinity Weimar

Comrades,
In accordance with our wing commander's instructions I am headed northwest towards Sommerda and thence to Weissensee. Rather than backtracking along the Weimar-Erfurt road I have instead chosen to cut across the bleak German heath and head directly for Sommerda; this should help keep the road clear and uncongested for your use.

I have received reports from my rear guard (General Grouchy's division of dragoons) that his scouts have sighted two Prussian divisions deployed on the road between Naumbourg and Weimar, and notes that one of those two divisions appears to be in considerable disorder. I suspect these may be the remains of Ruchel's corps, acting as a screen to cover the withdrawal of other, larger, Prussian forces (possibly Brunswick's army). I have no intention of engaging this enemy force and will doubtless have lost contact with it by the time you receive this communique.

I will send another courier updating my status once I reach Sommerda.
Please keep me apprised of your movements.

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DISPATCH -- DAVOUT to LANNES, 2230, 17th October

SENT 1900, 17th October

From: Davout
To: Marshals Murat, Lannes, Emperor Napoleon

Brother marshals, please see below a note from Marshal Augereau:

Note that this means we have figured out which direction Weimar ran in and perhaps Ruchel's line of flight - Weimar is one of Ruchel's divisions.

Where did Brunswick go?  East?

- Davout

Subject: DISPATCH FROM CONTROL -- 1700, 17th October

Marshal Augereau,

The head of your column is as of this hour some 5 km from Naumbourg.

Your forward scouts report that, in the outskirts of Naumbourg, they can see the trail end of Weimar's division forming up for what appears to be the evening's bivouac.

S!

Response:

Wonderful news! I dispatch messengers to Napoleon, Davout, and Soult. I inform them of what my scouts report and my intent, which is to engage the enemy.

In the meantime, I quickly and diligently deploy my Corps for battle, with the intent to catch the Prussians with their pants down.

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Sitrep

I could probably use a sitrep at this point since my perception is that V Corps is essentially still on a walking tour of Thuringia.

Please and thank you.

Jim Owczarski

Tue, Nov 14, 2017, 10:58 PM

to me

As you might have suspected, your boys  are good and stuck behind the columns of Augereau and Davout.  Your "nose" is in Weimar and, as a practical matter, at nightfall, that's where most of your fellows find themselves.

Doug Miller

Wed, Nov 15, 2017, 9:39 AM
to Jim

Time to forage for a banquet, then.

Jim Owczarski

Wed, Nov 15, 2017, 6:23 PM

to me

Given everything, there's likely jack and squat left in Weimar and Jack, I hear, is busy...

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DISPATCH -- NAPOLEON I to all Marshals from Weimar to Naumbourg 0200, 18th October

Marshals of the combined Central Thrust, on the roads from Weimar (generally) to Naumbourg:

I have been following your reports of this day's (and evening's) activity with great interest as I receive them, and I am loath to interfere with your preliminaries as you maneuver into Naumbourg. Indeed, simple chatter on the road, from where I wait nearby, has reached me of some stunning results in that city, which sound as though they are in our favor although I am not quite sure.

Be that as it may, here two hours after midnight, I am only dispatching couriers to let you know what news I have received from the efforts of our Central Thrust up to now; and that I have no specific orders in mind yet. Once I'm sure the traffic has cleared sufficiently I'll be moving up into closer communion with my cavalry division. Mainly I want to ensure I am not in the way while you are doing your business.

I have not yet received news from Bernadotte or the East Wing more generally from today, but I'll pass up whatever I hear when-if-ever I do.

Let me not distract you; on with your work!

Napoleon I

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DISPATCH -- DAVOUT to LANNES -- 0200, 18th October

From: Marshal Davout
To:   III Corps; also Emperor Napoleon, Marshals Murat, Augereau, Lannes, Murat, and Bernadotte
Time: 2300 17 October

Soldiers of III Corps!

Ahead of us on the road, Marshal Augereau has engaged General Weimar at Naumbourg, surprising the Prussian rats as they ate dinner and scattering them into the town like rabbits.  Tomorrow he will resume the attack.

We will continue marching to Naumbourg tomorrow morning; we must be prepared to to continue the pursuit beyond Naumbourg, or, perhaps, to assist Marshal Augereau with the fighting in the unlikely event the Prussians discover a spine.

- Davout

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Lannes to V Corps - 1000 18 October

To: V Corps, Davout, Murat, Augereau
Gentlemen,

Now that the road has cleared we will continue our plan of march as I sent yesterday. From the sound of things, M. Augereau has found some Prussians near Naumbourg.

We will be marching for ten hours along the road from Weimar to Naumbourg. Our objective is to march to the sound of the guns and support M. Augereau and M. Davout. If we continue to hear the sound of cannon at dusk, we will continue our progress until we are either in contact with the enemy or have joined with the friendly forces in the vicinity of Naumbourg.

Be prepared to march quickly in support of the troops to our front; contact with the Prussians is expected. The order of march will be our cavalry, 1st Division, 2nd, Division, 3rd Division. our cavalry is to keep contact with M. Davout's corps. I will maintain my headquarters with 1st Division.

The cavalry should dispatch vedettes 2km to the front and flanks of our column to screen for the enemy.

Lannes

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Lannes to Davout - 1000 18 October

My brother Marshal,

With the road clearing, V Corps is finally on the move from Weimar to Naumbourg. We can hear cannon fire from the north and east, presumably in the vicinity of Naumbourg itself. I am pushing my cavalry forward to maintain contact with your corps. Do you have any contact yet with the enemy?

Lannes

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Lannes to Foucher 1000 18 October

To: General Foucher

General Foucher,

Push a squadron of your troopers up the Naumbourg road to maintain contact with Davout's III Corps. I wish to stay apprised of their situation until all of V Corps comes up in contact with them.

Lannes

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Lannes to V Corps 1000 18 October

To: All V Corps, Davout, Murat

Generals,

I am riding ahead to make my headquarters at Mattstedt.

Lannes

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DISPATCH -- FROM CONTROL -- 1000, 18th October

Marshal Lannes --

I am first pleased to report that your men have begun to march!

In addition, for the past hour or so you have heard the distinct sound of battery fire from the area to the North and East.  Given previous information, it would not surprise you were it to be discovered that this is coming from before Naumbourg.

S!

Doug Miller
Sat, Dec 2, 2017, 3:29 PM
to Jim

You've somehow actually contrived to get us to fight on the Rossbach battlefield, haven't you?

This entire thing has been a year-long wargaming joke.

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DISPATCH -- FOUCHER to LANNES -- 1300, 18th October
Marshal,

I am in receipt of your message.  We find ourselves presently marching as ordered in direct contact with the rear of the column of General Gudin's division of III Corps.

I believe this complies with the intent of your orders.

S!

Foucher