9. Napoleon’s Advance on Vienna
Napoleon Bonaparte conducted the Ulm Campaign in 1805, a series of brilliant maneuvers that culminated in the capture of an entire Austrian army. Austria’s Russian allies had sent forces, but they arrived too late to prevent the surrender at Ulm. So the Russians retreated to the north bank of the Danube. There, they hoped that a river between them and the pursuing French might allow them the opportunity to catch their breath and regroup. To keep the French on the opposite side of the Danube, all bridges that spanned the river were either blown up, or were rigged with explosives for instant detonation to prevent their capture by Napoleon’s forces. In the meantime, as the French neared the Austrian capital of Vienna on the Danube, peace negotiations were underway.
