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April 17th, 1809
17:00 - 20:45hrs. At Landsmannsdorf, four miles north-west of Pfeffenhausen.
Oberst-leuitnant von Preusch, 5th Armeekorps Staff Major AdC: "I have just finished dictating orders when there comes a rumble of distant gunfire. At this sound everything becomes animated. It's the first time since the campaign opened that Archduke Ludwig's HQ finds itself in the vicinity of a combat. So the Bavarians have made up their minds to dispute with us! We make haste to leave. All reports gave us to believe the enemy would stand and give a battle before Abensberg . The regiments' ardour is extreme, nevertheless everyone is suffering from weather, bad food and water. And we all shared it. His Highness' staff are just about to leave when an AdC arrives flat out from FML Schustekh, commander of 3rd Division. With his usual impetuousness and without waiting for some infantry to come up, he has flung his light cavalry into some woods packed with the Bavarian sharpshooters. The sound of guns redoubling. His Highness at once ordered his headquarters baggage to halt, and, followed only by his principal officers, hastened on toward Landsmannsdorf. ...Once again it's been the Kienmayer Hussaren who, together with the Ertzherzog Karl Uhlanen, have been distinguishing-themselves. Marching along the Abensberg road in column, they'd been approaching a rise in the ground which prevented them from seeing far ahead; and when they eventually saw the Bavarians they'd taken them for friendly unit first. Then, the regiment, supposing itself to be supported on each side by other columns, which had in fact halted, has furiously charged the enemy ahead of them, and then to left and right, and finally returned with some prisoners, but also losses."
Wachtmeister Gyorsag of Hussarenregiment #8 "Kienmaier": "In front of us our colonel rides on his stallion with incredible daring, jumping obstacles. The roofs of village rise up in front of us... . A main road is there, the one we are looking for, flanked by trees and ditches. And what a sight! Hundreds of men and wagons rolling along towards Landsmannsdorf, following each other at short intervals, traveling fast. A lovely target for our charge! A grand game! At full gallop, right down the axis of the road, we attack... . Suddenly yellow flashes spring out of white wafts of smoke in front of us, and then a hell-like outburst of fire, steel and flames. I hear the hissing of grapes and clearly see the bursts of small-caliber shells. Each one of us feel they are aiming at him personally... . Ahead I see the enemy's salvo ripping into the Colonel's squadron; horsemen tip on back or awry, tore through tree branches, and crash in the midst of the Bavarian troops, right on the road. ...Towards evening, groups of unsaddled horses returned, followed on foot by several wounded cavalrymen who had been bandaged as well as possible; others held themselves in the saddle by a miracle for the honor of being cavalrymen. The saddles and the harnesses were all covered with blood. Most of the animals limped; others, badly wounded, just got as far as us in order to die, at the end of their strength; others had to shot to bring an end to their sufferings..."
Oberst-leuitnant von Preusch, 5th Armeekorps Staff Major AdC: "Arriving on the scene, I see a hussar of the Kienmayer Regiment lying face down on the road, his cranium taken off by a roundshot. GM Kubinyi that in command here had come and said that if the enemy went on firing, we must charge the guns. The shots beginning again, our men had left like lighting, and soon after had come back with prisoners. By the time the both sides of the road were already littered with wounded, either prisoners or ours. We saw hussars, holding their horses' bridle in one hand and a pistol in the other, bringing back prisoners, making them run in front of them on foot."
Oberst von Steigentesch, Hussarenregiment #8 "Kienmaier": "We were very close to the enemy and lost many men and horses from his artillery, which our regiment had to attack. We managed to pass between guns, but a violent infantry fire from the nearby forest forced us to retire. Although in the second charge we sabred many of the gunners and tried to carry off the guns, we, not getting any support, had again had to retire with heavy losses to a position where we are being continuously fired on with grapeshot. ...When my regiment is routed, Oberst von Sommerau's Uhlanenregiment #3 is flung in, and in its turn routs two or three Bavarian Chevaulegere regiments. But by now Oberst von Bánffy's Grenzeren infantry arriving on the scene. I see his men are all on fire to measure themselves against this hitherto invisible enemy. We can read contentment on all faces. And then - it's in our hearts to avenge the insult. And in fact GM Kubinyi's leading brigade drives the enemy right back into the forest. Only at nightfall do the heavily outnumbered Bavarians fall back on to their second position."
Unterleuitnant Bentele, 1st Battalion/ Grenzregiment #7 "Brod": "The tracks of the enemy led off along highway to the north of Landsmannsdorf through the valley and hillsides in which shrubbery was as tall as a man. Again I found myself well in advance of my own line with my platoon. I decided to wait until our neighbors on the right came up. The platoon occupied the position they had just gained; then together with the commander of the 1st Section, a Premiercaporal of our company, and Feldwebel Slivarich, I went off on reconnaissance to the north to learn where the enemy had gone. The platoon maintained contact. Some six hundred yards north of Landsmannsdorf we reached the road to Ober Lauterbach without having encountered the enemy. The way became higher as it went to the north, passing through a cut at this point. On both sides of the road large clumps of bushes interfered with the view to the north-west and west. We used one of these as an OP. Strange to say, nothing was to be seen of the retreating enemy. Suddenly, Slivarich pointed with his arm to the right (east). Scarcely 40-50 yards away the shrubbery was moving; and through it we saw the high Bavarian crested helmets and shine's reflection on bright cooking gear piled on top of the tall French-style packs. The enemy was withdrawing from the chasing of our cavalry which were sweeping the highest portion of the ridge to the east from Landsmannsdorf. I estimated that about a hundred Bavarians were coming straight at us in column of files. The penetration effect of our rifle ammunition came to mind! Two or three men at this distance! My NCOs and I fired as quickly as possible at the head of the column from a standing position. The column dispersed into the shrubbery; then, after a few moments, it continued the march in the same direction and in the same formation. Not a single Bavarian raised his head to locate this new enemy who had appeared so suddenly and so close to him. Now the three of us fired at the same time. Again the column disappeared for a short time, then split into several parts and hastily dispersed in a northerly direction. To the left, on the far side of the clump of bushes where we were standing, Bavarians came running down the highway. They were easily shot down as we fired at them through a break in the bushes at a range of about ten yards. A dozen of Bavarians were put out of action by the fire of our three rifles. ...Men of the 2nd Battalion was advancing up the road. I signaled my platoon to follow, and we then advanced northwards on both sides of the Landsmannsdorf-Abensberg highway. During our advance we encountered a number of Bavarians in the bushes along the road. It took a lot of talking to get them out of their hiding places and make them lay down their arms. My men offered the prisoners some tobacco which increased their confidence. ...From the hill to the right our Hussars also reached the highway. We were being fired on from the direction of the Schweinbach peak, which lay northwards of Landsmannsdorf. A quarter of an hour later, buglers sounded "regimental call" and "assembly". From all sides parts of our regiment worked their way toward the area north of Landsmannsdorf. One after another the different companies came in. As soon as the formations had been reordered, the battalion set off toward the Schweinbach peak, but our progress was frequently halted, for in the distance we saw enemy columns on the march. Cavalry battery of the 1st Brigade trotted ahead and went into position on the right of the highway. By the time we heard their first shots, the enemy column had disappeared into the distance. ...Night fell. Nearly dead from fatigue, we finally reached the village of Schweinbach, which was already filled with our cavalry. We bivouacked in the open. No straw could be found, and our men were much too tired to search for it. The damp, cold ground kept us from getting a refreshing sleep. Toward morning it grew chilly - all of us were pitifully cold. Again thick fog lay over the Bavarian hills... ."
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General-Feldmarshal Prince Vladimir N. Repnin
Imperial Russian Corps Commander
Prince Braine-Le Comte & The Adjutant-General of His Imperial Majesty
Chevalier Guards Regiment
Last edited by Prince Repnin on Mon Sep 02, 2013 9:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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