1763-1831

Alexandre Andrault de Langeron

JOURNAL OF THE
1805 CAMPAIGN, AUSTERLITZ

The unpublished journal
of Alexandre Andrault de Langeron

French publication : Thierry Rouillard
E-mail anael@club-internet.fr

Langeron’s personal journals present, over every one of the campaigns he assisted to, a sharp, - though sometimes partial - vision, and a lively account, owing to his interest in details and anecdotes. Particular, indeed, is the condition of this Frenchman, self-considering, and behaving, as a russian general. We lately published his Journal of the 1805 Campaign, in which we find him a caustic writer, less embittered by his old disfavour after the battle, than anxious to pay off post mortem old scores to his former superiors and service-mates.

The portrait gallery of russian generals and Ministers initiating his work is, first of all, a compendium of his contemporaries’ vices and faults, with tough sallies and mortifying anecdotes. The author takes pleasure in quoting the most deshonorable facts, through his affirmation of sticking to the purest truth, - as well as in prejudicing the reader against each one of the generals he is portraying.

Langeron mixes positive and negative features, in order to convince us of one thing : the inability of the russian generals in directing a campaign against Napoleon.

Equally critical are his judgements towards the French accounts and bulletins. This heir of the XVIIIth century is displeased by their typical style and "pathos":

"Attention has to be called upon how improper and disgusting are those rude, or contemptuous, expressions, those mean insults spread all through that bulletin, although written by a sovereign, and a victorious one... An adventurer keeps to be such, even though he sits enthroned."

What is mainly conspicuous in Langeron’s art of oratory, is the use of restrictive terms. Instead of openly disparageing his war-fellows, he prefers to use the discrete but sharp scratch, the feigned astonishment when he meets incompetency.

"The fourth column, after a half-a-verst march, happened to be within enemy’s range, those ones having not yet been discovered (an actually incredible thing, but only too real). At last, general Kutuzov himself ordered lieutenant- colonel Manatkin, of the Novgorod regiment (because general Miloradovitch had no idea to do so) to make forward faster...".

Nevertheless, a strong point in that narrative, is in the documents he joined to it : Stutterheim’s account, Kutuzov’s report, and also many French documents. Finally, that comprehensive work - every document being annoted by Langeron - offers a pluralist vision of the battle.

Langeron, like Stutterheim, mostly enters into matters such as the marchs previous to the battle, the supply service for armies on the field, all matters not dealt with in the French publications. Both narratives show a first-hand acquaintance with the field, and they help understanding the spirit and the quarrels inside the Austro-Russian joint Staff.

Langeron cares for completing each text with his own remarks. He often happens to point, unprejudicely, the errors made by the memorialists ; he proves carping towards the commen-tators ; sometimes, however, he falls, himself, into diatribes against Napoleon as well as against the revolutionnary system.

His acquaintance of the russian army and its chiefs allows him - not without acrimony - to throw off the mask of the imputations. "I have also to avow that the account made by Kutuzov is sewn with fallacies and falsehood ; it is a model of boastfulness and flattery towards the Emperor. He did not write it himself, but never should he have signed Toll’s work."

Our volume reprints, in addition to the text in full, five maps, illustrated from Langeron’s own hand. The last three ones let see with accuracy the operations of the Russian left wing at Austerlitz, seized at three different moments of the battle.

According to the usual practice in our publications, we attended to an uniform spelling of the names, of people as of places ; our index gives a short notice about most of the protagonists, explaining their roles in the campaign.

Biography of Langeron

Alexandre-Louis Andrault de Langeron was born on the 13th of January, 1763, in Paris. ¹ He died at Odessa, a victim of cholera, on the 4th of July, 1831.

Miltary career

As early as his fifteenth year, he was a "sous-lieutenant des gardes francaises" ; he served under Viosmenil at Caracas and Saint-Domingue (1782-1783). Appointed as captain to the Conde-dragons regiment soon after the peace, he was promoted as assistant-colonel to the regiment of Medoc (1786), then super-numerary colonel to the regiment of Armagnac (1788).

He proceeds to Russia in the attendance of the prince of Nassau, in 1789. In May, 1790, he offers his sword to Catherine the IInd, and further, is active in 1790 and 1791 campaigns against the Swedish and the Turks. During his first campaign in russian service, he fights under the Prince of Nassau, who is in command of a six gunboats flotilla against the Swedish, and takes part in the victory of Viborg.

After the russian defeat at Frederiksdamm, he is honoured with the Saint-George Cross. He serves under Potemkine at the blocade of Ismael, against the Turks. Although being wounded in the leg, while assaulting this fortress (21st of December, 1790), he comes, in May, 1791, with rank of Colonel, to the orders of the prince Repnin, commander of the troops of Moldavia ; he takes part in the battle of Matschin.

The year after, he volunteers for the prince of Saxony-Teschen’s army, in Netherland, and later on, for the "armee des Princes", in Champagne. Back to Saint-Petersburg, he is sent, with the duke de Richelieu, as russian military observers to the prince of Saxony-Coburg, commander of the Austrian army in Northern France and Netherland (1793 and 1794 campaigns). Then (1794), he takes the head of the Little-Russia grenadiers regiment.

During Paul the Ist’s reign, he is appointed general-major (1797), lieutenant-general (1799), then general quarter-master in Courland, infantry inspector, knight of the order of Saint-Ann and count of the Empire, by an ukase dated 29th of May, 1799.

At the end of the 1805 campaign, Langeron suffers a first disfavour. Having offered his resignation - unaccepted -, he proceeds to Odessa, near the duke de Richelieu.

From 1807 to 1811, he serves once more against the Turkish army, along the Danube. In 1811, for a few months, he acts as supreme commander of the Moldavian army.

Once the peace concluded (May, 1812), he fights against the French, in command of a corps under the Admiral Tchitchagoff, whose army marches from Valachia to Lithuania. He makes the pursuit of the remnants of the French army from the Beresina towards Wilna, and then up to the Vistule.

March 1813 : he is in charge of the blocade of Thorn, and fights at the battle of Bautzen. At the end of the armistice (August, 1813), he takes in command a corps of thirty five thousand men under Blucher (an army of three infantry and one cavalry corps) ; he fights on the Bober, at Loewenberg (against Napoleon), at Goldberg (against Macdonald) and on the Katzbach. In September, his army corps crosses the Elb and marches towards the Saale, together with Yorck’s and Sacken’s ones, the whole under Blucher. He serves later in the Northern army under Bernadotte, and takes part in the battle of Leipzig.

On the 1st of January, 1814, he crosses the Rhine at Kaul, blockades Mayence for two months (January- February, 1814), and then enters France. Under Blucher again, he defends Soissons, fights at Rheims, Chalons, Laon. On the 29 of March, he holds Le Bourget and drives back the french advances at La Villette. The day after, he carries off, with general Rondzevitch, the Montmartre batteries.

Back to Russia after the peace, he is in command of a corps of seventy thousand men, in Volhynia, and is honored with the order of Saint-Andrew.

During the Belgium campaign, in 1815, he marches again to the Rhine and takes post in Alsace and Lorrain, whose fortresses he blockades till the peace comes.

Soon after that, Langeron is appointed general governor of New-Russia (Odessa), replacing the duke de Richelieu (1822). But he suffers another disfavour till the accession of Nicolas the Ist to the throne ; he is then appointed commander of the russian troops in Valachia and fights against the Turkish army. (1828).

Private and civilian life

Langeron married three times : in 1784, with Marie-Diane Maignard de la Vaupaliere ; in 1804, with Anastasia Natalia Troubetzka, the widow of Major Kachinzov, and in 1819 with Louise Brummer. He was the father of one daughter, Diane, died in 1816, and of a natural son, Theodore Andrault (1804-1889), born from Angela Jerjanowska and ennobled by patent letters dated 2nd of April, 1822, who became Private Counselor of the Emperor of Russia and Senator.

During the French Revolution, Langeron was an author in London, writing on behalf of French newspapers :L’Ambigu and Les Actes des Apotres, signing several theater plays : Masaniella, Rosamonde, Marie Stuart, and a comedy : Le Duel suppose ("The feint encounter"), played in 1789. Brifaut, who had met the author in France, before his departure to Russia, kept corresponding with him till his own death.

After the "18 Brumaire", he obtained his being struck off the list of emigres (on the 2nd of November, 1801). In 1802, he travelled to Vienna and tried to join France with the Count de Damas and the duke de Richelieu, but he could not get his passports.

In 1827, supported by his cousin Maxence de Damas, then Minister of Charles Xth, he applied to the King for peerage, but could not get it.

Langeron’s manuscripts

The full text of his Journaux de campagne is filed in the archives of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Paris.

These archives include : the 1790-1791 campaign against the Turks, the 1790 Finland campaign, the 1805 one, with the battle of Austerlitz, the 1806-1812 ones, against the Turks, the 1812-1814 one, against the French ; besides that, a memoir on the death of Paul the Ist ; and a Precis historique des campagnes des Autrichiens dans les Pays-Bas et sur le Rhin, in 1793-1794.

The 1805 campaign

In the year 1805, he takes part in the Moravia campaign, being in command of the second column of the Buxhoewden army, placed after november, 1805, under Kutuzov’s orders.

At Austerlitz, at first he fights, before and behind Sokolnitz, at the center of the left wing of the russian army ; then, with the Kamensky brigade, he attempts to check the French progress on the plateau of Prazen. Exasperated by Buxhoewden’s attitude, sticking to Headquarters instructions without counsidering the actual circumstances, and telling to him : "My dear friend, you see enemies everywhere !", he sharply replied : "And you, Monsieur le Comte, you are no longer able to see any enemy anywhere !"

After the retreat, Buxhoewden slashed him in his report to Kutuzov. Langeron will be put out of favour ; therefore, he will prove pitiless towards his persecutors in his Journal.

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Langeron (A. Andrault de) : Journal inedit de la campagne de 1805 - Austerlitz - Stutterheim (K. F. von), Kutusov (M. H. G.) : Relations de la bataille d’Austerlitz. Edition etablie par Thierry Rouillard. 1 vol. 216 p. index, bibliographie, 6 cartes de l’auteur, br. ISBN 2-912-431-04-2 Prix public : 258 fr.

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La Vouivre - Libraire-Editeur

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75004 PARIS, tel.: 01 42 71 32 39,

fax.: 01 42 72 02 83

"Odessa Globe" is very grateful to Prof. Thierry Rouillard, Paris, France, for preparing this article for our readers.

Alexandre Andrault de Langeron Page at the "Odessa Globe" in Russian