Soldiers,

The Russian army is marching against us to seek vengeance for the Austrian defeat at Ulm. These are the same battalions that we conquered at Hollabrunn and that we have been persistently following up to this point. Our position is very strong, and when they march against our battalions, I wish to attack them from the flank. (According to a later version: While they pass my right wing, they will expose their flank to me)

Soldiers,

I will lead your battalions myself. However, I will stand aside from the line of fire, granted that you, by your customary courage, can propagate pandemonium and chaos amongst the ranks of the enemy. If, however, victory is jeopardized, even for a brief moment, then you will find your emperor in the most menacing of positions – victory must not be squandered today, since the honor of the French infantry, which is the pride of the entire French nation, is at stake. No one can abandon his rank for the purpose of removing the injured. Let the thought of conquering the mercenaries of England, soaked with such great hatred for our nation, guide each and every one of you.

This victory will close our war crusade and then we shall withdraw to our winter camps, to await the fresh troops who will be arriving from France. It is then that we shall establish a peace worthy of my nation, you and I.

Napoleon

In early morning, on the day of battle, 2 December 1805, the armies took their initial positions. Allied forces laid in wait between Pozořice and Újezd. Their operational plan counted on the left wing’s main offensive. It was designed to outflank the French army’s right wing, in order to disable Napoleon’s possible escape to Vienna. This task was to be carried out by Fridrich Wilhelm Buxhovden’s (1750 – 1811) troops consisting of Russian Columns of General Lieutenants Dochturov and de Langeron, as well as General Przybyszewski, together with Lieutenant Marshal Kienmayer’s Austrian corps. General Lieutenant Miloradovitch’s and General Kolowart’s Allied Russian-Austrian Column was supposed to attack the mid-sector of the front line, which was commanded by General Goleshnichev-Kutuzov (1745 – 1813), the Chief Commander of the Allied Russian-Austrian Army at Slavkov. The connection between Kutuzov’s center and Duke Bagration’s (1765 – 1812) right wing was supposed to be maintained by Duke Lichtenstein’s cavalry column. The reserve, lying in wait between Holubice and Křenovice, was created by the Russian guard led by Archduke Konstantin.

The French left wing, with its strong artillery forces, was encamped at Santon knoll, by Tvarozná. On the right flank, this position was met by Marshal Jean Lannes’ (1769 – 1809) corps, and further on, Marshal Joachim Murat’s (1767 – 1815) cavalry corps and a corps under the command of Marshal Jean-Baptiste-Jules Bernardotte (1763 – 1844). Concentrated around Jiříkovice, all of these corps created Napoleon’s main attack force. Behind these units, the Emperor had his headquarters on Žuráň Hill.

In reserve, the Emperor’s Guard, under the leadership of Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bessiéress (1768 – 1813), and further on, the grenadier and dragoon divisions, were encamped by Šlapanice. Marshal Nicolas-Jean de Dieu Soult’s (1769 – 1851) corps was spread out as a defense against the concentrated forces of the allied center and left wings, near Jiříkovice and Telnice.

Situation at 3.00 a.m. on the 2. december 1805