Chapter Summaries

Grzegorz Janik led Polish soldiers in a costly assault on Erzgebirge Fortress while Woronowicz's crew built a breastwork for their cannons. As the Polish attack gained ground and forced the Austrians to send reinforcements, Lannes ordered his artillery forward and the Fourth Skirmisher Brigade to attack.

• Grzegorz Janik rallied Polish soldiers and led them up the unfinished ramp to seize part of the fortress wall.
• Janik and Grójec organized the Polish troops on the wall, while Austrian grapeshot killed many attackers and Woronowicz's crew fortified the Twelve-Pound Cannon.
• Woronowicz's crew brought two more Twelve-Pound Cannons behind the breastwork and began firing at the fortress's inner wall.
• Lieutenant Colonel Steinocher sent six companies to reinforce the southwest side of the fortress.
• After receiving the Hot Air Balloon's report that the Austrians were moving troops away, Lannes ordered the artillery forward 600 meters and the Fourth Skirmisher Brigade to attack.

The French Army captured Saint Peter Fortress after days of bombardment and bloody fighting, while Woronowicz learned of a fallen major’s sacrifice and received a promotion. At Passau, Archduke Karl learned that the French had attacked Erzgebirge Fortress and ordered the Milius Corps to reinforce it.

• French artillery opened breaches in Saint Peter Fortress, and French troops broke through the north wall after three days of fighting.
• Polish soldiers discovered that the French had taken the fortress when they saw a Golden Fleur-de-lis Flag flying over its central tower.
• Woronowicz recognized the dead major who had saved his company and paid his respects; the battalion commander later promoted Woronowicz to Second Lieutenant.
• The battalion commander told Woronowicz’s company they would march south with the French Army, probably toward Vienna.
• Archduke Karl told his officers that armistice talks with France were progressing, then learned Erzgebirge Fortress had been attacked by more than a hundred thousand French Soldiers.
• Archduke Karl ordered the Milius Corps to proceed to Erzgebirge and reinforce the fortress.

Crown Prince Joseph received reports of French gains in Cologne and Austria while discussing railway expansion with his staff. The French advance toward Vienna left Bavaria’s King Theodor wondering whether the war was nearing its end.

• Archduke Karl predicted that the French offensive would be the army’s final wave and that France would return to negotiations after failing in Erzgebirge.
• King Carl Theodor learned that Cologne had split apart after an uprising, while Paderborn and Osnabrück formed a separate Westphalian Bishopric.
• Berthier told Joseph that Gazen and Blücher had captured Freiburg and were advancing toward Konstanz, leaving Austria’s Alpine provinces exposed.
• Joseph read Tressaguet’s report that construction had begun on a railway bridge between Strasbourg and Kehl and described plans for railways in Baden.
• Berthier reported that Surt had captured Erzgebirge Fortress and was advancing toward Vienna with Polish troops, likely after taking Prague; Theodor realized the French had entered northern Austria.

Joseph used reports of French victories to encourage allied states to commit more troops, while Surt lured Archduke Karl’s Austrian army into a battle at the Traisen River. The Austrians failed to cross the river and suffered catastrophic casualties, leaving Archduke Karl facing a disastrous situation.

• Joseph ordered Massena to assault Passau and agreed to let Theodor’s Bavarian army, Karl Eugen’s army, and the Earl of Wiltz’s army join the offensive.
• Surt moved most of the Franco-Polish Allied Forces from Vienna to the Traisen River, leaving Gérard to maintain the siege while Surt prepared to draw out Austria’s main force.
• Surt learned that Archduke Karl’s army was approaching with around one hundred fifty thousand men and ordered his troops to carry out their operation plan.
• Archduke Karl ordered the Austrian army to attack across the Traisen River despite knowing the Franco-Polish forces held the opposite bank.
• Werneck reported that the Austrian first echelon could not continue, and Archduke Karl sent Radetzky’s corps forward under Prince Heeringen’s flank cover.
• Werneck told Archduke Karl that the day’s Austrian dead exceeded ten thousand and at least fourteen thousand more were wounded, while the army had still failed to cross the river.

Surt lured the Austrian Army across the Traisen River, then ordered a coordinated French and Polish counterattack that shattered its forces. Archduke Karl’s army collapsed, with soldiers surrendering on the eastern bank as Polish cavalry broke through its rear.

• After Austrian forces crossed the Traisen River and pushed the French line back, Surt told Lannes that the enemy had entered their expected positions.
• Mura’s cavalry charged the newly crossed Austrian infantry, causing them to panic and disrupt the Branovacki Legion’s lines.
• Vandamme and Rouche attacked the Austrian flanks as French artillery resumed its bombardment and Lannes advanced with fifty thousand soldiers.
• Archduke Karl ordered Vienna to strengthen its defenses, but Polish Winged Hussars led by Wilczek attacked his rear and broke through the Royal Third Infantry Division’s position.
• Bogusławski arrived with Polish Infantry to find the Austrian defensive line destroyed, while Austrian troops on the eastern bank began surrendering in large numbers.

At French Army headquarters, Joseph explained why the Allies were still attacking Austria and discussed ceasefire strategy with Talleyrand. He argued that France should exclude Austria from the German Common Market rather than abolish the Holy Roman Empire, leaving Talleyrand convinced by the treaty’s approach.

• Charles brought Joseph news of the Duke of Brunswick’s victory at Vilshofen and asked to send Davout’s troops into battle, but Joseph said the fighting at Passau no longer served a purpose.
• Joseph explained to Charles that Prussian and Bavarian victories would weaken Austria’s hold over the German States and encourage those states to support France in the future.
• Talleyrand arrived to discuss the ceasefire terms and proposed demanding that Franz II give up the title of Holy Roman Emperor.
• Joseph argued that abolishing the imperial title could fuel Austrian propaganda and make the German States less wary of Austria’s ambitions.
• Talleyrand praised the strategy in Articles Five and Nine, then asked whether the treaty should require Austria to join the Stuttgart Trade Agreement.
• Joseph said France had to ensure Austria was excluded from the German Common Market.

Joseph explained how France could use trade restrictions to pressure Austria and sent Charles to join the armistice negotiations and surrender ceremony. After the Austrian defeat, Archduke Karl and his allies fled toward safety, while Karl urged Franz II to keep resisting the French.

• Joseph told Charles that France could offer Austria exemption from the trade agreement in exchange for concessions, and assigned Charles to attend the negotiations and surrender ceremony with Talleyrand.
• Archduke Karl reached Kainhof with fewer than 8,000 survivors from his 150,000-strong army, while Kutuzov prepared to lead Russian troops toward Hungary and home.
• Kutuzov and the Duke of York withdrew toward Transylvania, and the Duke said England would use the threat to France's Louisiana Colony to help preserve Austria.
• Archduke Karl told Franz II in Pressburg to retreat to Slovakia and continue resisting, citing England's promised one million pounds in aid.

Franz II and his ministers faced France’s advance and began ceasefire negotiations, while Talleyrand rejected Austria’s counteroffers. A French ship carrying Baron Léotard reached European waters, where a Major recounted Lieutenant Colonel Bonaparte’s campaign in America.

• Franz II learned that Austria had too few troops to confidently defend Pressburg, and his ministers urged him to seek a ceasefire.
• Kobzl Jr. and Talleyrand began negotiations at Schönbrunn Palace, where Talleyrand demanded reparations and threatened a renewed French advance.
• Sir Wicken urged Austria to trade its position in Europe for the safety of Louisiana, but Talleyrand rejected the Austrian demands and left.
• The Longhammer reached European waters after evading the English Fleet during its voyage from North America.
• Baron Léotard asked a Major about Lieutenant Colonel Bonaparte’s campaign, and the Major recalled how Bonaparte defeated the Americans despite his small force.

Napoleon let Anthony Wayne’s American army pursue the French into a dangerous position along the Mississippi, intending to meet its attack rather than retreat. As the Americans launched their assault, the French and Spanish main force revealed its cannons.

• Captain Makar urged Napoleon to retreat toward New Orleans, but Napoleon insisted Wayne would come after them and said he was waiting for the attack.
• Anthony Wayne’s forces arrived after a forced march, and Wayne ordered Colonel Green to cut off the French retreat while General Arnold prepared the assault.
• American cannons and infantry attacked the French position, while the Indian soldiers serving with the French used cover and Ororo’s signals to fire and withdraw.
• The American line pushed the Indian skirmishers back, and the French main force emerged with its muskets and six cannons on the eastern hills.

Napoleon’s outnumbered French and Spanish forces used prepared artillery and coordinated Native American tactics to halt the American assault. Little Turtle’s fighters routed the American left wing from the forest, prompting Arnold to pull troops back from the woods as the battle continued.

• Napoleon’s calibrated cannon fire checked the American advance, and the French and Spanish troops drove the first American forces into retreat.
• Wayne committed the reserves, swelling the American force on the main battlefield to 5,500 men, while Napoleon sent Makar to delay more than 600 American cavalry and ordered Otu to begin an operation.
• Little Turtle led more than 1,700 Indian soldiers in a forest ambush that threw the American left wing into chaos and forced its reinforcements to retreat.
• Arnold ordered American troops to stay 300 feet from the forest, and more than 2,000 soldiers converged toward the center.

Little Turtle’s Native American forces ambushed the retreating Americans, helping Napoleon’s French Army rout them near Baton Rouge. Napoleon ordered a limited pursuit and planned to march toward Huntsville and enter Cumberland Gap, relying on Native villages for supplies.

• Little Turtle assembled more than 1,700 Native American soldiers and led them in a musket attack on the disorganized American left wing.
• Arnold’s retreating troops crashed into the American infantry line, spreading panic across the battlefield.
• Napoleon ordered a French counterattack, and French troops joined the Native American forces in routing the Americans.
• Three Fires and Little Turtle led the pursuit, while Makar and European soldiers captured roughly five hundred prisoners, including Green.
• Napoleon ordered Captain Otu to pursue only as far as Amit and directed the rest of the army to regroup at Baton Rouge.
• Napoleon told Brasseur that the army would march to Huntsville and enter Cumberland Gap, using supplies from Native villages in southern Alabama.

Napoleon sent Black Feather and the Shawnee to disrupt Wayne’s Ohio supply lines while leading the main French force east through the Cumberland Gap. The French army surprised and occupied Charlottesville, prompting the United States to mobilize ten thousand militiamen to defend Virginia.

• Napoleon revealed that Black Feather had gathered more than seven hundred soldiers from Native American troops who had secretly left the army, and planned to raid Ohio with Shawnee support.
• Black Feather and Long Flame forced Hockingville’s townspeople to accept Catholic rites, seized most of their grain, and demolished the town’s watchtowers; Kentucky later received numerous pleas for help but could provide little aid.
• Starving American groups attacked a supply convoy bound for Wayne’s legion before Black Feather could reach it, leaving him only cannon shells and gunpowder to seize.
• Napoleon led his army east through the Cumberland Gap, receiving supplies from Harjo and declaring that the French would soon appear in Virginia.
• French cavalry and Little Turtle’s Native American soldiers surprised Charlottesville, broke through its defenses with cannon fire, and occupied the city.
• John Adams confirmed the news of Charlottesville’s fall, and the Federal Parliament ordered ten thousand militiamen to rush to Virginia’s aid.

Napoleon ambushed and captured General Morgan’s American force, then defeated Wayne’s army near Winchester before returning west to protect French supply lines. Baron Léotard revealed that the Crown Prince planned to establish an Iroquois Duchy in Ohio and northern Kentucky as part of the proposed truce.

• Napoleon spread a rumor that he intended to burn Norfolk Harbor, then marched toward Richmond before turning north to ambush Morgan’s marching army.
• French artillery and troops surrounded Morgan’s force, and Morgan surrendered with more than seven thousand men.
• Major Makar explained that Napoleon returned west instead of advancing on Philadelphia because the French supply lines had stretched too far.
• Napoleon’s army defeated Wayne’s force near Winchester, and Wayne’s more than three thousand soldiers surrendered.
• Baron Léotard said the Crown Prince’s orders spared the prisoners who swore allegiance to the Iroquois Duchy and converted to Catholicism, while those who refused were burned alive.
• Baron Léotard explained that the proposed truce would establish an Iroquois Duchy in Ohio and northern Kentucky, reclaiming land for Native Americans and creating a buffer between the United States and Louisiana.

Joseph planned to build the Iroquois Duchy with French guidance and American immigrants, while Major Thiebaud celebrated the defeat of the United States. In Pressburg, Franz II accepted the revised ceasefire terms, but Metternich feared Austria would lose access to key markets and concluded it needed a trade agreement with England.

• Joseph decided to keep American migrants in the Iroquois Duchy and have French Advisors guide its government and military.
• Major Thiebaud read Leotard's report on the American defeat and prepared to report the victory to Versailles Palace.
• Ludwig Kobzl presented Franz II with the revised Ceasefire Agreement, which included Austrian disarmament, reparations, and the demolition of fortresses at Erzgebirge Pass.
• Franz II accepted the terms, including Austria's withdrawal from the Anti-French Alliance and recognition of new German states, and ordered arrangements for the signing in Mödling.
• Metternich calculated that Austria could lose trade access to German Territories and Italy, then decided the Empire needed a new trade agreement with England.

Joseph used the ceasefire signing in Mödling to direct public anger toward the Habsburg rulers and Britain rather than France. As he spoke to reporters, Metternich realized the Dresden Treaty might explain a detail in the agreement and ordered a copy.

• Joseph told Charles he chose Mödling instead of Vienna to avoid uniting Austrians against France and explained that prolonged decline would weaken Austria more than occupation.
• Joseph arrived in Mödling Square, ignored Archduke Leopold, and addressed the gathered reporters.
• Joseph called for a minute of silence for the dead of all sides, then blamed greedy rulers and Britain for sending ordinary people to war.
• Metternich wondered what he had missed, recalled the Dresden Treaty, and ordered his assistant to find a copy.

After France and Austria signed the Mödling Treaty, Joseph planned to weaken Austria by cultivating Hungarian independence and building trade outside Vienna’s control. He also ordered aid for Poland and renewed efforts to draw the Ottomans into pressuring Russia, while Metternich’s assistant obtained the Dresden Treaty in Vienna.

• Ludwig von Kobzl and Talleyrand signed the Mödling Treaty, ending the ceasefire ceremony.
• Joseph told Talleyrand to fund the Exiled Kuruc and arrange Hungarian chili pepper and fur trade that bypassed Vienna.
• Joseph ordered half of Austria’s first war reparations payment sent to the Poles to support their claim to lost eastern lands.
• Joseph told Talleyrand to return to Constantinople with captured cannons to encourage the Ottomans to pressure Russia.
• Metternich’s assistant obtained a copy of the Dresden Treaty from Vienna’s Foreign Ministry archives.

Metternich discovered that the Dresden Treaty aligned Saxony with the Elector Palatine in Imperial Parliament resolutions, threatening Austria’s control of the Holy Roman Empire. As France’s strategy drove the Prince-Electors to convene, Vienna scrambled to secure support, while Paris prepared to welcome its triumphant Crown Prince.

• Metternich reviewed the Dresden Treaty and found a clause requiring the Elector of Saxony to align with the Elector Palatine on Imperial Parliament resolutions.
• Metternich warned Franz II that Austria needed support from Mainz, Salzburg, and Paderborn, and Franz II ordered Kobzl Jr. to negotiate with the states and watch Bavaria.
• Metternich raised the succession to Hanover’s electoral title, and Franz II dispatched more ministers to seek support among the German states.
• Five days after Austria’s diplomats departed, Franz Egon of Mainz convened the College of Electors, putting Vienna under pressure to offer benefits to the electoral states.
• Paris’s factories and shops closed as crowds gathered to welcome the victorious Crown Prince.

Joseph returned to Paris after France's decisive victory, where his family welcomed him and celebrated his safe homecoming. Alexandra told him that Russia had not yet arranged to ransom its prisoners of war.

• Parisians greeted Joseph with a massive parade celebrating France's victory and rise to the continent's sole super first-class power.
• Queen Mary embraced Joseph and Charles, relieved that her sons had returned safely from the war.
• Joseph praised Charles for becoming a Sergeant and accepting Archduke John's surrender.
• Louis XVI told Joseph that he was truly his pride, while Alexandra welcomed Joseph and praised his victories.
• Alexandra explained that she had helped educate selected Russian POWs, but Saint Petersburg had not proposed ransoming them.

Joseph celebrated France’s victory in Paris, welcomed Russian prisoners who wanted to join the French Army, and learned the scale of France’s losses. The chapter left him reviewing the returning army as Berthier reported the enormous pensions required for the casualties.

• Alexandra told Joseph that more than ten thousand Russian prisoners had applied to fight for France, and Joseph agreed to organize the reliable recruits into units.
• Joseph rode through Paris, delivered a victory speech at Notre-Dame, and returned to Versailles after the city began celebrating through the night.
• Pius VI hurried toward Versailles with gifts after learning Joseph had entered Paris, but rain and his refusal to take the train had delayed his arrival.
• Joseph rested at Versailles, then watched the First and Second Army Corps parade through Paris the next day.
• Berthier told Joseph that France had suffered forty-seven thousand casualties and would owe eighty-two million Francs in one-time pensions, followed by about ten million Francs annually.

Joseph confronted the financial strain of paying pensions and severance to France’s returning soldiers, then devised a plan to raise funds by selling government bonds backed by Austrian and Prussian war reparations. He left Gaudin with instructions to market the bonds across German territories, including Austria despite the risk of a government ban.

• Joseph learned that Gaudin had proposed paying soldiers’ pensions in installments, and confirmed the plan had not yet been announced.
• Gaudin explained that France had ninety-three million Francs in its treasury but faced competing costs for pensions, severance pay, railway construction, and public works.
• Berthier told Joseph that each discharged soldier received 110 Francs in severance pay or 60 Francs with Land Compensation, bringing pensions and severance costs close to one hundred million Francs.
• Joseph considered ways to raise money and decided to issue 150 million Francs in Government Bonds at about 4% interest.
• Joseph instructed Gaudin to back the bonds with Austrian and Prussian war reparations, sell them at a discount across Germany, and make them bearer bonds redeemable at French banks.