these returned to the charge.  Alexander and Kutusoff saw the importance of the heights, and brought up a great part of their reserves.  Soon the divisions of Vandamme and St. Hilaire were borne back; and it needed all the grand fighting powers of their troops to hold up against the masses of howling Russians.  For two hours the battle there swayed to and fro; and Thiebault has censured Napoleon for the lack of support, and Soult for his apathy, during this soldiers’ battle.

[Illustration:  BATTLE OF AUSTERLITZ]

But the Emperor was awaiting the development of events on the wings.  A sharp fight of all arms was raging on the plain further to the north.  There the allies at first gained ground, the Austrian horse well maintaining its old fame:  but the infantry of Lannes’ corps, supported by powerful artillery ranged on a small conical hill, speedily checked their charges; the French horse, marshalled by Murat and Kellermann somewhat after the fashion of the British cavalry at Waterloo, so as to support the squares and dash through the intervals in pursuit, soon made most effective charges upon the dense squadrons of the allies, and finally a general advance of Lannes and Murat overthrew the wavering lines opposite and chased them back towards the small town of Austerlitz.

Thus by noon the lines of fighting swerved till they ranged along the course of the Littawa stream, save where the allies had thrust forward a long and apparently successful wedge beyond Tellnitz.  The Czar saw the danger of this almost isolated wing, and sought to keep touch with it; but the defects of the allied plan were now painfully apparent.  Napoleon, having the interior lines, while his foes were scattered over an irregular arc, could reinforce his hard-pressed right.  There Davoust was being slowly borne back, when the march of Duroc with part of the Imperial Guard restored the balance on that side.  The French centre also was strengthened by the timely arrival of part of Bernadotte’s corps.  That Marshal detached a division towards the northern slopes of the plateau; for he divined that there his master would need every man to deal the final blows.[43]

In truth, Alexander and Kutusoff were struggling hard to regain the Pratzenberg.  Four times did the Muscovites fling themselves on the French centre, and not without some passing gleams of success.  Here occurred the most famous cavalry fight of the war.  The Russian Guards, mounted on superb horses, had cut up two of Vandamme’s battalions, when Rapp rode to their rescue with the chasseurs of the French Imperial Guard.  These choice bodies of horsemen met with a terrible shock, which threw the Russians into disorder.  Rallied by other squadrons, these now overthrew their assailants and seemed about to overpower them, when Bessieres with the heavy cavalry of the Guard fell on the flank of the Muscovite horse and drove their lines, horse and foot, into the valley beyond.