Soldats! Je suis content de vous

The French were outnumbered on the day of the battle.

Napoleon used that to his advantage. He occupied the heights of Pratzen and his right flank was anchored on the road to Vienna.

Tsar Alexander I of Russia and Emperor Francis of Austria wanted to attack immediately. The Austrians had been humiliated for almost a decade by Bonaparte, dating to his victories in Italy. He had just forced them into a humiliating defeat at Ulm and captured Vienna a few months previous.

Napoleon had 72,000 men and 157 canon, the Allies about `85,000 men and nearly twice the artillery -- 318 guns.

The French weakened their right flank opening the road south toward Vienna and fell back from the top of the ridge in apparent retreat in the face of the Allies' strength. At the insistence of the Russian and Austrian nobles, the Allies attacked toward the clear weak spot on the right of the French line.

It was December 1, 1805. Bonaparte had baited the trap. He told his Generals that "if the Russians leave the Pratzen Heights to attack the right flank, they are defeated".

The Russians and Austrians launched a massive attack on the weakened French Right. Napoleon had ordered Davout's III Corp to force march from Vienna to shore up the right flank in anticipation of the battle. Arriving just in time after a forced march of 68 miles in 48 hours,

As the battle raged on the southern end of the battlefield, the Tsar believed one last thrust would settle the matter. He called the Russian IV Corp from the Pratzen Heights to help crush the French resistance. This is the rash act Napoleon had waited for.  Marshall Soult with 16,000 hardened veterans struck hard at the unsuspecting Allied Center. Bonaparte told Soult "One sharp blow and the war is over". The French also launched into the Austrian and Russian left flank.

Fighting raged from about 7:30 AM through 4:00 PM. Combined French infantry and cavalry finally rolled up the Russian right and center. Napoleon then sent these forces on a two pronged attack to support his beleaguered right flank.

General panic struck the Allied army and it abandoned the field in a full rout.

Casualties were enormous. The Allies lost about 36,000 from an army of 82,000 (killed, wounded, missing, and captured). The French lost about 9,000. The French captured 180 guns.

Tsar Alexander was quoted saying "We are babes in the hands of a giant".

The Austrians and Russians signed the treaty of Pressburg on December 27. The French controlled nearly the entire mainland European Continent. The Holy Roman Empire was ended after nearly 1,000 years.

Austerlitz is arguably Napoleon's greatest victory.