GDG- Re: frontal assaults

[Biggsk at aol.com]

Joyce:

>>>It seems that there are significant options between sitting  idly by and 
waiting and frontal assaults. Granted that Lee had to take the  offense for all 
of the reasons you noted but taking the offense and wasting  his manpower 
with aggressive tactics are two different  things.>>>




Great point!  Napoleon, for his battle plan at Austerlitz was  not only to 
sit on the tactical defensive, but also to abandon the Pratzen  Heights to his 
front and let the Austro-Russian armies take it.  Once they  started their 
powerful attacks on his right, Napoleon bided his time while his  foes denuded the 
troops from the heights to reinforce their success on their  left.  Once the 
time was right, Soult's Corps marched out of the foggy  bottom as the "sun of 
Austerlitz" burned through the fog and smashed the  Austro-Russian center, 
winning the battle (after some more fighting of  course).  There was no flanking 
or enveloping attack here - it was bait and  trap basically - so waiting for 
the other side to commit was often a good thing  to do so long as you had your 
plan to counter-punch.
 
Greg Biggs