Assaye - Wellington's Auerstadt?
Recently on the Napoleonicist, @Zack White gave a question to the audience to ponder: Could Wellington pull off an Auerstadt?
I'm going to make an argument here that he did in the form of Assaye.
There are multiple similarities with both battles: Wellington and Davout find themselves in a situation they didn't anticipate, they are heavily outnumbered, they have to use their raw tactical flair to work on the spur of the moment, they have to 'pass through the eye of the needle' as it were and go completely on the attack to survive their encounters (as retreating is not an option) and both break their opponents and take the field from them.
Feel free to share your thoughts on my argument below.
111 Views
I am the reverse and know nothing about X Auerstedt. I imagine that compared to that engagement the fiercely fought Assaye was on a smaller scale, in a more confined area, and took place in isolation, rather than as part of wider operations against other enemy forces. It turned on one key decision of Wellesley's, to turn the Maratha flank, although the advantage was not as great as he anticipated. Thereafter the encounter involved relentless fighting as the fortunes of each side waxed and waned till the Maratha forces broke.