Monkey Trap - Campaign Battle of Abbach

 The Situation

With Strik's column, after many days behind enemy lines, almost in sight of the safety of Regensburg, the French swooped in and cut the road ahead of them.  General Buxhöwden, aware of their plight, agonised over the safety of the city, but concluded that it could be held against stray French probes by a rearguard while he led the bulk of the army out to Strik's rescue.  Grand Duke Constantine led the column, clearing the road as far as the town of Abbach of what turned out to be no more than French scouts.  Having been swept away the scouts did not, therefore, see that Constantine was followed by a much stronger column led by Buxhöwden himself and von Anrep.  Having ensured that the road was free the rescue column counter-marched, on the morning of November 20 heading over the hills back to Regensburg, again with the Guard leading.

Suchet's division, south of Regensburg, had been given an imperial mission - to complete the destruction of Strik's column by cutting it off, along with the Imperial Guard who had come to its rescue, and pinning it against the Danube until the full weight of the French army could be brought to bear to crush it.  To that end, his division had cut the riverside road between Regensburg and the isolated Russians on the evening of the 19th, and the following morning were marching south along the road toward Abbach. 

The Bear in his Lair - Campaign Battle of Ingolstadt

The Situation

For a week the 1st West Army fell back after Ottenhoven, fending off the French nipping at their heels and, without supply, trudging doggdly on to Ingolstadt where they hoped to find at least temporary shelter.  Their lead elements reached the city on the evening of the 10th, and immediately started scouring it for supplies, establishing warehouses, hospitals and supply dumps for the succour of their soon-to-be-arriving comrades.

As the army trickled in, outposts were left on the various roads to provide a "crumple zone", slowing down the French advance to allow the recovery of broken units and the preparation of a defence.  This worked to a degree, but by the morning of the 13th the perimeter was not much more than a mile from the city walls.  Elements of II, V and VII Corps attacked at midday on that day with reinforcements to follow through the afternoon, including the infantry and artillery of the Imperial Guard, accompanied by the emperor himself.

Loaded for Bear - Campaign Battle of Attenkirchen

The Situation

Having been frustrated in their advance toward Munich (see here), Kutuzov became aware, at the start of November, of the previously-unsuspected threat to his rear.  He fell back hastily on Freising, first to determine the size of the threat and then to eliminate it, if he could.  His intention was to secure Ingolstadt, on the Danube, and to build a base of operations there with his flanks covered by the river.  His path was blocked, though, as he marched north from Freising on the Isar.  No sooner had he left the city, on 4 November, than the French marched into it from the south - quite possibly the Imperial Guard, who had chased his Cosscks from Munich.  To the north, scouts identified multiple French divisions marching to intercept him, and a cavalry probe in strength confirmed that II Corps, at the least, was present.  Bagration, as vanguard, was ordered to clear the road to the north, so that the divisions of Strik, Skepelov, Essen and the Reserve Cavalry could follow up and establish a perimeter in preparation for a breakthrough.  Miladoravich and Dokhturov were ordered to mask Freising, securing the safety of the column's rear.  At dawn on the 5th the designated divisions formed up to smash their way clear to the north.

The Battle

The map, as shown in the briefng documents