'...you seem more intent in proving Bernadotte a scoundrel than finding out what he and Davout faced as commanders, either their situations or expectations on the night of the October 13th . Any new information offered is automatically labeled ‘excuses’ or an effort to ‘exonerate’ the man and his decisions on October 13-14th. My interest was in what evidence you believed proved Bernadotte's decisions and performance were aimed at hurting Davout or profiting himself. Haven't see diddlly-squat in that department. Sorry, finding fault and blame is a rather boring game, though you do always get 'for' and 'against' debates. Finding out what happened and what those men faced is far more interesting, and certainly more enlightening in the long run... and if you absolutely need to blame someone, the new information shouldn't hurt. It also can’t stop you from finding fault. It hasn’t in the past.'

First, I posted the Vachee and Maude because you brought them up.

Second, the issue isn't finding fault or laying blame, but it is answering the historical question 'why.' Why is the critical question in historical inquiry. The 'how' is easy to follow, but attempting to answer 'why' something happened is just a little more difficult. Yet, that is the most important part of studying history and applying the process of historical inquiry, which is assembling facts and then coming to a conclusion, can be more trying and the level of difficulty rises.

So, you're wrong in your assessment of me trying to 'blame someone.' That isn't the issue at all and it appears to me here that perhaps you're misinterpreting what I've been posting or are attempting to pursue a strawman argument in your 'assessment.

Finally, I am also looking at the situation as a soldier and/or a commander might. And the evidence does point to Bernadotte abandoning Davout-ignoring the battle to his rear as he marched to Dornburg, 'firmly silencing' Sahuc when he wanted to countermarch his division to Davout's assistance, the slowness of Bernadotte's march first to Dornburg and then Apolda, and his failure to engage the enemy while he marched between two battles.

Sincerely,
K