Maximilian, the elector of Bavaria, had broken with Napoleon on 8 October, joining the allies under the terms of the Treaty of Ried. The Bavarian commander, Karl Philipp von Wrede, united with an Austrian corps under Baron Fresnet and occupied Hanau with 42,000 men on 28 October, effectively blocking Napoleon’s route toward Frankfurt. Although he did not expect to face the main French army under Napoleon, Wrede was under pressure to demonstrate Bavaria’s commitment to its new allies, and there was no prospect of him pulling back without an action.
THE SCENARIO
Wrede’s army had drawn up northeast of Hanau. His right wing was behind the River Kinzig, while the left deployed in open ground between the Forest of Lamboi and Hanau. Massed cavalry held the far left. Wrede sent Austrian and Bavarian light troops into the forest to warn of and delay any French advance.
Napoleon ordered the infantry of the Guard and MacDonald’s XI Corps to clear the allies from the woods on October 30, preparatory to a massed assault on the Austro-Bavarian left and centre. Success would require the French not only to occupy the
