Part I: The Danube War
Not too long after Maximilian's coronation, a crisis erupted on the Danube River. The Danube Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia were contested between Russia and Austria, with Russians claiming status as protector of the Orthodox Romanians, despite the fact that they were technically under Ottoman Empire. However, as Ottoman power waned in both Europe and Asia, the other great powers seeked to gain control of the areas it once ruled. This tension finally boiled over as Napoleon III of France and Alexander II of Russia disputed the control of holy shrines in Palestine; although Roman Catholics were given the right to protect the shrines, the lack of Catholics in the region meant that the protection by de facto fell to Orthodox monks. Although the Russians signed a secret treaty with the British guaranteeing an alliance, the British chose to support the French to counter growing Russian interests.
Being the new Emperor of Austria and also having conflicting interests with Russia over control the Danube River, Maximilian was highly keen on resolving the conflict between Russia, Britain, France, and Turkey in a peaceful manner. In May, he invited delegates from the great powers involved in the crisis to settle the issues in Vienna, perhaps mirroring the Congress of Vienna in 1815. However, there was no solution that could please both sides of the conflict. As summer passed, negotiations broke down, and it was clear that open war was the only way these disputes would be resolved. Maximilian mobilized 300 000 troops on the Russian border as Russia issued a declaration of war against Turkey and Austria The Danube War had begun.
The first clashes against Russia began in November 1853, as Ottoman forces crossed the Danube, while Austrian troops crossed the Carpathian Mountains and invaded Moldavia. The first major engagement between the Austrians and Russians began in November 17 1854, near the town of Leorda, which saw 18000 Austrian troops, engaging a 26 000 strong Russian force. The battle began in a manner typical of many battles initially fought the Carpathian foothills at the beginning of the war. Austrians had high ground, the foreground of which was occupied by Jagers, with Grenzers (Rumanian infantry trained as both skirmishers and line infantry) and standard line infantry were deployed in reserve. However, the Russians had fortified the village with numerous field works prior to the Austrian attack, which they were not prepared to assault. The Battle of Leorda was bloody, lasting for two days and incurring nearly 16 500 Austrian casualties and 11 500 Russian casualties, over half of the initial Austrian force. Yet the survivors of Leorda was soon joined by several reinforcing divisions that managed to defeat a second Russian army at Harlau. This northern wing was soon able to lay siege to Jassy, the capital of the Principality of Moldavia, by December 14.
The Siege of Jassy, which eventually involved 80 000 Austrian troops and 50 000 Russians, went down in Austrian history as a major failure of logistics and planning. An outbreak of cholera killed 1600 soldiers in January, and the lack of new military uniforms led to the deaths of 12 000 due to hypothermia and frostbite in the rest of the winter. These difficulties were compounded by the lack of reinforcements due to military defeats. During the Battle of Targu Ocna in November 25th, the Grenzer infantry did not use the terrain to their advantage and harass the enemy from the hills, as one would expect. Instead, they were deployed as standard Line Infantry, and the resulting engagement lead to their defeat in the narrow Trotus valley. Not only did this delay the entry of the southern wing of the Austrian Army into Moldavia until the spring thaw of 1854, but in failing to take the city, which was a major producer of salt in the region, the opportunity to cure meat sent to Jassy was also lost, and subsequent outbreaks of cholera claimed 3000 lives.
The final assault on Jassy began in May 8th, 1854, in conjunction with a joint Anglo-French assault on the coast of Wallachia. As Russian troops in the north were evacuated to prevent the occupation of the Danube valley in the south, the Austrians, now reinforced by 30 000 troops coming in from Moldavia, launched direct attacks on the Russian positions. The first wave of assaults was spearheaded by the Grenadiers of 24th Infantry Regiment, who charged the defenders of the city at 8:00 AM. The attack was bloody, as the Russians immediately began to open fire on the Austrians. Casualties were estimated at 600, but still the Austrians pressed on. After an exchange of fire, the battle was taken into the Russian trenches itself. Soldiers armed with bayonets, short sabres or even spades and shovels battled each other in these close quarters. The Grenadiers were soon followed by Grenzers and standard line infantry. The battle was extremely close; the Russians were have said to have killed five Austrians before falling themselves. Yet after six bloody hours and over 16500 casualties, the city fell to the Austrians, who suffered one of the bloodiest days in their military history up to that point.
The war was essentially over at this point. Austrian troops managed to occupy the Prut River valley and met up with British Troops in June 3. The Treaty of Paris was signed in August 14, 1854. Under these terms, the Danube Principalities were to be known as the Kingdom of Roumania, and a neutral noble, Prince Augustus of Sweden, was crowned as King August I. In addition, Austria, Britain, France, and Turkey were to come to Roumania's aid should it be attacked by a foreign power.
After the war, Maximilian officially launched an investigation to uncover the causes of the great failures of the Siege of Jassy. The results, which were published in the Grünberg Report of 1855, blamed logistic failures, poor sanitation, and the incompetence of the commanding officers for the difficulties faced. As many of the officers were aristocrats, this gave Maximilian the excuse to curb the aristocracy’s influence in the army, and replace them with a merit-based general staff similar to the Prussian army, which was filled primarily by members of the bourgeois and winning their support. In addition, Maximilian revised the sanitation procedures under the advice of doctors and surgeons who contributed to the Grünberg Report, and owing to his interest in new technologies, Maximilian hired a Swiss gunsmith named Friedrich von Martini in 1858 to refit the Austrian Army with repeating breech-loaded rifles, similar to what were being used by the Prussians and even by the Austrian Army during the Napoleonic Wars. They would be used to great effect in future conflicts.
