 The campaign in the upper Danube valley began in October , with several clashes in Swabia . Near the Bavarian town of Wertingen , 40 kilometers ( 25 mi ) northwest of Augsburg , on 8 October the 1st Regiment of dragoons , part of Murat 's Reserve Cavalry Corps , and grenadiers of Lannes ' V Corps surprised an Austrian force half its size . The Austrians were arrayed in a line and unable to form their defensive squares quickly enough to protect themselves from the 4 @,@ 000 dragoons and 8 @,@ 000 grenadiers . Nearly 3 @,@ 000 Austrians were captured and over 400 were killed or wounded . A day later , at another small town , <unk> south of the Danube <unk> French 59th Regiment of the Line stormed a bridge over the Danube and , humiliatingly , chased two large Austrian columns toward Ulm . 
