This failure was an important factor when Mortier lost his corps ' so @-@ called " eyes " : after he and Gazan had crossed the Danube , the French dragoons had veered to the northwest , leaving only three squadrons of the 4th Dragoons available for reconnaissance . These had left the division and were operating independently of Gazan 's command . Consequently , Mortier and Gazan marched blindly through the narrow canyon west of Dürenstein , not knowing what lay ahead of them . Kutuzov had led the Coalition army across the Danube at Krems , a short distance past Stein , and destroyed the bridge behind him . His actions deprived the French commanders of a possible route across the Danube , putting the deployment of the entire French division at further risk in the case of retreat . In this decision Kutuzov abandoned Vienna to the French , who were converging on the Austrian capital from the north , west and southwest , for the security of uniting with reinforcements from Galicia . Kutuzov chose a military solution over a political one .