Even those who survived the swim were not safe – many were killed by Coalition sharpshooters, for whom the stragglers, struggling up the muddy banks, were easy targets. I find the personal accounts of those who were in the field the most interesting thing about the Napoleonic War battles. In total, the Coalition could put into the field well over a million troops; indeed by the time of Leipzig, total Allied armies east of the Rhine probably exceeded a million.
(3). The battle at Lindenau offers an ideal opportunity to break down the epic Battle of the Nations at Leipzig into a much smaller, manageable separate engagement. My companions in misfortune therefore busied themselves in carefully hiding our money, which came to around a hundred louis, leaving just one purse containing 2 or 300 francs in view, to satisfy the greed of the soldiers and save us from the search that would otherwise be made.
The regiment was held in reserve until evening, and we suffered merely a few losses from the enemy’s heavy guns.
Kirkus Reviews calls Shannon's novel "evocative and immersive. One can admire the genius of Napoleon while still feeling sadness for the suffering of those on all sides caught up in his wars. French forces did not enter Germany again until World War I.
The prospect of the coming campaign in Russia had ‘cast a gloom over society in general’, wrote Laure Junot, the frivolous Duchess of Abrantès, in her Mémoires. At nightfall we made our bivouac behind a hedge. }} The Northern front was dominated by the battle of Möckern. The immense size of the structure and area reflects the varied complexity of the battle itself and is well worth a visit to the ardent student of Napoleonic history. The Pole, who had received his marshal's baton just the previous day, was commanding the rear guard during the French retreat and drowned as he attempted to cross the river. The Battle of Leipzig, fought from October 16 to 19, 1813 in Saxony (Germany), was the largest battle of the Napoleonic Wars.
The fire became more intense, clearing my ranks so much that disorder began to appear; slaughtered and rearing horses drove back the others, and a number of men dismounted in order to carry wounded comrades to the rear.
The French Imperial cavalry was also depleted; they were of poor quality compared to those who were mobilized during the Russian campaign. Thanks, Hels. The battle ultimately resulted in a French defeat. As soon as the coalition became aware of Napoleon’s withdrawal, they launched a full-scale assault on the retreating French, who put up a fierce resistance in Leipzig. Being decisively defeated for the first time in battle, Napoleon was compelled to return to France while the Allies hurried to keep their momentum, invading France early the next year. Hardly were we out of our bivouac when we felt the inconvenience arising from the neglect of the imperial staff to prepare for the retreat of so large an army. Marshal Poniatowski was one of the many who drowned while attempting to cross the river.[21].
There were only two actions on 17 October: an attack by the Russian General Sacken on General Dabrowski's Polish Division at the village of Gohlis. Fortunately they refused…. However, all the monarchs declined the offer.[12].
I was in severe pain and told myself it was all going to be over in a matter of hours. I was sure I was going to die. I arrived in the city around eight or nine in the evening and I was taken straight to some quarters prepared in advance. By the 18th, Napoleon’s confidence had taken a serious blow.
In the meantime, at the behest of his Swedish officers, who felt embarrassed that they had not participated in the battle, the Crown Prince Charles John gave the order for his light infantry to participate in the final assault on Leipzig itself. In spite of this, Maria Teresia was able to improve the economy and logistics to defend Austria throughout her lifetime. The Prussians entered Wachau, engaging in street to street fighting. Seizing it in both hands he broke it and drew the two portions from his body, but died a few minutes later.
He was fortunate.
One of Napoleon’s soldiers, Lieutenant Parquin, a chasseur of the Old Guard, says that on the 17th, “the two armies confronted each other as if merely on dress parade” and did not engage, and that most of the French force “spent the entire day cleaning [their] arms and equipment.”. The coalition armies pressed their advantage and began crossing into eastern France in December 1813. Napoleon’s only real option at this stage was to try to salvage as much of his force (and pride) as he could through a fighting retreat. The coalition launched a huge assault from all sides. A little research confirmed my second thought that they must have been using the then cutting edge military technology of the Congreve rocket. The Prussian jägers attempted to enter the village by storm but were quickly driven back. Made by Bookswarm, http://www.theobservationpost.com/blog/?p=618, https://www.napoleon.org/en/magazine/places/the-route-napoleon/, When People Knew How to Speak: Oratory in the 19th Century, When an Englishman Met a Napoleonic Captain in Restoration France. The coalition had at least 300,000 soldiers, possibly over 350,000. Two Prussian battalions and Swedish Congreve rockets pursued the French; the French rallied, however, and killed the commander of British rockets, Second Lieutenant Richard Bogue,[17] and drove the Prussians back.
How were Napoleonic battlefields cleaned up? Only Napoleon’s genius allowed him to persist through Waterloo.
On the southern front, although Napoleon gained ground, he could not break the Allied lines.[8].
The Poles left bodies everywhere in their furious defense and set fire to both the manor and the mill on the way out.
He had already begun withdrawing the majority of his army across the river Elster throughout the night of 18–19 October. The French took them by surprise in the flank, mauling them. It was the biggest battle in Europe prior to World War I. As the battlefield was so vast, none cover all of the action, but they do supply some interesting vignettes. Although the Battle of Borodino was the bloodiest single day of fighting in the Napoleonic Wars, overall casualties at the Battle of Leipzig were higher. By Michael E. Haskew. The battle of Leipzig is the bloodiest in the history of Napoleonic Wars as casualties on both sides were astoundingly high; estimates range from 80,000 to 110,000 total killed, wounded or missing. Having made these arrangements, we waited; only one thing worried me: that they might throw me down in trying to see if I had hidden anything in my mattress and thus cause my pains to begin anew. The Russians advanced, unaware that French forces were waiting.
Here, about 60,000 soldiers under Barclay de Tolly were marching and advancing towards the village in two columns, one Prussian under von Kleist advancing through Wachau, and one Russian under Wittgenstein advancing through Liebertwolkwitz.
The battle ended the First French Empire's presence east of the Rhine and brought the German states over to the Coalition. The plan was as follows: Blucher's axis of advance was to be shifted northward to the Halle road, the Russian and Prussian guards and the Russian heavy cavalry was to be amassed at Rotha in general reserve.
While the massive slaughter on both sides was bloody and the fighting furious, ultimately the day ended in a stalemate. The Battle of Leipzig ensured the collapse of the French Empire east of the Rhine.
Napoleon deployed his army around the city, but concentrated his force from Taucha through Stötteritz, where he placed his command. He also thought that a strong, formidable rear guard in Leipzig itself could repulse any Allied assault, which could buy him and his forces more time to withdraw from the battle. The bridges on Pleisse and Elster River were defended by infantry and few guns.
Finally, after a thorough examination they decided that I had a massive contusion and that they would have to bleed me, which they did quickly and abundantly.
Lieutenant Charles Parquin, a chasseur in Napoleon’s Old Guard, wrote: During all of…the 17th, the two armies confronted each other as if merely on dress parade…. I was still in great pain and convinced that my ribs or spine must have been broken…. [20], Napoleon's retreat continued smoothly until early afternoon when the general tasked with destroying the only bridge over the Elster delegated the task to a Colonel Montfort. He invited me to come over to his quarters, as soon as I should be free, and join them in a modest supper. The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations (German: Völkerschlacht) was fought by the coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden against the French army of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, at Leipzig, Saxony.
He realized that his army was on the verge of being totally encircled by the Coalition forces, and on top of this his men were running low on both supplies and ammunition. And don’t forget “the eagle flight” when Napoléon conquered France again almost alone without a single shot! In addition to French soldiers, it included troops from Italy, Poland and Germany. (5). The last kick was given to our troops by a Baden battalion which, being notorious for cowardice, had been left in the town during the battle to chop wood for the bakehouses. Napoleon was forced to abdicate, and was exiled to Elba that spring. But they were held up in Leipzig because of a ferocious street-to-street rearguard action fought by Oudinot's troops.
During the day, two Saxon brigades and some Württembergers deserted to the coalition, leaving a hole in the French line.
(7), The French Retreat from the Battle of Leipzig, by Carle Vernet and Jacques François Swebach. Due to a bungling of information when the order was passed down the chain of command, however, the bridge was blown up while French troops were still crossing. The loss these caused was slight, for the Bashkirs are totally undrilled and have no more notion of any formation than a flock of sheep. This battery was to be commanded by Drouot himself. Peter Hofschroer, The Battle of the Nations (Osprey Military Campaign), 1813, Digby Smith, "1813: Leipzig - Napoleon and the Battle of the Nations", (Esposito & Elting - "Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic wars.". The numbers of the Coalition were simply too great, and the French were now running dangerously low on ammunition. Thanks, Jay. These battles involved everything from artillery bombardment, infantry maneuvers, and mass cavalry charges, to street-to-street fighting among the buildings of the villages. Thus one of my non-commissioned officers named Meslin, was pierced from breast to back by an arrow. The Battle of Leipzig Monument. The Prussians advanced from Wartenburg, the Austrians and Russians from Dresden and the Swedish force from the north.
The opposing commanders, Tsar Alexander I of Russia (the supreme commander of the army), Emperor Francis I of Austria, and King Frederick William III of Prussia, were equally confident in their army’s ability to crush Napoleon’s forces, and with good reason.