Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

Bonaparte to a battle;-his object, to weaken them by drawing off part of their troops. This he attempted to accomplish: the Prussian capital had been left exposed by the march of the crown prince to join the grand army of the allies; and Bonaparte, taking advantage of this, pushed a corps across the Elbe at Witemberg: but the allies, aware of this movement, had ordered general Tauenstein with 12,000 men to fall back and cover Berlin; so that the French force, having failed in their object, were recalled.

Hitherto the allies of Bonaparte had remained more faithful to him than might have been expected; but about this period the king of Bavaria deserted him, and concluded a treaty of alliance and concert with Austria, by which general Wrede with 35,000 Bavarian troops was immediately to co-operate with those of Austria, 25,000 of which were to be placed under his command. But though the sovereigns in alliance with Bonaparte remained in general faithful to him, yet their subjects were animated with a better spirit: the same means were employed to keep it alive, and to spread it, to which we have already adverted; and before we proceed to narrate the decisive battle of Leipsic, we shall extract one of the printed statements which were thrown into the towns in Germany in the possession of French garrisons, by means of the Baschir arrows employed in the army of the crown prince, as it contains an animated and impartial sketch of military events during the month of September.

of September, after vain efforts, repelled on all sides, they were driven across the Elbe near Hamburgh, wedged into a corner of Lusace, driven up to the right bank of the Elbe, expelled from Bohemia with considerable loss of men and cannon, and not only disturbed in their lines of communication between Dresden, Altenburg, Leipsic, and Erfurt, but those lines more than once broken and intercepted.

"IN the month of August the French armies attempted to invade at once Mecklenburgh, Swedish Pomerania, the Middle Mark, Silesia, and Bohemia. In the month

"Towards the end of the month the combined armies had passed the Elbe at all points. The victory of Gorde (the 16th of September) opened to the corps of general Walmoden the Old Mark, Luneburgh, and the route of Hanover and Bohemia; the victory of Dennewitz (the 6th of September) made the prince royal master of the duchies of Anhalt, and other provinces formerly Prussian, Hessian, and of Brunswick; opened to him the gates of Dessau, Halberstadt, Halle, Merseburg, Brunswick, Cassel; and, in fine, the victory of general Blucher at Bischofswerda (22d of Sept.) secured to him the passage of the Elbe at Elster, his march upon Leipsic, by turning Wittenberg,and his communication with the army of the north of Germany.

"The Russian and Prussian armies, immovable in the position which they had chosen in Bohemia, from Toplitz to the Elbe, awaited the enemy in the fatal valley of Culm, received him with courage, drove him back with intrepidity as often as he dared to descend from the mountains, wasted him with famine, demoralized him, and incessantly drove him back upon Dres. den; which, from being a point whence he attacked, now became to him a point of retreat. In the mean while the Austrian army extended itself, on one side, as far as

Freyberg,

Freyberg, Chemnitz, and Altenburg; and on the other, towards Thuringia and Bavaria; pushed forward strong detachments, and covered powerful diversions operated by partisans as brave as fortunate: Colomb at Frankfort, Thiel man at Naumburg, Platoff at Altenburg, and Mensdorf at the gates of Leipsic."

"Where was Bonaparte during the whole of September? At Dresden and its vicinity; again at Dresden and its vicinity; perpetually at Dresden and its vicinity. He sent his sick and wounded to Leipsic and Erfurt; burnt (by accident as was pretended, but designedly as we know) his magazines at Dresden; kept the king of Saxony and his family at Dresden, to give himself the semblance of security; and made of Dresden his Paris, his Germany, his Europe. It was from Dresden that those bags of letters were dispatched, which, being intercepted and published, have communicated just ideas of the true situation of the French army, and of the dispositions of the troops.

vocal movements of the grand combined army towards the Mainethe siege of 'Wittemberg resumed with vigour, in which were used the formidable Congreve rocketsthe junction of the army of Blucher with the prince royal's-have proved to Napoleon the necessity of retreat more effectually than his ministers and generals had hitherto been able to do. The feeble attempt near Dessau necessarily failed. The prince royal and general Blucher passed the Elbe at the same time, in the early part of October, and are in line before Leipsic, ready to give battle and attack the enemy.

"Russia, Austria, and Prussia, have mutually guarantied their states on the footing of 1805; furnishing each other 60,000 auxiliary troops, and setting out with the unchangeable principle, of not permitting a single French bayonet to remain in Germany. Already the sceptre of the king of Westphalia is broken in pieces; the city of Cassel, through the instrumentality of general Tchernitcheff, has placed its keys in the hands of the prince royal. The old order of things succeeds to the most oppressive anarchy.

"The trenches are opened be fore Dantzic, Stettin, and Glogau. Their garrisons are destitute of ne

"Besides, from the 23d of September the retreat of that army was begun; on the 28th, the emperor, the king of Saxony, the royal family, escorted by the guards, quitted Dresden, taking the only route which remained to them-cessaries; they have many sick. that of Leipsic. Magdeburg itself is ill provisioned, Napoleon is even placing the fort resses on the Rhine in a state of defence,"

"The treaty of alliance concluded at Toplitz, between Austria, Russia, and Prussia-the negotiations opened with Bavaria-the unequi

CHAP,

CHAPTER XXIII.

Battle of Leipsic-the French completely defeated-Defection of their Allies during the Battle-Bonaparte's Account of the Battle-Retreat of the French to the Rhine-defeated again at Hanau-Bonaparte's Arrival at Paris-his Proceedings there-Consequences of the Battle of Leipsic Confederation of the Rhine dissolved-Holland liberates herself, and-invites back the Prince of Orange-Exertions of the British Ministry at this Crisis-Parliament meets-Speech of the Prince Regent, and its Proceedings-Movements of the Crown Prince-He liberates Hanover-marches against Davoust-The Danes separate from the French-The Crown Prince overruns Holstein and Sleswic-Peace with Denmark-Capitulation of Dresden-Declaration of the Allies on crossing the Rhine-Bonaparte's Address to the Legislative Body-War in America.

ON

The

N the 13th of October the head quarters of Bonaparte were at Duben on the Mulda; to this place he had advanced from Leipsic, probably with the hope of leading the allies to believe that he meant to threaten Berlin with his whole force; but finding that this manœuvre did not succeed, on the 14th he collected his whole force in and round Leipsic. Ney, with the 4th, 6th, and 7th corps, under the respective commands of Bertrand, Marmont, and Regnier, occupied a line about four or five miles to the north of that city, which protected the roads to Magdeburgh and Dessau. Op-ed by Bonaparte in person. The posite to him was posted the Silesian army, under general Blucher, whose head quarters on the 14th were on the road to Halle, about fourteen miles from Leipsic. On the 15th Blucher attacked the enemy: the contest was most obstinate and sanguinary: it began at midday, and continued till night separated the combatants: the allies however completely succeeded in their object, compelling the French to pass the Partha, a river which protects Leipsic to the

northward and eastward.
loss of the allies was between
6,000 and 7,000 men; that of the
French about 12,000: one eagle
and twenty-eight pieces of cannon
were taken.

While this contest was going on to the north of Leipsic, a separate and still more furious conflict took place between the grand army of Bohemia, commanded by prince Schwartzenberg, which advanced towards Leipsic by the converging roads of Lutzen, Zwenkau, Borna, and Colditz-and that part of the French army which was command

1813.

position of the centre of the allies was about six miles to the south of Leipsic: against it Bonaparte determined to make a furious attack, either in the hope of cutting his way through, or throwing the allies into confusion. Accordingly bringing up all his cavalry under Murat, he made a desperate push on the centre, and for a short time succeeded in forcing it. The Austrian reserve was now brought up; and their cuirassiers having formed in columns, charged with the most

ΣΑ

con

[ocr errors]

consummate skill and intrepidity, forcing every thing before them. The French cavalry were compelled to give way; and at the close of the day both armies remained on the ground on which the contest commenced.

On the 17th nothing was done. On the 18th the crown prince received a reinforcement from general Blucher of 30,000 men, infantry, cavalry, and artillery; with which it was arranged that he should attack the enemy on the Partha river, six miles northward of Leipsic, on the road to Torgau; while general Blucher was to retain his position near Leipsic, and endeavour to gain posession of that place. As the allied generals were well aware of Bonaparte's usual plan of bringing the whole of his force to bear on one point, it was agreed that, if he should have recourse to this measure, the allies were reciprocally to support each other, and to concert further movements.

The first operation was undertaken by the crown prince: that part of the enemy's force which was opposed to him had taken up a strong position on the left bank of the Partha, with its right resting on the heights of Faucha, and its left towards Leipsic it was therefore necessary to force their right, and gain possession of these heights: in order to effect this, the Russians and Prussians in the crown prince's army were ordered to advance against them; while the Swedes endeavoured to effect the passage of the river at Plosen. The river was crossed with little opposition: and general Winzingerode, who commanded the Russians, took about 3,000 prisoners and some pieces of cannon at Faucha.

Before the infantry of the crown prince's army had sufficient time

to make their flank movement, the French infantry abandoned the line of the river, and retired over the plain towards Leipsic, occupying the villages through which they passed, in order to protect their re

treat.

Hitherto the allies had met with very little resistance: but general Langeron, with part of general Blucher's army, having attempted to carry one of the villages on the road to Leipsic, which the enemy had occupied in strength, was op. posed with great obstinacy: how ever, he at length carried it, but was driven back. As the possession of this village was of the utmost im portance for the further movements and operations of the allies, general Blucher sent the most positive orders that it should be reoccupied at the point of the bayonet; and this was accomplished before it grew dark. There was attached to the crown prince's army a rocket brigade, which was brought into action with such effect as to paralyse a solid square of infantry, which after one fire from Congreve's formidable weapons delivered themselves up as if panic-struck.

About this period of the battle, twenty-two guns of Saxon artil lery, two battalions of the same nation, and two Westphalian regi ments of hussars, quitted the ranks of the enemy and joined the allies: the artillery were immediately turned against the French; and the crown prince headed the men in a charge against their former oppres. sors.

The immediate result of the successes of the allies to the north of Leipsic was, that the communica tion was established between the grand attacks; and several officers from the Bohemian army took advantage of this circumstance to

inform the crown prince of the operations which had occurred to the south of that place. In this direction, and to the south-east and south-west of Leipsic, the resistance of the French was much more determined and persevering than it was to the north: but the plan and arrangements of the allies were laid down with so much judgement and skill, and executed in such a masterly manner, that the enemy were at length compelled to retreat. In the battle of this day, the French lost at least 50,000 men in killed, wounded, and prisoners, besides sixty-five pieces of artillery.

Nothing now remained for Bonaparte to do, but either to throw himself into Leipsic and await the result of the assault of the allies, or to escape by the line of the Upper Saale. He seems to have hesitated for a long time on which plan to decide; at length he chose the latter, leaving Leipsic only two hours before the allies entered it. Their victorious troops, after having slept on the field of battle, attacked and carried Leipsic the next morning, after a short resistance. The emperor of Russia, the king of Prussia, and the crown prince of Sweden, entered the town at different points, at the head of their respective troops, and met in the great square, where they were greeted by the inhabitants with the most heart-felt joy. The king of Saxony and all his court were made prisoners.

In the account which Bonaparte thought proper to give to the French nation of the battle of Leipsic, he claimed the victory up to the moment when the troops of Saxony and Westphalia left him; and ascribed his subsequent disasters entirely to this circumstance; not adverting to the extreme improba

bility of a story, which represented his allies as leaving a victorious and joining a beaten army. In his bulletin he also mentions a circumstance, which, if true, must have been known, and would undoubtedly have been stated in the official account of the allies: he says, that when he found it necessary to evacuate Leipsic, orders were given for the destruction of a bridge, after his troops had crossed the river; but that the bridge was broken down long before they had all crossed it, and that this occasioned his loss to be much more severe than it would otherwise have been, In order to convince the people of Paris that he had been really victorious in the battle of Leipsic, he transmitted to them the standards and colours which he asserted were the proofs and fruits of his victory: but the period of delusion even with the Parisians was nearly gone by.

The retreat of Bonaparte from Leipsic with the wreck of his army, which might amount to 80,000 men, was scarcely surpassed in disorder and misery by his retreat from Moscow: as soon as his route was known, Blucher dispatched his light troops after him: the Cossacks even got before him, intercepted his supplies, and infused the greatest alarm into his dispirited soldiers; while general Wrede, with the Bavarians and Austrians under his command, some time before the battle of Leipsic, had been dispatched, in anticipation of its result, by a route which enabled them to come up with Bonaparte before he reached the Rhine. At Hanau a desperate conflict took place: the French fought obstinately; but notwithstanding this, and their superiority, they were defeated with the loss of about 10,000 men. As soon as he reached the 2 A 2 Rhine,

« ZurückWeiter »