October 4 - 7 (16 - 19) in the Leipzig region (Saxony) during the war of the 6th anti-French coalition against Napoleonic France.
The military-political situation that preceded the Battle of Leipzig was favorable for the allied powers. Exhausted by continuous wars, France had limited opportunities to supply the army, replenish its reserves. The plan of the allies was to encircle and destroy the French army, which was near Leipzig.
By the beginning of the battle, only the Bohemian (133 thousand people, 578 guns; commander of the Austrian field marshal) and Silesian (60 thousand people, 315 guns; commander of the Prussian general field marshal) approached this area. The northern army (58 thousand people, 256 guns; commander of the Swedish crown prince) was in Halle (30 km north of Leipzig), and the Polish army (54 thousand people, 186 guns; commander of the Russian cavalry general) - in Waldheim (in 40 km east of Leipzig). As part of the four armies of the allies was St. 300 thousand people (Russians - 127 thousand, Austrians - 89 thousand, Prussians - 72 thousand, Swedes - 18 thousand people) and 1385 guns. The army of Napoleon I (French, Polish, Dutch, Saxon, Belgian, Italian and other troops) consisted of approx. 200 thousand people (according to other sources, about 150 thousand people) and 700 guns.
On October 4 (16), on the plain near Leipzig, one of the greatest battles of the era of the Napoleonic wars began, which went down in history under the name "Battle of the Nations". By the beginning of the battle, Napoleon had, according to various sources, from 155 to 175 thousand people and 717 guns, the allies - about 200 thousand people and 893 guns.
The Allied command, at the insistence of three monarchs (Russian -, Prussian - and Austrian -), decided in the morning to attack the enemy from the south with the forces of the Bohemian army, which was divided into 3 groups and a general reserve. The first grouping of the general from infantry) (Russian, Prussian and Austrian troops - a total of 84 thousand people, 404 guns) was supposed to attack the enemy on the Seifertshain, Grebern front; the second detachment of the Austrian field marshal-lieutenant M. Merfeldt (the Prussian corps and the Austrian reserves - a total of 30 thousand people, 114 guns) - to operate between the Pleiss and Elster rivers, seize the crossings and hit the right flank of the Napoleonic troops; the third detachment of the Austrian general (Prussian and Austrian troops - a total of 19 thousand people) - to capture Lindenau and the crossing over the Elster west of Leipzig; Silesian army - attack Leipzig from the north on the Möckern-Mokkau front.
Napoleon, realizing the numerical superiority of the allied armies, decided to defeat the armies of Schwarzenberg and Blucher facing him before approaching the battlefield of the armies of Bernadotte and Bennigsen. Therefore, he decided to attack the Allied Bohemian army first, hoping that the rest of their troops that day would not be able to participate in the battle. For this, he allocated 5 infantry, 4 cavalry corps and 6 guard divisions. The command of the entire group (122 thousand people) was entrusted to the marshal. For subsequent actions against the Northern and Silesian armies, Napoleon advanced north of Leipzig 2 infantry and 1 cavalry corps (a total of 50 thousand people) under the general command of the marshal. At Lindenau, the general's corps (12 thousand people) was deployed with a front to the west.
The course of the battle 4 (16) October. On the morning of October 4 (16), the battle began with the cannonade of allied batteries. The first from the Bohemian army went on the offensive with several columns of Barclay de Tolly's group, which occupied their starting position in the morning on the Gros-Pesna, Grebern line. The offensive was reduced to a series of stubborn battles for Libertvolkwitz, Wachau and Markkleberg, as well as for the crossing at Konniewitz. The 14th division of the general and the Prussian (12th brigade and four battalions of the 9th brigade) troops under the command of a lieutenant general captured the village of Markkleberg, defended by marshals Ch. Augereau and Y. Poniatovsky. This village changed hands four times.
The village of Wachau, located to the east, where troops were stationed under the command of Emperor Napoleon himself, was also taken by the Russians (2nd infantry corps and general's cavalry) and Prussian (9th brigade) troops under the command of the duke. However, due to losses from the shelling of French artillery, the Wachau was again abandoned by noon. Several battalions entrenched themselves in the forest on the border with the village.
The 5th Russian division of General, the 10th Prussian brigade of Major General G. Pirch and the 11th Prussian brigade of Lieutenant General G. Ziten under the general command of Lieutenant General and the 4th Austrian Corps of General of Cavalry I. Klenau advanced on the village of Libertvolkwitz, which was defended by the 5th Infantry Corps of General J. Lauriston and the Marshal's Corps. After a fierce battle for every street, the village was taken, but both sides suffered heavy losses. After reinforcements approached the French in the form of the 36th division, the allies were forced to leave Libertvolkwitz by 11 o'clock.
On the right flank, the column of the Austrian General I. Klenau occupied Mount Kolmberg, on the left - the Prussian Lieutenant General F. Kleist broke into Markkleberg. In the current situation, Napoleon decided to break through the center of the combat formation of the Allied troops in the direction of Gossa. At 15 o'clock, the cavalry of I. Murat (10 thousand people), with fire support from artillery (160 guns of General A. Drouot), dealt a powerful blow. The French cuirassiers and dragoons, with the support of the infantry, crushed the Russian-Prussian line, overturned the battle formations of the division of Prince E. Wurtenberg lined up in a square and broke through the center of the allies. Pursuing the fugitives, they found themselves 800 paces from the headquarters of the allied sovereigns. This success convinced Napoleon that the victory had already been won. The authorities of Leipzig were ordered to ring all the bells in honor of the triumph. However, the battle continued. The cavalry detachment of Lieutenant General P.P. was sent against Napoleon's cavalry. Palena, a grenadier division from the corps and a Prussian brigade from the corps of F. Kleist. Before the reinforcements approached, the enemy was held back by a company of Russian artillery and the Life Guards Cossack regiment under the command of a colonel. A Russian 112-gun battery under the command of a major general was advanced into the intervals between the infantry.
Hood. Bekhlin. Attack of the Cossack Life Guards near Leipzig. 1845 Museum of the history of the Don Cossacks
Napoleon saw how fresh Allied reserve divisions stopped Murat and closed the gap in the Allied positions. Determined to prevail at any cost before the arrival of the troops of Bernadotte and Bennigsen, he gave the order to attack the weakened center of the allies with the forces of foot and horse guards. However, the attack of the Austrians on the right flank of the French changed his plans and forced him to send part of the guard to help Prince Yu. Poniatowski, who could hardly hold back the blows. After a stubborn battle, the Austrians were driven back, and their commander, Count Merfeldt, was captured.
The offensive of the troops of the Austrian Marshal Gyulai on Lidenau was also repulsed by the French general Bertrand.
In another section of the battle in the area of Wiederitz and Möckern, General Blucher attacked the troops of Marshal O.F. Marmon, who with 24 thousand soldiers held back his onslaught. The Polish General J. Dombrovsky, who defended the village of Videritz, kept it from being captured by the Russian troops of the general all day. One of the last attacks showed the courage of the Prussians. Major General G. Gorn led his brigade into battle, giving them the order not to shoot. Under the drumbeat, the Prussians launched a bayonet attack, and the general himself with the Brandenburg hussars cut into the French columns. The 17,000 soldiers under the command of Marshal Marmont defending Möckern were ordered to leave their positions and proceed south to the Wachau, as a result of which they left the well-fortified positions in the north. The Prussian general who commanded a 20,000-strong corps in this area, after many attacks, took the village, losing 7,000 soldiers. Marmont's corps was destroyed. So the front of the French troops north of Leipzig was broken through. When the first day of the battle was over, Blucher's soldiers made themselves barriers from the corpses of the dead, determined not to give the captured territories to the French.
As night fell, the fighting subsided. Despite successful Allied counterattacks near Güldengossa and near the village of Wachau, most of the battlefield was left to the French. They pushed back the Allied troops from the Wachau to Gülgengossa and from Libertwolkwitz, but were unable to break through the front. In general, the first day of the battle did not reveal the winners, although the losses on both sides were huge (about 60 - 70 thousand people). On the night of October 5 (17), fresh forces of Bernadotte and Bennigsen approached Leipzig. The Allied forces now had a double numerical advantage over Napoleon's forces.
Battle of Leipzig. Position of the troops on October 4 (16), 1813
Actions 5 (17) October. The next day, both sides removed the wounded and buried the dead. Taking advantage of the lull and realizing the impossibility of defeating a numerically superior enemy, Napoleon summoned the captured General Merfeldt and released him with a request to convey to the Allies a proposal for peace negotiations, to which the Allies did not respond. In general, this day passed calmly, only in the north the troops of Field Marshal Blucher, having taken the villages of Oitritsch and Golis, came close to Leipzig. On the night of October 6 (18), Napoleon began to regroup the army, trying to pull the troops closer to the city. By morning, his troops had an almost annular arrangement on the Konnewitz, Holzhausen, Zweinaundorf, Schönefeld, Pfaffendorf, Lindenau lines, deploying at a distance of about 4 km from Leipzig on a front of 16 km approx. 150 thousand people and 630 guns.
The course of the battle on October 6 (18). On October 6 (18) at 8 o'clock in the morning, the allies launched an offensive. Their columns went on the offensive unevenly, some of them moved too late, because of which the blow was not delivered along the entire front at the same time. The Austrians advancing on the left flank under the command of Crown Prince F. of Hesse-Homburg attacked the positions of the French near Dölitz, Dösen and Lösnig, trying to push the French back from the Plaise River. Dölitz was taken first, and at about 10 o'clock Dösen was taken. The Prince of Hesse-Homburg was badly wounded and Field Marshal Lieutenant took command. The French troops were pushed back to Connewitz, but there they came to the aid of two divisions sent by Napoleon under the command of a marshal. The Austrians were forced to retreat, leaving Dösen behind. Regrouping, they again went on the offensive and captured Lösnig by lunchtime, but they failed to retake Konnewitz, defended by the Poles and the Young Guard under the command of Marshals Oudinot and Augereau.
A stubborn battle flared up near Probstgeide. This village, which had a stone fence, was an important center of French defense. There were four companies of infantry in the village, strong batteries were located on the sides, and behind the village were the corps of Loriston and Victor. The attack on Probstgeide was carried out simultaneously from the southwest and east by two brigades of Kleist's corps. The Prussian infantry broke in from the east, but, met by buckshot, was forced to retreat. The attack was repeated by the troops of the Prince of Württemberg. During the attack, only 1800 people remained from his 2nd Corps. From the side of Libertvolkwitz, the 3rd division of the prince broke into the village, followed by the troops of Gorchakov and Kleist. However, Napoleon with the Old Guard knocked them out, after which the French troops went on the offensive, but were stopped by grape fire.
At about 2 p.m. on the right flank, the Polish army of General Bennigsen, which went on the offensive, captured Zuckelhausen, Holzhausen and Paunsdorf. Parts of the Northern Army, the Prussian corps of the general and the Russian corps of the general also participated in the assault on Paunsdorf. Parts of the Silesian army under the command of the generals Langeron and captured Schönefeld and Golis.
In the midst of the battle, the Württemberg (Major General K. Norman), Saxon (Major General A. Rissel), Baden and Westphalian troops went over to the side of the Allies. The Saxons even turned their weapons against the French.
By evening, in the north and east, the French were pushed back to the distance of a 15-minute march from Leipzig. The ensuing darkness stopped the fighting, the troops prepared to resume the battle the next morning. Commander-in-Chief Schwarzenberg doubted the need to continue the battle. Therefore, the Austrian General Gyulai was ordered only to watch the French. Thanks to this, the French general Bertrand was able to use the road to Weissenfelds, where the convoy and artillery were pulled behind him. During the night, the retreat of the entire French army, guards, cavalry and corps of Marshals Victor and Augereau began, while Marshals MacDonald, Ney and General Lauriston remained in the city to cover the retreat.
Battle of Leipzig. Position of the troops on October 6 (18), 1813
Actions 7 (19) October. Since Napoleon, when planning the battle, counted only on victory, he did not take sufficient measures to prepare for the retreat. At the disposal of all the columns was only one road to Weissenfelds.
But the allies also made a serious mistake by not allocating enough forces west of Leipzig, which allowed the enemy to retreat unhindered.
While the French army squeezed through the western Randstadt Gate, the Russian troops under the command of Generals Langeron and Osten-Sacken captured the eastern suburb of Halles, the Prussians under the command of General Bülow - the suburb of Grimmas, the southern gate of Leipzig - Peterstor - were taken by the Russian troops of General Bennigsen. Panic among the remaining defenders of the city reached a peak when a bridge over the river was blown up by mistake. Elster, located in front of the Randstadt Gate. Hearing the cries of "Hurrah!" advancing allies, French sappers hastily blew up the bridge, despite the fact that about 20 thousand Frenchmen remained in the city, including Marshals MacDonald and Poniatowski and General Lauriston. Many, including Yu. Poniatovsky, who received the marshal's baton two days before the battle, died during the retreat, the rest were taken prisoner. By the end of the day, the allies had captured the entire city.
The retreat of the French army after the battle of Leipzig, October 19, 1813. Colorized engraving of the 19th century.
In the four-day Battle of Leipzig, the largest battle of the Napoleonic Wars, both sides suffered heavy losses.
The French army, according to various estimates, lost 70-80 thousand soldiers, of which about 40 thousand were killed and wounded, 15 thousand were captured, and another 15 thousand were captured in hospitals. Another 15-20 thousand German soldiers went over to the Allied side. It is known that Napoleon was able to bring back to France only about 40 thousand soldiers. 325 guns went to the Allies as a trophy.
Allied losses amounted to 54 thousand killed and wounded, of which up to 23 thousand Russians, 16 thousand Prussians, 15 thousand Austrians and 180 Swedes.
Monument in memory of the Battle of Leipzig and its reflection in the "Lake of Tears Shed for Fallen Soldiers"
The decisive role in the victory of the Allied armies was played by the actions of the Russian troops, who bore the brunt of the battle. The Leipzig battle, which received the name “battle of the peoples” due to the composition of the nationalities participating in it, ended with the victory of the allied states, but its results could have been more difficult for Napoleon if the allied command had not missed the opportunity to completely defeat the enemy.
Xp am-monument of Russian glory in Leipzig. 1913 Architect V.A. Pokrovsky
Schwarzenberg, who was entrusted with the overall command of the allied armies, actually failed to fulfill the functions of commander in chief, and the council of the three emperors did not provide full-fledged leadership in the combat operations of the allied forces. This hindered the implementation of broad operational plans, led to indecision in actions, and the reservation of large masses of troops that were inactive on the battlefield. The battle deprived France of a number of territorial gains in Europe and hastened the fall of Napoleon. Shortly after Napoleon's retreat from Leipzig, the marshal surrendered Dresden with all its huge arsenal. Except for Hamburg, where Marshal Davout was desperately defending himself, all other French garrisons in Germany surrendered before the beginning of 1814. The Confederation of the Rhine of the German states, subject to Napoleon, collapsed, the French evacuated from Holland.
Johann Peter Kraft. Prince Schwarzenberg informs the allied monarchs of the victory in the "battle of the peoples" at Leipzig. 1817 Museum of Military History, Vienna.
In early January, the Allies began the 1814 campaign with an invasion of France. Napoleon was left alone with France against the advancing Europe, which led in April 1814 to his first abdication.
The Leipzig "Battle of the Nations", which took place on October 16-19, 1813, became the largest battle of the Napoleonic Wars, exceeding in scale most of the battles of the entire previous world history. Nevertheless, little is known about her to the general reader, no significant literary works have been written, no popular films have been made. In the new Warspot special project, we will introduce readers to the main events of this epoch-making battle, which had a great influence on the history of all of Europe.
On the way to Leipzig
Liebertwolfice
Lindenau
And again into battle
before departure
Retreat
Dresden gate
Torgau Gate
Gallic gate
Napoleon Bonaparte. Painting by Paul Delaroche
Source: windeos.wordpress.com
After the death of the Napoleonic Great Army in Russia, Emperor Alexander I decided to transfer the war abroad and wage it to a victorious end. Napoleon quickly assembled a new army, not at all considering the case lost. After the catastrophe of 1812, a powerful coalition formed against him (Russia, England, Sweden and Prussia), and the satellites of France, who were not enthusiastic about the imperial policy of Bonaparte, perked up ... Austria also intended to join the ally, mercilessly chopped off by Napoleon in previous wars and wishing to restore the old borders. It was within the old borders that its Chancellor Clemens Metternich wanted to see the Austrian monarchy, on June 26, 1813, who outlined to Napoleon the price of Austria's neutrality in a future campaign. The proud French emperor refused, and soon Austria joined the ranks of the new, already sixth anti-Napoleonic coalition ...
It was also restless in other European countries, still subject to Bonaparte. For the time being, the Kingdom of Naples did not arouse Napoleon's fears, since his trusted man, Marshal Joachim Murat, ruled there. The latter, returning from the deplorable Russian campaign, was no longer so sure of the lucky star of his emperor and decided to bargain with London and Vienna, offering his help in exchange for the Neapolitan throne for himself and his descendants ... At first, the British showed some inflexibility and promised the marshal only some compensation for leaving them the throne. However, over time, London softened and made concessions. Moreover, the Austrian emperor also looked favorably on Murat, who did not object to the marshal remaining on the throne. Murat's wife and Emperor's sister Caroline Bonaparte contributed to the alliance as best she could - she became the mistress of the Austrian ambassador, Count von Mir. If the Murat couple had more time, the marshal's career as a French military leader could have ended on this, but Bonaparte again called his subordinate into battle - this time near Dresden.
Despite all the setbacks, Napoleon's energy did not weaken. Already in May 1813, his new army defeated the Russians and Prussians at Weissenfels, Lutzen, Bautzen, Wursen. Bonaparte again seemed invincible. Despite the superiority in forces, in June 1813 the coalition asked the enemy for a truce for a period of two months - and received it. It immediately became clear that there was a weak link in the anti-Napoleonic alliance - Sweden, or rather its ruler. The Swedish prince at that time was the former general of revolutionary France and marshal of the Empire Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte. The army, which he led, was completed only partially by the Swedes - most of its contingents were Prussians, British and Russians. Of course, the allies did not like it very much. As they did not like Bernadotte's hints of granting him the French throne after the victory. In turn, the ex-marshal was unhappy that the talk about Norway promised to him was becoming less and less certain. The unity of the coalition was in question.
Napoleon had a chance to seize the initiative and impose on his opponents a game according to his own rules - but activity in different directions involved dispersal of forces, and Bonaparte could not be with all the corps at the same time. The Allied commanders understood this very well, trying to avoid meeting with the emperor himself and to beat his marshals as hard as possible. This strategy paid off: under Kulm, General Joseph Vandam was defeated and captured; Marshal Jacques MacDonald was defeated at the Katzbach; near Grossburn, the troops of Marshal Nicolas Oudinot were defeated; got it under Dennewitz "to the bravest of the brave" Marshal Michel Ney. Napoleon reacted philosophically to the news of the defeats of his subordinates, noting that “we have a really very difficult craft” and adding that, given the time, he would write a manual on the art of war.
One way or another, the defeats inflicted on the Napoleonic marshals reduced the strength of France, posed a threat to the position of Napoleon himself and fettered his maneuver. Leaving Marshal Laurent de Saint-Cyr part of the troops for the defense of Dresden, he himself retreated to Leipzig, hoping to lure one of the allied armies and defeat it. But not one, not two went to Leipzig - all the enemy armies rushed here to defeat the main forces of the great Corsican ...
Battle of Leipzig, Murat's cavalry attack. Approximately the same thing happened under Libertvolkwitz. Illustration for the book of Adolphe Thiers "History of the Consulate and the Empire", volume 4
North of Leipzig, the Napoleonic troops were threatened by the Silesian and Northern armies of the allies, and Bonaparte intended to impose a general battle on one of them before the second approached. From the south came the third, the Bohemian army under the command of Field Marshal Karl Schwarzenberg, against which Murat's troops stood up, covering the deployment of the main Napoleonic forces. The forces of Schwarzenberg outnumbered the French by more than three times - Murat could only slowly retreat with battles. The marshal did even more than was asked of him: as a last resort, Napoleon allowed Leipzig to surrender, but Murat's competent counterattacks made it possible not to do this. As a result, the commander fulfilled his mission - all 170,000 soldiers of Napoleon's main army managed to turn around and prepare for battle.
On October 13, the allies decided to test the strength of the French by planning a reconnaissance near the village of Libertvolkwice. The coalition had enough troops, so they decided not to save money - 60,000 people moved against the enemy: two Russian infantry corps, cavalry of Lieutenant General Count Peter Palen (Sumy, Grodno, Lubensky Hussars, Chuguevsky Lancers), Major General Nikitin's battery (1700 people and 12 guns), ten squadrons of the Prussian cavalry (Neimark Dragoon, East Prussian Cuirassier and Silesian Lancers, horse battery No. 10) and the reserve cavalry of General Friedrich Roeder. The attackers were supported by the Russian Cossack detachment of Matvey Platov, the Prussian corps of Kleist and the Austrian corps of Klenau. According to the plan, the latter was supposed to attack the French positions on the right flank, but by October 13 did not have time to reach the positions, and the attack was postponed to the next day.
On October 14, the troops of both sides met. On the right flank of the French, between the villages of Konniewitz and Markleberg, the positions were occupied by the 8th Infantry Corps of Prince Jozef Poniatowski, consisting of Poles (according to various sources, from 5400 to 8000 people). Marshal Claude-Victor Perrin's 2nd Infantry Corps (15,000–20,000 men) was located on the heights from Markkleeberg to Wachau. The heights from the Wachau to Libertvolkwice were occupied by the infantry of Marshal Jacques Lauriston from the 5th Corps (12,000–17,000 people). At Libertvolkwice, the 4th and 5th cavalry corps were located under the command of divisional generals Sokolnitsky and Pajol (the 4th corps was manned by Poles). Behind the main body of the French troops, Marshal Pierre Augereau's 9th Infantry Corps occupied the position. Directly in front of Leipzig there were over 60,000 people, not counting the arriving French troops from other armies (Napoleon himself arrived in the city in the afternoon). In the first line of the enemy, 40,000–50,000 people met.
The battle began on the morning of 14 October. On the right wing of the French, a battle broke out between the cavalry units of Palen and the troops of Poniatowski, which continued with varying success. At this time, Nikitin's battery showered the French, who were at Libertvolkwice, with nuclei. Noticing the Russian battery, separated from the main troops of the allies, Murat sent parts of the 5th cavalry corps to it. Sumy hussars tried to resist the attack, but they were instantly overturned. To the rescue of the hussars, all the allied cavalry, which could only be used, rushed to the rescue (including the Chuguev Lancers, Grekov's Cossack regiment, the East Prussian regiment, the Silesian and Brandenburg cuirassiers). Murat did not keep himself waiting, also throwing his entire cavalry into battle.
The ensuing battle was like a chaotic dump, where each regiment acted on its own, without a single plan, tactical frills and flank coverage - each unit that came up simply rushed into a frontal attack. Realizing the senselessness of this massacre, Palen weakened the onslaught of his wing, transferring part of the troops to the right (closer to the center of the battle) under the cover of two Prussian cavalry batteries. The French artillery, concentrated on the heights near the Wachau, methodically exterminated everything living on the left flank of the allies, but the Prussian guns and Nikitin's battery did not allow it to make a hole in the center of the allied forces. At about 14:00, Klenau's corps managed to reach the flank of the French, and its guns opened deadly fire on Libertvolkwitz. The Allied cavalry pressed the French cavalry, but could not withstand the fire of Napoleon's cannons and retreated on its own.
In general, the battle at Libertvolkwice ended in favor of the French - they lost up to 600 people killed and wounded, while the Allied losses were incomparably large: the 4th Austrian Corps alone lost a thousand people.
Postcard "Battle of the Wachau", October 16, 1813
Source: pro100-mica.dreamwidth.org
After a stubborn battle near Libertvolkwice, there was some lull on the battlefield - on October 15, both sides pulled up reserves, gathering forces together. Having received reinforcements in the form of the corps of General Jean Renier, Napoleon managed to concentrate up to 190,000 people near Leipzig. The allied forces were deployed around the Leipzig suburbs, taking the city in a semicircle and controlling the northern, eastern and southern approaches to it. By October 16, the number of coalition armies amounted to about 300,000 people (Northern, Bohemian and Silesian armies), the Polish army of General Leonty Bennigsen was on the way.
The battle began on the morning of October 16 south of Leipzig - the coalition troops went on the offensive, forcing the French advance detachments to retreat and suppressing the French batteries advanced forward with artillery fire. But when the allies approached the very suburbs occupied by the French, they were met by heavy artillery fire. An attempt to advance near the village of Konniewice encountered difficulties in crossing - all the fords were shot through by the French. The Allies managed to occupy the Wachau (corps of Eugene of Württemberg), Markkleberg (corps of Kleist), Libertvolkwice and Kolmberg (Klenau's troops), but the successes ended there. Moreover, the French, who went on the counterattack, knocked out the allies from everywhere except the Wachau, inflicting heavy losses on them.
By noon, Napoleon managed to completely thwart the plan of the enemy offensive in the south, push back the allied forces and go on the counteroffensive. The goal of the French commander-in-chief was to bypass the right flank of the allies, break through the center of the Bohemian army with cavalry and cut it off from other coalition troops. In the center, the French cavalry attacked the villages of Gossa and Auengheim. It was planned to bypass the right flank of the allied forces at Seifersgain, but the French did not succeed in this.
The attack in the center was the most furious. The fearless Murat personally led four cuirassier divisions, supported by Pajol's dragoons. A grandiose cavalry attack, in which 12,000 horsemen took part at once, swept away everything in its path. The gunners of the Arakcheev battery suffered significant damage, the front was broken through, and this breakthrough had to be immediately plugged with reserves. Reserve artillery also entered the battle, and from both sides. From the French side there was a roar of 160 guns of the Guards artillery of General Drouot, which destroyed the Prussian reinforcements being transferred to the center with heavy fire. On the part of the allies, the reserve artillery of Major General Ivan Sukhozanet answered.
At the same time, the Austrians organized a counterattack on the left flank against the right flank of the French. Having overturned Poniatowski's corps, the Austrian troops launched an offensive against Markkleberg and recaptured it.
The loss of Markkleeberg, as well as the constant need to watch the left flank, did not give Napoleon the opportunity to develop success in the center. The French advance stalled. Artillery Sukhozanet suffered losses, but completed the task. The Russian infantry also showed itself well, surviving under a hail of cannonballs. All the French could do was to gain a foothold in Auenheim for a while. Soon, the Napoleonic troops had to leave the captured positions, and the coalition army held Markkleberg.
Colorized engraving of the 19th century. Battle of Leipzig
Source: pro100-mica.dreamwidth.org
In terms of scale, the battle of Lindenau turned out to be much smaller than the rest of the battles on October 16, but if the Allies were successful, it could become a turning point in the entire war. Lindenau is a small village to the west of Leipzig, its "western gate". Despite the importance of this point, it was guarded by only four battalions of the French. From the side of the allies, the twenty-thousandth Austrian corps of Lieutenant-Field Marshal Ignaz Gyulai was advancing on this small detachment ... A quick victory of the Austrians could close Napoleon's way home.
However, one could only dream of speed - Gyulai was in no hurry with active actions, expecting those from his neighbors. Only after the Austrian commander realized that fighting had begun in the south did he catch himself and begin to advance troops to Lindenau, but it was too late. Napoleon sent the entire 4th Corps of General Henri Bertrand to the village, which immediately dug in. The approaching Austrian troops encountered stubborn resistance. The attempt to take Lindenau by the Austrians failed, although they were one step away from success. The Allied plan to close the trap and destroy Napoleon's army at Leipzig failed.
By evening, after a heavy battle, Gyulai was forced to withdraw his troops. Despite the fact that it was not possible to cut off Napoleon from France, the Austrian corps achieved a positive result, tying down significant French forces with their actions. And Napoleon’s reserves were already sorely lacking ...
Battle of Mökern, October 16, 1813. The author of the picture is Kate Rocco
Source: pro100-mica.dreamwidth.org
On the northern flank of the Napoleonic troops, the corps of Marshal Auguste Marmont was to deploy between the villages of Radefeld and Lidenthal, thus becoming the vanguard of the entire army. Marmont himself was the author of this plan, but Napoleon decided otherwise and put the marshal's troops in reserve. Needless to say, such a "change of horses at the crossing" violated all of Marmont's plans. Moreover, the French, who began to retreat from the already occupied lines, were "cheered up" by the attacks of the vanguard of the Silesian army under the command of Field Marshal Gebhard Blucher. The retreat of the French forces accelerated, and as a result, Marmont's troops settled down, resting their left flank on the village of Mekern, and on the right flank - in the village of Eiterich and the small River Richke.
Positions near the village of Klein-Viderich were occupied by other parts of the Napoleonic army - the Poles of Jan Henryk Dombrowski, who covered the road to Duben (reinforcements arrived along it - in particular, the 9th division of General Antoine Delmas).
Blucher planned to hit the left flank of the French, break through the defenses at Meckern and reach Leipzig. Before the fight, he admonished his fighters with these words:
“Whoever is not killed today or is glad to the point of madness, then he fought like a dishonorable villain!”
The Prussians quickly drove the French out of Lidenthal and attacked Meckern with all their might. Anticipating such a development of events, Marmont built an echeloned defense, and the protection of the village itself was provided to sailors from the 21st division of General Lagrange. At 14:00, an attack began on the positions at Mekern, which accounted for the entire force of the Prussian strike. The French fought fiercely, their batteries shot the attackers literally at point blank range, but they still managed to reach the artillery positions and capture them. In the village itself, the French fought literally for every house and front garden. But strength breaks strength, and as a result, the soldiers of Marmont were driven out of Mekern, having suffered heavy losses.
The capture of the village was difficult for the Prussians: General Johann York had to throw all the forces of his corps at Mekern, and French artillery mercilessly thinned his ranks. At one of the moments of the battle, when the counterattack of the French troops overturned the Prussian ranks, York was able to stabilize the situation and push the enemy. At this time, the French began to have problems with the loyalty of the German contingents - the 25th light cavalry brigade of Norman, manned by the Württembergers, did not fight well.
A fierce battle broke out in the center. The Russian troops pushed back Dombrovsky's units, which occupied positions near Klein-Viderich, and they had to retreat to Eiterich. Having regrouped his forces and reinforced by the approaching division of Delmas, Dombrovsky went on the attack in order to regain lost positions. This time he succeeded, endangering the communications of the entire Silesian army. However, the French could no longer hold back the superior enemy forces. Dombrovsky retreated to Eiterich and Golis, and part of the artillery parks and convoys of the 3rd Corps, which were covered by the Delmas division, fell into the hands of the Allies. On the morning of October 17, Dombrovsky was also driven out of Eiterich. Blucher triumphed: he won a major victory, and the scales began to tilt towards the allies.
Allied Monarchs during the Battle of Leipzig.
On October 17, there was an operational pause - both sides were reinforced with reinforcements and equipped combat positions. True, these reinforcements were absolutely disproportionate in number. The Northern Army of the Swedish Prince Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte (up to 60,000 soldiers) approached the Allies, the Bohemian Army was reinforced by the corps of General Jerome Colloredo, and the next day they expected the arrival of the Polish Army of General Leonty Bennigsen, numbering about 50,000 people. From the Russian Emperor Alexander I, a messenger went to Bennigsen with the following message:
“The battle scheduled for the next day will be given on the anniversary of the victory won at Tarutino, which marked the beginning of the success of Russian weapons. The Sovereign expects tomorrow the same from your talents and combat experience.
During this time, Napoleon was approached by the one and only 7th Corps of Renier, numbering 12,637 people, half consisting of Saxons, whose reliability, like other Germans, was already low. Napoleon understood the insignificance of his replenishments and began to prepare for the retreat. To gain time, he sent the captured General Merveldt to the Austrian emperor with a proposal for a truce. By sending a truce only to the Austrians, Napoleon hoped to quarrel the allies, who did not trust each other too much. Bonaparte failed to deceive his enemies. Later, the Austrian Chancellor Metternich wrote:
“On [October] 18, I rejoiced in one of my most beautiful triumphs. At 6 o'clock in the morning Merveldt came, whom N. [Napoleon] instructed to ask for mercy. We answered him with a huge victory.”
The Russian and Austrian emperors did not want to give the enemy a break and decided to continue the fight as soon as possible. On the night of October 17-18, Francis I and Alexander I held a prayer service to the Almighty for the granting of victory, and the next day a new grandiose battle was to begin.
Battle of Schönefeld October 18, 1813. The author of the picture is Oleg Parkhaev
Source: pro100-mica.dreamwidth.org
On October 18, the French were preparing for a retreat - they collected horses for carts, got rid of everything unnecessary. In the south, French troops began to leave the positions they had held since October 16, and take up defenses a little north - between Conniewice and Probstgeide.
In the morning, Bennigsen's troops took up a position between Schwarzenberg's Bohemian Army and Bernadotte's Army of the North. The French left the villages of Kolmberg and Baalsdorf themselves, but the soldiers of the Bohemian and Polish armies had to force them out of the villages of Goltzhausen and Zuckelhausen. Snapping back, the French even managed to drive the Russian units out of Baalsdorf. But since the numerical superiority was clearly on the side of the coalition, the Napoleonic army slowly retreated to Probstgeide and Stetritz. In order not to be surrounded, the French had to leave Steinberg as well.
To the south, parts of the Bohemian army (corps of General Wittgenstein) stumbled upon heavy enemy fire near Probstgeide and suffered heavy losses. An attempt to cut off the troops retreating from Holzhausen from the main Napoleonic forces also did not bring success.
In parallel with this, the Austrians made attempts to dislodge the troops of the newly-minted Marshal of France Jozef Poniatowski from the villages of Delitz, Desaix and Lessnig. Marshal was rescued by divisions of the Young Guard under the command of Marshal Charles Oudinot, and the coalition troops failed to advance. At the same time, the troops of General Gyulai, who almost cut off French communications, left in the direction of Grebern, freeing the French to retreat. At the same time, the Silesian army of Blucher got bogged down in the battles at Pfafendorf and the Galesky outpost.
On the site of the Northern Army of Bernadotte, there were also hostilities. The village of Schönefelde was stormed by units of General Alexander Lanzheron, the future mayor of Odessa. The fighting continued until the evening - for every house, yard and cross in the cemetery. By nightfall, the French were forced out of the village by superior forces.
But the real disaster for France was something else. The Saxons of the 7th Corps and the Württembergers of the Norman division, defending in the sector of the Northern Army, finally made a choice, directing their bayonets against Napoleon. For the French, the unreliability of the Saxons was no secret - Renier warned Ney about this, but he ignored all the warnings. For Napoleon, this was a strong blow, a contemporary wrote: “Until this moment, he remained calm, behaved as usual. The misfortune that happened did not affect his behavior in any way; only sadness was reflected on the face ". The caustic Byron would later write about the betrayal of the Saxons:
"From the lion to the Saxon insinuating jackal
To the fox, to the bear, to the wolf ran away "
4 - 7 (16 - 19) October 1813 in the area of Leipzig (Saxony) a decisive battle took place between the allied army of Russia, Austria, Prussia, Sweden and the army of the French Emperor Napoleon. It was the largest battle in the Napoleonic Wars and in world history before the First World War, with up to half a million soldiers taking part in it. On the side of France, the troops of the Duchy of Warsaw, Italy, Saxony and several states of the Confederation of the Rhine fought in this battle. Therefore, in the literature, the battle of Leipzig is often called the "Battle of the Nations". The battle ended the campaign of 1813. Napoleon was defeated, lost allies and was forced to retreat from Central Europe to France. The campaign of 1813 was lost.
background
The military-strategic situation preceding the "battle of the nations" was favorable for the allies. France was exhausted by continuous wars that lasted from 1791, Napoleon's empire suffered especially great damage in the campaign of 1812, when almost the entire "Great Army" died or was captured in Russia. France had limited opportunities to replenish the army with reinforcements, their quality fell sharply (it was necessary to drive the elderly, young men into battle, there was no time to train them), it was not possible to restore a full-fledged cavalry that died in Russia, the industry could not cope with the task of replenishing the artillery park . And Napoleon's allies, although they fielded troops, were few in number and for the most part fought poorly (except for the Poles).
The sixth anti-French coalition, which included Russia, Prussia, Austria, England, Sweden, Spain, Portugal and a number of small German states, surpassed Napoleon's empire in all respects - the number of bayonets and sabers, guns, demographic resources, financial opportunities and economic potential. For the time being, Napoleon could restrain the enemy only due to his military talent (in the ranks of his opponents, after the death of Kutuzov, there was no commander equal to the French emperor), some indecision and poor interaction of the allied forces. Napoleon won several serious victories - the battles of Lützen (May 2), Bautzen (May 21) and Dresden (August 26-27), but they did not lead to the collapse of the anti-French coalition, as he hoped, but only rallied it. The losses of the allied armies were easily replenished, the allies even increased the number of their troops. In turn, the defeat of Napoleon's marshals and generals weakened his army. On August 29-30, Vandam's corps was defeated near Kulm in Bohemia, on September 6, Ney's corps were defeated at Dennewitz in southwestern Prussia, on September 28, on the banks of the Elbe near the town of Wartenburg (Saxony), the corps of General Bertrand was defeated. France could not make up for these losses. The numerical advantage of the allied armies became more and more tangible.
The allied command, having received fresh reinforcements, decided in early October to go on the offensive in order to encircle and destroy the French army. Napoleon at this time kept the defense around Dresden in the east of Saxony. The Silesian army under the command of Field Marshal Gebhard Blucher bypassed Dresden from the north and crossed the Elbe River north of Leipzig. The Northern Army under the command of the Swedish Crown Prince Jean Bernadotte also joined with it. The Bohemian army under the command of Field Marshal Karl Schwarzenberg, pushing back Murat's troops, bypassed Dresden from the south and also headed towards Leipzig, in the rear of Napoleon's army. The Prussian troops marched from the northern direction from Wartenburg, the Swedish also from the north, but in the second echelon after the Prussians, the Russian and Austrian troops from the south and west.
The French emperor left a strong garrison in Dresden and also moved to Leipzig, planning to defeat the enemy troops in parts - first to defeat Blucher and Bernadotte, and then Schwarzenberg. Napoleon himself wanted a decisive battle, hoping to win the campaign with one blow. However, he overestimated his forces, exhausted by previous battles and marches, underestimated the strength of the allied forces and did not have complete data on the disposition of enemy forces. Napoleon Bonaparte mistakenly believed that the Russian-Prussian Silesian army was located much further north, farther from Leipzig and doubted the rapid arrival of the Bohemian army.
Side forces. Disposition
By the beginning of the battle, the Bohemian Austro-Russian-Prussian Army, 133 thousand people, 578 guns, and the Silesian Russian-Prussian Army, 60 thousand soldiers, 315 guns, came to Leipzig. Thus, at the beginning of the battle, the allied troops numbered about 200 thousand people. Already during the battle, the Northern Prussian-Russian-Swedish Army pulled up - 58 thousand people, 256 guns, the Polish Russian Army under the command of General Leonty Bennigsen - 46 thousand soldiers, 162 guns and the 1st Austrian Corps under the command of Jerome Colloredo-Mansfeld - 8 thousand people, 24 guns. By the beginning of the battle, Bernadotte's Northern Army was in Halle (30 km north of Leipzig), and Bennigsen's Polish Army was in Waldheim (40 km east of Leipzig). During the battle, the size of the allied army increased to 310 thousand people (according to other sources, up to 350 thousand) with almost 1400 guns. The allied army included 127 thousand Russians, 89 thousand subjects of Austria - Austrians, Hungarians, Slavs, 72 thousand Prussians, 18 thousand Swedes, etc. The commander-in-chief of the allied forces was the Austrian Field Marshal Prince Karl Schwarzenberg. However, his power was limited by the monarchs, so the Russian Emperor Alexander I constantly interfered in the operational leadership. In addition, the commanders of individual armies and even corps had greater independence in decision-making. Particularly in the Army of the North, the Prussian commanders were only formally subordinate to Bernadotte.
Napoleon's army consisted of about 200 thousand soldiers (according to other sources, about 150 thousand people) and 700 guns. Near Leipzig, the French had 9 infantry corps - more than 120 thousand soldiers, the Guard - 3 infantry corps, a cavalry corps and an artillery reserve, up to 42 thousand soldiers in total, 5 cavalry corps - 24 thousand people, plus the Leipzig garrison - about 4 thousand . Human. Most of the army was French, but there were many different kinds of Germans, Poles, Italians, Belgians, Dutch.
On October 3 (15), Napoleon deployed his troops around Leipzig. The main part of the army covered the city from the south along the river Pleise, from Konnewitz to the village of Markkleyberg, then further east through the villages of Wachau, Liebertwolkwitz and Holzhausen. The road from the western direction was covered by the corps of General Bertrand (12 thousand people), which was located near Lindenau. From the northern direction, Leipzig was defended by the troops of Marshals Marmont and Ney - 2 infantry and 1 cavalry corps (up to 50 thousand soldiers). Napoleon, realizing the numerical superiority of the enemy forces, wanted to hit the Bohemian army on October 4 (16), and defeat it or at least seriously weaken it before the rest of the enemy forces approached. For the offensive, a strike force of 5 infantry, 4 cavalry corps and 6 divisions of the guard was created, in total about 110-120 thousand soldiers. It was headed by Marshal Joachim Murat.
The allied command, under pressure from the three monarchs Alexander I, Friedrich Wilhelm III and Franz I, also planned to conduct attacking actions, fearing that Napoleon, using his central position, could separately defeat the Northern Army, holding back the Bohemian Army with a strong barrier. In addition, there was a desire to break up the enemy troops in parts, preventing the concentration of enemy forces. Schwarzenberg decided to strike from the south in the morning with the forces of the Bohemian army. Initially, the Austrian field marshal proposed to throw the main forces of the army into the Konnewitz area, break through the enemy defenses in the swampy lowlands of the Plaise and Weisse-Elster rivers, bypass the enemy’s right flank and take the shortest western road to Leipzig. However, the Russian emperor Alexander Pavlovich criticized the plan, pointing out the complexity of the terrain.
The Bohemian army was divided into three groups and a reserve. The first (main) grouping under the general command of Infantry General Barclay de Tolly - it included the 4th Austrian Klenau Corps, the Russian troops of General Wittgenstein and the Prussian Corps of Field Marshal Kleist, a total of 84 thousand people, 404 guns. Barclay's grouping was supposed to strike at the French army on the front of Crebern - Wachau - Libertwolkwitz, actually attacking the enemy in the forehead, from the southeast. The second group was commanded by the Austrian General Maximilian von Merfeld. It included the 2nd Austrian corps and the Austrian reserves, a total of 30-35 thousand people with 114 guns. He was supposed to advance between the rivers Plaise and Weisse-Elster, capture the crossings and hit the right flank of the French army. The third detachment under the command of Ignaz Gyulai (Giulai) was to attack from the west, to Lindenau and capture the crossing over the Weisse-Elster west of Leipzig. The grouping was supposed to block the escape routes to the west. The basis of the Gyulai detachment was the 3rd Austrian Corps - about 20 thousand people. The Russian-Prussian Guard formed the reserve. The Silesian army of Blucher was to launch an offensive from the north on the Mökkerk-Wideritz front.
Battle
The course of the battle 4 (16) October. The day turned out to be cloudy. Even before dawn, the Russian-Prussian troops began to advance and at about 8 o'clock in the morning opened artillery fire. The advanced units began to approach the enemy. The battle was reduced to a series of stubborn battles for Markkleberg, Wachau, Libertvolkwitz, as well as the crossing at Konniewitz. Russian-Prussian troops under the overall command of Kleist - the 14th division of General Helfreihai, the 12th Prussian brigade and 4 battalions of the 9th brigade, captured the village of Markkleberg around 9.30. French-Polish troops under the command of marshals Augereau and Poniatowski held the defense here. Four times Napoleon's troops recaptured the village and four times the Russians and Prussians again took Markkleberg by storm.
The village of Wachau was also captured by Russian-Prussian troops under the command of Duke Eugene of Württemberg - the 2nd Infantry Corps, the Russian cavalry of General Palen - hussars, lancers and Cossacks, and the 9th Prussian brigade. However, due to heavy fire from French artillery, the village was abandoned by noon. Libertwolkwitz stormed the Russian-Prussian troops under the overall command of Lieutenant General A.I. Gorchakov - the 5th Russian division of General Mezentsev, the 10th Prussian brigade of Major General Pirch and the 11th Prussian brigade of Lieutenant General Ziten, as well as the 4th Austrian corps of General Klenau. The defense was held by the corps of General Lauriston and Marshal MacDonald. After a fierce battle, when they had to fight for every street and house, the village was captured. Both sides suffered heavy losses. But after the French received reinforcements - the 36th division, the allied forces were forced to withdraw. The offensive of the 2nd Austrian Corps was not successful, and in the afternoon, when the French counteroffensive began, Commander-in-Chief Schwarzenberg sent Austrian troops to help General Barclay de Tolly. The attack of the 3rd Austrian corps Gyulai on Lidenau also did not bring success.
The Bohemian army had exhausted its forces and lost its offensive momentum. Her strength was now only enough for defense. In the current situation, the French emperor decided to strike at the center of enemy positions in the general direction of the Wachau - Guldengoss. At 15 o'clock the French cavalry under the command of Murat (about 10 thousand horsemen), supported by a strong artillery group - 160 guns of General A. Drouot, dealt a powerful blow. French cuirassiers and dragoons, supported by infantry and artillery, broke through the Russian-French line. The allied monarchs and Schwarzenberg were under threat, the enemy cavalry broke through to the hill, where they watched the battle. The French were already a few hundred meters away, chasing the fugitives. They were saved by a counterattack of the Life Guards of the Cossack Regiment under the command of Ivan Efremov. Cossacks and a company of Russian artillery held back the onslaught of the enemy until reinforcements arrived. The cavalry detachment of Palen, the grenadier division from the Raevsky corps and the Prussian brigade from the Kleist corps were thrown against the French cavalry. Reinforcements finally stopped the enemy and closed the gap in the front.
Hood. Bekhlin. Attack of the Cossack Life Guards near Leipzig.
Napoleon, determined to win at any cost before the approach of new enemy armies, gave the order to attack the weakened center of the Bohemian army with the forces of the foot and horse guards. However, the blow of the Austrian troops on the right flank of the French troops changed his plans. The emperor was forced to send part of the guard to help Poniatowski's troops. After a stubborn battle, the Austrian troops were driven back, and Merfeld himself was captured by the French.
Battle on the Wahaut Heights. V. I. Moshkov (1815).
The Silesian army of Blucher struck in the area of Wiederitz and Möckern. Blucher did not wait for the approach of Bernadotte's Northern Army and went on the offensive. The village of Videritz was defended by the Polish General Dombrovsky, who held back the onslaught of the Russian troops of General Lanzheron all day long. Marmont's corps defended positions near the village of Mekern. Marmont was ordered to move south towards the Wachau to take part in the battle. However, having received news of the approach of enemy forces, he stopped and sent a request for help to Marshal Ney. The Prussian corps of York, after numerous attacks, took the village, having suffered heavy losses. Corps Marmont was defeated. Thus, the Silesian army broke through the French defenses north of Leipzig, and the forces of Marmont and Ney were unable to take part in the key battle of the Wachau.
With the onset of darkness, the battle was over. Most of the battlefield remained with the French army. The French pushed back the allied forces from the Wachau to Güldengossa and from Libertwolkwitz to the University Forest, but were unable to break through the front and achieve a decisive victory. In general, the first day of the battle did not justify the hopes of either the French or the allies, although both sides suffered huge losses - up to 60-70 thousand people. The places of the most stubborn fights were simply littered with corpses. Prussian soldiers from Blücher's army made piles of corpses, determined to hold their positions. On the night of October 5 (17), fresh Northern and Polish armies approached. Now the allied army had a serious superiority over the enemy.
Actions 5 (17) October. The French emperor was aware of the danger, but did not leave the position at Leipzig. He hoped to conclude a truce and start peace negotiations. Napoleon, through the Austrian General Merfeld, sent a letter to all allied monarchs with a proposal for a ceasefire and the start of peace negotiations. Napoleon was ready for decisive concessions. He agreed to give up the already lost Duchy of Warsaw, as well as Holland and the Hanseatic cities, was ready to restore the independence of Italy, and even to abandon the Confederation of the Rhine and Spain. Napoleon made the only demand - England had to return the captured French colonies.
However, the allied monarchs did not respond. Apparently, Napoleon's proposal was considered an admission of weakness. In general, the day passed calmly, both sides were looking for the wounded, burying the dead. Only in the northern direction, Blucher's troops continued their offensive and, having captured the villages of Eitrich (Oitritsch) and Golis, came close to Leipzig itself. At 2 pm a military conference was held in the village of Zestevitz. Commander-in-Chief Schwarzenberg proposed to immediately resume the battle. But Bennigsen said that his army was tired from a long march, it needed rest. It was decided to resume the offensive the next morning. Bennigsen's army was to advance on the right flank, along with the 4th Austrian Corps.
Napoleon, realizing that the previous positions could not be held, and on the night of October 6 (18) regrouped forces. The old positions, which, due to lack of forces, it was unreasonable to defend, were abandoned. The troops retreated to a distance of about 1 hour from the city. By morning, French troops took up positions on the Lindenau-Konnewitz-Holzhausen-Schönefeld line. New positions were defended by up to 150 thousand soldiers with 630 guns.
He's covered in blood, he's all wounded,
But the spirit in him is strong and strong,
And the glory of Mother Russia
He did not dishonor in battle.
Before the French bayonets
He didn't grow up with a Russian heart
To die for the Motherland, for the brothers
He looked with secret pride.
Soldier's song about the grenadier Leonty Korennoy.
At 7 o'clock in the morning the allied command gave the order to advance. The columns of the allied troops advanced unevenly, some began to move late, as a result of a simultaneous strike along the entire front, it did not work out. Austrian troops under the command of the Crown Prince of Hesse-Homburg advanced on the left flank. The Austrians attacked the French positions at Delitz, Dösen and Lösnig. Austrian troops tried to push the French back from the Plaise River. First they captured Dölitz and at about 10 o'clock Dösen. The battle was heavy, the French fought much more furiously than was necessary to cover the retreat. Constantly counterattacked. The Prince of Hesse-Homburg was seriously wounded, and Hieronymus von Colloredo took command. He himself was wounded in the chest, but hid it from those around him, continuing the battle at Konniewitz and Delitz. The Austrians made their way to Konnevits, but then two French divisions sent by Napoleon arrived under the command of Marshal Oudinot. The French troops launched a counterattack, and the Austrians withdrew from Konnewitz. They also left Dyozen. The Austrians withdrew, regrouped their forces, and again went on the offensive. By lunchtime, they captured Lösnig, but failed to retake Konnewitz, which was defended by the Poles and the Young Guard under the command of Marshals Oudinot and Augereau.
Napoleon's headquarters was located at Stötteritz. A stubborn battle broke out in the center, in the Probsteid (Probsteide) area, where the troops under the command of Marshal Victor and General Lauriston held the defense. The village had a stone fence, and was an important node of the French defense. The general leadership of the Russian-Prussian troops that attacked in this direction was carried out by Barclay de Tolly. First, two Prussian brigades from Kleist's corps went on the attack. Prussian soldiers were able to break into the village from the east side, but were met with grapeshot fire and retreated. Then the Russian corps of Eugene of Württemberg went on the attack. The troops of Shakhovsky, Gorchakov and Kleist broke into the village. However, Napoleon, at the head of the Old Guard and the artillery of General Drouot (about 150 guns), launched a counteroffensive and drove the Russian-Prussian troops out of the village. But the further advance of the French troops was stopped by strong artillery fire. Both sides suffered heavy losses. The battle continued until nightfall, but the Allied forces were unable to break through to Probsteida.
The best situation was on the right flank and in the northern direction. On the right flank, the army of General Bennigsen was advancing. She moved on the enemy with a strong delay, around 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Russian troops captured Zuckelhausen, Holzhausen and Paunsdorf. In the assault on Paunsdorf, despite the objections of Bernadotte, the troops of the Northern Army also took part - the Prussian corps of General Bülow and the Russian corps of General Winzingerode. In the north, the troops of Langeron and Sacken (the Silesian army) captured Schönefeld and Golis. In the midst of the battle, the German allies of Napoleon betrayed him - the entire Saxon division (3 thousand soldiers, 19 guns) went over to the side of the allies, the Saxons were followed by the Württemberg, Westphalian and Baden units. This seriously complicated the defense of Leipzig. The Saxons even immediately took the side of the allied army. True, this did not save Saxony, it became a state for the post-war division between the winners.
In the eastern and northern directions, the French troops were pushed back to a distance of a 15-minute march from the city. In the western direction, the Austrians did not show any activity that day. Commander-in-Chief Schwarzenberg doubted the need to force Napoleon to the last battle, not for life, but for death. He therefore ordered Gyulai's 3rd Corps only to watch the French and not to storm Lindenau.
Napoleon and Poniatowski near Leipzig. Sukhodolsky (XIX century).
The possibilities of the French troops to defend Leipzig were exhausted. The numerical superiority of the enemy affected more and more. German troops went over to the side of the allied army. The ammunition was running low. According to the report of the chief of artillery, the army used up 220 thousand cores in a few days, only 16 thousand shells remained, and no delivery was expected. Napoleon did not count on a long battle and the defense of the city, planning to win a decisive victory. Some commanders advised the emperor to continue the battle - to burn the outskirts of the city, to hold on to the walls. But the French emperor decided to retreat.
Insufficient measures were taken to prepare for a possible retreat. In particular, having prepared the only bridge for the explosion, the French did not think about arranging several additional crossings in case of withdrawal. Thanks to this, the French troops could only retreat in one direction to Weissenfels. The French general Bertrand, the commander of the corps covering the western direction, began the withdrawal of troops, convoys and artillery to Weissenfels, through Lindenau in the direction of Salle. At night, the rest of the troops followed him, first the guards, artillery and the corps of Victor and Augereau. MacDonald's, Ney's and Lauriston's troops were to cover the retreat.
The allied command made a big mistake that day. The fierce resistance of the French troops on October 6 led many to conclude that Napoleon's army would continue the battle the next day. Although assumptions about the need to strengthen the left flank and its capabilities to pursue the enemy were put forward. Thus, the Russian emperor Alexander Pavlovich proposed to concentrate efforts on forcing the Pleise and Weisse-Elster rivers, and the Prussian commander Blucher spoke of the need to allocate a 20 thousand cavalry group to pursue the enemy. Later, General Gyulay, who commanded the troops in the western direction, was accused of allowing Napoleon's troops to retreat, avoiding capture. But his explanations were considered satisfactory, since he acted on the orders of Prince Schwarzenberg.
While the French troops retreated through the western Randstadt Gate, the allied armies launched an offensive. King Friedrich-August I of Saxony offered to surrender the city without a fight if the allied command would give the French 4 hours to retreat. But, Emperor Alexander I rejected this proposal and gave the order to launch an offensive. The answer to the Saxon monarch was delivered by General Tol, who also organized security for him when the Russian troops began to storm the palace.
Due to the fact that all the troops had to retreat along only one road, turmoil and confusion began. The French emperor himself was only barely able to get out of Leipzig. Russian troops under the command of Generals Lanzheron and Osten-Sacken occupied the eastern suburb of Halles, Prussian units under the command of General Bülow - the suburb of Grimmas, Bennigsen's troops captured the southern gate of Leipzig - Peterstor. The chaos in the French troops reached its peak when sappers mistakenly blew up the Elsterbrücke bridge, which was located in front of the Randstadt Gate. Hearing shouts of "Hurrah!" in the distance, they considered it necessary to stop the enemy's advance and destroyed the bridge. And about 20-30 thousand French remained in the city, including marshals MacDonald and Poniatowski and generals Lauriston and Rainier. The hospitals did not have time to evacuate. Many died, including trying to swim across the river and climb the steep opposite bank, under enemy fire, others were captured. Marshal Macdonald swam across the river. Poniatowski, who fought excellently in the Battle of Leipzig, and the only foreigner in the service of Napoleon, received the rank of French marshal, was wounded and drowned during the crossing. Lauriston was taken prisoner. By one o'clock in the afternoon the city was completely captured.
The retreating French army prematurely blows up the bridge. Colorized engraving of the 19th century.
The undermining of the bridge itself characterizes the degree of chaos that was going on at that time. Napoleon entrusted this task to General Dulolois, then, in turn, placed the responsibility for preparing the bridge for destruction on a certain Colonel Montfort, who left his post, leaving him to the corporal of the engineering troops. When asked by a warrior when the charge should be ignited, he was answered: "At the first appearance of the enemy." War cries and the appearance of several Russian riflemen near the bridge, from where they began to fire at the enemy, became an excuse to raise the bridge into the air, although it was packed with French troops. The corporal carried out the order exactly. Thousands of French were doomed to death and captivity. In addition, the undermining of the bridge, the only crossing, completely deprived the will to resist those troops who were still fighting in the rearguards. And the maneuver of the Old Guard, which deployed on the opposite bank to protect the rearguard troops, was in vain.
Prince Schwarzenberg informs the allied monarchs of the victory in the "battle of the peoples" at Leipzig. Johann Peter Kraft. 1817 Museum of Military History, Vienna.
Results
Napoleon's army suffered a crushing defeat, but avoided (largely due to the indiscretion of the allied command) encirclement and complete destruction. Neither Commander-in-Chief Schwarzenberg nor the Council of the Three Emperors were able to fully manage the military operations of the huge allied army. A good chance to complete the won was lost. The lack of unity of command interfered with the implementation of broad operational plans, led to indecision in the actions of some parts of the army, when others had to withstand the brunt of the enemy’s blows, and the reservation of large masses of troops, which were inactive at the moment when it was possible to decide the outcome of the battle. The decisive role in the battle was played by the Russian troops, who withstood the most powerful blows of Napoleon's army.
French troops lost approximately 70-80 thousand people: 40 thousand killed and wounded, 30 thousand prisoners (including those captured in hospitals), several thousand Germans went over to the side of the allied army. In addition, a typhus epidemic began in the French army, and Napoleon was able to bring only about 40 thousand soldiers to France. The French army lost one marshal and three generals killed, the king of Saxony, two corps commanders (except for Lauriston, captured the commander of the 7th corps Rainier), two dozen divisional and brigadier generals were captured. The army lost half of the artillery - 325 guns, 960 charging boxes, 130 thousand guns (including the arsenals of Leipzig) and most of the convoy.
The allied forces also suffered heavy losses - up to 54 thousand killed and wounded, of which up to 23 thousand were Russians (8 generals died or were fatally wounded - Neverovsky, Shevich, Gine, Kudashev, Lindfors, Manteuffel, Rhubarb and Schmidt), 16 thousand Prussians, 15 thousand Austrians and 180 Swedes. The low losses of the Swedish troops are explained by the fact that Bernadotte saved the troops for the war with Denmark for Norway. For valor in this battle, four Russian commanders - Kaptsevich, Osten-Saken, Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich and Eugene of Württemberg received the Order of St. George, 2nd degree. Pyotr Mikhailovich Kaptsevich, despite a severe concussion, was one of the first to burst into the city. Osten-Saken was noted for the capture of the Gallic suburb. Corps E. Württemberg distinguished himself in the battle for the Wachau and Probsteid. Grand Duke Konstantin commanded the reserve units, which also distinguished themselves in battle. This is an exceptionally high assessment, especially considering the fact that only one person, Barclay de Tolly, was awarded this order for the Battle of Borodino, and in just 150 years of the existence of the Order of St. George 2nd degree was awarded only 125 times. Barclay de Tolly, who was one of "the main culprits of the victory", taught the honor of entering Leipzig together with the emperor and was elevated to the dignity of a count of the Russian Empire.
Temple-monument of Russian glory in Leipzig. 1913 Architect V.A. Pokrovsky.
The defeat of Napoleon's army had a great military-strategic and political effect. Napoleon's troops retreated across the Rhine River to France. The fortresses left behind by the French, many of which were already deep in the rear of the allies, began to surrender one after another. In November-December 1813 and January 1814, Dresden surrendered (Saint-Cyr surrendered there with the 14th corps), Torgau, Stettin, Wittenberg, Kustrin, Glogau, Zamostye, Modlin and Danzig. By January 1814, all French fortresses along the Vistula, Oder and Elbe capitulated, except for Hamburg (it was defended by Napoleon's "iron marshal" Davout, he surrendered the fortress only after Napoleon's abdication) and Magdeburg. They held out until May 1814. The capitulation of the fortress garrisons deprived Napoleon of about 150 thousand soldiers and a huge amount of artillery necessary for the defense of France. Only in Dresden, about 30 thousand people surrendered with 95 guns of field troops and 117 fortress guns.
France was left alone against the whole coalition. Subject to Emperor Napoleon, the Confederation of the Rhine of German states collapsed. Bavaria took the side of the anti-French alliance, Württemberg followed suit. Saxony was withdrawn from the war. Practically all small German states joined the coalition. France was to start withdrawing troops from Holland. Denmark was isolated by Swedish troops and under pressure from Sweden and England was forced to capitulate. One of Napoleon's leading commanders, King Murat of Naples, concluded a secret treaty with Austria, and moved his forces against the troops of the Kingdom of Italy, led by Eugene Beauharnais (although he avoided active hostilities, played for time and conducted secret negotiations with Napoleon).
In early January 1814, the anti-French coalition launched a new campaign by invading France. Napoleon was left alone with France against the forces of almost all of Europe, which led him to defeat and abdication.
Monument in memory of the Battle of Leipzig and its reflection in the "Lake of Tears Shed for the Fallen Soldiers". 1913
Appendix 1. Capture of General Lauriston
In "Officer's Notes" N.B. Golitsyn describes the capture of General Loriston in this way: “One of the captives unbuttoned his overcoat, showed us his insignia and announced that he was General Loriston. We quickly took him with us. Not far from there, we saw a fairly wide street in the Leipzig suburb that crossed our road. Just as we were about to cross it, we saw a French battalion advancing in great order, with loaded guns. There were about twenty officers ahead. When we mutually saw each other, we stopped. The meandering path along which we rode, and the trees that were on its sides, hid our small number. General Emmanuel, feeling that it was impossible to think long here, and noticing some confusion between the French, shouted to them: "Bas les armes!" (“Drop your weapons!”) The astonished officers began to consult among themselves; but our intrepid commander, seeing their hesitation, shouted to them again: "Bas les armes ou point de quartier!" (“Drop your weapons, otherwise you will not be spared!”) And at the same moment, waving his saber, he turned with amazing presence of mind to his small detachment, as if in order to command an attack. But then all the French guns fell to the ground as if by magic, and twenty officers, led by Major Augereau, the marshal's brother, brought us their swords. What about Lauriston? “Lauriston, deep in thought during a strange procession with more than four hundred people who laid down their weapons in front of twelve Russians, turned to our chief with the question: “To whom did I have the honor to give my sword?” “You had the honor to surrender,” he replied, “to Russian Major General Emmanuel, commander of three officers and eight Cossacks.” It was necessary to see the annoyance and despair of Lauriston and all the French.
On the way to their G.A. Emmanuel talked with the Marquis de Lauriston.
Ah, general, how fickle military happiness is, the latter complained.
Until recently, I was the ambassador to Russia, and now I am her prisoner!
What happened to you, - said Emmanuel, - could very well happen to me.
Appendix 2. An outstanding feat of a soldier Root.
Leonty Root (Uncle Root) - a Russian soldier-grenadier who served in the Life Guards of the Finnish Regiment, the hero of the Battle of Borodino, performed a feat during the Battle of Leipzig that delighted even the French Emperor Napoleon and became known to the entire army.
Member of the battle A.N. Marin, the first historiographer of the Life Guards of the Finnish Regiment, described this feat as follows: “In the battle near Leipzig, when the Finnish Regiment ousted the French from the village of Gossy, and the 3rd battalion of the regiment bypassed the village, the battalion commander Colonel Gervais with his officers were the first to climb over the stone fence, and the huntsmen rushed after them, already chasing the French; but, being surrounded by a numerous enemy, they firmly defended their place; many officers were wounded; then Korennoy, having transplanted the battalion commander and his wounded commanders over the fence, he himself gathered the daring, desperate rangers and began to defend, while other rangers rescued the wounded officers from the battlefield. Root with a handful of dashing shooters stood firmly and held the place of battle, shouting: "do not give up, guys." At first they fired back, but the large number of the enemy hampered ours so that they fought back with bayonets ... everyone fell, some were killed and others were wounded, and Korennoy was left alone. The French, surprised at the brave huntsman, shouted for him to surrender, but Korennoy turned his gun in response, took the muzzle and fought back with the butt. Then several enemy bayonets laid him down in place, and around this hero lay all our desperately defending, with heaps of the French killed by them. We all mourned, - adds the narrator, - the brave "Uncle Root". A few days later, to the great joy of the entire regiment, "Uncle Root" appeared from captivity, covered with wounds; but, fortunately, the wounds were not all serious. Covered with 18 wounds, Root, returning to the regiment, told about his stay in captivity, where the fame of his outstanding courage spread throughout all French troops, and he himself was introduced to Napoleon, who asked to see the Russian miracle hero. The deed of Root so delighted the great commander that he, in an order for his army, set the Finnish grenadier as an example to all his soldiers.
The feat of the grenadier of the Life Guards of the Finnish Regiment Leonty Korenny in the battle of Leipzig in 1813. P. Babaev (1813-1870).
It was the end of Napoleon Bonaparte. He remained the ruler of a large part of Europe (directly, through relatives or dependent rulers), enjoyed authority in his homeland and did not lose either his talents as a commander or the ambitions of a conqueror. At the same time, the potential of France still fully allowed revenge, and the opponents of the emperor were in a hurry to eradicate such a possibility.
Sixth Coalition and Young Guard
Each of his rivals in 1813, Napoleon treated with contempt. He was afraid of Russia more than anyone, but he knew that not only his army suffered in the campaign of 1812 - the Russians also lost up to a third of their soldiers and had the worst opportunities to replenish the army ranks. Napoleon also knew that he was categorically against the continuation of the war (and soon the famous commander died). The emperor did not put a penny on the Prussians and Austrians and on principle refused to conduct peace negotiations, hoping for victory.
The beginning of 1813 really brought significant success to France. But the problem was that Napoleon's position after the Russian defeat took a turn for the worse:
- the "old guard" remained forever under Borodino; youths of 18-20 years old were recruited into the army, and the combat capability of this "Young Guard" was doubtful;
- dependent monarchs have learned that the emperor of the French is not invincible;
- in the conquered territories, a liberation movement spread, caused, among other things, by military extortions;
- France was to fight not with one country, but with a bloc.
This bloc is known as the Sixth Anti-French Coalition. It included Russia, England, Austria, Prussia, Sweden and several other German states.
France also had allies, in particular, from among the same Germans. But her block was less reliable. It is characteristic that representatives of many peoples (in particular, Germans and Poles) fought for both sides. That is why the battle of October 1813 near Leipzig was called the "battle of the peoples."
Defeat with Honor
The battle took place during October 16-19, 1813. The emperor personally commanded the French troops, the commander-in-chief of the Allied forces was the Austrian Field Marshal Schwarzenberg, in whose decisions (especially at the planning stage) Alexander 1 interfered.
The alignment was initially not in favor of the French - the forces of the coalition were more than a third. However, the first day can be considered victorious for Napoleon - his troops solved all the tasks assigned, and at the same time had less losses than the coalition.
Then the schedule changed. The allies received reinforcements, 4 times the number of what came to the French. In the battle of October 18, the Saxon, Württemberg and Baden units that fought for Napoleon went over to the enemy, and this decided the outcome of the battle.
The French desperately defended Leipzig, but on October 19 they were forced to leave it. The retreat was not prepared (Napoleon was counting on victory), and this increased the number of losses. The sappers were ordered to blow up the bridges behind the retreating army, but they hurried, and several thousand people died in the water and from their own mines.
In general, the French lost 70-80 thousand people (including those killed, wounded, captured and went over to the enemy), the coalition - 55 thousand. In total, up to 500 thousand people participated in the battle and it remained the largest in the history of mankind until the beginning of the First World War war.
Everlasting memory
The "Battle of the Nations" also did not become the end of Napoleon, but brought him closer. He was running out of resources to mobilize. The French, losing their sons, were unhappy with the emperor. Resistance intensified in the lands conquered by France.
In 1913, a grandiose memorial dedicated to the "battle of the nations" was erected near Leipzig. Coalition countries issued coins, stamps, commemorative medals in her honor.
But it turned out that popular rumor often preserved the memory of the vanquished. In particular, in Poland they honor the memory of the dashing cavalryman Yu. Poniatowski, who served Napoleon for the sake of the revival of Poland and died near Leipzig. The exploits of another Pole on the French side, General Jan Dąbrowski, became the basis of the "Dąbrowski's Mazurka", the current Polish anthem.
And dozens of Russian winners of Napoleon ended up on Senate Square and in the Nerchinsk mines. However, that's a completely different story...
Participants in the battle. The battle near Leipzig on October 16, 17 and 18 is commonly called the "battle of the peoples." Indeed, apart from the French, the Italians, the Dutch, the Belgians, and the Saxons took part "in the cause" on Napoleon's side. No less motley was the national composition of the allies: Austrians, Prussians, Swedes, Bavarians, Russians, in whose ranks representatives of many peoples of the Russian Empire fought, for example, the Bashkirs, famous for their desperation.
The first attacks of the allies. The first, highly uncoordinated and erratic Allied attacks began on October 16 at 8.30 am. The French troops had a great opportunity to counterattack, but the weather (it rained all day) delayed MacDonald's troops, and the Allies had time to restore order. The bloody battle of October 16 took place in three areas: north, west and south of Leipzig. By noon, it became obvious that the Allied advance had slowed down or bogged down in all three directions.
Instantly assessing the situation, Napoleon resumed preparing a counterattack. General A. Drouot was ordered to concentrate almost 160 guns in a narrow area between the positions of Victor and Lauriston, and Murat's cavalry of 10 thousand sabers immediately after the bombardment was supposed to make a hole in the positions of the allies, into which the infantry would immediately rush. At 2.30, Drouot's artillery brought down, according to the testimony of a participant in the events, Russian General I.I. Dibich, "... a flurry of artillery fire, unheard of in the history of wars in terms of its concentration." No sooner had the artillery cannonade subsided than ten squadrons of Murat entered the business, and after the cavalry, on the orders of Napoleon, a frontal attack by the units of Victor, Oudinot, Lauriston, Mortier, MacDonald, Poniatowski and Augereau began.
The French break through to the headquarters of the allies. The culmination of Murat's dashing cavalry attack was the penetration of his cavalry literally to the foot of the hill near Meisdorf, where the headquarters of the allied command was located. The Emperors of Russia and Austria, the King of Prussia, Commander-in-Chief Schwarzenberg, not to mention the staff ranks and court retinue, were 800 steps away from captivity and shame! Napoleon was already celebrating success when Alexander I, having come to his senses earlier to the death of the frightened "brothers in the throne", ordered to throw into the gap the 100-gun battery of I. Sukhozanet, the division of N.N. Raevsky, F. Kleist's brigade and life Cossacks of his personal convoy. The French were driven back, the breakthrough was liquidated, and the “monarch brothers” got off with a slight fright.
Napoleon had not yet lost the chance for a common victory and prepared a strong blow to the center of the enemy. For a decisive attack, the French emperor ordered his tried and tested reserve, the Old Guard, to prepare for battle. There is no doubt: the imperial guard would have broken through the weakened positions of the enemy in the center before the approach of the troops of Bernadotte and Bennigsen. But, fortunately for the allies, Napoleon received news of a powerful Austrian attack on his right wing. Part of the guard was immediately transferred from the center to the left flank of the battle formations of the French army. Soon, the allied troops were driven back in this sector of the front across the Plaise River, and the corps commander, cavalry general Count M. Meerfeldt, was captured. Among the Allies, the hero of the first day of the battle was General York, who defeated Marshal Marmont in the battle at Mekern. By the night of October 16, there was a lull along the entire front line and the parties began to take stock of the day.
Results of the first day. The first day of the bloody battle ended in a draw. Both sides won partial victories that did not affect the overall situation: the French at Lindenau and Wachau, the allies at Meckern. The losses of Napoleon's army amounted to about 30 thousand people, the allied troops missed 40 thousand fighters. However, the allied army had one significant advantage on the eve of the second day of the battle. The armies of Bennigsen and Bernadotte, totaling 140 thousand people, came to the aid of the coalition; Napoleon could only count on a tenfold (!) smaller corps of General Reynier. Thus, when both sides received reinforcements, the allies had a double (300 thousand people) superiority over the French army (150 thousand people). The allied advantage in artillery was also huge: 1,500 guns against 900 for the French. Under such conditions, Napoleon considered victory impossible.
Napoleon's mistake. On the evening of October 16, Napoleon ordered to prepare a withdrawal, but soon canceled his order, waiting for the enemy's mistakes. But his own waiting policy was a mistake. In an effort to buy time, Napoleon, on parole, released his old acquaintance, General Meerfeldt, with an offer of peace to the Austrian emperor Franz I. However, the soul of the anti-Napoleonic coalition was not the Austrian, but the Russian emperor, who insisted on leaving Napoleon's message unanswered. While on October 17, the French emperor, counting on the courtesy of his father-in-law (Napoleon was married to the daughter of Francis I), was waiting for an answer to his proposals, the allies were actively preparing to continue the battle. Only at 2 am on October 18, Napoleon ordered to begin the withdrawal. Under heavy rain, the French units located south of Leipzig retreated two miles back. But it was already too late.
Bloody second day. The plan of the allied command for October 18 in its final version provided for at least six attacks on French positions along the entire front line. Having a colossal advantage in numbers and artillery over Napoleon's army, the allies counted not so much on the skill of their commanders, but on numerical superiority.
October 18, the second day of the "Battle of the Nations" (on the 17th there were minor clashes), was even more bloody. Throughout the day there were chaotic violent clashes. The morning was marked by the battle of the troops of Yu. Poniatowski with the superior forces of the allies. The French marshal (he received the marshal rank personally from the hands of Napoleon, right on the battlefield), a Pole by nationality, one of the best commanders of the French army, showed amazing stamina, rejecting superior enemy forces. In the afternoon, Poniatowski and Augereau held their positions, on the left flank, Victor and Lauriston successfully repulsed the onslaught of Barclay de Tolly, but on the right wing of the French defense, Bennigsen's units were significantly pressed by the troops of Sebastiani and MacDonald.
At the most critical moment of the battle, Napoleon personally led the guards into battle, recapturing the village of Probstein. The situation leveled off, but at 4.30 two brigades and a battery of Saxons from the Reynier corps (numbering from 5 to 10 thousand people) went over to the Allied side. It is unlikely that this episode can be considered decisive for the outcome of the battle, but there is no doubt that it had a depressing effect on the French troops. However, by sunset, the French held all their positions.
Napoleon's order to retreat. The results of the second day of the battle forced Napoleon to give the order to retreat. The losses of the French army turned out to be irreplaceable, ammunition was catastrophically decreasing. Even before dawn on October 19, Napoleon's army began a secret withdrawal from their positions. The retreat was covered by a 30,000-strong rearguard. Until 10 am, the general withdrawal of the French army continued unhindered. Napoleon was very close to exemplary evacuation of his army. By one o'clock in the afternoon, 100 thousand soldiers of the French army left the city in perfect order. Napoleon ordered to mine and blow up the only stone bridge across the Elster as soon as the last soldier of the rear guard crossed it. Unfortunately for the French army, the chief responsible for the crossing disappeared somewhere, entrusting the destruction of the bridge to a corporal. The latter, seeing Russian soldiers appearing in the distance, in a panic blew up the bridge, clogged with French troops. In a terrible crush, the rearguard of Napoleon's army tried to swim across the Elster. Oudinot and MacDonald succeeded, but Poniatowski, only twelve hours after his solemn appointment as marshal, was wounded and died. King of Saxony, corps generals Lauriston, J.L. Reynier and 20 other brigadier generals were captured by the Allies. About 15 thousand French soldiers were destroyed on the banks of the Elster. So ingloriously for Napoleon ended the last act of the tragedy called "Battle of the Nations".
According to experts, the battle of Leipzig was the most difficult in the history of the Napoleonic wars, with the exception of Borodino. As a result of a fierce four-day battle, the French lost at least 60 thousand people and 325 guns. Killed, in addition to Marshal Poniatowski, six generals of Napoleon. The allies also lost a little less: about 55 thousand people; among those killed were nine generals, among whom was the hero of the war of 1812, D.P. Neverovsky. The allied command failed to completely destroy Napoleon's army. The French emperor withdrew from Leipzig about 100 thousand people. The Allied attempt to delay the retreating French army failed. On October 30, in the battle of Hanau, Napoleon threw back the 50,000th corps of the Bavarian general K.F. Wrede, who acted with the support of the Russian detachments of Generals M.I. Platova, V.V. Orlova-Denisova, V.D. Ilovaisky, A.I. Chernyshev. The allies lost 9 thousand people, and Napoleon cleared an unhindered path to the borders of France.
Yet the Battle of Leipzig was a significant, decisive Allied triumph. Napoleon's empire crumbled, the entire new European order established by Bonaparte collapsed. Napoleon retreated to the "natural" borders of France, losing everything he had won in twenty years of continuous military victories. Almost the entire Confederation of the Rhine went over to the side of the coalition; the emperor was betrayed by the king of Naples - I. Murat, who went over to the enemies in order to save the throne; L. Davout, besieged in Hamburg, was doomed; left Kessel Napoleon's brother, King Jerome of Westphalia, expelled from his kingdom; Napoleon's other brother, Joseph, King of Spain, was pushed beyond the Pyrenees by the British. Napoleon's once invincible army was in a sorry state. According to an eyewitness, during the retreat of the French army, “the number of corpses and fallen horses increased every day. Thousands of soldiers, falling from hunger and fatigue, remained behind, not having the strength to get to the infirmary.
Retreating to the borders of France, Napoleon led the hordes of implacable enemies. But the main thing is that Europe refused to tolerate Napoleon's many years of dictatorship. Bonaparte “lost the “battle of the peoples” not only near Leipzig. The entire campaign of 1813 was a "battle of the peoples". The peoples of Europe did not want to accept from him, a foreign conqueror, the freedoms that he carried to them on the bayonets of his Great Army.