Battle of the peoples near Leipzig (1813). Why is the Battle of Leipzig called the Battle of the Nations? How many nations participated in it? In what way is the Battle of Nations similar to the Battle of Borodino, and in what way What battle is called the battle of nations
“The French troops, being pushed back from many sides, all approached the city of Leipzig, and this was followed by the concentration of all the troops of the allied powers, who found the enemy troops in the fortifications; from October 5, 1813, they began to attack them all around; but by them in the rear the road to the borders of France, to the river Rhine, was cleared by the attack of the corps of Count Wittgenstein. On October 6, at seven o'clock in the morning, a general battle began with an attack by the combined Russian-Austrian army of the French right flank; which, as the attack intensified, approached, retreating to the city itself.
Gavriil Meshetic
"The four-day battle of peoples near Leipzig decided the fate of the world."
Carl von Mufehling
“The enemy was so puzzled by our unexpected appearance on the flank that he seemed to stop for a minute and become agitated, like water in a trough. And we, with a terrible wild boom, were already rushing at him.
Emelyan Konkov, Cossack
Monument to the Battle of Nations
“The Russians fought with their usual courage, but not with the same frenzy as at Borodino; this is natural: on the banks of the Kolocha it was a matter of whether or not to be holy Rus'! The Caesars did not change in their composure, but the Prussians seemed convinced of the idea that on this day it was necessary for them to complete the restoration of their fatherland from a foreign yoke.
As for the French, from the very morning they were no longer up to victory. Napoleon stopped in an unfavorable position for him at Leipzig, having a river and a defile behind him. The French owe their salvation on that day to the soon-coming darkness. Countless lights shone around Leipzig, the allies rejoiced, there was silence in the enemy camp.
Alexander Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky
Battle of Leipzig. Painting by Alexander Sauerweid
“Further on, our path was crossed by a thin, swampy stream, which it was impossible to jump over, and this is where the turmoil began. The dam is narrow - you can’t jump together together, but one at a time - when will we jump? The squadrons scattered along the shore, like a herd of horses driven to a watering place in our Don steppes. Suddenly someone again shouted: “What have become? Let's go!" And the Cossacks, who were standing somewhere, rushed straight in front of them: some make their way through the dam, some swim, where it is deeper, and some, having climbed into the mud, wallow in it up to the very belly of the horse. But now the life squadron is already on the other side; we see, there is a general dump - ours are driven; some cuirassier regiment cut our way, ahead of his general. "Squadron!" Yefremov shouted in a thunderous voice. We all turned our heads. "Squadron! he repeated. “Bless!” - and raised his naked saber high and made the sign of the cross with it in the air. We lowered our long javelins at the ready, whooped, rushed at the men-at-arms.
Timofey Pershikov, Cossack
“When I returned from Moscow, from Leipzig, in Paris they said that my hair had turned white; but you see that this is not so, and I intend to endure much worse things than what happened!
Napoleon Bonaparte
enat, c) Synod. 3. The reason for the failure of the reforms of M. M. Speransky: a) the conservatism of most of the nobility; b) opposition to the army; c) the fear of the king for his fate. 4. Specify the highest administrative body in Russia in the first half of the 19th century a) the Committee of Ministers; b) the Senate; c) Synod. 5. "Battle of the Nations" in 1813 in which Napoleon's troops were completely defeated occurred: a) near Berlin; b) near Leipzig; c) at Waterloo. 6. Specify the states included in the "Holy Union", created in 1815: a) Russia, France, Spain; b) Russia, Austria, Prussia; c) Russia, Poland, Türkiye. 7. From the names below, indicate the one that is not connected with the events of the war of 1812: a) p. Berezina; b) Tilsit; c) Smolensk; d) Maloyaroslavets. 8. Indicate which of the Decembrist societies arose earlier than the others: a) "Union of Salvation", b) "Union of Prosperity", c) "Southern Society", d) " northern society". 9. The "Southern Society" of the Decembrists was headed by: a) K. F. Ryleev; b) N. M. Muravyov; c) P. I. Pestel. 10. New in economic development Russia in the first half of the 19th century. there was no: a) the beginning of the industrial revolution; b) further development of the internal market; c) the flourishing of peasant farms. 11. In Russia in the first half of the 19th century. the main owner of the land were: a) the church; b) nobles; c) officials. 12. By 1843 in Russia, money circulation was strengthened with the help of: a) the introduction of a hard silver currency; b) receiving a large foreign loan; c) the introduction of paper money. 13. Russia in the middle! 9th century. was: a) an absolute monarchy; b) a constitutional monarchy; c) a republic. 14. With whose name is the preparation of the Code of Laws Russian Empire»: a) M.M. Speransky; b) Count P.D. Kisilev; c) Count A. H. Benkendorf. 15. Specify one of the reasons for Russia's lagging behind in the Crimean War: a) lagging behind European countries in industrial development; b) poor military command; c) the death of the Russian Black Sea squadron. 16. Commander of the Russian squadron in the battle of Sinop: a) F. F. Ushakov; b) P. S. Nakhimov; c) V. I. Istomin. 17. A state where the clergy has a decisive influence on state affairs, and the head of state combines spiritual and secular power in his hands is called: a) theocratic; b) totalitarian; c) feudal. 18. Who is superfluous in a row: a) V. G. Belinsky; b) A. I. Herzen; c) N. P. Ogarev. d) E. F. Kankrin. 19. Who became the imam in the Caucasus in 1834? a) Shamil; b) Aslan; c) Mustafa. 20. The Peace of Paris, which ended the Crimean War, was signed: a) in 1856; b) 1855; c) 1860 21. When was serfdom abolished? a) in 1861 b) in 1800 c) in 1860. 22. Which peasants were considered "temporarily liable"? a) those who did not conclude redemption deals with their landlords after the announcement of the reform; b) peasants of the Siberian provinces; c) state peasants. 23. Who played a decisive role in preparing and conducting military reform 1874? a) D. A. Milyutin; b) P. N. Ignatiev; c) Ya. I. Rostovtsev. 24. What percentage of the Russian population was employed in agriculture in the second half of the 19th century? a) 90; b) 50; c) 35. 25. What are the dates of the reign of Alexander 2? a) 1855-1881; b) 1843-1871; c) 1861-1881. 26. Members of what organization committed the murder of Alexander 2 on March 1, 1881? a) "Black redistribution"; b) "Land and freedom"; c) People's Will. 27. What was established instead of the abolished in 1880. third branch? a) security department; b) State Police Department; c) Ministry of Police. 28. The Russian Minister of the Interior in 1880-1881, whose policy N.K. Mikhailovsky defined as "the policy of the fox's tail and the wolf's mouth": a) M.T. Loris - Melikov; b) K. P. Pobedonostsev; c) D. A. Tolstoy. 29. Who, surrounded by Alexander 3, was a supporter of the modernization of Russia? a) S. Yu. Witte; b) D. A. Tolstoy; c) I. N. Durnovo 30. After the death of Alexander2, Russia begins: a) a course of counter-reforms; b) the strengthening of the populist movement; c) expansion of the liberal movement. 31. Which states united Triple Alliance in 1882? a) Austria-Hungary, Germany and Italy; b) Austria-Hungary, Germany and Russia; c) Germany, Italy and Turkey. 32. One of the social democratic organizations that operated in St. Petersburg in the 1880s: a) "Narodnaya Volya"; b) Emancipation of Labor group c) Black redistribution
So the Colonel of the Prussian General Staff, Baron Müfling, called the historic battle (October 16-19, 1813) near Leipzig. After the end of the battle, Colonel Müfling fell to the lot to write the corresponding report of the Prussian General Staff, dated October 19, 1813. And in this report he used words that, according to the testimony of his entourage, he had already spoken earlier, on the eve of the battle. In particular, he wrote: "Thus the four-day battle of peoples near Leipzig decided the fate of the world."
The report immediately became widely known, which determined the fate of the expression "battle of nations."
VICTORY FROM NAPOLEON WERE RUSSIAN GUARDS
In October 1813, the united army of the Sixth Coalition approached Leipzig, numbering over 300 thousand people (127 thousand Russians; 90 thousand Austrians; 72 thousand Prussian and 18 thousand Swedish troops) with 1385 guns.
Napoleon was able to field approx. 200 thousand, which, in addition to the French troops, included Italian, Belgian, Dutch, Polish units under the command of the Napoleonic marshal and nephew Polish king Stanislaw August, Prince Jozef Poniatowski, military formations of the states of the Confederation of the Rhine and the troops of Frederick I of Württemberg. The artillery of the Napoleonic army consisted of over 700 guns. …
On October 4 (16), the Allied Bohemian Army of Schwarzenberg, consisting of 84 thousand under the command of the Russian General M. Barclay de Tolly, launched an offensive in the main direction along the Wachau-Libertwolkwitz front. Against the advancing allied forces, Napoleon deployed 120 thousand people. After a massive artillery preparation and fierce fighting, by 15 o'clock in the afternoon the French cavalry overturned the allied infantry columns. Barclay de Tolly covered the resulting frontal gap with parts of the Russian guard and grenadiers from the reserve of the Bohemian army, which, in fact, wrested victory from the hands of Napoleon. Despite the clear success of the battle on October 4 (16), the French troops did not manage to defeat the troops of the Bohemian army before the Allied reinforcements arrived.
On the afternoon of October 4 (16), the Silesian army advanced north of Leipzig under the command of the Prussian Field Marshal G. Blucher, consisting of 39 thousand Prussian and 22 thousand Russian troops with 315 guns and forced the French troops to withdraw from the Meckern - Wiederich line.
Combat losses on the first day of the battle were huge and amounted to approx. 30 thousand people on each side.
By the night of 4 (16) October, two allied armies advanced into the combat area: the Northern, under the command of the Swedish Crown Prince Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte (the future King of Sweden, Charles XIV Johan), consisting of 20 thousand Russians, 20 thousand Prussians and 18 thousand Swedish troops with 256 guns, and the Polish army of Russian General L. Bennigsen, consisting of 30 thousand Russians and 24 thousand infantry Russian troops with 186 guns. French reinforcements amounted to only 25 thousand people.
On October 5 (17), Napoleon, having assessed the situation not in his favor, turned to the leadership of the allies with a proposal for peace, but there was no answer to this. The whole day of October 5 (17) was spent in the evacuation of the wounded and the preparation of both opposing sides for the decisive battle.
On the morning of October 6 (18), the allied forces went on the offensive along the entire front in the southern, eastern and northern directions. The French army stubbornly held its position throughout the day in a fierce battle against the superior advancing forces of the allied forces.
Heavy fighting continued throughout the next day. In the midst of the battle, the Saxon corps, which fought on the side of the French army, went over to the side of the allies in full force and deployed their cannons against the Napoleonic troops. By the night of October 7 (19), Napoleon was forced to give the order to retreat through Lindenau, west of Leipzig.
THE FEAT OF THE GRENADER ROOT
Babaev P. I. The feat of the grenadier of the Life Guards of the Finnish Regiment Leonty Korenny in the battle of Leipzig in 1813. 1846
The painting is dedicated to the famous events in Russian history - the Battle of Leipzig in 1813. Main character paintings - the grenadier of the third grenadier company of the Life Guards of the Finnish Regiment Leonty Korennoy. In 1812, L. Korennoy was awarded the insignia of the Military Order of St. George for his bravery in the Battle of Borodino. The feat, which served as the plot for Babaev's painting, was accomplished by L. Korenny a year later - in the battle near Leipzig. At one point in the battle, a group of officers and soldiers was surrounded by superior French forces. L. Korennoy with several grenadiers decided to give the commander and wounded officers the opportunity to retreat and, thereby, save their lives, while they themselves continued to fight. The forces were not equal, all the comrades of L. Root were killed. Fighting alone, the grenadier received 18 wounds and was captured by the enemy.
Napoleon, having learned about the feat of L. Root, met with him personally, after which he issued an order in which he set L. Root as an example to his soldiers, calling him a hero, a model for French soldiers. After the soldier recovered, he was released to his homeland by personal order of Napoleon. In his native regiment, for his courage, Root was promoted to ensign and became the standard bearer of the regiment. He was also awarded a special silver medal around his neck with the inscription "For the love of the Fatherland." Later, the courage of Root was imprinted on revolvers (in the form of a gilded decoration), which were awarded to officers who distinguished themselves in the years Crimean War during the defense of Sevastopol. The feat of L. Korennoy became widely known in Russia.
BIGGEST BATTLE
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, 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.
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.
Temple-monument of Russian glory in Leipzig. 1913 Architect V.A. Pokrovsky
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 spread freedom movement 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 French troops were personally commanded by the emperor, 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 gone 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.
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...
France
Poland
Saxony and other states of the Confederation of the Rhine
Russia
Austria
Prussia
Sweden
king Frederick William III,
Crown Prince Bernadotte,
Field Marshal Schwarzenberg,
Field Marshal Blucher
630-700 guns
up to 310-350 thousand (October 18),
1350-1460 guns
325 guns
of which up to 23 thousand Russians
Battle of Leipzig(Also Battle of nations, German Volkerschlacht bei Leipzig, -19 October 1813) - the largest battle of the Napoleonic Wars and the largest in world history before the outbreak of World War I, in which Emperor Napoleon I Bonaparte was defeated by the allied armies of Russia, Austria, Prussia and Sweden.
The battle took place on the territory of Saxony, with German troops participating on both sides. On the first day of the battle on October 16, Napoleon successfully attacked, but under pressure from superior Allied forces, he was forced to retreat to Leipzig on October 18. On October 19, Napoleon began his retreat to France with heavy losses.
The battle ended the 1813 campaign with only France remaining under Napoleon's rule, leading to the Allied invasion of France in 1814 and Napoleon's first abdication.
background
Napoleon, having recruited recruits to replace the veterans who died in Russia, managed to win 2 victories over the Russian-Prussian troops at Lutzen (May 2) and at Bautzen (May 21), which led to a short-term ceasefire from June 4.
Karl Schwarzenberg
Commander-in-Chief allied forces Austrian Field Marshal Prince Schwarzenberg was considered. A descendant of an ancient family, in the campaign of 1805, at the head of a division, he successfully fought near Ulm against the French. During Napoleon's Russian campaign, he commanded an Austrian auxiliary corps (about 30,000) as part of Napoleon's Grand Army. He acted extremely carefully and managed to avoid big battles with the Russian troops. After the defeat of Napoleon in Russia, he did not participate in active hostilities, but covered the rear of the retreating French corps Rainier. After Austria joined the Sixth Coalition against Napoleon in August 1813, he was appointed commander of the allied Bohemian army. In August 1813, at the battle of Dresden, the Bohemian army was defeated and retreated to Bohemia, where it remained until early October. He created a reputation for himself as a cautious commander, able to maintain good relations with monarchs.
Alexander I
Although Russian forces were commanded by generals, of whom Barclay de Tolly was the most influential, Emperor Alexander I interfered in operational leadership. Alexander became the main creator of the Sixth Coalition of 1813 against Napoleon. The invasion of the Napoleonic armies into Russia was perceived by Alexander not only as the greatest threat to Russia, but also as a personal insult, and Napoleon himself became for him personal enemy. Alexander in turn rejected all offers of peace, as he believed that this would devalue all the sacrifices made during the war. Many times the diplomatic character of the Russian monarch saved the coalition. Napoleon considered him an "inventive Byzantine", northern Talma, an actor who is able to play any prominent role.
The course of the battle
The disposition of opponents on the eve of the battle
After the objections of Alexander I, who pointed out the difficulty of crossing such a territory, Schwarzenberg received only 35 thousand Austrians from the 2nd Corps of General Merfeld under the overall command of Crown Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Homburg to carry out his plan. The 4th Austrian corps of Klenau, the Russian troops of General Wittgenstein and the Prussian corps of Field Marshal Kleist, under the overall command of the Russian General Barclay de Tolly, were to attack the French head-on from the southeast. Thus, the Bohemian army was divided by rivers and swamps into 3 parts: in the west - the Austrians Giulaia, the other part Austrian army operated in the south between the rivers Weisse-Elster and Pleise, and the rest of the Bohemian army under the command of General Barclay de Tolly - in the southeast.
October 16
The offensive of the troops of Marshal Giulai on Lidenau was also repulsed by the French general Bertrand, but the Silesian army achieved important success. Without waiting for the approach of Bernadotte's Northern Army, Blucher gave the order to join the general offensive. Under the villages of Wiederitz Wideritz) and Möckern (German. Mockern) his troops faced fierce resistance. The Polish General Dombrovsky, who defended the village of Videritz, kept it from being captured by the Russian troops of General Lanzheron all day long. The 17,000 soldiers under Marshal Marmont who were defending Möckern were ordered to leave their positions and march south to the Wachau, causing them to leave their well-fortified positions in the north. Upon learning of the approach of the enemy, Marmont decided to detain him and sent a request for help to Marshal Ney.
The Prussian general Yorck, who commanded a 20,000th corps in this sector, took the village after many attacks, losing 7,000 soldiers. Marmont's corps was destroyed. Thus, the front of the French troops north of Leipzig was broken through, Napoleon's 2 corps were distracted from participating in the key battle of the Wachau.
As night falls fighting quieted down. The offensive cost the Allies about 20,000 dead and wounded. Despite successful Allied counterattacks near Güldengossa and in the University Forest (near the village of Wachau), most of the battlefield remained with the French. They pushed back the Allied troops from the Wachau to Gülgengossa and from Libertwolkwitz to the University Forest, but were unable to break through the front. In general, the day ended without much advantage for the parties.
17 October
Battle of Leipzig
Colorized 19th century engraving
In the battles on the eve of Napoleon failed to defeat the enemy. Reinforcements of 100,000 soldiers were sent to the allies, while the French emperor could only count on von Duben's corps. Napoleon was aware of the danger, however, hoping for family ties with the Holy Roman Emperor Franz II, he did not leave the extremely vulnerable position near Leipzig. Through the Austrian general Merfeld, captured at Konnevitz, late at night on October 16, he conveyed to the opponents his terms of truce - the very ones that had already brought him peace in August. However, this time the allies did not honor the emperor with an answer. According to some researchers, the offer of a truce turned out to be a serious psychological mistake of Napoleon: the allies, disappointed with the results of the previous day, believed in the weakness of the French if the emperor was the first to offer peace.
Napoleon, commanding troops from headquarters at the Stötteritz tobacco mill (German. Stotteritz), defended much more fiercely than was necessary to cover the retreat. The allied columns went on the offensive unevenly, some of them moved too late, because of which the blow was not struck along the entire front at the same time. The Austrians advancing on the left flank under the command of the Crown Prince of Hesse-Homburg attacked the positions of the French near Dölitz (German. Dolitz), Dösen (German. Dosen) and Lösnig (German. Lössnig), seeking to push the French back from the Pleise River. Dölitz was taken first, and at about 10 o'clock Dösen was taken. The Prince of Hesse-Homburg was seriously wounded, and Colloredo took command. The French troops were pushed back to Konnewitz, but there they came to the aid of 2 divisions sent by Napoleon under the command of Marshal Oudinot. The Austrians were forced to retreat, leaving Dösen behind. Regrouping, they again went on the offensive and captured Lösning by lunchtime, but they failed to retake Konnewitz, defended by the Poles and the young guards under the command of marshals Oudinot and Augereau.
A stubborn battle flared up near Probstheida (German. Probstheida), defended by Marshal Victor from General Barclay de Tolly. Napoleon sent there the Old Guard and General Drouot's artillery guards (about 150 guns). The Old Guard tried to develop a counteroffensive to the south, but was stopped by artillery fire, located on a small hill 500 meters from the battlefield. Until the end of daylight, the Allies failed to take Probstheid, the battle continued after dark.
At about 2 p.m. on the right flank, Bennigsen's army, which went on the offensive late, captured Zuckelhausen (German. Zuckelhausen), Holzhausen and Paunsdorf (German. Paunsdorf). In the assault on Paunsdorf, despite the objections of Bernadotte, units of the Northern Army, the Prussian corps of General Bülow and the Russian corps of General Winzingerode also participated. Parts of the Silesian army under the command of generals Langeron and Sacken captured Schönefeld and Golis. In the battle near Paunsdorf, a new weapon was used for the first time - English rocket batteries, the contribution of Great Britain to the Battle of the Nations (they were part of the Northern Army).
In the midst of the battle, the entire Saxon division (3 thousand soldiers, 19 guns), who fought in the ranks of the Napoleonic troops, went over to the side of the allies. A little later, the Württemberg and Baden units did the same. The consequences of the Germans' refusal to fight for Napoleon are figuratively conveyed by the following quotation:
“A terrible void gaped in the center of the French army, as if the heart had been torn out of it”
By evening, in the north and east, the French were pushed back to the distance of a 15-minute march from Leipzig. After 6 hours, the onset of darkness ceased hostilities, the troops prepared to resume the battle the next morning. Already after Napoleon gave the order to retreat, the head of his artillery presented a report according to which 220 thousand cores were used up in 5 days of fighting. There were only 16 thousand left, and no delivery was expected.
Schwarzenberg doubted the need to force a still dangerous opponent into a desperate battle. Marshal Giulai was ordered only to watch the French and not attack Lindenau. Thanks to this, the French General Bertrand was able to use the road to Weissenfels (German. weissenfels), through Lindenau in the direction of Salle, where the convoy and artillery were pulled after 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.
October 19
Since Napoleon, when planning the battle, counted only on victory, insufficient measures were taken to prepare for the retreat. At the disposal of all the columns was only one road to Weissenfels.
Results of the battle
Historical implications
The battle ended with Napoleon's retreat across the Rhine to France. After the defeat of the French near Leipzig, Bavaria sided with the Sixth Coalition. The combined Austro-Bavarian corps under the command of the Bavarian General Wrede tried to cut off the French army's retreat route on the way to the Rhine near Frankfurt, but on October 31 was repulsed with losses by Napoleon in the battle of Hanau. On November 2, Napoleon crossed the Rhine to France, and 2 days later the allied armies approached the Rhine and stopped there.
Shortly after Napoleon's retreat from Leipzig, Marshal Saint-Cyr surrendered Dresden with all its huge arsenal. Except for Hamburg, where Marshal Davout was desperately defending himself, all the other French garrisons in Germany surrendered before the beginning of 1814. The Confederation of the Rhine of the German states, subject to Napoleon, collapsed, Holland was liberated.
In early January, the Allies launched the 1814 campaign with an invasion of France. Napoleon was left alone with France against advancing Europe, which led in April 1814 to his first abdication.
Side losses
The French army, according to rough estimates, lost 70-80 thousand soldiers near Leipzig, of which about 40 thousand were killed and wounded, 15 thousand were captured, another 15 thousand were captured in hospitals, and up to 5 thousand Saxons went over to the Allied side. In addition to combat losses, the lives of the soldiers of the retreating army were carried away by a typhus epidemic. It is known that Napoleon was able to bring back to France only about 40 thousand soldiers. Among the dead was Marshal Jozef Poniatowski (nephew of the King of Poland Stanislaw August), who received his marshal's baton only 2 days before the fateful day. 325 guns went to the Allies as a trophy.
