King--'return immediately to Dresden.'
3. 'The King declares, in a letter to the Emperor, that he is
still a member of the Confederation of the Rhine, and ready to
fulfil all the obligations which it imposes upon him.'
'If these conditions are not immediately complied with,' says
Napoleon in the instructions to his messenger, 'you will cause
his Majesty to be informed that he is guilty of felony, has
forfeited the Imperial protection, and has ceased to reign.'
... Frederick Augustus, finding himself threatened with the
loss of his crown by an overbearing conqueror already in
possession of his capital, ... yielded in an evil hour to
those imperious demands, and returned to Dresden. ... Fortune
appeared again to smile upon her spoiled and favoured child;
and he resolved, on his part, to leave no expedient untried to
make the most of her returning aid. The mediation of Austria,
which from the first had been galling to his pride, became
more hateful every day, as it gradually assumed the appearance
of an armed interference, ready to enforce its demands by
military means. ... Tidings having arrived that the allied
army, instead of continuing their retreat, had halted and
taken post at Bautzen, he immediately resolved to strike a
decisive blow in the field, as the best means of thwarting the
pacific efforts of his father-in-law."
_Lieutenant Colonel J. Mitchell,
The Fall of Napoleon,
book 2, chapter 1 (volume 2)._
ALSO IN:
_Sir A. Alison,
History of Europe, 1789-1815,
chapter 75 (volume 13)._
_Duchess d'Abrantes,
Memoirs of Napoleon,
volume 2, chapter 44._
GERMANY: A. D. 1813 (May-August).
Battle of Bautzen.
Armistice of Pleswitz.
Accession of Austria and Great Britain to the Coalition
against Napoleon.
"While the Emperor paused at Dresden, Ney made various
demonstrations in the direction of Berlin, with the view of
inducing the Allies to quit Bautzen; but it soon became
manifest that they had resolved to sacrifice the Prussian
capital, if it were necessary, rather than forego their
position. ... Having replaced by wood-work some arches of the
magnificent bridge over the Elbe at Dresden, which the Allies
had blown up on their retreat, Napoleon now moved towards
Bautzen, and came in sight of the position on the morning of
the 21st of May. Its strength was obviously great. In their
front was the river Spree: wooded hills supported their right,
and eminences well fortified their left. The action began with
an attempt to turn their right, but Barclay de Tolly
anticipated this movement, and repelled it with such vigour
that a whole column of 7,000 dispersed and fled into the hills
of Bohemia for safety. The Emperor then determined to pass the
Spree in front of the enemy, and they permitted him to do so,
rather than come down from their position. He took up his
quarters in the town of Bautzen, and his whole army bivouacked
in presence of the Allies. The battle was resumed at daybreak
on the 22d; when Ney on the right, and Oudinot on the left;
attempted simultaneously to turn the flanks of the position;
while Soult and Napoleon himself directed charge after charge
on the centre. During four hours the struggle was maintained
with unflinching obstinacy; the wooded heights, where Blucher
commanded, had been taken and retaken several times--the
bloodshed on either side had been terrible--ere ... the Allies
perceived the necessity either of retiring, or of continuing
the fight against superior numbers on disadvantageous ground.
They withdrew accordingly; but still with all the deliberate
coolness of a parade, halting at every favourable spot and
renewing their cannonade. 'What,' exclaimed Napoleon, 'no
results! not a gun! not a prisoner!--these people will not
leave me so much as a nail.' During the whole day he urged the
pursuit with impetuous rage, reproaching even his chosen
generals as 'creeping scoundrels,' and exposing his own person
in the very hottest of the fire." His closest friend, Duroc,
Grand Master of the Palace, was mortally wounded by his side,
before he gave up the pursuit. "The Allies, being strongly
posted during most of the day, had suffered less than the
French; the latter had lost 15,000, the former 10,000 men.
They continued their retreat into Upper Silesia; and
Buonaparte advanced to Breslau, and released the garrison of
Glogau. Meanwhile the Austrian, having watched these
indecisive though bloody fields, once more renewed his offers
of mediation. The sovereigns of Russia and Prussia expressed
great willingness to accept it; and Napoleon also appears to
have been sincerely desirous for the moment of bringing his
disputes to a peaceful termination. He agreed to an armistice
[of six weeks], and in arranging its conditions agreed to fall
back out of Silesia; thus enabling the allied princes to
reopen communications with Berlin. The lines of country to be
occupied by the armies, respectively, during the truce, were
at length settled, and it was signed on the 1st of June [at
Poischwitz, though the negotiations were mostly carried on at
Pleswitz, whence the Armistice is usually named]. The French
Emperor then returned to Dresden, and a general congress of
diplomatists prepared to meet at Prague. England alone refused
to send any representative to Prague, alleging that Buonaparte
had as yet signified no disposition to recede from his
pretensions on Spain, and that he had consented to the
armistice with the sole view of gaining time for political
intrigue and further military preparation. It may be doubted
whether any of the allied powers who took part in the Congress
did so with much hope that the disputes with Napoleon could
find a peaceful end. ... But it was of the utmost importance
to gain time for the advance of Bernadotte; for the arrival of
new reinforcements from Russia; for the completion of the
Prussian organization; and, above all, for determining the
policy of Vienna. Metternich, the Austrian minister, repaired
in person to Dresden, and while inferior diplomatists wasted
time in endless discussions at Prague, one interview between
him and Napoleon brought the whole question to a definite
issue. The Emperor ... assumed at once that Austria had no
wish but to drive a good bargain for herself, and asked
broadly, 'What is your price? Will Illyria satisfy you? I only
wish you to be neutral--I can deal with these Russians and
Prussians single-handed.'
{1525}
Metternich stated plainly that the time in which Austria could
be neutral was past; that the situation of Europe at large
must be considered; ... that events had proved the
impossibility of a steadfast peace unless the sovereigns of
the Continent were restored to the rank of independence; in a
word, that the Rhenish Confederacy must be broken up; that
France must be contented with the boundary of the Rhine, and
pretend no longer to maintain her usurped and unnatural
influence in Germany. Napoleon replied by a gross personal
insult: 'Come, Metternich,' said he, 'tell me honestly how
much the English have given you to take their part against
me.' The Austrian court at length sent a formal document,
containing its ultimatum, the tenor of which Metternich had
sufficiently indicated in this conversation. Talleyrand and
Fouché, who had now arrived from Paris, urged the Emperor to
accede to the proffered terms. They represented to him the
madness of rousing all Europe to conspire for his destruction,
and insinuated that the progress of discontent was rapid in
France itself. Their arguments were backed by intelligence of
the most disastrous character from Spain. ...
See SPAIN: A. D. 1812-1814.
Napoleon was urged by his military as well as political
advisers, to appreciate duly the crisis which his affairs had
reached. ... He proceeded to insult both ministers and
generals ... and ended by announcing that he did not wish for
any plans of theirs, but their service in the execution of
his. Thus blinded by arrogance and self-confidence, and
incapable of weighing any other considerations against what he
considered as the essence of his personal glory, Napoleon
refused to abate one iota of his pretensions--until it was too
late. Then, indeed, ... he did show some symptoms of
concession. A courier arrived at Prague with a note, in which
he signified his willingness to accede to a considerable
number of the Austrian stipulations. But this was on the 11th
of August. The day preceding was that on which, by the
agreement, the armistice was to end. On that day Austria had
to sign an alliance, offensive and defensive, with Russia and
Prussia. On the night between the 10th and 11th, rockets
answering rockets, from height to height along the frontiers
of Bohemia and Silesia, had announced to all the armies of the
Allies this accession of strength, and the immediate
recommencement of hostilities."
_J. G. Lockhart,
Life of Napoleon Buonaparte,
chapters 32-33._
"On the 14th of June Great Britain had become a party to the
treaty concluded between Russia and Prussia. She had promised
assistance in this great struggle; but no aid could have been
more effectual than that which she was rendering in the
Peninsula."
_C. Knight,
Popular History of England,
chapter 32 (volume 7)._
ALSO IN:
_G. R. Gleig,
The Leipsic Campaign,
chapters 7-16._
_A. Thiers,
History of the Consulate and the Empire,
book 48-49 (volume 4)._
_Prince Metternich,
Memoirs, 1773-1815,
book 1, chapter 8 (volume 1)._
_J. R. Seeley,
Life and Times of Stein,
part 7, chapters 4-5 (volume 3)._
_J. Philippart,
Northern Campaign, 1812-1813,
volume 2._
GERMANY: A. D. 1813 (August).
Great battle and victory of Napoleon at Dresden.
French defeats at Kulm, Gross-Beeren and the Katzbach.
"Dresden, during the armistice, had been converted by Napoleon
into such a place of strength that it might be called one
citadel. All the trees in the neighbourhood, as well as those
which had formed the ornament of the public gardens and walks
of that beautiful capital, were cut down and converted into
abattis and palisades; redoubts, field-works, and fosses had
been constructed. The chain of fortresses garrisoned by French
troops secured to Napoleon the rich valley of the Elbe.
Hamburg, Dantzic, and many strong places on the Oder and
Vistula were in his possession. ... His army assembled at the
seat of war amounted to nearly 300,000 men, including the
Bavarian reserve of 25,000 under General Wrede, and he had
greatly increased his cavalry. This powerful force was divided
into eleven army corps, commanded by Vandamme, Victor, Bertrand,
Ney, Lauriston, Marmont, Reynier, Poniatowski, Macdonald,
Oudinot, and St. Cyr. Murat, who, roused by the news of the
victories of Lutzen and Bautzen, had left his capital, was
made commander-in-chief of all the cavalry. ... Davoust held
Hamburg with 20,000 men. Augereau with 24,000 occupied
Bavaria. The armies of the allies were computed at nearly
400,000 men, including the divisions destined to invade Italy.
Those ready for action at the seat of war in Germany were
divided into three great masses,--the army of Bohemia,
consisting mainly of Austrians commanded by Prince
Schwartzenburg; the army of Silesia, commanded by Blucher; and
the troops under the command of Bernadotte, stationed near
Berlin. These immense hosts were strong in cavalry and
artillery, and in discipline and experience far exceeded the
French soldiers, who were nearly all young conscripts. Two
Frenchmen of eminence were leaders in the ranks of the enemies
of France,--Bernadotte and Moreau; Jomini, late chief of the
engineer department in Napoleon's army, was a Swiss. These
three men, well instructed by the great master of the art of
war, directed the counsels of the allied Sovereigns and taught
them how to conquer. Bernadotte pointed out that Napoleon lay
in Dresden with his guard of five-and-twenty thousand men,
while his marshals were stationed in various strong positions
on the frontiers of Saxony. The moment a French corps d'armée
was attacked Napoleon would spring from his central point upon
the flank of the assailants, and as such a blow would be
irresistible he would thus beat the allied armies in detail.
To obviate this danger Bernadotte recommended that the first
general who attacked a French division and brought Napoleon
into the field should retreat, luring the Emperor onward in
pursuit, when the other bodies of allied troops,
simultaneously closing upon his rear, should surround him and
cut him off from his, base. This plan was followed: Blucher
advanced from Silesia, menacing the armies of Macdonald and
Ney, and Napoleon, with the activity expected, issued from
Dresden on the 15th of August, rapidly reached the point of
danger, and assumed the offensive. But he was unable to bring
the Prussian general to a decisive action, for Blucher,
continuing to retreat before him, the pursuit was only
arrested by an estafette reporting on the 23rd that the main
body of the allies threatened Dresden. On the 25th, at 4 in
the afternoon, 200,000 allied troops led by Schwartzenburg
appeared before that city. St. Cyr, who had been left to
observe the passes of the Bohemian mountains with 20,000 men,
retreated before the irresistible torrent and threw himself
into the Saxon capital, which he prepared to defend with his
own forces and the garrison left by the Emperor.
{1526}
It was a service of the last importance. With Dresden Napoleon
would lose his recruiting depot and supplies of every kind.
... The Austrian commander-in-chief deferred the attack till
the following day, replying to the expostulations of Jomini
that Napoleon was engaged in the Silesian passes. Early on the
morning of the 26th the allies advanced to the assault in six
columns, under cover of a tremendous artillery fire. They
carried one great redoubt, then another, and closed with the
defenders of the city at every point, shells and balls falling
thick on the houses, many of which were on fire. St. Cyr
conducted the defence with heroism; but before midday a
surrender was talked of. ... Suddenly, from the opposite bank
of the Elbe columns of soldiers were seen hastening towards
the city. They pressed across the bridges, swept through the
streets, and with loud shouts demanded to be led into battle,
although they had made forced marches from the frontiers of
Silesia. Napoleon, with the Old Guard and cuirassiers, was in
the midst of them. His enemies had calculated on only half his
energy and rapidity, and had forgotten that he could return as
quickly as he left. The Prussians had penetrated the Grosse
Garten on the French left, and so close was the Russian fire
that Witgenstein's guns enfiladed the road by which Napoleon
had to pass; consequently, to reach the city in safety, he was
compelled to dismount at the most exposed part, and, according
to Baron Odeleben (one of his aides-de-camp), creep along on his
hands and knees (ventre à terre). Napoleon halted at the
palace to reassure the King of Saxony, and then joined his
troops who were already at the gates. Sallies were made by Ney
and Mortier under his direction. The astonished assailants
were driven back. The Young Guard recaptured the redoubts, and
the French army deployed on the plateau lately in possession
of their enemies. ... The fury of the fight gradually
slackened, and the armies took up their positions for the
night. The French wings bivouacked to the right and left of
the city, which itself formed Napoleon's centre. The allies
were ranged in a semicircle cresting the heights. ... They had
not greatly the advantage in numbers, for Klenau's division
never came up; and Napoleon, now that Victor and Marmont's
corps had arrived, concentrated nearly 200,000 men. ... The
next day broke in a tempest of wind and rain. At six o'clock
Napoleon was on horseback, and ordered his columns to advance.
Their order of battle has been aptly compared to 'a fan when
it expands.' Their position could scarcely have been worse.
... Knowing that in case of disaster retreat would be almost
an impossibility, Napoleon began an attack on both flanks of
the allied army, certain that their defeat would demoralize
the centre, which he could overwhelm by a simultaneous
concentric attack, supported by the fire of 100 guns. The
stormy weather which concealed their movements favoured them;
and Murat turning and breaking the Austrian left, and Ney
completely rolling up the Austrian right, the result was a
decisive victory. By three in the afternoon of the 27th the
battle was concluded, and the allies were in full retreat,
pursued by the French. The roads to Bohemia and those to the
south were barred by Murat's and Vandamme's corps, and the
allied Sovereigns were obliged to take such country paths and
byways as they could find--which had been rendered almost
impassable by the heavy rain. They lost 25,000 prisoners, 40
standards, 60 pieces of cannon, and many waggons. The killed
and wounded amounted on each side to seven or eight thousand.
The first cannon-shot fired by the guard under the
direction of Napoleon mortally wounded Moreau while talking to
the Emperor Alexander. ... The French left wing, composed of
the three corps of Vandamme, St. Cyr, and Marmont, were
ordered to march by their left along the Pirna road in pursuit
of the foe, who was retreating into Bohemia in three columns,
and had traversed the gorges of the Hartz Mountains in safety,
though much baggage, several ammunition waggons, and 2,000
prisoners, fell into the hands of the French. The Russians,
under Ostermann, halted on the plain of Culm [or Kulm] for the
arrival of Kleist's Prussians; the Austrians hurried along the
Prague route. Vandamme marched boldly on, neglecting even the
precaution of guarding the defile of Peterswald in his rear.
Trusting to the rapid advance of the other French corps, he
was lured on by the hope of capturing the allied Sovereigns in
their headquarters at Toplitz. Barclay de Tolly, having
executed a rapid detour from left to right, brought the bulk
of his Russian forces to bear on Vandamme, who, on reaching
Culm, was attacked in front and rear [August 29-30], surprised
and taken, losing the whole of his artillery and between 7,000
and 8,000 prisoners; the rest of his corps escaped and
rejoined the army. This disaster totally deranged Napoleon's
plans, which would have led him to follow up the pursuit
towards Bohemia in person. Oudinot was ordered to march
against Bülow's corps at Berlin and the Swedes commanded by
Bernadotte, taking with him the divisions of Bertrand and
Reynier--a force of 80,000 men. Reynier, who marched in
advance, fell in with the allies at Gross-Beeren, attacked
them precipitately and suffered severely, his division,
chiefly composed of Saxons, taking flight. Oudinot also
sustained considerable losses, and retreated to Torgau on the
Elbe. Girard, sallying out of Magdeburg with 5,000 or 6,000
men, was defeated near Leibnitz, with the loss of 1,000 men,
and some cannon and baggage. Macdonald encountered Blucher in
the plains between Wahlstadt and the Katzbach under
disadvantageous circumstances [August 26], and was obliged to
retire in disorder."
_R. H. Horne,
History of Napoleon,
chapter 37._
"The great battle of the Katzbach, the counterpart to that of
Hohenlinden, [was] one of the most glorious ever gained in the
annals of European fame. Its trophies were immense. ...
Eighteen thousand prisoners, 103 pieces of cannon, and 230
caissons, besides 7,000 killed and wounded, presented a total
loss to the French of 25,000 men."
_Sir A. Alison,
History of Europe,
chapter 80, section 68 (volume 17)._
"Of the battle of Kulm it is not too much to say that it was
the most critical in the whole war of German liberation. The
fate of the coalition was determined absolutely by its
results. Had Vandamme been strong enough to keep his hold of
Bohemia, and to block up from them the mouths of the passes,
the allied columns, forced back into the exhausted mountain
district through which they were retreating, must have
perished for lack of food, or dissolved themselves."
_G. R. Gleig,
The Leipzig Campaign,
chapter 27._
{1527}
ALSO IN:
_Baron Jomini,
Life of Napoleon,
chapter 20 (volume 4)._
_Major C. Adams,
Great Campaigns in Europe,
1796 to 1870, chapter 5._
GERMANY: A. D. 1813 (September-October).
French reverse at Dennewitz.
Napoleon's evacuation of Dresden.
Allied concentration at Leipsic.
Preparations for the decisive battle.