History's Greatest Military Commanders: The Brilliant Military Strategies Of Hannibal, Alexander The Great, Sun Tzu, Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, And 30 Other Historical Commanders by Barry Linton

Author:Barry Linton [Linton, Barry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Make Profits Easy LLC
Published: 2015-05-26T22:00:00+00:00

Gustavus vs Tilly

Gustavus Adolphus found Tilly's Imperial troops on a low ridge, with the sun and wind behind them. There had been no opportunity for Gustavus and the Saxon Elector to coordinate the Allied armies, so they formed up separately side-by-side. The Saxons took the field on the left with the Swedish on the right.

Gustavus's infantry was organized in battalions six ranks deep. Each battalion was supported by four 3-pounder cannons. His cavalry were divided into flexible groups, stationed near his musketeers. Behind his thin front line he kept substantial reserves. Before the battle began, Gustavus spoke to his soldiers and told them to believe that God would give them victory.

An artillery duel between the two sides began. Gustavus waited for the Imperial forces to grow impatient under the bombardment and attack. He could not have anticipated that the allied Saxon army would perform poorly, driven from the field by the first enemy onslaught. As Elector John George retreated with his full army in flight, Gustavus had to continue the battle outnumbered. His left line was now open to a flanking assault.

Thanks to the good discipline and flexibility of his infantry formations, he had been ready to swiftly reposition his troops to cover the left flank. His artillery commander Torstensson directed cannon fire on the slow-moving Imperial infantry. On the right, his cavalry and musketeers had survived a fearful battering.

Gustavus mustered his reserves and drove a body of cavalry forward in a charge that broke through to the top the ridge where Tilly was stationed. Gustavus rode unarmored to where the fighting was hardest, and urged his men forward. Pike, musket, cannon, and cavalry saber all took their toll on the weakening Imperial Army. By nightfall, Gustavus had won the battle.

Tilly led his army out of Leipzig on September 16. Previous reconnaissance had identified a suitable defensive position. Tilly was a prudent leader, and he planned to force Gustavus into an uphill frontal assault. Tilly had dense formations of pikemen, each group 1,500 strong. He hoped that his position on the hill would give him the height advantage in an artillery duel. His Second-in-Command, the aggressive Cavalry Commander Pappenheim, had no respect for Tilly's cautious strategy. Tilly ordered his cannon to start their bombardment as soon as the Swedish and Saxon forces were in range. Their cannon fire was slow and largely ineffectual at long range, failing to disrupt Gustavus's battle formations. When the Swedish cannons returned fire in the afternoon, they had considerably greater impact. Tilly still clung to his advantageous defensive position on the ridge, but Pappenheim's patience wore thin.

He launched an attack with his elite cavalry – the feared Black Cuirassiers – and swept around the Swedish right. This insubordinate attack threw Tilly into despair. He had no choice but to join the battle that had begun against the Saxons on Gustavus's left line. Once the Saxons unexpectedly retreated, Tilly found himself about to accomplish an unintended double envelopment of Gustavus's army.

Unfortunately for Tilly, Pappenheim's attacks were repulsed time after time by Gustavus's resolute horse and musket formations.

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