Napoleon's Last Campaign in Germany by Francis Loraine Petre O.B.E

Author:Francis Loraine Petre O.B.E [O.B.E, Francis Loraine Petre]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Military, Napoleonic Wars, Europe, France, Spain & Portugal, Great Britain, General
ISBN: 9781908692788
Google: JFVvCwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
Published: 2011-06-24T04:55:51+00:00

When day broke on the 27th, the rain was still descending in torrents, and it was almost dark; a depressing outlook for all, especially for the allies, conscious as they were of failure on the previous day. Moreover, their commanders felt themselves handicapped by being able to see through the mist but a small area of a country which they knew indifferently, whilst Napoleon knew it thoroughly.

At 6 A.M. Mortier, on the French left, began his advance with Roguet on the left and Decouz on the right. The Guard cavalry followed the former.

By 7 A.M. Roguet had taken Blasewitz without serious fighting, and was proceeding to clear the Blasewitz wood. South of the wood Decouz was supported by Ney’s two divisions, advancing on his right along the north edge of the Grosser Garten, from which the Prussians had retired at daybreak. The Russians, driven from Grüna, retired on Seidnitz, and, as Roguet with the French left swung round from Blasewitz, the whole of the Russian advanced guard (Roth) fell back to a position extending north-eastwards from Seidnitz to the Elbe.

The French were now pivoting on their right at Seidnitz, their left moving on Tolkewitz, threatening to surround Roth’s right. Wittgenstein now ordered Roth, who was making a stubborn resistance, to retire on Reick and Prohlis, so as to join the right of the allied main position at Torna.

He still held firmly to Seidnitz, where his left repulsed several French attacks.

As soon as the Russians had evacuated Tolkewitz, the French cavalry passed through it towards Laubegast, and drew up south of it in two lines, facing the Pirna road.

Meanwhile the French had at last taken Seidnitz, whence Roguet set out to attack Gross- and Klein-Dobritz. The cavalry, at the same time, advanced towards Leuben. Nansouty, by passing Leuben and wheeling to his right, threatened the retreat of the Russians in Dobritz, and determined them, after repulsing several of Roguet’s attacks, to retreat to Reick and south-east of it. This movement Nansouty made no attempt to harass with his cavalry, as apparently he might have done, seeing that the infantry were unable to fire their muskets in the wet. On the other hand, the allies had 62 squadrons on their right, which might have annihilated Nansouty’s 28. Possibly the difficulty of seeing any distance in the blinding rain may account partially for the inactivity of the cavalry on both sides.

Whilst Mortier was thus getting forward on the left, Ney had reached Grüna. St Cyr, on his right, had taken Strehlen, between 8 and 9 A.M., without much difficulty, since it was only defended by one Prussian battalion, which presently retired to Leubnitz, where the Prussians still held the right bank of the Kaitzbach. St Cyr had not yet moved the main body of his corps beyond a position between the Grosser Garten and Strehlen, but he had posted a powerful battery on the rising ground just east of the latter place, with which he was firing heavily on Tschertnitz and Leubnitz.

Such was the position at 11 A.

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