“FIGHT OF THE ELITE”: COMBAT OF THE LIFE GUARDS OF THE COSSACK REGIMENT WITH THE FRENCH CURRASSIERS IN THE BATTLE OF THE PEOPLES NEAR LEIPZIG “Iron Men”: French cuirassiers - shock ramming units of the Napoleonic army As mentioned above, the French were used to carry out ramming attacks on the battlefield

On October 4 - 7 (16 - 19), 1813, in the Leipzig region (Saxony), a decisive battle took place between the allied army of Russia, Austria, Prussia, Sweden and the army of the French Emperor Napoleon. This was the largest battle in a series Napoleonic Wars and in world history before the First World War, up to half a million soldiers took part in it. The troops of the Duchy of Warsaw, Italy, Saxony and several states of the Rhine Confederation fought on the side of France in this battle. Therefore, in literature, the Battle of Leipzig is often called the “Battle of the Nations.” The battle ended the 1813 campaign. Napoleon was defeated, lost allies and was forced to retreat from Central Europe to France. The 1813 campaign 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, especially big damage Napoleon's empire suffered in the campaign of 1812, when almost the entire Grand Army was killed or captured in Russia. France had limited opportunities to replenish the army with reinforcements, their quality dropped sharply (elderly people and young men had to be driven into battle, there was no time to train them), it was not possible to restore full-fledged cavalry that died in Russia, industry could not cope with the task of replenishing the artillery fleet. 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 capabilities 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, no commander equal to the French emperor appeared), 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 had hoped, but only united it. The losses of the allied armies were easily replenished, and the allies even increased the number of their troops. In turn, the defeats 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 was defeated at Dennewitz in southwestern Prussia, and on September 28, General Bertrand's corps was defeated on the banks of the Elbe near the town of Wartenburg (Saxony). France could not make up for these losses. The numerical advantage of the allied armies became more and more noticeable.

The Allied command, having received fresh reinforcements, decided to go on the offensive in early October to encircle and destroy the French army. Napoleon at this time held the defense around Dresden in eastern Saxony. The Silesian army under the command of Field Marshal Gebhard Blücher 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 merged 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, to the rear of Napoleon's army. Prussian troops came from the northern direction from Wartenburg, Swedish troops also from the north, but in the second echelon after the Prussians, Russian and Austrian troops from the south and west.

The French emperor left a strong garrison in Dresden and also moved towards Leipzig, planning to defeat the enemy troops piece by piece - first defeating Blücher 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 location of enemy forces. Napoleon Bonaparte mistakenly believed that the Russian-Prussian Silesian army was located much further north, further from Leipzig and doubted the rapid arrival of the Bohemian army.

Strengths of the parties. 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 had reached Leipzig. Thus, at the beginning of the battle, the allied forces 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 Leontius Bennigsen - 46 thousand soldiers, 162 guns and the 1st Austrian corps under the command of Hieronymus Colloredo-Mansfeld - 8 thousand people, 24 guns. At 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 monarchs, so Russian Emperor Alexander I constantly interfered with operational management. In addition, the commanders of individual armies and even corps had greater independence in decision-making. In the Northern Army in particular, 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, Guard - 3 infantry corps, a cavalry corps and an artillery reserve, a total of up to 42 thousand soldiers, 5 cavalry corps - 24 thousand people, plus the Leipzig garrison - about 4 thousand . Human. Most of the army were French, but there were many different kinds of Germans, Poles, Italians, Belgians, and Dutch.

On October 3 (15), Napoleon positioned his troops around Leipzig. The main part of the army covered the city from the south along the river Plaise, from Connewitz to the village of Markkleiberg, then further east through the villages of Wachau, Liebertwolkwitz and to Holzhausen. The road from the western direction was covered by the corps of General Bertrand (12 thousand people), which was stationed at 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 strike the Bohemian army on October 4 (16), and before the rest of the enemy forces arrived, defeat it or at least seriously weaken it. For the offensive, a strike force of 5 infantry, 4 cavalry corps and 6 guard divisions was created, a total of about 110-120 thousand soldiers. It was led by Marshal Joachim Murat.

The Allied command, under pressure from the three monarchs Alexander I, Frederick William III and Franz I, also planned to conduct attack operations, fearing that Napoleon, taking advantage of 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 defeat the enemy troops in parts, preventing the concentration of enemy forces. Schwarzenberg decided in the morning to strike from the south with the forces of the Bohemian Army. Initially, the Austrian field marshal proposed throwing the main forces of the army into the Connewitz area, breaking through the enemy’s defenses in the swampy lowlands of the Plaisse and Weisse-Elster rivers, bypassing the enemy’s right flank and taking the shortest western road to Leipzig. However, Russian Emperor Alexander Pavlovich criticized the plan, pointing out the difficulty of the terrain.

The Bohemian army was divided into three groups and a reserve. The first (main) grouping was under the overall command of Infantry General Barclay de Tolly - it included the 4th Austrian corps of Klenau, the Russian troops of General Wittgenstein and the Prussian corps of Field Marshal Kleist, a total of 84 thousand people, 404 guns. Barclay's group was supposed to hit the French army on the Krebern - Wachau - Liebertvolkwitz front, actually attacking the enemy head-on, from the southeast. The second group was commanded by the Austrian General Maximilian von Merfeld. It included the 2nd Austrian Corps and Austrian reserves, a total of 30-35 thousand people with 114 guns. He was supposed to advance between the rivers Place and Weise-Elster, capture the crossings and strike the right flank of the French army. The third detachment under the command of Ignaz Gyulai (Giulai) was supposed to attack from the west, towards Lindenau and seize the crossing over the Weisse Elster west of Leipzig. The group was supposed to block the escape route to the west. The basis of Gyulai's detachment was the 3rd Austrian Corps - about 20 thousand people. The Russian-Prussian Guard formed a reserve. Blücher's Silesian army was to launch an offensive from the north on the Möckerk - Wiederitz front.

Battle

Progress of the battle October 4 (16). 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 they opened artillery fire. The advanced units began to approach the enemy. The battle boiled down to a series of stubborn battles for Markkleeberg, Wachau, Liebertwolkwitz, as well as the crossing at Konnewitz. 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 Markkleeberg at about 9.30. Here French-Polish troops held the defense under the command of Marshals Augereau and Poniatowski. Four times Napoleon's troops recaptured the village and four times the Russians and Prussians again took Markkleeberg 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. Liebertwolkwitz was stormed by 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 Zieten, as well as the 4th Austrian corps of General Klenau. The defense was held by the corps of General Lauriston and Marshal MacDonald. After 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 retreat. The offensive of the Austrian 2nd Corps was unsuccessful, and in the afternoon, when the French counteroffensive began, Commander-in-Chief Schwarzenberg sent Austrian troops to the aid of General Barclay de Tolly. Gyulai's attack on Lidenau by the Austrian 3rd Corps was also unsuccessful.

The Bohemian army exhausted its strength and lost its offensive impulse. Her strength was now only enough for defense. In the current situation french emperor decided to strike the center of enemy positions in general direction Wachau - Guldengossa. At 15:00, the French cavalry under the command of Murat (about 10 thousand horsemen), supported by a strong artillery group - 160 guns of General A. Drouot, delivered 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, and the enemy cavalry broke through to the hill where they watched the battle. The French were already several hundred meters away, pursuing the fleeing. They were saved by a counterattack by the Life Guards Cossack Regiment under the command of Ivan Efremov. The Cossacks and a company of Russian artillery held back the enemy's onslaught until reinforcements arrived. Palen's cavalry detachment, a grenadier division from Raevsky's corps, and a Prussian brigade from Kleist's corps were thrown against the French cavalry. The reinforcements finally stopped the enemy and closed the gap in the front.

Hood. Bechlin. Attack of the Cossack Life Guards near Leipzig.

Napoleon, determined to win victory at any cost before the arrival of new enemy armies, gave the order to attack the weakened center of the Bohemian army with the forces of foot and horse guards. However, an attack by 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 Vakhaut Heights. V. I. Moshkov (1815).

Blücher's Silesian army struck in the area of ​​Wiederitz and Möckern. Blucher did not wait for Bernadotte’s Northern Army to approach and went on the offensive. The village of Wiederitz was defended by the Polish general Dombrowski, who spent the whole day holding back the onslaught of the Russian troops of General Langeron. Marmont's corps defended positions in the area of ​​the village of Möckern. Marmont received orders to advance to south direction to 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. York's Prussian corps, after numerous attacks, took the village, suffering heavy losses. Marmont's corps 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 Wachau.

With the onset of darkness, the battle ended. Most of the battlefield remained with the French army. The French pushed back the allied forces from Wachau to Guldengossa and from Liebertwolkwitz 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 live up to 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 battles were simply littered with corpses. Prussian soldiers from Blücher's army made rubble out of corpses, determined to hold their captured positions. On the night of October 5 (17), fresh Northern and Polish armies arrived. Now the allied army had a serious superiority over the enemy.

Actions October 5 (17). The French emperor was aware of the danger, but did not leave his position at Leipzig. He hoped to conclude a truce and begin peace negotiations. Napoleon, through the Austrian general Merfeld, sent a letter to all allied monarchs proposing a ceasefire and the beginning 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 renounce the Rhineland 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 searched for the wounded and buried the dead. Only in the northern direction did Blucher’s troops continue their offensive and, having captured the villages of Eitrich (Oitritzsch) and Golis, came close to Leipzig itself. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon a military meeting 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 the long march and needed rest. It was decided to resume the offensive the next morning. Bennigsen's army was to attack on the right flank, together with the 4th Austrian corps.

Napoleon, realizing that the previous positions could not be maintained, regrouped his forces on the night of October 6 (18). The old positions, which it was unreasonable to defend due to lack of strength, were abandoned. The troops retreated to a distance of approximately 1 hour from the city. By morning, French troops took up positions on the line Lindenau - Connewitz - Holzhausen - Schönefeld. 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 disgrace himself in battle.

In front of the French bayonets
He did not lose his Russian heart
To die for the Motherland, for the brothers
He looked with secret pride.

Soldier's song about the grenadier Leonty Korenny.

At 7 o'clock in the morning the allied command gave the order to attack. The columns of allied troops advanced unevenly, some started moving late, and as a result of a simultaneous attack along the entire front, it did not work out. Austrian troops under the command of the Crown Prince of Hesse-Homburg were advancing on the left flank. The Austrians attacked French positions at Delitz, Deusen and Lösnig. Austrian troops tried to push the French away from the Place River. First they captured Dölitz, and at about 10 o'clock - Dösen. The battle was difficult, the French fought much more fiercely than was necessary to cover the retreat. They 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 Konnewitz and Delitz. The Austrians made their way to Konnewitz, but then two French divisions sent by Napoleon arrived under the command of Marshal Oudinot. French troops launched a counterattack, and the Austrians retreated from Connewitz. They also left Dezen. The Austrians retreated, regrouped their forces, and went on the offensive again. By lunchtime they captured Lösnig, but were unable to re-occupy Connewitz, which was defended by the Poles and the Young Guard under the command of Marshals Oudinot and Augereau.

Napoleon's headquarters were located at Stötteritz. A stubborn battle broke out in the center, in the area of ​​Probsthaid (Probsthaida), where troops under the command of Marshal Victor and General Lauriston held the line. The village had a stone fence and was an important center of 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 make their way into the village from the eastern 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 burst into the village. However, Napoleon, at the head of the Old Guard and the Guards artillery of General Drouot (about 150 guns), launched a counteroffensive and drove the Russian-Prussian troops out of the village. But further advance of the French troops was stopped by heavy artillery fire. Both sides suffered heavy losses. The battle continued into the night, but the allied troops were unable to break through to Probsteida.

Things were best on the right flank and in the northern direction. The army of General Bennigsen was advancing on the right flank. She moved towards the enemy very late, at about 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Russian troops captured Zukelhausen, Holzhausen and Paunsdorf. In the assault on Paunsdorf, despite Bernadotte's objections, 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 (Silesian Army) captured Schönefeld and Golis. At the height of the battle, Napoleon's German allies betrayed him - the entire Saxon division (3 thousand soldiers, 19 guns) went over to the side of the allies, the Saxons were followed by Württemberg, Westphalian and Baden units. This seriously complicated Leipzig's defense. The Saxons even immediately took the side of the allied army. True, this did not save Saxony; it became a state for post-war division between the winners.

In the eastern and northern directions, French troops were pushed back to a distance of a 15-minute march from the city. In the western direction, the Austrians were not active that day. Commander-in-Chief Schwarzenberg doubted the need to force Napoleon into a final life-or-death battle. Therefore, he ordered Gyulai's III Corps to only observe the French and not to storm Lindenau.

Napoleon and Poniatowski near Leipzig. Sukhodolsky (XIX century).

The capabilities of the French troops to defend Leipzig were depleted. The enemy's numerical superiority was becoming increasingly noticeable. German troops went over to the side of the Allied army. Ammunition was running low. According to the report of the chief of artillery, the army spent 220 thousand cannonballs in a few days, only 16 thousand shells remained, and no delivery was expected. Napoleon did not count on a long battle and defense of the city, planning to win a decisive victory. Some military leaders advised the emperor to continue the battle - to burn the outskirts of the city, to stay behind 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 explosion, the French did not think about creating several additional crossings in case of withdrawal. Thanks to this, the French troops could retreat only in one direction to Weißenfels. French General Bertrand, 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 guard, artillery and the corps of Victor and Augereau. The troops of MacDonald, Ney and Lauriston were supposed 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 ability to pursue the enemy were put forward. Thus, the Russian Emperor Alexander Pavlovich proposed concentrating efforts on crossing the river Pleisse and Weiss-Elster, and the Prussian military leader Blucher spoke about the need to allocate 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 without being captured. 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 began to advance. King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony offered to surrender the city without a fight if the allied command gave 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 Toll, who also organized his security when Russian troops began storming the palace.

Due to the fact that all troops had to retreat along only one road, turmoil and disorder began. The French emperor himself was only able to escape from Leipzig with difficulty. Russian troops under the command of generals Langeron 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 south gate 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 the distant cries of “Hurray!”, they decided that it was necessary to stop the enemy’s advance and destroyed the bridge. And there were still about 20-30 thousand French left in the city, including Marshals MacDonald and Poniatowski and Generals Lauriston and Rainier. The hospitals did not have time to evacuate either. Many died, including while trying to swim across the river and climb the steep opposite bank, under enemy fire; others were captured. Marshall Macdonald swam across the river. Poniatowski, who fought well in the Battle of Leipzig, and the only foreigner in Napoleon's service, received the rank of French marshal, was wounded and drowned during the crossing. Lauriston was captured. By one o'clock in the afternoon the city was completely captured.

The retreating French army blows up the bridge prematurely. Colorized engraving from the 19th century.

The explosion of the bridge itself characterizes the degree of chaos that was happening at that time. Napoleon entrusted this task to General Duloloy, who, in turn, entrusted responsibility for preparing the bridge for destruction to a certain Colonel Montfort, who left his post, leaving it to corporal engineering troops. When the warrior asked when the charge should be lit, 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 the reason to lift the bridge into the air, although it was clogged with French troops. The corporal carried out the order exactly. Thousands of French were doomed to death and captivity. In addition, the blowing up 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 victory in the “Battle of the Nations” at Leipzig. Johann Peter Kraft. 1817 Museum military history, Vienna.

Results

Napoleon's army suffered a crushing defeat, but avoided (largely due to the lack of management 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. Good chances to complete the won were lost. The lack of unity of command prevented the implementation of broad operational plans, led to indecision in the actions of some parts of the army, when others had to withstand the full brunt of enemy blows, and the reservation of large masses of troops who were inactive at the moment when the outcome of the battle could be decided. The decisive role in the battle was played by Russian troops, who withstood the most strong blows 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 Lauriston, captured the commander of the 7th corps, Rainier), and two dozen divisional and brigadier generals were captured. The army lost half of its artillery - 325 cannons, 960 charging boxes, 130 thousand guns (including Leipzig arsenals) 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 Russians (8 generals were killed or mortally wounded - Neverovsky, Shevich, Ginet, Kudashev, Lindfors, Manteuffel, Rhubarb and Schmidt), 16 thousand . Prussians, 15 thousand Austrians and 180 Swedes. The low losses of Swedish troops are explained by the fact that Bernadotte was saving troops for the war with Denmark for Norway. For valor in this battle, four Russian military leaders - Kaptsevich, Osten-Sacken, 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 rush into the city. Osten-Sacken was noted for the capture of the Gallic suburb. The corps of E. Württemberg distinguished itself in the battle for Wachau and Probstaid. Grand Duke Konstantin commanded reserve units, which also distinguished themselves in the battle. This is an exceptionally high assessment, especially considering the fact that for the Battle of Borodino only one person was awarded this order - Barclay de Tolly, and in just 150 years of the existence of the Order of St. George, the 2nd degree was awarded only 125 times. Barclay de Tolly, who was “one of the main culprits of the victory,” received the honor of entering Leipzig with the emperor and was elevated to the dignity of a count of the Russian Empire.

Temple-monument to 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 remaining behind 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 capitulated (Saint-Cyr with the 14th Corps surrendered there), Torgau, Stettin, Wittenberg, Küstrin, Glogau, Zamosc, Modlin and Danzig. By January 1814, all French fortresses along the Vistula, Oder and Elbe had 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 huge amount artillery necessary for the defense of France. In Dresden alone, about 30 thousand people surrendered with 95 guns of field troops and 117 fortress cannons.

France was left alone against an entire coalition. Subject to Emperor Napoleon, the Rhine Confederation of German states collapsed. Bavaria took the side of the anti-French alliance, and Württemberg followed suit. Saxony was withdrawn from the war. Almost all small German state entities joined the coalition. France was to begin 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 to his defeat and abdication.

A monument in memory of the Battle of Leipzig and its reflection in the “Lake of Tears Shed for Fallen Soldiers.” 1913

Appendix 1. Capture of General Lauriston

In “Officer's Notes” N.B. Golitsyn describes the capture of General Lauriston as follows: “One of the prisoners unbuttoned his overcoat, showed us his insignia and announced that he was General Lauriston. We quickly took him with us. Not far from there we saw a fairly wide street in a Leipzig suburb that crossed our road. Just as we were about to cross it, we saw a French battalion marching in great order, with loaded guns. There were about twenty officers ahead. When we mutually noticed each other, we stopped. The windings of the path along which we were traveling and the trees that were on its sides hid our small number. General Emmanuel, feeling that there was no room for long reflection here, and noticing some confusion among the French, shouted to them: “Bas les armes!” (“Drop your weapons!”) The amazed officers began to consult among themselves; but our intrepid commander, seeing their hesitation, shouted to them again: “Bas les armes ou point de quartier!” (“Throw down your weapons, otherwise there will be no mercy for you!”) 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 their swords to us.” What about Lauriston? “Loriston, deep in thought during a strange procession of more than four hundred people who laid down their weapons in front of twelve Russians, turned to our commander with the question: “To whom did I have the honor of giving my sword?” “You had the honor to surrender,” he answered, “to the Russian Major General Emmanuel, commander of three officers and eight Cossacks.” You should have seen the frustration and despair of Lauriston and all the French.”

On the way to their G.A. Emmanuel got into conversation with the Marquis de Lauriston.

“Oh, general, how fickle military happiness is,” the latter complained.

Until recently I was an ambassador to Russia, and now I am her prisoner!

What happened to you,” Emmanuel replied, “could well have happened to me.”

Appendix 2. Outstanding feat of the soldier Root.

Leonty Korenny (Uncle Korenny) - a Russian grenadier soldier who served in the Life Guards Finnish Regiment, a 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.

Battle participant A.N. Marin, the first historiographer of the Life Guards of the Finnish Regiment, described this feat as follows: “In the battle of Leipzig, when the Finnish regiment was pushing the French out of the village of Gossy, and the 3rd battalion of the regiment went around the village, the battalion commander, Colonel Gervais, and his officers were the first to climb over the stone fence, and the rangers rushed after them, already chasing the French; but, being surrounded by numerous enemies, they firmly defended their place; many officers were wounded; then Korennoy, having transferred the battalion commander and his wounded commanders across the fence, himself gathered the daring, desperate rangers and began to defend while other rangers rescued the wounded officers from the battlefield. The native with a handful of dashing riflemen stood strong and held the battlefield, shouting: “don’t give up, guys.” At first they fired back, but the large number of the enemy constrained ours so much that they fought back with bayonets... everyone fell, some killed and others wounded, and Korennoy was left alone. The French, surprised by the brave huntsman, shouted for him to surrender, but Korennoy responded by turning the gun, taking it by the barrel and fighting back with the butt. Then several enemy bayonets laid him down on the spot, and all around this hero lay all our people desperately defending themselves, with heaps of the French they had killed. “We all mourned,” the narrator adds, “for the brave “Uncle Root.” A few days later, to the great joy of the entire regiment, “Uncle Root” emerged from captivity, covered with wounds; but, fortunately, the wounds were not serious.” Covered with 18 wounds, Korennoy, returning to the regiment, spoke about his time in captivity, where the fame of his outstanding bravery spread throughout all the French troops, and he himself was introduced to Napoleon, who was interested in seeing the Russian miracle hero. The act of Korenny so delighted the great commander that in an order for his army, he 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).

On January 1, 1813, in the presence of Emperor Alexander 1, the Russian army crossed the river. Neman to continue the fight against Napoleon outside Russian Empire. The Russian Tsar demanded immediate and constant pursuit of the enemy.

Alexander believed that it was not enough to take revenge on Napoleon for the defeats and humiliations of previous years by simply expelling him from Russia. The king needed complete victory over the enemy. He dreamed of leading the sixth coalition and becoming its leader. His dreams were coming true. One of the first diplomatic successes of the Russians was the transition of Prussia to the camp of opponents of the French emperor.

On February 16-17, 1813, M.I. Kutuzov in Kalisz and the Prussian baron K. Hardenberg in Breslau drew up and signed an alliance agreement between the two countries.

On February 27, the main forces of the Russian army entered Berlin. On March 15, Dresden fell. Soon, through the joint efforts of Russian and Prussian partisans, the territory of central Germany was cleared of the French.

The first major battles between the Allies and Napoleon (at Lützen and Bautzen) ended in victory for the French. As a commander, Napoleon had no equal. The defeated Allied forces were forced to retreat. However, Napoleon also saw that victory would not come easily to him. The battles were stubborn and bloody. Both sides fought courageously, wanting to win at all costs.

In the spring of 1813, a truce was concluded between the Allies and Napoleon, which ended at the end of July. Having rejected the peace proposals of the coalition, Napoleon wanted to continue the struggle. "All or nothing!" - that was his motto. Such steps forced Austria, which had not yet sided with the emperor’s enemies, to declare war on him on August 10 and openly join the sixth coalition. However, Napoleon confirmed his slogan with a new brilliant victory. On August 15, 1813, the Battle of Dresden took place. The allies were defeated and began to retreat in disorder. Their losses were three times greater than the French. Panic began among the allied monarchs. The ghost of a new Austerlitz loomed behind them. But soon defeats gave way to victories. On August 17-18, the Battle of Kulm took place. In this battle, the retreating Russian units defeated the pursuing corps of General D. Vandam. Up to 5 thousand people were captured, including Vandam and his headquarters. After such successes, the Allies perked up and began to concentrate forces in front of Leipzig for a decisive battle.

By the beginning of October, members of the sixth coalition had approximately 1 million soldiers. The main forces of the Allies were concentrated in 4 armies:

1) Bohemian - under the command of K. F. Shenzenberg;

2) Silesian - under the command of Blucher;

3) Northern Army - under the command of the Swedish Crown Prince (former Napoleonic Marshal) J.B. Bernadotte and

4) The Polish army under the command of the Russian General Bennigsen.

Total strength: the armies were 306 thousand people and 1385 guns. (Troitsky Alexander I and Napoleon. M., 1994. P. 227.) The official commander-in-chief of the allied forces was considered Prince Schwarzenberg, who was subordinate to the advice of three monarchs - Russian, Prussian and Austrian. The coalition plan was to encircle and destroy with the forces of all armies area of ​​Leipzig, Napoleon's army numbering up to 180 thousand people with 600-700 guns.

Napoleon, realizing the numerical superiority of the allied armies, decided to defeat the Schwarzenberg armies facing him before the armies of Bernadotte and Bennigsen approached the battlefield.

On October 16, one of the greatest battles of the Napoleonic Wars era began on the plain near Leipzig, which went down in history as the “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 had about 200 thousand people and 893 guns.

At 10 a.m. the battle began with the cannonade of allied batteries and the allied advance on the village of Wachau (Washau). In this direction, Napoleon concentrated several large batteries and infantry forces, which repulsed all Allied attacks. At this time, the center of the Bohemian army tried to cross the river. Place to strike the French left flank bypass. However, the opposite bank of the river was dotted with guns and French riflemen, who with well-aimed fire forced the enemy to retreat.

During the first half of the day, the battle went on with varying degrees of success in all areas of the battle. In some places, the Allies managed to capture several sectors of the enemy’s defenses, but the French and their allies, straining their forces, launched counterattacks and threw the enemy back to their original positions. At the first stage of the battle, the Allies failed to break the courageous resistance of the French and achieve decisive success anywhere. Moreover, having skillfully organized the defense of his positions, Napoleon by 15 o'clock in the afternoon prepared a springboard for a decisive offensive and breakthrough of the allied center.

Initially hidden from the enemy's eyes, 160 guns, on the orders of General A. Drouot, brought down hurricane fire on the breakthrough site. “The earth shook from an unbearable, deafening roar. Individual houses were blown away like a hurricane; in Leipzig, eight miles away, windows in their frames were ringing.” (Heroes and battles. Public military-historical anthology. M., 1995. P. 218.) Exactly at 15 o’clock a massive attack of infantry and cavalry began. Against Murat's 100 squadrons, several battalions of Prince E. of Württenberg, weakened by Drouot's cannonade, lined up in a square and opened grapeshot fire. However, French cuirassiers and dragoons, with the support of infantry, crushed the Russian-Prussian line, overthrew the Guards Cavalry Division and broke through the Allied center. Chasing the fleeing, they found themselves 800 steps from the headquarters of the allied sovereigns. This stunning success convinced Napoleon that victory had already been won. The Leipzig authorities were ordered to ring all the bells in honor of the triumph. However, the battle continued. Alexander I, realizing earlier than others that a critical moment had arrived in the battle, ordered the battery of I. O. Sukhozanet, the Russian division of N. N. Raevsky and the Prussian brigade of F. Kleist to be sent into battle. Until reinforcements arrived, the enemy was held back by a company of Russian artillery and Life Cossacks from Alexander’s convoy.

From his headquarters on the hill near Thonberg, Napoleon saw how the allied reserves came into motion, how fresh cavalry divisions stopped Murat, closed the gap in the allied positions and, in fact, snatched the victory he had already celebrated from Napoleon’s hands. Determined to gain the upper hand at any cost before the arrival of the troops of Bern-Dot and Bennigsen, Napoleon gave the order to send the forces of foot and horse guards to the weakened center of the Allies. However, an unexpected attack by the Austrians on the French right flank changed his plans and forced him to send part of the guard to the aid of Prince J. Poniatowski, who was having difficulty holding back the Austrian attacks. After a stubborn battle, the Austrians were driven back, and the Austrian general Count M. Merveld was captured.

On the same day, in another part of the battle, General Blucher attacked the troops of Marshal O. F. Marmont, who with 24 thousand soldiers held back his onslaught. The villages of Mekern and Viderich changed hands several times during the battle. One of the last attacks showed the courage of the Prussians. General Horn led his brigade into battle, giving them orders not to fire. To the beat of drums, the Prussians launched a bayonet attack, and General Horn and the Brandenburg hussars charged into the French columns. French generals said later that they had not seen such unstoppable courage shown by the Prussians. When the first day of the battle ended, Blucher's soldiers created barriers for themselves from the corpses of the dead, determined not to give up the captured territories to the French.

The first day of the battle did not reveal the winners, although the losses on both sides were enormous (about 60-70 thousand people). On the night of October 16–17, fresh forces of Bernadotte and Bennigsen approached Leipzig. The Allied forces now had a double numerical advantage over Napoleon's forces. On October 17, 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 Merveld and released him with a request to convey a peace offer to the allies. There was no answer. By the night of the 17th, Napoleon ordered his troops to be pulled closer to Leipzig. At 8 a.m. on October 18, the Allies launched an offensive. The French fought desperately, villages changed hands several times, every house, every street, every inch of land had to be stormed or defended. On the left flank of the French, Russian soldiers of Count A.F. Langeron repeatedly stormed the village. Shelfeld, whose houses and cemetery are surrounded stone wall, were perfectly adapted to defense. Twice repulsed, Langeron led his soldiers at bayonet for the third time, and after a terrible hand-to-hand fight, he captured the village. However, the reserves sent by Marshal Marmont against him drove the Russians out of their position. A particularly fierce battle raged near the village. Probstade (Probstgate), in the center of the French position. The corps of General Kleist and General Gorchakov burst into the village by 15 o'clock and began to storm the fortified houses. Then the Old Guard was thrown into action. Napoleon himself led her into battle. The French drove the allies out of Probstade and launched an attack on the main forces of the Austrians. Under the blows of the guard, the enemy lines “crackled” and were ready to crumble, when suddenly, in the midst of the battle, the entire Saxon army, fighting in the ranks of Napoleonic troops, went over to the side of the allies. It was a terrible blow. “A terrible emptiness gaped in the center of the French army, as if its heart had been ripped out of it,” is how A.S. figuratively described the consequences of this betrayal. Merezhkovsky. (Merezhkovsky A.S. Napoleon. Nalchik, 1992. P. 137.)

However, the battle continued until night. By the end of the day, the French managed to keep everything in their hands. key positions defense Napoleon still understood that he could not survive another day, and therefore, on the night of October 18-19, he gave the order to retreat. The exhausted French army began to retreat through Leipzig across the river. Elster. At dawn, having learned that the enemy had cleared the battlefield, the Allies moved towards Leipzig. The city was defended by soldiers of Poniatowski and MacDonald. Loopholes were made in the walls, arrows were scattered and guns were placed in the streets, gardens and bushes. Every step cost the allies blood. The attack was cruel and terrible. Only in the middle of the day was it possible to capture the outskirts, knocking out the French from there with bayonet attacks. Panic began, at the same time the only bridge across the river. Elster flew into the air. It was blown up by mistake, because the soldiers guarding it, seeing the advanced detachment of Russians breaking through to the bridge, lit the fuse in panic.

By this time, half of the army had not yet managed to cross the river. Napoleon managed to withdraw only about 100 thousand people from the city, 28 thousand had not yet managed to cross. In the ensuing panic and confusion, the soldiers refused to obey orders, some threw themselves into the water and tried to swim across the river, but either drowned or died from enemy bullets. Marshal Poniatowski (he received the Marshal's Baton for the battle on October 17), trying to organize an attack and retreat, was wounded twice, rushed on horseback into the water and drowned. The allies who burst into the city finished off the frustrated army, killed, slaughtered, and captured. Thus, up to 13 thousand people were destroyed, 20 division and brigade generals were captured along with 11 thousand French. The Battle of Leipzig is over. The Allied victory was complete and had enormous international significance. Napoleon's army was defeated, the second campaign in a row ended in failure. All of Germany rebelled against the conquerors. Napoleon realized that his empire was collapsing; The community of countries and peoples, welded together with iron and blood, was disintegrating. The peoples of the enslaved lands did not want to endure his yoke; they were ready to sacrifice the lives of their children just to throw off the hated conquerors. The Battle of Leipzig showed that the end of Napoleonic rule was near and inevitable.

Battle of Leipzig (also known as the Battle of the Nations, German: Volkerschlacht bei Leipzig, October 16-19, 1813) - largest battle The Napoleonic Wars and the largest in world history until the outbreak of the First World War, in which Emperor Napoleon 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, 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 France alone remaining under Napoleon's rule, leading to the Allied invasion of France in 1814 and Napoleon's first abdication.

After Napoleon's Russian campaign, which ended with the destruction of the French army, Prussia rebelled against Napoleon in the spring of 1813. Russian-Prussian troops liberated Germany all the way to the Elbe River.

Napoleon, having recruited recruits to replace the veterans who died in Russia, managed to win two victories over the Russian-Prussian troops at Lützen (May 2) and at Bautzen (May 21), which led to a short-term ceasefire on June 4.

The truce ended on August 11 with the entry of Austria and Sweden into the war against Napoleon. The resulting Sixth Coalition united Great Britain, Russia, Spain, Portugal, Prussia, Austria, Sweden and some of the small German principalities against Napoleon. In contrast to Napoleon's army, which had been reduced to several hundred thousand, the combined forces of the coalition on the eastern bank of the Rhine, according to some sources, reached a million soldiers.

The coalition forces were divided into 3 armies: the Northern Army under the command of the Swedish Crown Prince Bernadotte, the Silesian Army under the command of the Prussian Field Marshal Blücher and the Bohemian Army under the command of the Austrian Field Marshal Schwarzenberg. Russian troops made up significant contingents in all 3 armies, but for political reasons, Tsar Alexander I did not demand command for Russian generals.

Napoleon drove the Allied Bohemian Army back to Austria at the Battle of Dresden on August 27. Following the strategy of the Trachenberg Plan, the Allies avoided direct clashes with Napoleon, but successfully fought against his marshals, winning victories over Marshal Oudinot at Grosberen, over Marshal MacDonald at Katzbach, over General Vandam at Kulm and over Marshal Ney at Dennewitz. Then there was a respite for three weeks, the parties gathered their strength.

At the beginning of October, the Allies were reinforced with fresh reinforcements and went on the offensive against Napoleon, who was holding defenses around Dresden in eastern Saxony. Blucher's Silesian army bypassed Dresden from the north and crossed the Elbe north of Leipzig. It was also joined by the Northern Army of Bernadotte, who was extremely sluggishly advancing the army entrusted to him. Schwarzenberg's Bohemian army bypassed Dresden from the south and also moved towards Leipzig, to Napoleon's rear.

Napoleon, leaving a strong garrison in Dresden and putting up a barrier against the Bohemian army, rushed to Leipzig, hoping to first defeat Blucher and Bernadotte. Prussian troops attacked from the north of Wartenburg, Russian and Austrian troops from the south and west, Swedish troops from the north, in the second echelon after the Prussians.

Napoleon was looking for a decisive battle, since the Allies' strategy of attrition gave them an advantage due to their much greater resources. According to historians, what was fatal for Napoleon was the tactical overestimation of his troops, exhausted by previous battles and days-long marches, and the strategic underestimation of the military power of the allies. Due to incorrect information, he doubted the presence of the Austrian Bohemian Army. Napoleon also mistakenly believed that the Russo-Prussian Silesian army was located much further north than it actually was.

The commander-in-chief of the French army was Emperor Napoleon I Bonaparte. Despite defeat in the Russian Campaign of 1812, he still held sway over half of continental Europe. In a short time, he managed to increase the number of French troops in the east from 30 to 130 thousand, taking into account the Allied troops - up to 400 thousand, although he was unable to restore the previous cavalry. Near Leipzig, Napoleon had 9 infantry corps (more than 120 thousand), the Imperial Guard (3 infantry corps, cavalry corps and artillery reserve, up to 42 thousand in total), 5 cavalry. corps (up to 24 thousand) and the garrison of Leipzig (about 4 thousand). In addition to the French, Napoleon's army consisted of Germans, Poles, Italians, Belgians, and Dutch.

Józef Poniatowski The Polish contingent (8th Infantry Corps, about 5 thousand), who remained loyal to Napoleon, was commanded by the nephew of King Stanisław August of Poland, Prince Józef Poniatowski. Like most Poles, Poniatowski welcomed the Peace of Tilsit, considering it the first step towards Polish independence under French protectorate. Having distinguished himself at the siege of Danzig and near Friedland, he was appointed minister of war of the provisional government of Poland, and in 1808 - commander-in-chief of the Polish troops. Participated in the Russian campaign, fought at Borodino. After the retreat from Russia, he remained loyal to Napoleon, and on the first day of the Battle of the Nations he became the only foreigner to receive a marshal's baton from Napoleon's hands. At the same time, the territory of Poland was under the rule of Tsar Alexander I.

King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony was forced to side with Napoleon. According to the Peace of Tilsit, Saxony received the Cottbus district, taken from Prussia, as well as the Duchy of Warsaw, formed from Polish lands that belonged to Prussia, which marked the beginning of friction with Prussia. As soon as Prussian-Russian troops entered Saxony in 1813, Frederick Augustus fled Dresden for fear of losing his crown if Prussia won. Friedrich-August's advisers, Langenau and Count Senft, were in favor of rapprochement with Austria, but the king refused, knowing that Austria would demand renunciation of rights to the Duchy of Warsaw. On April 20, 1813, a secret convention was signed with Austria, as a result of which Frederick Augustus refused Napoleon assistance with cavalry and forbade the opening of the Torgau fortress to French troops, which stopped Ney’s movement towards Berlin. After Napoleon's victory at Lützen, Frederick Augustus dismissed Senft and asked Napoleon for forgiveness in a handwritten letter. When Napoleon left Dresden on October 7, Friedrich August and his family followed him. The Saxon division was part of the 7th Infantry. housings.

On October 15, Napoleon deployed his troops around Leipzig, with most of his army (about 110 thousand) south of the city along the Pleiße River, from Konnewitz to Markkleeberg, then further east through Wachau and Liebertwolkwitz to Holzhausen. Bertrand's corps (12 thousand) at Lindenau (German: Lindenau) covered the road to the west. In the north there were troops of Marshals Marmont and Ney (50 thousand).

By this time, the Allies had about 200 thousand soldiers available, since the 1st Austrian Corps of Colloredo and the Russian Polish Army of Bennigsen were just arriving at the battlefield, as well as Crown Prince Bernadotte with the Northern Army. The Allied forces consisted primarily of the Bohemian Army, which included Tsar Alexander I and the Prussian King Frederick William III.

According to the plan of Commander-in-Chief Schwarzenberg, the main part of the army was supposed to overcome resistance near Connewitz, break through the swampy lowland between the Elster (German Elster) and Pleiss rivers, bypass the French right flank and take the shortest western road to Leipzig. About 20 thousand soldiers under the command of the Austrian Marshal Giulai were to attack the western suburb of Leipzig, Lindenau, and Blücher was to attack Leipzig from the north, from Schkeuditz.

After objections from Alexander I, who pointed out the difficulty of crossing such territory, to carry out his plan, Schwarzenberg received only 35 thousand Austrians from Merfeldt’s 2nd Corps under the overall command of Crown Prince Frederick of Hesse-Homburg. Klenau's 4th Austrian Corps, Wittgenstein's Russian troops and Kleist's Prussian Corps, under the overall command of Russian General Barclay de Tolly, were to attack the French head-on from the south-east. Thus, the Bohemian army found itself divided into three parts by rivers and swamps: in the west were the Austrians of Giulaia, another part of the Austrian army operated in the south between the Elster and Pleise rivers, and the rest of the Bohemian army under the command of Barclay from the southeast.

October 16 turned out to be cloudy. Even before dawn, the Russian-Prussian army of Barclay de Tolly began to advance and at about 8 o'clock in the morning opened artillery fire on the enemy. The Allied vanguard columns began to attack the positions of the French troops.

Russian (14th Division Helfreich) and Prussian (12th Brigade and 4 battalions of the 9th Brigade) troops under the command of Kleist captured Markleeberg, defended by Marshal Augereau and the Polish Prince Poniatowski, at about 9.30: they were driven out of there four times and took it by storm again four times .

Battle on the Vakhaut Heights. V. Moshkov, 1815. The village of Wachau (German: Wachau), located to the east, where troops were stationed under the command of Napoleon himself, was also taken by the Russians (2nd Infantry Corps, 5200 people; Palen cavalry - hussars, lancers and Cossacks, 2300 people ) and Prussian (9th Brigade, 5800 people) troops under the command of Russian General Evgeniy Württemberg. However, due to losses from French artillery shelling, Wachau was abandoned again by midday. Several battalions entrenched themselves in the forest on the border with the village.

5th Russian division Mezentsov (5 thousand people), Prussian 10th (Pirch, 4550 people) and 11th brigades (Zieten, 5360 people) under the overall command of Gorchakov and 4th Austrian corps Klenau (24,500 people) advanced on Lieberwolkwitz, protected by the 5th infantry. Loriston's corps (13,200 people, 50 guns) and Macdonald's corps (18 thousand people). 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 Lieberwolkwitz by 11 o'clock.

The entire Allied front was so weakened by the battle that it was only with difficulty that it could defend its original positions. The operation of the Austrian troops against Connewitz also did not bring success, and in the afternoon Schwarzenberg sent the Austrian corps to help Barclay de Tolly.

Napoleon decided to launch a counteroffensive. At about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, 8-10 thousand French cavalry under the command of Murat tried to break through the central Allied front at Wachau. They managed to break through to the hill on which the allied monarchs and Schwarzenberg were located, but were stopped by the Russian guard and the allied cavalry rushing to the rescue.

The French infantry offensive also ended in failure. Lauriston's corps on Gyldengossa. When Schwarzenberg realized the strategic importance of this position, he ordered reserve units under the command of Grand Duke Constantine to be brought to it.

Brandenburg Hussars near MöckernThe attack of Giulai's troops on Lidenau was also repulsed by the French general Bertrand, but the Silesian army achieved important success. Without waiting for Bernadotte's Northern Army to approach, Blucher gave the order to join the general offensive. At Wideritz (German: Wideritz) and Möckern (German: Mockern), his troops encountered fierce resistance. The Polish general Dombrowski, who defended the first village, kept it from being captured by the Russian troops of Lanzheron for the whole day. Marmont's 17,000 men defending Mockern were ordered to abandon their positions and march south to the Wachau, forcing them to abandon their well-fortified positions in the north. Having learned about the approach of the enemy, Marmont decided to detain him and sent a request for help to Her.

The Prussian General York, who commanded a 20,000-strong corps in this area, 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, and Napoleon’s two corps were diverted from participating in the key battle of Wachau.

As night fell, the fighting died down. The offensive cost the Allies about 20 thousand killed and wounded. Despite successful Allied counterattacks at Guldengossa and in the University Forest (near Wachau), most of the battlefield remained with the French. They pushed back the Allied troops from Wachau to Gulgengossa and from Lieberwolvitz to the University Forest, but were unable to break through the front. In general, the day ended without much advantage for the parties.

In the previous battles, Napoleon failed to defeat the enemy. Reinforcements of 100 thousand soldiers were coming to the allies, while the French emperor could only count on von Düben's corps. Napoleon was aware of the danger, however, hoping for family ties with Emperor Franz, he did not leave the extremely vulnerable position near Leipzig. Through the Austrian general Merfeldt, captured at Connewitz, late at night on October 16, he conveyed his terms of the truce - the same ones that had already brought him peace in August. However, this time the allies did not deign to answer the emperor. According to some researchers, the offer of a truce turned out to be a serious psychological mistake of Napoleon - the allies, disappointed by the results of the previous day, believed in the weakness of the French if the emperor was the first to offer peace.

Sunday, October 17, went mostly calmly, only in the north did Blucher’s troops, taking the villages of Eutritzsch and Golis, approach Leipzig.

At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the Allied War Council met in the village of Zestevit. At the same time, a message was received about the arrival of Benningsen's Polish army (54 thousand). Schwarzenberg wanted to resume the battle immediately, but Benningsen said that his soldiers were too tired from the long march. It was decided to resume the offensive at 7 am the next day.

To strengthen Benningsen's army, it was given the 4th Austrian corps of Klenau, the 11th brigade of Zieten and Platov's Cossacks, which increased its number to 75 thousand soldiers.

At 2 o'clock in the morning on October 18, Napoleon abandoned his old positions, which were practically impossible to defend due to a lack of troops, and retreated one hour away from Leipzig. The new position was defended by 150 thousand soldiers, which was clearly not enough to repel the Allies, who by that time had 300 thousand soldiers with 1,400 guns. Despite this, the battles on October 18 were extremely fierce and not successful for the Allies in all areas. At 7 o'clock in the morning Schwarzenberg gave the order to attack.

Napoleon, commanding his troops from his headquarters at the Stotterlitz tobacco mill, defended much more fiercely than was necessary to cover his retreat. The Allied columns took the offensive unevenly, some of them moving too late, which is why the attack was not carried out 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 French positions near Dölitz, Deusen and Losnig, trying to push the French away from the river. Place. Dölitz was taken first, and Deusen was taken at about 10 o'clock. The Prince of Hesse-Homburg was seriously wounded, Colloredo took command. The French troops were pushed back to Connewitz, but there two divisions sent by Napoleon under the command of Oudinot came to their aid. The Austrians were forced to retreat, leaving Deusen. Having regrouped, they again went on the offensive and by lunchtime captured Lösning, but they failed to retake Connewitz, defended by the Poles and the Young Guard under the command of Oudinot and Augereau.

A stubborn battle broke out near Probstheida, defended by Marshal Victor from the columns of Barclay de Tolly. Napoleon sent there the Old Guard and Drouot's guard artillery (about 150 guns). The Old Guard tried to develop a counter-offensive to the south, but was stopped by artillery fire located on a small hill 500 m from the battle site. The allies failed to take Probstheida before the end of daylight, and the battle continued after dark.

At about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, on the right flank, Benningsen's army, which went on the offensive late, captured Zuckelhausen, Holzhausen and Paunsdorf. In the assault on Paunsdorf, despite Bernadotte's objections, units of the Northern Army, Bülow's Prussian corps and Wintzingerode's Russian corps also took part. Units of the Silesian Army under the command of Langeron and Sacken captured Schönefeld and Golis. In the battle near Paunsdorof, a new weapon was used for the first time - British rocket batteries, England's contribution to the Battle of the Nations (part of the Northern Army).

At the height of the battle, the entire Saxon division (3 thousand, 19 guns), fighting in the ranks of 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 vividly conveyed by the following quote:

“A terrible emptiness gaped in the center of the French army, as if its heart had been ripped out of it.”

By evening, in the north and east, the French were pushed back to within a 15-minute march of Leipzig. After 6 o'clock darkness brought an end to hostilities, and the troops prepared to resume the battle the next morning. After Napoleon gave the order to retreat, the chief of his artillery presented a report according to which 220 thousand cannonballs were used up in 5 days of fighting. There were only 16 thousand left and no supplies were expected.

Schwarzenberg doubted the need to force a still dangerous enemy into a desperate battle. Giulai was ordered only to observe the French and not to 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 Salles, where the convoy and artillery followed him. At night, the retreat of the entire French army, guards, cavalry, corps of Victor and Augereau began, while Macdonald, Ney and Lauriston remained in the city to cover the retreat.

Since Napoleon, when planning the battle, counted only on victory, insufficient measures were taken to prepare for the retreat. All columns had only one road to Weißenfels at their disposal.

The Allied disposition for October 19 was drawn up with the expectation of continuing the battle. Alexander's proposals to cross Pleisse and Blucher and allocate 20 thousand cavalry to pursue the enemy were rejected. When the morning fog cleared, it became clear that an assault on Leipzig would not be necessary. The King of Saxony sent an officer with an offer to surrender the city without a fight if the French troops were guaranteed 4 hours to retreat. Alexander rejected it and sent his adjutants to the columns with orders to attack at 10 o'clock in the morning.

According to the British envoy Cathcart, the King of Saxony sued for peace when the Allies had already begun shelling the city. The Russian general Tol, who delivered Alexander I’s answer to the king, was forced to organize protection for the Saxon king from Russian soldiers who began to storm the palace.

The retreating French army blows up the bridge prematurely. Engraving from the 19th century. While the French army was crowding through the western Randstadt Gate and Napoleon himself was only barely able to get out of the city, Russian troops under the command of Langeron and Saken captured the eastern suburb of Halles (German: Halles), the Prussians under the command of Bülow - the suburb of Grimmas (German: Grimmas), the southern gate of the city - Peterstor - was taken by the Russian troops of Bennigsen. Panic among the remaining defenders of the city reached its peak when the Elsterbrücke Bridge, located in front of the Randstadt Gate, was mistakenly blown up. Hearing the shouts of “Hurray!” advancing allies, sappers hastily blew up the bridge, despite the fact that about 20 thousand French remained in the city, including MacDonald, Poniatowski, Lauriston. Many, including Marshal Poniatowski, died during the retreat, the rest were taken prisoner.

By one o'clock in the afternoon the city was completely liberated.

The battle ended with Napoleon's retreat across the Rhine to France. After the defeat of the French near Leipzig, Bavaria went over to the side of the 6th coalition. The united Austro-Bavarian corps under the command of the Bavarian General Wrede tried to cut off the retreat of the French army on the approach to the Rhine near Frankfurt, but on October 31, it was repulsed by Napoleon with losses in the Battle of Hanau. On November 2, Napoleon crossed the Rhine into France, and two days later the allied armies approached the Rhine and stopped there.

Soon after Napoleon's retreat from Leipzig, Marshal Saint-Cyr surrendered Dresden with its entire huge arsenal. Apart from Hamburg, where Marshal Davout desperately defended himself, all other French garrisons in Germany surrendered before the beginning of 1814. The Rhine Confederation of German states, subject to Napoleon, collapsed, and Holland was liberated.

In early January, the Allies began the 1814 campaign with an invasion of France. Napoleon was left alone with France against an advancing Europe, which led to his first abdication in April 1814.

According to rough estimates, the French army lost 70-80 thousand soldiers near Leipzig, of which approximately 40 thousand were killed and wounded, 15 thousand prisoners, another 15 thousand captured in hospitals and up to 5 thousand Saxons went over to the Allied side. In addition to combat losses, the lives of soldiers of the retreating army were claimed by a typhus epidemic. It is known that Napoleon was only able to bring about 40 thousand soldiers back to France. Among the dead was Marshal of France Jozef Poniatowski (nephew of King Stanislaw Poniatowski of Poland), who received his marshal's baton only two days before the fateful day. 325 guns went to the Allies as a trophy.

Allied losses amounted to 54 thousand killed and wounded, of which 22,600 Russians, 16,000 Prussians, 15,000 Austrians and only 180 Swedes.

Russian losses are confirmed by an inscription on the gallery wall military glory in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, a hero was mortally wounded Patriotic War Lieutenant General Neverovsky. Lieutenant General Shevich and 5 other major generals were also killed. For the battle, 4 generals received the Order of St. George, 2nd degree. An exceptionally high assessment, considering that only one person was awarded the Order of the 2nd degree for the Battle of Borodino, and in just 150 years of the order’s existence, the 2nd degree was awarded only 125 times.