1806.] 



Battle of Jena. 



489 



" The following was the pofition of the 

 »rmy on the 13th: — 



" The Grand-Duke of Berg and Marflial 

 Davouft were with their corps of their army 

 at Naumburg, having a part at Leipzig and 

 Halle. 



" The corps of Mardial Prince Ponte-Corvo 

 was on the march to come up to Naumburg. 



" The corps of Marfhal Lannes advanced 

 to Jena j the corps of Marflial Augereau was 

 placed in the pofition of Khala. 



" The cor|)s of Marfhal Ney was at Rotha. 



*' The head-quarters were at Gera. 



♦• The Emperor was on tlie march to pro- 

 ceed to Jena. 



♦' The corps of Marfhal Soult was on the 

 march from Gera, to take a more convenient 

 pofition upon the ftraight road from Naum- 

 burg to Jena. 



" The pofition of the enemy was the fol- 

 lowing :-— 



•' The King of PrulTia wilTied to commence 

 hoflilities on the 9th of October, by bearing 

 down his right wing on Frankfort, with his 

 centre on Wurtzburg, and his left wing on 

 Bamberg. All the divifions of his army were 

 difpofed for the accomplifhment of this plan; 

 but the French army turning him upon the 

 extremity of his left wing, was found jn a few 

 days at Saalburg, at Lobenftein, at Schleitz, 

 at Gera, and at Naumburg. The Pruffian ar- 

 my feeing itfelf turned, occupied the days of 

 the 9tii, 10th, 11th, and 12th, in calling in 

 their detachments, and on the l.'Sth formed 

 itfelf in order of battle between Capelfdorff'and 

 Auerf>adt, being about I3u,000 men flrong. 



•' On the loth, at two o'clock in the after- 

 noon, the Emperor came to Jena, and on a 

 fmall elevated flat, befet by our advanced 

 guard, reconnoitred the pofitions of the ene- 

 my, in order to manoeuvre in fuch a way as 

 next day to force the different pafles on the 

 Saal, and fo to fall on. The enemy made a 

 ■vigorous oppofition, and feemed by their dif- 

 pofitions, on an inacceflible pofition on the 

 highway between Jena and Weimar, to think 

 that the French could not flretch out upon the 

 plain without previoufly forcing that paifage. 

 It did not appear poihble, in faift, to bring the 

 artillery upon the flat, which was fo fmall, 

 that four battalions could fcarcely open out 

 their ranks upon it. 



" The men were fet at work the whole 

 niglit to make a way over the ruts, and at 

 length fucceeded in bringing the artillery upon 

 the height. 



*' Marfhal Davouft received orders to defile 

 near Naumburg, for the purpofe of defending 

 the defiles of Koefen, as the enemy wanted 

 to inarch upon Naumburg, in order to reach 

 Apolda, and fall upon bis rear in cafe he re- 

 mained in the fituation he then was. 



•' The corps of Marfhal Prince Ponte-Corvo 

 was deftined to ffrctch out b^' Naumburg, in 

 order to fall upon the rear guard of the enemy, 

 in cafe he bent flrungly Coward Is^aumburg or 

 Jena. 



*' The heavy cavalry, which had not yet 

 come up with the army, could not be entirely 

 brought on by mid-day. The cavalry of the 

 Imperial Guard was at the diftance of thirty- 

 fix hours march, notwithflanding the heavy 

 journey which it had performed fince it left 

 Paris; but it was come to that moment of 

 the war, when no fingle confideration fhould 

 outweigh to deprive them of the advantage of 

 being the firft to meet and fall upon the 

 enemy 



" The Emp°ror placed the whole corps of 

 Marfh.il Lannes in order of battle upon the 

 level height, which the enemy feeuied to 

 overlook (they occupied a pofition over againft 

 it). This corps was placed under the care of 

 General Victor ; each divifion formed a wing. 

 Marfhal Lefebre ordered the Imperial Guard 

 into a fquare battalion upon the higlieft point. 

 The Emperor kept the watcli in the midfl of 

 his brave men. The night prefented a re- 

 markable fpeftacle: two armies, the one of 

 which extended its front upon a line of fix 

 hours march, fired the air with its lights ; 

 the other, the lights or wliich feemed to be 

 brought into one fmall point; and in the one^ 

 as well as in the other, all watchfulnel's and 

 motion. The lights of the two armies were 

 at half cannon fhot diftance relpeftively ; the 

 fentinels were alnioft touching ; and there wai 

 not a fingle motion on either fide, which 

 could not be heard from the other. 



The divifi ns of Marfhals Ney and Soult 

 took up the whole night in marching. At 

 break of day the whole army was under arras. 

 Gazan's divifion was difpofed in three ranks; 

 the left on the level height ; Suchet's divi- 

 fion formed the right ; the Imperial Guards 

 o copied the fummit of a height. Each of 

 thefe corps had their artillery in the little 

 fpaces between. 



" From the town and neighbouring valliei 

 the pafTes had been difcovered hy which th« 

 troops, which could not be placed upon the 

 level height, might extfind themfelves in the 

 eafieft manner; and this is furely the firft 

 occafion when an army had to defile thraugh 

 fo fmall a pafs. 



♦' A thick fog obfcured the day. The 

 Emperor pafTed before the difl'erent lines : he 

 commanded his foldiers to take care of tie 

 Pruflian cavalry, which had been defcribed 

 as being fo formidable; he bade them rt- 

 member thata year was not elapfed fince Uim 

 was taken ; that the PruJ^ian army, like the 

 Aullrian then, was furrounded — had been 

 driven from their line of operations, and loft 

 their magazines; that they at the prefe: t 

 moment no lunger fought for honour, but 

 for a retreat ; that they alone fought to 

 make tiiemfelves an opening upon different 

 points, and that the corps of the army, which 

 fhould let them pafs, would lofe its honoar 

 and its glory. 



" To thefe infpiriting words the foldiers an- 

 fwered, with a loud cry of " Let us onivtird !'] 

 The light troojjs bejjan the adtion. Ihcy 



opened 



