490 



Battle of Jena. 



[Dec. 1 , 



opened a very bnfk fire. Good as was the 

 poljtion of the enemy, he was neverthelefs 

 driven out ; and the French army marcJuad 

 cut in the plain, and began to form in the 

 order of battle. 



" The enemy's army, which on their IJde 

 had no other view than to fall an whenever 

 the fog fhould have cleared up, took up tlteir 

 arms. An army of 50,000 men from the 

 kft wing polted itfelf to cover the dufiles of 

 Naumburg, ond to get polTcfficn of the pafles 

 ofKocfen. But this was already antici|Mted 

 by Marihal Davouft. The two other armiis, 

 one amounting to 00,000 men ftiong, placed 

 themfelvcs be/bre the French army, which 

 was opening out from the level height of 

 Jena. 'I'he mift hung over both armies, lafl- 

 ing two hours; but at length was diriipated 

 by the brightnefs of the fun The two 

 armies mutually beheld each other at the 

 diftance of lefs than cannon-/hot. The left 

 wing of the French army fupporting itfelf 

 agaiiift a village and the woods, was com- 

 manded by Marihal Augereau. Tlie Inipe- 

 lial guavd (hewed their fire upon the centre, 

 which was maintained by fliaidial Laniics ; 

 the right wing was drawn together out of the 

 corps of Varlhal Soult, who had only a fmall 

 corps of 3000 men, purely conipofcd of troops 

 which had arrived of his light corps. 



" The enemy's army was nun.erous, a.id 

 difplayed a fine cavalry ; their manosuvres 

 were exailly and rapidly executed. The Em- 

 peror had chofen to delay coming to an en- 

 gagement (or two hours, in order to watch 

 the pofirions whicli the enemy rtiould lake 

 after the adion or' the morning, and to give 

 the nei'cflary orders to the troops, efp^cially 

 the cavalry, wliich retjuiied the grcatefi care. 

 But the impetuofity of the French was too 

 ardent for him. Several battalions had be. 

 gun to engage in the village of Hollftedt. 

 He faw that tlie enemy was in motion to 

 drive them out j he gave immediarp orders to 

 Marihal Laiines to march wit'i •"fpedition to 

 the lupport of the village. Mavinal .S<.iilt 

 had attacked a wood or the right. The 

 enemy having made a movement vith his 

 right wing upon our left, Marihal A-s^pieau 

 was commanded to repulfe them, and in lefs 

 than an hour the aftion was general. Two 

 hundred and fifty, or three hundred thoufand 

 men, with feven or eight hundred pieces of 

 artillery, fcattered death in every diredion, 

 and exhibited one of the mart awful events 

 ever witnefied on t-'-e theatre of hiftory. On 

 one fide, as well as on the ether, every ma- 

 neeuvre was performed as it it were on a pa- 

 rade. 



" Among our troops there was not for a 

 moment the leaft diforderj the vidtory was 

 rot uncertain for an inflant. The Emperor 

 had all along by him, bsfidcs his Imperial 

 Guard, a large body of troops, as a referve to 

 aft in unfoiefeen events. 



*' Marflul Soult having got poflTefiion of 

 the wgod) which occupied huu t^^o hours, 



made a movement in advance. At that in- 

 ftant the Emperor gave orders that ths divi- 

 fion of French cavalry in referve (hould begin 

 to take pott, and that the two new divifionj 

 from tiie army of Marihal Ncy Ihould take 

 ftation upon the field of battle by the r.-ar. 

 All the troops of the referve were advanced 

 to the Ibremoft line, which being thus 

 ftrengthened, threw the enemy into diforder, 

 and they inftantly retired. 



" They retrieved themfelves during the 

 laft hour; hut were cjil: into dreadfui confu- 

 fion, at the moment when our divifion of dra- 

 goons and cuiralTiers having the Grand Duke 

 of Berg at their head, were able to lake a part 

 in the engagement. Thefe brave cavaliers, 

 fearing that the fate of the day would be de- 

 termined Vr-ithout their alfiftance, then, bore 

 the HrufTians down before them in great con- 

 fufion wherever they met them. I'he Pruf- 

 fian cavalry and infantry could not withftand 

 the Ihock. In vain did they form themfelves 

 into a fquare : five of their battalions were 

 put to the rput — artillery, cavalry, in'antry, 

 all vwere furprized and taken. I'he French 

 came at the fame inftant to Weimar as the 

 enemy, who found themfelves purfued for fix 

 hours. 



'• On our light wing, Marihal Davouft did 

 wonders. Not only did he maiiitiin hii 

 ground, hut he followed figliting for the fpace 

 of three hoars againft the great body of the 

 enemy's troops from the defiles of Koefen. 



" This Officer to a diltinguifhed bravery join* 

 a vaft deal of firmnrfs, the hrft recommenda- 

 tion of a warrior. He was fupported by Ge- 

 nerals Gudin, Friant, Morand, Uaultranne, 

 Chiet of the General Staff, and by the fteady 

 intrepidity of his brave light corps. 



"The refult of the battle is from 30 to 

 40,000 prifoners of war, and more are conti- 

 nually coming in ; three hundred pieces of can- 

 non, immenle magazines, and quj-.tities of 

 provilions. Among the pr Tuners zrz more 

 than twenty Generals ; among others fcveral 

 Lieutenant-Generals ; one is Lieufe.nant-Ge- 

 n.-ral Srhmeitau. The amounc of the lofs of 

 the Prufiian army is enormous ; it is cftimated 

 at above srO,0()0 killed and wounded. Mar- 

 ilial MoUendorfF is wounded ; the Duke of 

 Brunfwick and General Ruchel are killed, 

 and Prince Henry of Prufila is wounded dcf- 

 perately. According to the account of defer- 

 ters, prifoners of war, and flags of truce, the 

 diforder and confufion in the remainder of the 

 enemy's army is at the ulmoft. 



•' On our fi.He, we have only to lament the 

 lofs of Brigadier-General De Belli, a brave 

 foldicr; and the wound of Brigade General 

 Couroux. Among the killed are Colonels 

 ■Verges of the ItJth Infantry of the Line, La- 

 motte of the 36th, Barbenegre of the 9th re- 

 giment of Hufi'ari, Marigny of the 28th Chaf- 

 feurs, Harifpe of the Ibth Light Infantry, 

 Dalembourg of the 1ft Dragoons, Nicholas of 

 the 61ft of the Line, Viala, of the 81ft, and 

 Higoa«t of the 108th. 



"Th« 



