GENERAL HISTORY. 



[119 



the strong battery and works at 

 Bremer-lee ; on the intelligence of 

 which event, a party of veterans 

 was sent from Cuxhaven to sup- 

 port the insurgent peasantry. The 

 French, however, collecting a force 

 at Bremen, marched a detachment 

 to Bremer-lee, which dispersed a 

 part of the peasants, and beat off 

 the veterans who defended the 

 bridge. They then attacked the 

 battery at which the rest of the 

 veterans and peasants were posted. 

 The latter capitulated in the hope 

 of saving their lives, but they were 

 all put to the sword. General 

 Witgenstein, having been placed 

 at the head of the Prussian 

 troops, made dispositions for cross- 

 ing the Elbe in different parts ; 

 to frustrate which, the French con- 

 centrated their force in the vici- 

 nity of Magdeburg, and strength- 

 ened themselves by draughts from 

 Dresden and Leipsic. Their left 

 wing was encamped near Gardele- 

 ben ; and the whole army was un- 

 der the orders of marshals Davoust 

 and Victor. General Dornberg, 

 having arrived at Havelberg, cross- 

 ed the Elbe with his corps oppo- 

 site to Werben, on March 26th, 

 but a French detachment sent a- 

 gainst him obliged him to recross 

 the river, with a trifling loss. 

 General Tchernicheff, arriving next 

 at Havelberg, passed the Elbe at 

 the Sandkruge, and took posses- 

 sion of Seehausen and Lichterfeld. 

 An advanced regiment of Cossacks 

 was attacked at the latter place by 

 B French corps of infantry and ca- 

 valry, but was able to support it- 

 self till another regiment of cavalry 

 -came to its assistance ; and both 

 together drove back the enemy to 

 Werben. Dornberg now repassed 

 the river lower down at Lentzen ; 



and the two generals took a posi- 

 tion to secure themselves from an 

 attack. They were here informed 

 that the French general Morand, 

 with a strong corps, was pushing 

 on to Luneburg, in order to punish 

 the inhabitants of that town for 

 having taken up arms, and with 

 the aid of a small party of Cossacks, 

 driven away a squadron of French 

 cavalry. Resolving to protect these 

 brave people, they hastened to 

 Luneburg, but were unable to reach 

 it till the morning of April 2nd, 

 when the French had been in pos- 

 session of the town twelve hours. 

 They learned that on this very 

 morning several executions of the 

 insurgents were to take place, 

 which determined them to make 

 an immediate assault. This was 

 conducted with so much bravery 

 and skill that, after a long and san- 

 guinary contest, a complete vic- 

 tory was obtained by the united 

 Russians and Prussians, who now 

 for the first time fought together 

 on the left bank of the Elbe ; and 

 upwards of 100 officers, and 2,200 

 privates and nine pieces of cannon 

 remained in the hands of the vic- 

 tors: General Morand was killed. 

 The viceroy of Italy having about 

 this time formed a plan of pushing 

 from Magdeburg to Berlin, it was 

 discovered by Witgenstein, who 

 attacked him on two sides at Mock- 

 em, and obliged him to fall back 

 to Magdeburg, after the loss of two 

 regiments of cavalry 



The allied force at this period of 

 the campaign was thus distributed. 

 The Russians, whom sickness and 

 fatigue had reduced much below 

 their expected numbers, were di- 

 vided into three armies, under the 

 generals Witgenstein, Tschitscha- 

 goff, and Winzingrode, prince 



