GENERAL HISTORY. 



[121 



imperial guards. The viceroy of 

 Italy, Eugene Beauharnois, was 

 appoinled second in command, and 

 Berthier, chief of the staff. The 

 several corps were placed under 

 generals and marshals, long known 

 in the service. Such was the mighty 

 force with which the ruler of the 

 fate of France moved to another, 

 and, as was generally thought, a 

 . concluding campaign. 



The Kiarch of the different di- 

 visions of the French was directed 

 so as to form a junction near Jena, 

 and upon the Saale. Marshal Ney, 

 who took the lead on the left, ar- 

 rived in front of Erfurt on April 

 21st, and the intermediate corps 

 were rapidly closing in. The allied 

 armies of Russians and Prussians 

 had for soirie time been concen- 

 trating in the neighbourhood of 

 Leipsic. The death of the veteran 

 chief, Kutusoff, on his march, had 

 transferred the supreme command 

 to Witgenstein, whose head-quar- 

 ters were at Doelisch, to the north 

 of Leipsic, whilst those of the 

 Prussian general Blucher were at 

 Altenburg, to the south of that 

 city. The French commanders 

 successively crossed the Saale with 

 greater or less opposition, whilst 

 the Russian and Prussian forces 

 formed an union between Leipzic 

 and Altenburg. Napoleon joined 

 his troops, and took the command ; 

 and the emperor of Russia and 

 king of Prussia animated their re- 

 spective armies by their personal 

 presence. On April 30th, Witgen- 

 stein having received intelligence 

 which convinced him that it was 

 »he intention of the French to make 

 a junction between that part of 

 the army which was under the 

 command of the viceroy, and the 

 main body, sent general Wintzing- 



rode's corps from Leipzic on the 

 road to Weissenfels to make a re- 

 connoissance. This corps came to 

 action on May 1st, by which it 

 was ascertained that the enemy's 

 chief force was in the vicinity of 

 Weissenfels and Lutzen, whilst the 

 viceroy's position appeared to be 

 between Leipzic and Halle. Wit- 

 genstein therefore resolved to pre- 

 vent the enemy's operations by 

 making a previous attack upon his 

 principal force, and with that view 

 marched in the night between the 

 1st and 2nd of May to the defile of 

 the Elster, in the vicinity of Pegau. 

 At day-break the allied army had 

 passed the defile, and were drawn 

 up on the left bank of the Elster, 

 The enemy's main body was ex- 

 tended beyond Weissenfels, with 

 its centre at the village of Gross 

 Groschen, and reaching to Lutzen, 

 the plain of which was the scene 

 of the famous battle in which the 

 great Gustavus lost his life. About 

 noon, Blucher with the vanguard 

 moved to the attack of the French, 

 posted in Gross Groschen, which 

 village he carried by storm after 

 an obstinate defence. The battle 

 soon became general along the 

 line. The villages in front were 

 several times taken and retaken, 

 and the action continued with great 

 carnage till near seven in the even- 

 ing. The result was, that the al- 

 lies kept possession of the field, 

 and that after the following day 

 had passed without fighting, the 

 French retreated, and Napoleon 

 established his head quarters at 

 Querfurt. The losses on each 

 side are so differently stated, that 

 they cannot be spoken of with any 

 certainty. The allies acknow- 

 ledged only about 10,000 killed 

 and wounded, and had not a single 



