136] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



Leipzic from the north-west along 

 its left bank, whilst the army from 

 Bohemia was making its approach 

 by Chemnitz and Altenburg from 

 the south. This movement it was 

 determined to execute, notwith- 

 standing the demonstration made 

 by the enemy on the Elbe towards 

 Torgau and Wittenberg, and which 

 gave an alarm to Berlin. On the 

 10th, the armies of the Crown 

 Prince and Biucher joined at Zor- 

 big, when the passage of the Saale 

 was concluded upon. This was 

 effected by Biucher at Halle ; and 

 at this time information was re- 

 ceived that PlatofFwi th his Cossacks 

 was at Pegau, and that Kieist and 

 Witgenstein, with the vanguard of 

 the Bohemian army, was approach- 

 ing Altenburg. At this momen- 

 tous period an important accession 

 was made to the cause of Germany 

 by a treaty of alliance and concert 

 betv/eenAustriaandBavaria, signed 

 on the 8th by prince Reuss and 

 general Wrede, in virtue of which 

 the latter, with 55,000 Bavarian 

 troops, was to act with the Austrians. 

 When the ancient enmity between 

 these powers, and the particular 

 favours conferred upon the latter 

 by the French ruler, are consider- 

 ed, a more convincing proof of the 

 prevalent disposition throughout 

 Germany to unite in freeing the 

 countr_v from the yoke imposed 

 upon it by the ambition of Napo- 

 leon could not be given. 



It was impossible that the nu- 

 merous troops collecte i roundLeip- 

 gic could long remain without 

 coming to action ; indeed, the 

 allies, full of hope and spirit, had 

 concentrated their force with the 

 resolution of becoming assailants 

 the moment their dispositions 

 *bould be completed. It was the 



glorious lot of that brave and ablcJ 

 commander, general Biucher, who 

 had already found so many occa- 

 sions of distinguishing himself, to 

 lead the way to victory. Advanc- 

 ing from his position at Halle oa 

 October l^, to Gros Kugel, he 

 pushed his van on the great road to 

 Leipzic, occupying the villages oh 

 each side of it. The Crown Prince 

 gave orders to march to Halle on 

 that night; but when his troops 

 were in march, he took up his 

 head-quarters at Sylbitz. Biucher 

 found the French forces under 

 marshals Marmont and Ney, ami 

 general Bertrand, occupying a line 

 in an open country, comprehend- 

 ing several villages. As his opera- 

 tions are not to be understood 

 without an accurate plan, we shall 

 not enter into the detail of his 

 attack, but confine ourselves to 

 some of its incidents. The enemy, 

 after the first onset, gave up the 

 advanced villages, and retired to 

 some distance, but obstinately held 

 some of the more defensible. At 

 one of these, named Mockern, a 

 very bloody contest took "place, it 

 being taken and retaken five limes. 

 The corps of D'Yorck was engaged 

 at this spot, and suffered great loss. 

 At length this position was forced, 

 and the enemy were driven beyond 

 the Partha. The villages in the 

 woody ground on the right were 

 also the scene of sharp action, in 

 which the Russians under Longe- 

 ron fought against the corps of 

 Ney. They were however finally 

 successful, and night put an end to 

 the battle. Napoleon, it is said, 

 witnessed the latter part of this 

 defeat of his troops. The loss of 

 the allies was severe, amounting to 

 6 or 7,000 killed and wounded, 

 among whom were many com- 



