190 
attacks of the enemy, and when cut 
off from these, the Prussians had no 
alternative but to fight or starve. 
There were no resources in the 
barren country of Weimar for 
maintaining so large an army and 
numerous cavalry as the Prussian. 
There was no bread, no beer, no 
brandy for their men, and no 
fodder for their horses. When their 
cavalry took the ficld on the morn- 
ing of the battle of Auerstadt, the 
horses had been without corn, and 
the men without food for two 
nights and a day. Another fatal 
error in the disposition of the 
army was its encampnient on the 
left bank of the Saale, by which 
the electorate of Saxony, the chief 
fortresses of the Prussian States, 
and the capital itself were laid open 
to the enemy; and the Prussians, 
in case of a disaster, were cut off 
from Magdeburg, the only rallying 
point, where they could assemble, 
er place of refuge, where they 
could be in safety. 
The French’ army advanced on 
the 8th, in three divisions. The 
right, composed of the corps of 
marshals Soult and Ney, and of a 
division of Bavarians, set out from 
Amberg and Nuremberg, joined at 
Bayreuth, and from thence marched 
against Hof. The centre com. 
manded by the grand duke of Berg, 
the prince of Ponte Corvo (Berna- 
dotte), and marshall Davoust, 
marched from Bamberg to Cronach, 
and from thence to Saalburg and. 
Schleitz. The left, composed of 
the corps of marshals Lannes and 
Augereau, advanced from Schweine- 
furth upon Coburg, Graffenthal, 
and Saalfeld. By these movements 
the left wing of the Prussians, which 
stretched to a great distance from 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
out . protection, exposed to the 
their centre, was exposed to 
attack of the whole of the French 
army. Aware of their danger, the 
Prussians at Hof, who were at the 
extremity of the line, and in the 
greatest danger of being cut off, 
fell back upon Schleitz before the 
arrival of marshal Soult. Some pri- 
soners, however, were taken, and- 
all the magazines at Hof fell into 
the hands of the enemy. Soult, fol- 
lowed by Ney, at the distance of 
half a day’s march, pressed forward - 
to Plauen in Upper Saxony, where 
he arrived on the 10th. The 
French centre passed the Saale at 
Saalburg, after a slight resistance 
on the part of the Prussians, and 
advanced on the 9th to Schleitz, 
where a body of 10,000 Prussians 
was posted under the command of 
of general Tauenzein. An action 
ensued, in which the Prussians 
were worsted with considerable Joss, 
and next day the French advanced 
to Auma, and on the 11th to Gera, 
within haifa day’s march of Naum. 
burg, where lay the great maga- 
zines of the Prussian army. The . 
French left had equal success with 
the other divisions of their army. — 
Lannes entered Coburg on the 8th, ~ 
and advanced to Graffenthal on the 
Sth. On the 10th he attacked at - 
Saalfeld the advanced guard of 
prince Hoherlohe, commanded by 
prince Lewis of Prussia, and gained 
over it a signal victory. Prince 
Lewis, to whose rashness and diso- 
bedience of orders in quitting his 
position at the bridge of Saalfeld, 
and advancing to attack theenemy, © 
this misfortune was entirely to be 
attributed, fell in the action. The 
Prussians were completely routed, 
and lost 30 picces of cannon, be- 
sides 600 men killed, 1000 taken pri- 
soners, and agreat number wounded. 
By 
