HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
repeated attempts to drive him from 
the defiles of Koesen, was forced, 
after a combat of several hours, to 
fall back upon Weimar, at the 
moment when the broken corps, 
which had reached that city, were 
attempting to retreat in the direction 
of Naumburg. The confusion aris- 
ing from these opposing currents 
may be easily imagined ; in addition 
to which, the innumerable baggage 
waggons, that blocked up all the 
roads leading to Erfurt, impeded the 
retreat of the troops, and compelled 
them to consult their immediate 
safety by a precipitate flight. The 
king himself was forced to quit the 
high road, and, at the head of a 
small body of cavalry, to escape from 
this scene of disorder across the 
fields. : 
According to the French accounts, 
gore than 20,000 Prussians were 
Killed or wounded in this disastrous 
action, and from 30,000 to 40,000 
taken prisoners. The duke of 
Brunswick * and lieutenant-gencral 
Schmettaw were mortally wounded. 
Above twenty generals and lieute- 
nant-generals were made prisoners, 
and 300 pieces of cannon and 60 
Standards were taken. 
_ The loss of the French is stated, 
in their official reports, at 1,100 
Killed, and 3000 wounded. None 
of their officers above the rank of 
a brigadier-general was either killed 
or wounded. 
~ Many were the errors of the 
Prussian generals in this engage- 
ment. In addition to those already 
Ainted at in the course of this narra- 
193 
tive, the most fatal was their omitting 
on .the 13th ta possess themselves 
of the impregnable heights and de- 
files of Koesen; their neglecting to 
have any corps in reserve to sup- 
port their battalions against the 
double reserve of the French; their 
leaving the duke of Saxe Weimar 
with 16,000 men at Meinungen, 
where he remained till next day, 
unacquainted with what had passed ; 
the absence of all concert and co- 
operation between the two divisions 
of their army principally engaged ; 
and the unprepared state in which 
they were found by the enemy when 
the action began. After the duke 
of Brunswick was carried off the 
field, there was no commander in 
chief to issue general orders to the 
army. The corps fought singly, 
without plan or combination, or 
attention to the movements of the 
enemy. When the action was lost, 
the troops who escaped from the 
field of battle fled in different direc. 
tions, and, ultimately, were all taken 
prisoners or dispersed, because no 
rallying point to retreat upon had 
been settled, in case such a disaster 
should befal them. 
A considerable body of Prussians 
under marshal Mollendorf and the 
prince of Orange Fulda made good 
their retreat to Erfurt; but next 
morning they were invested in that 
.place by the grand duke of Berg; 
and on the following day they sur. 
rendered by capitulation. The pri- 
soners taken at Erfurt amounted to 
14,000.men, among whon, besides 
Mollendorf and the prince of Orange, 
* The duke of Brunswick was wounded in the face by a grape shot in the 
beginning of the action, in consequence of which he was obliged to quit the field. 
‘He was transported in a litter to Brunswick, where he arrived onthe 21st. Bat 
‘the approach of the French, whose enmity he in vain attempted to soften, having 
compelled him to seek a more distant asylum, he was carried to Altona, where he 
died of his wounds on the 10th of November, in the 72d year of his age. 
Vor. XLVIII, 
were 
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