374 



A HISTORY OF CAVALRY. 



[period IV. 



has driven into one confused mass the infantry, the 

 cavalry, and artillery." ^ 



The victory was complete, and Davoust having 

 d(ifeated the other portion of the Prussian array on the 

 same day at Auerstadt, the fugitives from both fields 

 fled in the direction of Weimar, and Napoleon set to 

 work to make his dispositions for following up the 

 pursuit. The vigour with which that great general 

 pressed a beaten foe was one cause of his great 

 successes as a commander. 



The cavalry in the operations after Jena performed the 

 most valuable services. Murat reached the town of 

 Weimar upon the heels of the fugitives, and while a 

 portion of his horsemen penetrated into the town with 

 them, the remainder passed around it and cut off the 

 retreat, so that in a few minutes 15,000 Prussians and 

 200 pieces of cannon fell into the hands of the French 

 cavalry. 



The nexfc day Murat, still pressing on with untiring 

 energy, and closely followed by the infantry of Marshal 

 Ney, arrived before Erfurth, which at once surrendered, 

 and with it 14,000 prisoners, 120 cannon, and immense 

 military stores.^ The scattered debris of the Prussian 

 troops were retiring into the neighbourhood of Magde- 

 burg, and Murat, under the orders of Napoleon, moved 

 from Erfurth towards that point, driving the fugitives 

 all in that direction, knowing that they would ere long 

 become his prisoners. 



From Magdeburg, Murat, by rapid marches, moved 

 to 8pandau,, which surrendered at his first summons, on 

 the same day that Davoust entered Berlin. Prince 

 Hohenlohe, intercepted on his march to Berlin, took the 

 route to Grandsee and Zeydenich for Stettin ; but here 

 again the indefatigable Murat, by forced marches, had 

 got the start even of the cavalry of his advance guard, 

 and at Zeydenich, on the 26th October, Hohenlohe was 

 vehemently assailed by Lasalle's hussars and Grouchy's 

 dragoons, emd his troops defeated with the loss of 

 1,000 men. 



' Alison, ii. 455. 



2 Ibid. ii. 449. 



