FRANCE. 39* 



time from Dresden. He joined his army on the 4th of September, 

 and immediately attacked Blucher, whom he defeated, and compelled 

 again to retreat. Bonaparte then returned to Dresden, and Blucher 

 advanced to Rechinbach. On the 5th, the grand combined army is- 

 sued again from the passes of Bohemia, and took the road to Dres- 

 den. Bernadotte, having twice beaten Oudinot, had advanced into 

 Saxony, and was in communication with the right wing of Blucher, 

 who had been reinforced by 50,000 men under prince Svvartzenburg. 

 Another Austrian force was sent in the direction of Leipzic, to cut 

 off Bonaparte's communications. The allies also received a consi- 

 derable addition to their cause in the king of Bavaria, who conclud- 

 ed a treaty with the emperor of Austria, and engaged to furnish him 

 with 20,000 men. Bonaparte several times advanced and offered bat- 

 tle to the grand allied army. But they always retired on his ap- 

 proach, while Blucher and Bernadotte continued advancing on the 

 other side of Dresden. Finding himself likely to be completely sur- 

 rounded, Bonaparte at length concluded to retreat. He left Dresden 

 on the 23d, and his army followed on the 26th, taking the road to 

 Leipzic. The crown prince and Blucher immediately left the Elbe, 

 and took post on the 11th of October behind the Saale. This army 

 Bonaparte determined to attack, in order to keep open his communi- 

 cation with France, but was frustrated by the unexpected march of 

 the grand army in his rear. On the 15th, he concentrated his army 

 in the vicinity of Leipzic. On that day the crown prince and Blucher 

 mai ched on Halle, while the grand army advanced from the south. 

 On the succeeding day the opposing armies came into fierce contact 

 along the w !; ole of their line. The battle was long and bloody, but 

 by no means decisive. At the close of the day the parties occupied 

 the same positions as when battle commenced. On the 17th, there 

 was no fighting. On the 1 8th, the contest was renewed, and victory 

 declared for the allies. The French disasters commenced by the de- 

 sertion of a large body of Saxon troops, whose example was after- 

 wards followed by the Bavarians and Wurtemburgers. Besides this 

 they lost 40,000 men in killed, wounded, and prisoners. On the 19th, 

 Leipzic was stormed by the crown prince, and carried after a short 

 but violent conflict. Bonaparte, with the remains of his army, quit- 

 ted it about nine o'clock, retreating on the road to Erfurt, where they 

 arrived on the 23d. He continued the retreat without halting till he 

 reached the Rhine, where he left his army, and returned to Paris on 

 the 9th of November. The senate immediately ordered 300,000 ad- 

 ditional conscripts to be raised. The French were closely pursued 

 by the allies. On the 5th, their head-quarters were at Frankfort. 

 The crown prince marched through Hanover towards Holland. The 

 Dutch, however, rose, without any foreign assistance, upon the French 

 authorities, and declared for the house of Orange. On the 1 1th, the 

 garrison of Dresden, 16,000 strong, under St. Cyr, surrendered to the 

 Russians. From Frankfort the allies offered Bonaparte the -same 

 terms as they did during the armistice. He told them he agreed to 

 the basis, but delayed under various excuses appointing negociators ; 

 evidently with a view to gain time. All this while he was making 

 the greatest exertions to renew his army. The allies crossed the 

 Rhine on the 20th of December, marched rapidly through Switzer- 

 land, and entered Geneva on the 30th. On the 16th of January, the . 

 / head-quarters of prince Swartzenburg were at Langres. He conti- 

 nued advancing without meeting with much opposition, and on the 3d 



