348 L O N 
16,000 men, To great a force was no longer neceffary for 
the purpofes of obfervation ; and any active operations 
againft Drefden could be delayed with perfect fafety, till 
the main battle was decided. Benningfen was therefore 
dire&ed to leave merely a detachment before Drefden, 
and with all his remaining force to piilh forward as ex- 
peditioufly as poffiblc to join the grand army. It is more 
difficult to account for the inactivity in which Bonaparte 
remained during this important day. A ware, as he might 
have been, of the advantages which the allies were de 
riving from the delay, policy furely dictated, that. he 
fliould either have attacked before their reinforcements 
could arrive, or that he ffiould feize the opportunity of 
effecting his retreat with lefs moleltation. It was con¬ 
trary to his ufual fyftem and character thus to linger, and 
allow the allies to choofe their own moment for attack. 
Some minor changes however were made in the difpofi- 
tion of the French army. The whole was drawn clofer 
around Leipfic. To the north it was withdrawn behind 
the river Partha, which afforded an advantageous defen- 
five line. On the louth it retired from Liebert Wol- 
kowitz and Wachar, where the battle of the 16th had 
been fought, into the interior line of Konnewitz, Pro- 
liftheyda, and Steteritz. He fucceeded alfo on this day 
in making an opening through the allied line along the 
Saale in the direction of Weiffenfels. Thus he at once 
i'ecured to himfelf a retreat, and cut off the communica¬ 
tion, unlefs by lignals, between the two oppofite armies. 
The 18th of OCtober at length appeared. It was a day 
equal in importance to many a century ; and, the fewer 
Iiiftory can produce that deferve to be chaffed along with 
it, the more memorable it will remain. All that preceded 
it had merely opened the way; and there were yet almoft 
inacceffible cliffs to climb before the continent could flatter 
itfelf with the hope of full deliverance. The leaders of 
the allies had already fliown the ableft French generals, in 
feveral grand engagements, that they poffeffed fufficient 
means and talents to diffolve the charm of their invinci¬ 
bility. They were now about to enter the lifts with the 
hero whom a thoufand panegyrifts, during a period of 
near twenty years, had extolled above the greateft gene¬ 
rals of ancient and modern times ; whofe enemies had to 
boaft of but one vi&ory over him at molt—a victory w hich 
he himfelf did not admit, as he afcribed the total deftruc- 
tion of his army in Ruffia to phyflcal caufes alone. It 
was the conqueror of Marengo, Aufterlitz, Friedland, 
Ratifbon, Wagram, and Mojaiik. Freffi laurels entwined 
his brow at Lutzen, Bautzen, and Drefden. Here at Leip- 
flc the allies attempted to wreft them from hint whografped 
fo firmly. It was eafy to forefee that with unfiiaken refo- 
lution he would rilk all, in order, as on former occafions, 
to gain all, and to put an end to the campaign with a An¬ 
gle blow. He feemed to contemplate nothing lefs than 
the utter annihilation of the allies, as all the bridges far 
and near were broken down to cut off their retreat. Whe¬ 
ther the fituation in which he had placed himfelf was filch 
as to juliify thefe hopes, we muff leave to the decifion of 
thole who are better qualified to judge. His confidence 
in victory mult, however, have been very itrong, as he 
had made fuch inadequate preparations for his own re¬ 
treat. 
The aCtion commenced in the centre of the French 
army beyond Probltheide, with the Itorming of the vil¬ 
lages in its front, which were feveral times taken and re¬ 
covered ; and were reduced to heaps of rubbifii. That 
the work of (laughter-might be completed ou this day, it 
had been begun with the firft dawn of morning. So early 
as nine o’clock all the immenfe lines from Taucha to Kon¬ 
newitz were engaged. From Lofnig, a village fituated 
beyond Konnewitz, a hollow, about two thoufand paces 
in length, runs from north-weft to fouth-eaft. It is bor¬ 
dered with a narrow Ikirt of wood, confifiing of alders, 
limes, and oaks, and forms an angle with the village. Be¬ 
yond this line were advanced feveral French batteries, the 
inceflant movements of which, as well as every Angle fiiot, 
D O N. 
might be clearly ’diftinguifhed at Leipfic with glaffes. 
The French artillery formed an open triangle; for the 
road which runs rtraight from Leipfic, behind"Konnewitz 
through Dehlis and Lofnig, of courfefrom north to fouth, 
was alfo lined by French batteries. The houfes of thofe 
villages had ferved them for a point d'appui in the rear, 
and were molt of them dreadfully (hattered by the balls 
of the Auftrians. The artillery of the latter leems to 
have had a great advantage in regard to the ground. The 
French cannon brought into the line from Konnewitz to 
Dehlis and Lofnig flood in a hollow—thofe of the Auf¬ 
trians on eminences. Thefe laft had moreover the ad van¬ 
tage of enfilading the two jingles formed by the batteries 
of the French. That this had aClually been the cafe, was 
evident from the numbers of French cannoniers and bodes 
lying dead in rows in the line of the above-mentioned 
villages, where they had been fwept down by the guns of 
their opponents. On the eminences where the hoflile 
cannon were planted the number of dead was much 
fmaller; and thefe were not artillery-men, but infantry, 
who were engaged in covering thofe batteries. This pafs 
mult neverthelefs have been obftinately defended, as it 
w'.as not taken the whole day. The fire of mulketry grew 
more and more brilk—a proof that the combatants were 
already in clofe aiffion. The French tirailleurs could not 
be driven out of the woods, on which their right wing 
was fupported. All the villages lying beyond Konne- 
witz, on the road to Borna, as far as Markleberg, were 
on fire. The main attack was made by Bernadotre. Be¬ 
ing at the head of the Partha river, where the paffage was 
leaft difficult, he was in the molt advantageous pofition 
for approaching Leipfic. Blucher therefore, to enable 
him to a£t with greater efteft, reinforced him with 30,000 
men from his own army. The paffage was effefted almoft 
without refiftance, and 3000 prifoners were taken at Tau¬ 
cha. The French fell back towards Leipfic, covering 
their retreat by the villages of Sonnerfelt, Parmfdorf, and 
Schonfeldt. From thefe however they were finally driven. 
The fuccefs at this point was greatly promoted by an un¬ 
expected event. The feventh corps of the French, under 
general Regnier, was in the left wing, and polled towards 
Taucha. It was principally compofed of Saxons. They 
had juft come into aftion ; and the allies had already 
brought up a great number of guns againft them. To 
the no fmall aftonilhment and conlternation of their leader, 
they fuddenly (houldered their arms, marched forward in 
dole files with their artillery, and went over to the enemy. 
Several French battalions, milled by this movement, join¬ 
ed them, and were immediately difarmed and made pri- 
foners by the allies. The French cuirafliers, fufpecting 
the delign of the Saxons, followed, apparently with the 
intention of falling upon them. The Saxons faced about, 
and compelled them, by a fmart fire of mulketry, to re¬ 
turn. A volley of fmall arms was difeharged after them, 
but with no more effect—it did them no injury. Their 
horfe-artillery turned about, and foon dilinounted that of 
the French. They were greeted with a joyful hurrah by 
the Cofacs, who cordially Ihook hands with their new 
comrades. The Saxons defired to be immediately led 
back to the attack of the French. The generals of the 
allies refufed, on very good grounds, to comply with their 
deiire: they were marched a league into the rear of the 
field of battle, and there bivouacked: but their artillery 
was invited to take part in the engagement, and did great 
execution. This defection decided the fate of the day,and 
of Bonaparte.—The allied armies, bearing in from different 
points, now carried every thing before them. Towards 
evening they had formed their junction with the army 
of the north ; and thus the united forces of all the allied 
powers were ellablilhed almoft immediately beneath the 
walls of Leipfic. 
Bonaparte felt at length, and too late, that no means 
remained to him of farther refiftance. A great part of 
his army had perifiied in the preceding battles; and 
the preponderance of the enemy, already confiderable, 
z had 
