ACHIEVEMENTS OF FIELD ARTILLERY. 
527 
At Bautzen, three weeks after the battle we have just described, 
Napoleon again found himself opposed to the allied Russians and 
Prussians, and was to learn at the hands of his opponents the effect 
which guns skilfully placed in position may produce. 
On the second day of the battle (the 21st of May) Napoleon, while 
with the bulk of his army he assailed the centre and left of his foes, 
directed Ney to turn and surround their right, his orders being to 
move on the steeple of Hochkirch, so as to get completely in rear of 
the enemy. Lauriston was also detached to move by Baruth in the 
same direction. Ney did succeed in capturing Preititz, a village quite 
in rear of the Allied position, but Blucher being determined to retake 
it sent twenty Prussian guns to play on the flank of his dense columns. 
The effect of these guns advantageously placed as they were, was such 
as to cause Ney to swerve from his true direction and establish himself 
on some heights near Klein Bautzen, from which his artillery could reply 
on more equal terms to that of the enemy. The village of Preititz 
had also to be abandoned, and ere Ney could again advance he had to 
wait two hours for his reserves to come up. The check thus brought 
about probably saved the Allied army from total destruction, for the 
delay and vaccillation of Ney enabled its leaders to take measures to 
ward off his menace, coming as it did from an unexpected quarter, and 
to prepare for a general retreat. 
When Ney did eventually resume his attack the golden opportunity 
for decisive success had passed away, the chaussee through Hochkirch, 
in rear of the whole army of his opponents, could no longer be gained, 
and the day, which might have been crowned by a total rout, could 
only end in a victory. 
1 Jomini, who was Ney's chief of the staff in this action, quotes this 
1 Precis de Part de la guerre. 
70 
