558 
ACHIEVEMENTS OF FIELD ARTILLERY. 
A more legitimate artillery achievement which we shall take from the 
wars of this epoch forms the chief interest of the battle of Hanau, an 
action which is memorable because it was the last of the vast suc¬ 
cession fought in Germany during the wars which succeeded the French 
revolution. Napoleon having been defeated by the Allies at Leipzig 
in the autumn of 1813, was hurrying, with the remains of his shattered 
army, to the French frontier. The Bavarians, encouraged by the 
prospect ol freeing Europe from the heavy hand of the tyrant, opened 
up by the strong coalition which had declared against him, suddenly 
deserted his banners, joined the Allies on the 8th of October, and 
now stood as enemies across his line of retreat homewards. On the 
29th of October Marshal Wrede had taken position in the forest of 
Hanau, stationing his troops across the great road to Mayence, and 
thus effectually blocking the French line of retreat. The force under 
his command numbered some 50,000 men. 
BATTLE OF HAN ATT.—30th October, 1813. 
Napoleon, who had left Erfurth with 90,000 men, had lost so many 
men on the road, owing to straggling, sickness, and the other causes 
which ever attend the retreat by forced marches of an army more or 
less demoralised by defeat, and suffering considerably from the priva¬ 
tions incidental to it, that he now found himself with even nominally 
but 80,000 men, and of these 30,000 had'dropped so far back along the 
road that they were not available to take part in the fighting which 
was imminent. He bad lost heavily in artillery, too, during his recent 
reverses, and his magnificent force of 1300 guns had now become 
reduced to 200. The majority of these, however, belonged to the 
Guard, and were equal to any in Europe. The forces available on 
either side were therefore not unequally matched. For whatever want 
of morale may have existed in the French ranks was counteracted by 
the knowledge that they were fighting to gain their road home, and 
that they must break their way through their enemy or perish. 
The Emperor no sooner heard that the Bavarians blocked his path 
than he made dispositions to attack. 
The allied army stood in front of Hanau, the right wing resting on 
