Reports prior and concerning the battle of Bautzen, 1813 …

A fascinating selection of accounts on a significant battle of the 1813 campaign …

At the camp in front of Bautzen, 17 May 1813.

The town of Bautzen, located on the right bank of the Spree, is covered by this river, which flows, as it seems, at the foot of the wall which surrounds the town, on the front of the road to Dresden. The Spree is not very wide and above all not very deep, although its banks are generally, especially in front of the city, rather steep; it is not very difficult to cross it.

Several roads lead to the town and its suburbs, cross its course and indicate the position of the fords that are practical for artillery. On the right of the city there is one near the village of Oehna, which can be reached by passing by Teichnitz; there are two others, one near the mill of Oehna, and the other near the mill of Schleifmühl. These two locations are not practicable for infantry. To the left of the town there are several which all seem suitable for infantry, since we did not find more than two feet of water there, and that moreover we saw enemy infantrymen passing and returning there. It is thus, according to this description, by the left of this one that one finds the most possibilities to cross the Spree and to approach the first one.

The enemy sought to make up for the natural deficiencies of this section, and built two batteries in succession, the first joining the town, to defend the approaches to the town from the left and to strike the place where the river presents fewer obstacles. One of these batteries appeared to me to have twelve embrasures and the other eight; the left branch of the latter is not completed and I believe that this branch is flanked by other defences which would have been built between the batteries and the mountain on the left, if our arrival had not been so prompt.

To the right of the town behind rocks and houses, the enemy seemed to me to have established a battery. I also believed I saw earth being moved, but I did not see any finished structures, nor even in a condition to be defended. This section on the right is thus secured only by the steepness of the banks of the Spree, and the small number and width of the openings which are found there. The walls of the town and the castle are crenelated on the part which faces us, and undoubtedly are on all their extensions. It has been impossible to ascertain this, as well as the depth of the river bed at the foot of the walls: this reconnaissance could only be carried out during an assault. I would not think it wise to direct an attack against this town, because whatever the state of the enclosure, one could not arrive at the left suburb, take control of it, breach or climb the enclosing wall without losing a considerable number of men.

This post, and especially its batteries, can and must be overtaken on the right. Once its batteries are abandoned or no longer tenable, if the enemy locked up in the town persists in holding it, it would be easy to force it by breaching the enclosure, an operation which would become easy, if the wall is not too thick, which is more than presumable.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Engineers of XI Corps,

THUILLIER.

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Adjutant Commander Terrier, at the head of the petit quartier général, to the major général (Marshal Berthier).

At the bivouac of Schmiedfeld, 17 May 1813, 7 o’clock in the evening.

I arrived here yesterday towards 6 o’clock in the evening; we are in bivouac because the village was abandoned and practically entirely burned. His Majesty’s horses are at Hartau, five quarters of a league further on the road to Budissin or Bautzen. General Lefebvre-Desnoëttes having given me the written order to send fifty men of my infantry there, I considered that I should comply. I still have 200 men of infantry with me here (the battalion was only about 250 strong), and forty gendarmes.

The Cossacks are on my right and just now a patrol of hussars or chasseurs has dislodged them from Stolpen, three quarters of a league from my position.

According to the information that I obtained, the Cossacks who were in Stolpen and surroundings come from Neustadt, where, it is said, they have a rather strong corps which is charged with observing our movements as far as Schlukenau, where the Spree represents nothing or very little. I have few forces, but my arrangements are made.

Eight caissons loaded with foodstuffs arrived today, sent by Mr. Joinville, although not a single commissioner. My troops have nothing, we are experiencing great misery. These caissons are parked (a letter has been written to Count Daru).

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The following particulars of the disposition of the Allied forces are given merely for the intelligence of the operations. It will be observed that the Emperor probably had no other information than that which has been presented in the documents here reproduced, that he gave in writing in his orders of 20 May no indication of the enemy’s dispositions and that he could only be guided in his operations by the examination of the terrain and by his suppositions.

Detailed account of the battles fought during the days of 19, 20 and 21 May, inserted in the Breslau Gazette dated 29 May. This translation was produced for Napoleon by secretary-interpreter Le Lorgne.

Breslau, 27 May 1813.

The news that reached us on the 14th confirmed that the enemy was concentrating its forces and intended to attack the Allied army which was bivouacked between Bautzen and Weissenberg.

Here we have the situation of the Allied army: the vanguard under General Miloradovich occupied Bautzen and the heights to the left of this town; the corps of General Kleist was on its right; both stood on an equal line and had the Spree defile in front of them. General Blücher’s corps stood on the heights of Kreckwitz; that of General Barclay de Tolly on the windmill knoll near Gleina.

The centre, formed of the Russian divisions of Gorchakov and Berg, was at Purschwitz. The left wing, commanded by the Prince of Württemberg, was supported on the first hill of the mountains covered with forests; several detachments of Cossacks were placed on these heights and in the valleys which cross them up to the borders of Bohemia.

On the same day, the 14th, we learned that General Lauriston had marched from Senftenberg on Hoyerswerda. A second corps commanded by Marshal Victor or by General Sébastiani followed him. The strength of the former was estimated at 14,000 men, that of the latter at 20,000 men.

As these two corps were believed to be a day’s march away from each other, it was resolved to march in front of General Lauriston and to attack him before he was able to join the Grande Armée near Bautzen or to attract to himself the corps which followed him. To this end, the corps of generals Barclay de Tolly and Yorck were detached during the night of the 18th and 19th May towards Hoyerswerda. They were ordered to rejoin the army after having reached their objective.

General Lauriston had in the meantime effected his junction with the corps which followed him and he advanced towards Bautzen. Already at Königswartha and Weissig, Barclay de Tolly and Yorck encountered and attacked him, although he was far superior in numbers. While Barclay de Tolly attacked Lauriston, General Yorck threw himself at Weissig in front of the second enemy corps to prevent it from supporting the former. The fight began on the 19th at 2 o’clock in the afternoon and ended at 10 o’clock in the evening. The enemy lost 5,000 men killed and wounded, two generals, 2,000 prisoners and ten cannons of which only six could be taken away due to the lack of horses. The expedition had to be considered successful and the detached corps withdrew, according to the orders they had received, to their positions near Gottamulde.

No sooner had they resumed the battle on the 20th at noon than the enemy marched in column on Bautzen and began to attack the vanguard of Generals Miloradovich and Kleist under the cover of a heavy cannonade. General Kleist held his ground gloriously against an enemy four times his strength. He did not leave his post until the evening, although at 4 o’clock he was already turned to his left and had to defend his right and his front against the most vigorous assaults. The magnificent defence of these heights by Generals Rediger, Roth, Markov and Kleist, and the calm and intrepid countenance of the troops merit the admiration of the entire army.

The enemy had simultaneously attacked the centre and the left wing where the Prince of Württemberg and General Miloradovich received him with vigour and repulsed him. The combat lasted on the 20th until 10 o’clock in the evening and may have cost the enemy 6,000 men because they were obliged to force the Sprée defile under uninterrupted artillery and musket fire. We captured several officers and 1,200 soldiers.

The corps of the Prince of Württemberg competed in perseverance with the corps of General Kleist.

Until then, it had not been considered necessary to withdraw all the troops of the left wing to the positions designated in advance. This did not take place until the 21st when the enemy, at about 5 o’clock in the morning, resumed a very sharp skirmisher fire …

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General Barrois, commander of the 2nd Division of the Young Guard, who was detached on the left towards Kreckwitz and Litten and was distant from the position where the Emperor was, believed it necessary to write a report which provides very precise indications on the timing of the various movements …

2nd Division of the Young Guard

Report on the battle of the 21st in front of Bautzen

The division was formed towards 9 o’clock in the morning on the heights in front of Bautzen. His Majesty gave me the order to detach two regiments and half a battery to go and occupy the plateau which stood about 1,000 toises on my left, the three other regiments remained in the same position.

Towards midday an orderly came to inform me that H.M. ordered that I move quickly towards the plateau where my first two regiments had already been. I preceded my column and took the orders of the Emperor, who ordered me to go and attack the village (of Kreckwitz) which was located on the right and close to the hillock, which the columns which marched on my left were attacking. I set off at once, but a moment later I received the order to move to the right, which was carried out at once.

The artillery of the division passed hastily through the defile, my columns were thrown into the stream which had to be crossed to reach the plain; they were placed in echelon in order to be able to repel cavalry attacks. I directed the fire of six guns on the village which lay to my left and I had it attacked by a good number of skirmishers supported by two large platoons. This village was captured. I directed the fire of my ten other guns on a great number of cavalry which stood in front of and to the right of three redoubts which lay in front of me, and on the artillery which the enemy had on the plain.

The cavalry was obliged to withdraw, as well as this artillery. The redoubts then initiated firing which became very intense, but in spite of that my columns remained unshaken and displayed the most splendid composure, worthy of the most experienced troops. I thus remained in this position for about two hours when I received the order to attack the redoubts; my columns were immediately arranged; a large battalion square with six pieces of artillery marched on my left and at my level, and a powerful battery supported my right.

My columns moved off enthusiastically and they arrived at the main redoubt which the enemy had just abandoned.

I cannot praise the generals, the officers and the regiments of the division sufficiently enough; I solicit for them the kindnesses of His Majesty. I also request consideration for my aide-de-camp, Mr. Vilmorin, already a former captain, who was seriously wounded and who in the past had received four wounds already. I entreat His Majesty to grant him the rank of battalion commander. I also ask to deign to grant the decoration of the Legion of Honour to my second aide-de-camp, Mr. Martimprey, who was wounded by shrapnel in the right arm and who had already been wounded previously at Ulm. Finally, I request favours for all the officers and soldiers listed on the attached statement.

Görlitz, 23 May 1813.

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Report written by Mr. Gellinard, adjutant NCO at the 155th Line Regiment, made prisoner on 19 May at the battle of Weissig.

At the camp of Niederau, 16 July 1813.

I was made captive on 19 May at 8 o’clock in the evening at Weissig, after having made two prisoners with whom I was myself obliged to surrender. The forces opposing V Corps on that day numbered approximately 36,000 men according to what Mr. Count de Langeron, who was in command, told me and who questioned me in various ways to which I answered as little as possible. This general was very astonished that the few people with whom he had to confront had forced him to such a precipitous retreat.

During the day of the 20th, I had the occasion to observe all of the enemy’s forces. The convoy of prisoners was driven through all the camps in order to encourage the troops who had already been inebriated to prepare them for the affair which was to take place that day. The rumour was also spread that the French army was blocked and that the Austrians were attacking its rear.

On the evening of the 21st the enemy retired so hastily that the next morning there was a complete rout, and the army was in utter disarray; the terror was widespread; the equipment was abandoned, which would have been easily captured if the enemy had been pursued. Among this equipment were a large number of luxury carriages, belonging to senior officers, in which sat their wives and children, who had had high hopes of going to Paris. I also saw more than 300 carriages loaded with their wounded.

I could not observe the movement which their army carried out after the 23rd, because the convoy was ordered to double its march, which might have been 1,500 men strong, of whom there were at most 120 French, the remainder being Italian. Among the officers was General Balathier who suffered three serious wounds, and the colonel of the Provisional 23rd Line Regiment, who was also wounded; the number of these officers was 30, of whom 24 were Italians. All the prisoners suffered the harshest treatment; no more care was taken of the general than of the soldiers. General Balathier lay outside for three days without being bandaged; none of the soldiers were bandaged and many perished. The convoy was reduced, on the day I managed to escape, to 900 men.

I cannot provide any detailed information since that time, because I was only walking at night. I only noticed that the towns and villages through which I passed were occupied by Cossacks and other Russian troops who were levying contributions. After having passed the Pelishwa, I was supported by the barons of the villages which the enemy did not occupy; the inhabitants there seemed to desire our return considerably and said they were ready to take up arms for the French. I saw weapons and clothing in abundance at the homes of several counts and barons. The baron of Poplawitz assured me that they were able to arm and dress 80,000 men whom they would be able to find immediately. In Schnitzc the Countess of Faugelle, a widow at whose house I met a distinguished senior officer, reported the same thing to me. I noticed that the Poles and even all the regions occupied by the Austrians were animated by the same spirit.

The prefect and mayor of Cracow have rendered great service to the deserters and, having granted me the honour of an audience, have confirmed to me what the inhabitants had told me.

The Russians have no troops on the rear as they are rumoured to have; they wanted us to believe that they had 150,000 men there, whereas they do not have 6,000. Cracow has no garrison; there is only a Russian governor. They have many wounded in the hospitals of Pedrigo, Kolly, Petrikof and other small towns.

The Austrians are very strictly guarding the line of the Vistula with several Hungarian regiments and do not allow any import of goods into Poland. Near the Austrian headquarters there is a Polish general who enrols all the French partisans who present themselves and forms regiments which, he told me, should be dispatched, as soon as they are organized, to Prince Poniatowski, and in one of these units he offered me promotion.

In the 160-league journey which I undertook in the Austrian states, I noticed that the Austrians were conducting extensive preparations and that they were ready to enter the campaign. I saw many artillery parks and pontoons between Olmütz and Prague, and I met various corps of all arms which, so I was told, they have orders to proceed towards Italy and on the borders of Saxony and Bavaria. The inhabitants spread the rumour that these preparations are made against France, but the general commanding the place of Olmütz, to whom I was brought, assured me that these were lies and that the Austrian court had never been so closely linked with the French. The Austrians have nevertheless raised a landwehr numbering 100,000 men, of which I encountered various detachments.

Source : Paul Jean Foucart, Bautzen – Une bataille de deux jours (20-21 mai 1813), Berger-Levrault, Nancy, 1897, pp. 236-237, 240-241, 290-291, 306-307, 322-323.