XLIII. France as soon as circumstances would permit.* York, CHAP. in consequence, allowed himself to be cut off from Macdonald, and thus in the last days of 1812 united his forces to the Russians. The King of Prussia still at Potsdam, in the power of Augereau, disavowed York, and ordered him to be put on his trial, making at the same time offers of alliance to Napoleon. They were accompanied by demands of money, due for French requisitions levied in order to facilitate armaments. Napoleon understood the meaning of such demands, and was not surprised to learn that the King of Prussia had fled from Potsdam to Breslau, where he issued a decree inviting volunteers to join him. As a conscription in the name of Napoleon threatened North Germany at the very time, the youth hostile to it preferred taking refuge under the banner of their legitimate sovereign, and the King of Prussia had soon an army around him at Breslau. The Austrians armed too, and Napoleon, not deeming that they could become his enemies, encouraged it. Metternich proposed that his emperor should mediate between France and her antagonists, and managed to make both France and the allies believe that his mediation was in favour of each. Austria, nevertheless, was a most fitting mediator, since it almost equally dreaded the power of Russia and that of France, and desired simply to bring both to an equilibrium. With this view it insisted on the restoration of German independence. Unfortunately for Napoleon this was what he was least prepared to grant. Spain he was inclined to give up to the demands of England, Poland to those who had partitioned it. But he insisted on preserving not only Westphalia but the Hanse towns and the Confederation of the Rhine. • Stein's Leben, vol. iii. p. 247, 255. † York and Massenbach brought over 18,000 men to the Prussians, Moreover, to restore the leaving Macdonald to continue his CHAP. Prussian monarchy, at the very time when it had turned with fierce hatred against him, appeared a weakness and a humiliation to which he could not stoop. "And the marriage of Maria Louisa," observed a French to an Austrian diplomatist, "can that be broken?"-" Policy made that marriage," answered the Austrian coldly, "and policy may break it." Diplomacy, however, could not expect to accomplish anything alone when such formidable armies were in the field. Napoleon in April advanced from Mayence by the same road which he had taken in the campaign of Jena, along the Saale. He had some 140,000 men, young soldiers, but well officered, and about to be joined by Prince Eugène with 40,000 veterans from Magdeburg. Kutusoff had just expired in Livonia, and the Prusso-Russian command fell nominally to Wittgenstein, but really to the young and ardent courtiers who surrounded the monarch. These had pushed the army across the Elbe, against the advice of both Kutusoff and Sir Robert Wilson, who, though opposed in almost all things, were agreed in thinking the allies no match for the French. The Prussians, however, had not only crossed the Elbe, but were marching towards the Saale, supposing Napoleon still at Erfurth, and hoping to occupy the field of Jena, and defend it when he should come up. With this view the Russo-Prussians marched on the road from Dresden towards Jena by Altenburg, whilst the French were advancing to Lutzen and Leipzig. Learning that their enemy had advanced so far as to be almost behind them, the Russo-Prussians retraced their steps northwards along the Elster, and entered the great plain south of Leipzig at Zwenkau, whilst Napoleon reached Weissenfels and effected his junction with Eugène. The advanced guards met on the 1st of May. One almost of the first shots fired struck Marshal Bessières, who commanded the Guard.-" Death approaches," XLIII. was the observation of Napoleon. After driving back CHAP. their enemies the French occupied Lutzen, Ney's corps, of about 50,000 men, encamping in the villages near, of which there were several. Napoleon had no idea that the chief mass of the Russo-Prussians were so near him. He determined to occupy Leipzig on the morrow, and then march to cut off the enemy from the Elbe. Wittgenstein and the allied monarchs perceived his intention, and resolved to defeat it by attacking at once. Accordingly when on the 2nd of May, the greater part of the French army with Napoleon himself took the road to Leipzig, it no sooner began to thunder at the gates, than Blucher attacked the French corps under Ney, which to the number of 50,000 held the villages before Lutzen. It was some time ere Ney could reach his division at a gallop, a still longer time ere Napoleon could return to the field himself, with his troops from Leipzig. The French had been driven from some of the villages, had lost and retaken others. As reinforcements came up to either side, it proved victorious. And in this alternation of fortune the day wore away. Towards evening the French wings, formed of fresh corps, arrived and threatened to envelop the enemy, whose entire force of 80,000 men had been endeavouring to pierce the French centre. The Prussian cavalry under Blucher swept everything from the plain, but could not dislodge the French from the garden walls and the windows of the villages, whilst 80 French guns swept away whole files of the Prussian horse at each charge and retreat. At last the allied sovereigns abandoned the enterprise and withdrew, leaving to the French the field, and little more. Napoleon had no cavalry to harass the retreat, to intercept battalions or conquer guns. The loss in men was fully equal on both sides, being about 20,000 each. It would be difficult to discover either military science or genius in the battle of Lutzen. Had СНАР. XLIII. Napoleon had under his command his old infantry, he would not have confined himself to the defence of gardenwalls and ditches, nor with his old cavalry would he have allowed his enemies to escape unhurt. Such victory did no more than gain a certain amount of territory, leaving the foe neither broken nor dispirited in his retreat. The Russo-Prussians, however, abandoned both Leipzig, Dresden, and the Line of the Elbe, falling back eventually upon Bautzen, where they selected a strong position.* The entrance of Napoleon into Dresden as the enemies retreated, brought back the Saxon king to his capital. He had been watching events at Prague, and had hitherto refused to Napoleon some 3,000 cavalry, which served him as his guard. He now returned with them, and was able to inform the French Emperor how likely he was to lose the support of his father-in-law. M. De Bubna at the same time arrived as envoy, to excuse the attitude of neutrality which the Austrian court was assuming as the consequence of that mediatorship, which Napoleon himself had allowed. The Austrian contingent had not only withdrawn from Poland, but brought with it the Polish Legion, which it threatened to disarm. To gain time, and keep Austria still neutral, Napoleon dissimulated his anger, and sanctioned Prince Metternich's proposing a Congress. But he at the same time sent Caulaincourt to the quarters of the Russian Emperor to endeavour to come to a direct accord with him, and set the Austrians, with their mediation, aside. Meantime Macdonald, at the head of the French army, found himself in front of the position which the allies had taken behind the Spree at Bautzen. They had taken no precautions by a first line of forts to defend the passage of the river, but had provided an entrenched camp about a league behind, which they were determined to hold in case of the river being forced. Reinforced * Fain, Norvins, Thiers, Scholl. by Barclay, who brought 14,000 men after the surrender of Thorn, the allies mustered some 90,000 amidst the hillocks of Bautzen. But Napoleon's force was far superior in numbers, amounting to 130,000. On the 20th of May, therefore, he found no difficulty in forcing the passage of the Spree river and capturing Bautzen, the Russian general Milaradowitz retreating after a brave but ineffectual attempt to maintain his position on several of the hills. To ensure a victory on the ensuing day, Napoleon despatched no less than 60,000 men under Ney to diverge to the left, and fall upon the enemy's flank and rear in the midst of the action. The battle in front commenced without the allies being aware of the danger that menaced them. They fought bravely, but Napoleon did not press forward, and even fell asleep till aroused by the sound of Ney's cannon in the distance. His advance took Barclay in flank, Blucher in the rear, and Napoleon commanded an onward movement at the same time from the front. The result was a more complete victory than that of Lutzen. Yet it was not achieved without loss. The Prussians and Russians occupied the many hillocks of the field, which the French had to scale, in order to precipitate their enemies. The allies, according to Wilson's account, lost 20,000 men, and the French, though victorious, yet by their attacking first, somewhat more. The loss most severe to Napoleon was that of Duroc, Duke of Frioul, and Grand Master of the Palace. A cannon-ball glanced from a tree near the Emperor and killed first General Kirgener and then Duroc. The battle won, Napoleon sat on a stool before his tent, his head on his knees, overwhelmed with sadness. To the officer who came for orders he replied-Tout à demain. Leave everything for to-morrow. The mission of Caulaincourt to the Emperor of Russia, previous to the affair of Bautzen, had merely displayed the Czar's resolve to listen to no separate overtures. He CHAP. XLIII. |