Sign In

Close
Forgot your password? No account yet?

This Day in History: October 19, 1813 by Simonov

This Day in History: October 19, 1813

Simonov

On October 19, 1813, the Battle of Leipzig concludes in a French defeat. Napoleon Bonaparte, emperor of France, had recently suffered a disastrous defeat during his invasion of Russia, losing almost the entirety of his Grande Armée. Seeing an opportunity to defeat the French Empire and restore the balance of power in Europe, several nations formed a coalition to fight what was left of Napoleon's forces. Included among this coalition were Russia, Prussia, Austria, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Great Britain, Sardinia, & Sicily. Napoleon had not only been routed during its invasion of Russia but he had also suffered major setbacks in Spain as British, Portuguese, & Spanish forces marched to drive France out of the region. Napoleon decided that his only option was to go on the offensive & hopefully force at least one of the major Coalition powers out of the war. After a failed attempt to capture Berlin, Napoleon regrouped his forces at the town of Leipzig, Saxony (now part of modern-day Germany).

The Battle of Leipzig began on October 16 as Coalition forces fought multiple actions against the French forces & their allies, including Polish, Italian, & Saxon troops. Despite intense fighting & heavy losses, the day concluded with a stalemate as neither side was able to successfully break their enemy's lines. October 17 saw little fighting as well as the arrival of reinforcements. While the Coalitions was able to bring ~140,000 men, the depleted French were only able to muster some 14,000. October 18 saw some of the most intense fighting of the battle as Coalition forces attempted to encircle the French army. Following heavy casualties as well as the Saxons defecting to the Coalition, Napoleon ordered the withdrawal of his forces across the river via the bridge in Leipzig. Over the course of October 19, the French rear guard delayed the Coalition advance while the remaining French forces retreated. However, disaster struck as the bridge was blown up prematurely, killing many of the retreating French troops and stranding much of the rear guard force, resulting in the capture of ~30,000 men.

The battle concluded in a major Coalition victory and the failure of Napoleon's German campaign. Casualty estimates for the battle range as high as 110,000 men killed, wounded, or missing. Napoleon's army had been crippled & morale devastated. By the end of March of 1814, Paris itself had fallen. Napoleon was soon sent into exile in Elba, from which he would return in a bid to restore his reign before being defeated & sent into exile one final time.

Submission Information

Views:
309
Comments:
0
Favorites:
2
Rating:
General
Category:
Visual / Digital