The National Register. — London, England, 1813-05-16 00:00:00

ilt , ~.„:,..)„, , !,.„ TON AL - REGIST ER. - ‘ lll THE -NA t Sri, , Cur Sing, Coutitution, am) talus. PUBLISHED AT NO• 11,.NtWCASTLE-STUSET, STRAND. SUNII A V, -M A V 16. !Sl3. No. 2SI. POLITICAL DIS2UISITION. GENERAL BATTLE IN GERMANY. A general firing along the French coast heard last Snnil2y at Deal, first gave u; no!ice that the enemy claimed a victory. A paragraph in - an inferior Paris paper, fixing zhe spot whale the battle was reported to have been fought, .brought, on Thuisday, a slight confirmation, which, however, was but little credited, as it was supposed that had a general battle taken place on the 2d int. the Russian officer sent by Gen. TETTENEORN from Ilamburgh on the Bth inst. with dis patches from the Imperial Head quarters for the Russian Ambassador in this countrv, would have conveyed the intel ligence. Some augured from his silence, that he had borne unpleasant tidings, but it was not until yesterday that we were put in possession of the French Official account of this new and tremendous action. On the Ist a May, BtioNAPARTE, with BERTHIER, oc cupied Weissenfels; BEAUHARNOIS was at Mersehurg; MARNIONT at Naumburg ; BERTRAND at ctohl'cu; OUDI !SOT at Jena, and MAIsoN at Halle. On that day, the French advanced-guard, headed by SOUHAM. and followed by NEy, and NAPOLEON ill pelson, with GIRARD and MERCILANT's division, and the cavalry of the guard udder Marshal liEsstErtis (the Duke of IsTRIA) seized upon the defile of Poserna after a Smart action with the corps of Generals WINZINGERODE and LANsKOI, which consisted chiefly of cavalry. At the beginning of this engagement, BEsst ERE% who had advanced with the sharp-shooteis to reconnoitre the plain on the other side the defile, was killed by a cannon ball. The loss of men on both sides is represented as com paratively inconsiderable, but as usual much mailer on that of the French. On the 2d, the enemy manceuvred in the plain of Lutzen, where, in 1632, the Great GUSTAVUS fell in the arms of vic tory. NA P T. EON'S intention was to move rapidly upon Leip sick, in order to rlace his army in a different position from that in which the Russians expected to find it, and fall on their left flank whilst they attempted to attack him in front. I I Ile had already sent forward LAUnISTON to carry this plan into effect, and a cannonade bad begun on the bridges beti}re that town, when the allies crossed the Elster at Zwenkaw, Pegau, and Zeits,in deep columns that " obscured the horizon," and marched towards the village of Kara, which formed the centre of the French position, and where NEY was posted with his corps, consisting of five divisions. NAPOLEON, who did not expect to be attacked htfore the sth it now found himself perilously situated. He had sent LAURISTON against Leip sick, and could not recall him in time for the battle. BEAUHARNOIS, with the 5t.6 and 1 tth corps, was on the El ster on the left of, and at several hours march from, the cen tre. M A RMONT, with three divisions, formed the right, in front of the defile of Peserna, which BERTRAND and his. corps had not yet passld. BUONAPARTE himself, with part of his new and old guards, occupied Lutzen behind the village of Kara. The rest of the guards remained at Erfurth, Vic- TOR and his corps were three days march from the field of bat tle, and DAvoust's three divisions, with SEBASTIANCS ca valry; on the banks of the Elbe, near Salsewedel. ra. No.CCLXI:XL PRICP. 94. On perceiving the intention of the allies to profit by the cxpos,al position of his centre and to pierce it, NAPOLEON orderal BLA Ulf A ItNois and MA ItNioNT to close upon it and form its wings, and IlLryr RAND to move circuitously and tall on the rear of the assailants when the line should he most strongly engaged. This last movement, to which the French owe their victors', seems not to have been noticed by the allies until it was too late, probably because B ERT n A NEt'S cores not having vet passed the defile of Poserna, was not pecceiaied, and remained concealed by the hilis during its circuitous march until it debouched upoa the plain and rushed unexpectedly to the attack. For the allies, seeing the centre in advance of the rest at several miles distance from the left wing, brought their main force to break it before it could be supported from that quarter: and. in order to pre vent the approach of the right wing under M A RMONT, sent some columns to threaten it on the road to Weissenfels, and thus compel it to retain its position, for fear it should be turned if it moved to sustain the centre. On these two points therecore the mo , t strenuous exertions were made, and long did the battle's deeeest fury rage. Several times was the village of Kara taken and retaken. The attempt on the right was frustrated by MA RMoNT, and BEAUII A !MOTS at last entered in line upon the left, whilst MAC DON A LD, attacked the Russian tight, and penetrated to the village occupied by their reserve. But this diversion failed to relieve the centre. ' The allies redoubled their efforts on that point ; the village of Kara was again taken, the centre yielded, some battalions* opened, and the fate of the day and of Europe seemed on the eve of being decided, when conscious that no chance remained but death or victory, NAPOLEON in person rallied his troops, charged with sixteen battalions of his yourig ruards, whilst a battery of eighty pieces of cannon was formed; and poured grape shot into the Russian ranks, re took the village of Earn, and followed their retiring. columns closely, until BE RTR AND entering the line with his corps, the French tight wing moved in ad vance to join him and support the success of tile centre, when the " infantry, cavali y and artillery of the c.llics, 411 retreated". The enemy pursued them a league and an half from the field of battle, but it is evident that they made their retreat in an orderly manner, as but a comparatively small number ofprisoners were taken; for which the French ac count by the inferiority of their cavalry, which BUONAP ART E, willing to spare, or rather distrusting. kept in battle array behind his infantry, without allowing it to take the least share in the action. The loss of the 'enemy is estimated at 10,000 in killed and wounded ; that of the allies at 25 or 50,000.. As the battle was fought with the most obstinate bravery on. all sides, and every soldier seemed to feel that the liberty of his country, or the crown of his master, depended on his own . individual exertions, it is possible that the loss of the allies may have been as great ns it is represented; but it is equally . impossible that of the French should have been so 1 small. They fougllt, it is true, on the defensive, and a:i assailant must experience considerable loss if he does not ultimately succeed in his attempt, because he has then to Ireceive the repeated fire of the whole hostile line both i;a ! his advance and in his retreat, whilst- the.assailed. if thee I! - mu their ground, suffer less, but their ceutie several NIL of