The National Register.
London, England, 1813-05-23 00:00:00

rim r 'NATIONAL REGISTER.

332

We shall now consider the Ravian account, which, though I.
it has on ,v appeared in The i.f.mlito-g- Correcpondenteii, seems it
entitled, from the manner in which it is written, and the
• a
details which it presents, not only of movements, but of
the intentioni thet ;.,ave them birth, to he considered au of-
ficial document. II v.:as published under the unassuming title
of " Parrieul:n- Statement of the Battle at Gross Gorchen,
on the Cd of May," alcl states:—'That the arrival of NA Po
LEON, and the junction of his army with !hat of.the VICE-
ROY, at Nan mburg, as well as tlnir passing the finale in force,
being known at General WIT roENsTE)N's tread-quarters, Ile
resolved to anticipate him, and by a bold attack "to ob-
afflict him in his dispositioni, and• to rest ain his offewsive.
operations." The Emperor ALEXANDart and the King of
Paussta repcired to the army, to animate their troops by
their presence; and on the Ist of May a reconnoi-sance
made by General kVINZIYGERODE, brought on " a very
severe engagement,' which confirmed the intelligence of
the main ft-n-ce of the enemy being in the vicinity of Weis-
senfels and I dozen. The Allies, then resolved "to fall on
such part of his force as was, on his side, considered to
be his best troops ; in order, ;I'ter melt a stroke, to give
.
larger since for the operations of the flying corps, ot er
whom the enemy kid latterly ceouired a superiority." The
intentions of the Allies, in attacking NAPOT- EON arc there-
fore c.early given: Tbey were " to obstruct his disposi-
tion," reduce him to the defensive, and enable the Rus-
sian and Prus,ian flying corps to harras him on n. greater va-
riety of points." Tiow far they have been realized, nece,s•t-
rily gives us the measure of their success, or of their failure ll
The liu,sian account, then, describes the action as most
obstinately cc;ntested. Some of the vi!hges in which the
'French received the attack, were several times taken and re-
taken, and for several hours both parth.s fought at the di-
stance of only 100 paces, with altcril:lte afivant.y;e. At
last, about seveu o'cloc k in the evening, the enemy tbrought
a new corps on the right of the Alliec, and the Russian
mcrve was advanced to sustain the " The. most des-
percte engagement was now c,:ntinned till night came on,
and put
,an end to the battle." _ Both armies, it .
Oar, according to the Eeport, slept on !be field, the Allies
still occupying the villages which they had stormed,
and the French in possession of Leipsic, which they had
taken during the action. The rest is involved in obscurity.
The A we are told, manoeuvred in consequence of the
enemy being at Leipsic; but afterwards learnt that he had
quiccd it, (which does not seen; to have been the case) as well
as Halle; that he had lost 15,000 killed and wouvAled, and that
many of Ids cannon were dismounted, and a number of his
powder waggons Mown. up ; then that their light de-
tachments wcre again at liberty to harass Lim and to prose-
• cute the advantage ,;aincd, that they consequently kept the
field of battle, and that the victory was theits and their in-
tended purpose accomplished. "The enemy was to be at-
tacked the following morning ;he Sd of :\lav,"—but no rea-
son ,is given viry that attack was not node, or why the Allies
retreated, instead of prosecuting the advantage gained,
especially as the corps of MILORADOWITCiI is stated to have
arrived at the close of. the action, and Z.)-0,000 of their best
troops not to have been engaged.
• It is remarkable that no account whatever from the head-
quarters of the allies has been published to a later. date than
the 3d inst. although we have had Berlin Papers to the 9th
• mentioning the arrival of couriers from the army, news from
I-lamburgh to the 13th and from Heligoland to are 15th.
The French Papers supply this chasm, and inform us that
NAPOLEON after some trifling actions with the rear of the
allies, entered Dresden on the Efth at noon, and LAVRI:TOII,
hith

Af A Y 23.

Meissen, Lower do wn othhe Elbe, the Russians having crossed
to the right bank. NE Y
.WAS on his march to Tmgau, in
which 1.4,000 Saxons were shut up, who Were • expected to'
join the French, Bu ON AP ART E having never ceased
to consider the King of SAXONY as his ally. Should this
expectation be realized, it could not be too much lamented
that the allies should, by their retreat, have enabled the ene-
my to acquire an addition of farce, equal to the losS he had
incurred in the battle of the 2d. But we think it will prove
otherwise. Saxony seems to have taken the attitude of a
neutral, and we trust- no successes of the French will
not make her once more join a cause, which it has already
cost her so much blood to supporj.
having reached Dresden, we think NAPOLEON will en-
deavour to penetrate through Lusatia into Silesia, be-
hind the Allies, so as throw them hack upon Bei lin, and in-
terpose between them and Poland, thus cutting off all their
communications and reinforcerneutg, whilst he would den ve
additional support for his army from the fortresses be still
possesses on the Oder and Vistula. To defeat such a plan,
it is necessary either to try immediately the fate of a second
general battle, or to fill limber bark in the direction of Si••
lcsia and Poland. The latter, ai the more prudent, is likely to
be adopted by Wur TG ENST N ; for by so doing, he will be
able to join the powerful reinforcements that have already ar-
rived at Posen, under Gen. A act. Y E TOL LY, and to turn
on the enemy with encreased, and perhaps superior strength.
A fortnight might he sufficient to form that junction, by
forced marches. We should, therefore, see no cause for
despondency, should we hear by the next advices, that the
allies have continued to retreat and the French to advance.
towards the Oder, and that Berlin and the western parts Of
Prussia have been left to be defended by the newly ordered
Levy en Masse. Neither should we be surprised to bear,
that the great battle which will probably decide the fate of
the Continent-has been fought about the 20th of the present
month, in the vicinity of on. the Oder. Duman
.calculations are so nit ettain, that it is impo,sible to anti-
cipate its issue. Rut the determined valour and eminent
skill which the allies have displayed at Lutzeu, create the
most pleasing anticipations for the time when they shall re-
turn with all their united forces to the field.