Star.
London, England, 1813-11-24 00:00:00

WEDNESDAYi NOVEMBER 21,

Blucher and the Prince Royal of Sweden should
cross the Elbe, and that the further advance ill the
Bohemian army should be regulated by their ,move-
ment. On the 7th. a report was received that Ge-
neral Blucher, 14 the most rapid and brilliant move-
ment that has been made during this war, marched
from Elsterwerda to the mouth of the Black Elster,
near the town of that name, and having crossed by the
bridge which he carried with him, defeated the French
corps at Wartemberg, driving its remains to Witten-
, berg, and immediately advanced within' reach of the
Prince Royal, who had laridtes at Russian and Acken.
On the Bth, accounts were received at Commotau
that the Prince Royal had crossed the Elbe, and
was in communication with Blucher. On that day
la general advance was made from all the posts on I
tlO Bohemian frontier, including General Bennig-
I sea's army, who, after a serious resistance by the
enemy. drove him, into Koenigstein and Dresden,
opened a epinniunicition- +Atli General Bubna pear
Pirna, successively occupying Dippnldiswalda and
Freyberg, • placing limsen before Dresden on the
left bank of the Elbe, while Prince Tcherbatoff oh-
served him on the right bank. All the corps, bow.
ever, opposed to General Bennigsen, and part of that
which was between Dresden and .Bautzen, having
',assembled in Dresden, no farther attack in that quar-
ter was judged expedient.
It was now evident that Bonaparte had left Dres-
den, and was concentrating his army at Leipsig, and
at Wurzen, and Eulenburg : the Elector of Saxony
following with family.
The Emperor of Russia left Commotau in the
night of the Bth, followed by the reserve of his army,
which advanced by. rapid and successive marches to
Altenburg, where the Austrian, Russian, and Prus-
!siah reserves were assembled on the 11th and 12th,
and where the Emperor Alexander and the Field-
Marshals' quarters were,established.
The remainder of the grand army had proceeded
down the Elster by Zeist and.Pegau to Lutzen, on
its left, and to Boma and Espenheim on its right.—
General Blucher having moved to Halle, a direct
communication was opened, through Merseberg, with
that General and the Prince Royal.
The enemy :hewed a line of troops in the villages
of GI oben, Golsa, StOrmentlial, and Kora, between
the Pleiss and the Partha, which having been at-
tacked by qount .Wittgenstein and General Klenan,
'on the 13th, a considerable affair took place, in
which the enemy was dislodged on his right, and it
would have been more serious if the Field-Marshal
who came up had not judged it premature, and put
a stop to it."
Orders had been sent to General Bennigsen, to
leive Central Cduot Peter Tolstor with a consider-
able fcrce-to mask Dresden and Konigstein, and to
march with the remainder of his force and General
Buhna's corps by Nossen on Grimma, while Count
Colloredo, who had been left with his corps to act
with General Bennigsen, was to .march by Frey-
berg and Chemnitz, to join and support the Field-
Marshal's army.
During this period the Bavarian treaty was signed,
which opened new lines of communication to the
South ; and Marshal Augereau, who had been much
harassed and impeded in his march, and had lost part
of his corps, reached Leipsig with the remainder.—
Bonaparte had also made a journey to Wittenberg,
and sent troops to destroy, or to oblige 'the. Allies to
destroy the bridges at Rosslau and Acken, pushing!
A small corps to Zerbst, by which he gave some
ground to believe that he meant to march down the
right bank of the Mulda, to pass the Elbe at Witten-
berg,
and to repass again at Magdeburg. This feint I
had the effect of inducing the Prince Royal to fall
back to Cothen, where he assembled his army.—
Finding, however, that the movement of the enemy
on the right bank of the Elbe had no other conse-
quence,- he decided to return to General Blucher,
and to take is post in the general action with that
General. .
Reports having 'been received of the march of Ge-
neral Bennigsen 'and Count Colloredo,t the army
marched on the 15th from Altenberg to Pegaii (the
place of assembly on the morning of the batch: of
Lucien) ;—and it wars determined to attack the
enemy thelollowing morning, without waiting for
the certaihty of the arrival either of the Prince Royal,
General Beningsen, or Count Colloredo, judging
.that Theif forces would influence the enemy by their
approach, and that they would be fresh tor the se-
cond day; whereas by waiting, the enemy might either
improve his preparations, or escape. Accordingly the
heads of all the columns advanced towards the ene-
my's position at day-break on the 16th, General
Blucher by Schenditz to Golitz and Wetteritz, Ge-
neral' Ginlay by Lutzen on Lindenau ; General
Count Mehrteldt between the Elster and Pleisse, on
Coimexitz ; General Prince of Hesse Hombourg, on
the right bank of the Elster, in the same direction, to
support Count Wittgenstein -towards Wachau, with
Genefal Kleist on 'his right, towards Liebert Wolke.
ritz ; and General Klenau on the extreme right to-
wards Fuchshayn, on the Grimmal road.
The enemy occupied the only ridge in this plain
in front of the named places, behind the centre of
which, towards Leipsic, Bonapaite's tent was pitch-
ed. He was also in force at Connewitz, on the
side of GeneraLGittlay's advance, and towards Ge-
neral Blucher.
At half past nine, immediately on the Emperor's
arrival on the field, the cannonade began with
Count Wittgenitein's corps, and immediately ex-
tended to both flanks on the whole position, and
was continued, without any intermission, till- after
dark at night.
It was intended that Count Mehrfeldt and General
Klenau should -turn the enemy on their respective
flanks, but the French were in great force on their
.left, and the quantity of water, and. the number of
gardens and summer-houses near Connewitz, render-
ed Count Mehrfeldt's task extremely ardtious.
Count Wittgenstein almost immediately. drove the

enemy iVom the heights opposed to him, and the
whole ridge was for some time occupied by the Al-
lies ; but a large force of infantry and cavalry oppos-
ed to General Kleist, occasioned a continual contest
during the whole morning.
Count Mehrfeldt, having advanced to Connewitz,
beyond the 'right of the force opposed to Count
Wittgenstein, repaired a bridge which had bet n de-
stroyed on the Pleisse at Dolitz, and was about to
pass over, when; unfortunately, his. horse was kill-1
ed, and himself taken prisoner by a column of the i
enemy, which was supposed to be a division'of the,
Allies retiring.
At the same time Murat, rat the head of an im-
mense body of cavalry, appeared on the ridge on the
right of Count Wittgenstein, and judging that he
•
had time to attack before the Russian reserve could:
come up to him, he sent on the light artillery of the
guard, and immediately afterwards charged with his
masses of cavalry. The Russian reserve had brokenl
ground in its front, which rendered it impossible for
the cuirassiers to meet hint si%th the velocity they i
desired;—but the cavalry of Count Wittgensteia's
corps„ and attached to it, attacked him an flank,
and he retired with as much precipitation as he
advanced.
During the preparation of Murat's attack, the
Austrian cavalry was greatly distinguished :—they
made nine charges on the enemy's right, in some of
which they swept the whole front with great slaugh-
ter. The Russian cuirassiers having advanced, to-
gether with the guards and grenadiers, and the latter
having occupied d wood on their right, no further
attack was made ;—but the cannonade and fire of
the tirailleurs continued till after dark, when the
troops lay upon their arias upon the ground they .
occupied.
~ . . ~
General Giulay, . opposed by superior force, could
not penetrate. General Mueller had a .brilliant action, '
and defeated the force opposed to him, taking up-,
wards of 30 pieces of cannon, an eagle, and mole '.
than 2900 prisoners.
The next morning at day-break, Count Wittgen-
stein's corps appeared on the ground from whence
he had driven the enemy, but the heads of columns
of the French cavalry and infantry were on their
right on the same ridge, the cannon on each side
almost within musket shot, and the videttes within
pistol shot; and in this attitude the armies remained
the whole day, without firing a shot, except. some
accidental skirmishing by the advanced men. Three
great corps were advancing rapidly to join the Allies ;
—it was therefore evidently not to their advantage
to renew the attack, unless either General Blucher or
the Field Marshal was attacked by the enemy, in
which case, either would have advancedtimmediately
to support the other.
Count Colloredo arrived at the village of 4agde7
born at noon, and in the evening relieved Count Wit-
tgenstein, who became his support. In the evening
also part of General Bennigsen's corps arrived, and
would have immediately marched upon the enemy's
Rank, hid not the General been made acquainted,
while framing his attack, that the action was post-
poned. The Prince Royal also sent notice, that he
would arrive on General Blucher's left by•the after. i
noon of the next day.
The received disposition for troops in these plains
is now to form immense solid columns of infantry
and cavalry, which are denrminated classes, and
which are distributed according to the ground, in
one or more tines, always with reserves; in front are
great quantities of artillery, within reach of support. I
All villages, and broken or covered ground are oc-
cupied by detachments, furnished by the nearest
masses sand supported by them ; and which being de- ;
fended by musketry, always occasion great slaughter.
Except on such occasions, and as skirmishers, the in-1
fantry and the cavalry are seldom seen in line, but
the masses which are usually formed behind the cen- ,
tie of the corps which compose them respectively,
can always extend expeditiously to a larger front or
into line. .
Wurizen was occupied on the lith by a detach-
ment of General Bennigsen's army.
On the 18th, the disposition for a general action
' was carried into effect ; Marshal Schwartzenberg's
order of battle, from left, to right was as follows :
, Count Colloredo's corps, supported •by the Aus-
trian reserve, and connected with General Mehrfeldt's
I corps ; Count Wittgenstein and General Kleist, sup.
ported by the Russian reserve ; General Klenau, his
right alttle brought forward, supported also by Rus-
sian gMiadiers; General Bennigsen his right still
more advanced towards Posa ; beyond the morass on I
his right, General Bubna and Count Playoff were
advanced, connecting between General Bennigsen
and the Prince Royal.
General Blucher was to advance between his Royal
Highness and the great morass, which extends from
Merseburg to Leipsig ; and General Giulay in his
original direction from Lutzen upon Lindenau.
The village of Liebest Wolkeritz was the point to
which all the attacks under the direction of the Field
Marshal were to point ; the corps advancing rowards
a central point, thereby becoming gradually mere
closely connected, and the more distant corps on the
right advancing first.-
The enemy occupied the villages with masses in
their rear, but the more distant posts were carried
without being -much supported, the massei retiring
I with precipitation towards the suburbs of Leipsig..—
All the villages, however, were d: tended with can-
t non, which rendered the action and the cannonade
I general over the whole extent of the plain.
Some of the villages nearest this city were most
obstinately disputed.
The whole plain is covered with bodies of dead
men and horses, and the ruins of the villages are full
of heaps of dead and 'dying.
Every part of the combination succeeded. Gene-
ral Blucher's left, connected with the Prince Royal's
advanced corps, consisting of the Russians and Prtts-
shins, came into action in the afternoon, having ap-
proached by Taucha. Towards the atter part .o.f