Battle of Dennewitz The Battle of Dennewitz ( ) took place on 6 September 1813 between the forces of the First French Empire and an army of Prussians and Russians of the Sixth Coalition . It occurred in Dennewitz , a village of Germany , in the Prussia n province of Brandenburg , near Jüterbog , 40 km . S . W . from Berlin . Prelude . In late August 1813 , Napoleon decided to order a general offensive to take Berlin , the Prussian capital , with the overall goal of knocking the Prussians out of the war . Marshal Oudinot ' s corps advanced towards this objective along three separate roads . The fighting that took place on 23 August was essentially three isolated actions at Blankenfield , Grossbeeren , and Sputendorf . In each case the Allies prevailed and Oudinot retreated to Wittenberg . At this point Napoleon appointed Marshal Michel Ney to command . The battle . Ney , with around 58 , 000 men , renewed the advance on Berlin on 6 September , encountering mixed elements of Prussian , Russian , and Swedish troops under the overall command of Crown Prince Charles of Sweden ( formerly French Marshal Bernadotte ) at Dennewitz . Ney had decided to move his entire army down a single road . While this allowed him to maintain communications with his entire army , the single road stacked his army for miles . As a result , the battle swayed back and forth with the arrival of fresh French and Allied reinforcements throughout its course . There were signs that all was not well in the French army at this time . The French empire was seriously short of cavalry troops and mounts since the 1812 Russian campaign . As a result there was a lack of screening and reconnaissance . The French command situation was also strained , as Oudinot was angered at being placed under Ney ' s command . Marshal Ney was determined to advance with all haste to Berlin and this , combined with the poor reconnaissance , allowed the French army to walk right into an assembled Allied defense . Initially forced back , the Prussian elements of Bernadotte ' s army were reinforced by General Bülow and recovered the lost ground . Bülow would now assume command of the allied side for most of the remainder of the day . A see - sawing battle now developed , but just as the French appeared on the verge of a victory , Ney , not helped by a lack of support from Oudinot , made a mistake that swung the battle . Having joined in the fighting personally and being unaware of the tactical situation due to a sandstorm on the battlefield , Ney ordered Oudinot to form a reserve . This pull back by Oudinot was perceived as a retreat and the Allies redoubled the attack . Under great pressure , the French were forced back . Bernadotte arrived with his Swedish army on the French left flank . The French , already falling back under heavy pressure , were routed . The French suffered 10 , 000 casualties , the Allies some 7 , 000 . Aftermath . Bavaria withdrew from the war as a result of the failure of the Berlin campaign . Other German states were now wavering in their support of the French Empire . Friedrich Wilhelm von Bülow was entitled " Count of Dennewitz " . Order of battle . French Empire . Commander : Marshal Michel Ney