Permanent historical factsheet

Battle of Leipzig

France · Warfare / Napoleonic Wars. Chronological records rendered directly from the World History Database.

10Records
1813Date range
2Named people
1Places

Chronological records

1813

Napoleon I2 May 1813

Leipzig · Warfare / Napoleonic Wars

The Confederation dissolves after Napoleon's defeat at Leipzig. Reinforcements fail to arrive & the Saxons change sides. Napoleon flees into the city having lost 60,000 men

Napoleon I16 October 1813

Leipzig · Warfare / Napoleonic Wars

This record states: In total, the French have around 190,000 soldiers and the Allies almost 330,000 with both sides having significant artillery, there were over two and a half thousand pieces of ordnance on the field.

Napoleon I16 October 1813

Leipzig · Warfare / Napoleonic Wars

This record states: The Battle beginswith an attack by 78,000 Allied troops from the south and 54,000 from the north, with Napoleon using the bulk of his army in the south.

Napoleon I16 October 1813

Leipzig · Warfare / Napoleonic Wars

This record states: The allied offensives achieve little and are soon forced back, but Napoleon's outnumbered forces are unable to break the allied lines, resulting in a hard fought stalemate.

Napoleon I18 October 1813

Leipzig · Warfare / Napoleonic Wars

Blucher gains ground in the North but is stopped short of blocking the French retreat route, a number of Saxon and Wurttemberger units defect to the Coalition

Napoleon I18 October 1813

Leipzig · Warfare / Napoleonic Wars

The 6th Coalition is arranged with Field Marshal Blucher (Prussian) & Crown Prince Carl Johan of Sweden to the north, Generals Barclay De Tolly, Bennigsen (Russian) & Prince von Hessen-Homburg (Austrian) to the south & Gyulay (Austrian) to the north

Napoleon I18 October 1813

Leipzig · Warfare / Napoleonic Wars

The Allies launch a huge assault from all sides, in over nine hours of fighting, in which both sides suffer heavy casualties, the French troops prevent a breakthrough but are slowly forced back towards Leipzig

Napoleon I19 October 1813

Leipzig · Warfare / Napoleonic Wars

During the fighting, 5,400 Saxons of Jean Reyniers VII Corps defect to the Allies, Napoleon sees that the battle is a lost cause and on the night of the 18th-19th he begins to withdraw the majority of his army across the river Elster

Jean Reynier19 October 1813

Leipzig · Warfare / Napoleonic Wars

During the fighting, 5,400 Saxons of Jean Reyniers VII Corps defect to the Allies, Napoleon sees that the battle is a lost cause and on the night of the 18th-19th he begins to withdraw the majority of his army across the river Elster

Napoleon IOctober 1813

Leipzig · Warfare / Napoleonic Wars

Napoleon arranges his army around Leipzig, but concentrates his force from Taucha through St”tteritz (where Napoleon placed his command), The Prussians advance from Wartenberg, the Austrians & Russians from Dresden & the Swedish force from the north. Defeated by the 4th Coalition

Names involved

Jean ReynierNapoleon I

Provenance

This factsheet is generated from stored World History Database records matching the country, broad category, detailed category and exact Event value shown above. Duplicate display records are collapsed; database wording is otherwise preserved. Source provenance varies by record, so formal academic citation should be checked against the relevant primary source, archive or specialist historical reference.