D'York was to take the enemy's corps at Goerlitz in | tween Zorbig, Radegast, and Bitterfeld, General Bluflank and rear at Landskron, and to cut it off by Reichenbach. General St. Priest attacked the Polish corps d'armée, which was concentrated at Lobau; but the attack of the corps at Goerlitz could not be carried into effect, as the enemy retreated with such rapidity, that General Sachen's cossacks could not come up with him. On the 16th of September, the Corsican usurper advanced at the head of his guards, and the remains of the armies which had been opposed to our hero, and the Prince Royal of Sweden, united to the first, second, and fourth corps d'armée, towards Kulm, intending to make a serious operation against Bohemia. His attacks, however, were repulsed at all points, and he was driven back into the heights of Nollendorf, with the loss of seven pieces of cannon, and more than two thousand prisoners. cher moved from Jesnitz to Zorbig; and the armies of Silesia and the north of Germany were here united. The allies having resolved to pass the Saale, orders were issued in the night, and General Blucher moved with the Silesian army, to pass the river at Wettin; bridges having been previously constructed for that purpose. The remainder of the allied force, under the Crown Prince, and Generals Bulow and Winzingerode, was also to cross the river at different points; and the whole to place itself in order of battle, with its left resting on the Saale. Intelligence was now received at the head-quarters of the Crown Prince, that the grand allied army of Bohemia was approaching Altenberg, and the communications seemed about to be established in the rear of the French army; and the rivers Mulda, Elster, and Saale, being now passed, the allies interposed their main strength between Buonaparte and the French dominions. These decisive measures compelled the Corsican to quit Dresden, on the 7th of October, preceded by the greater part of his army, adopting the plan of crossing the Elbe, and extending his forces along the opposite bank from Dresden to Magdeburg, in order to push a The allies now determined to cross the Elbe with their main-armies, and pursue a more vigorous line of action. General Benningsen, with a Russian reinforcement of forty thousand men, was moving into Bohemia, and rapidly advancing to Toplitz; Marshal Blucher was to cross the Elbe above Dresden, in conjunction with the Crown Prince of Sweden; whilst Prince Schwartzenberg, who was at Toplitz, on being relieved by the re-detached corps into the centre of Prussia, and even inforcement under General Benningsen, was to advance through Saxony, in the direction of Leipsig, and form a junction with the Crown Prince and Marshal Blucher, who were moving on the opposite side. In pursuance of this arrangement, General Blucher advanced with the greater part of his army from the vicinity of Bautzen to Elster; and, though he had to carry with him pontoons, he marched with such rapidity as to reach the latter place in three days. After passing the Elbe, he attacked the fourth corps of the enemy's army, commanded by General Bertrand, on the 3d of October, near Wirtemberg; routed, and drove it from all its entrenchments; and took six guns, seventy harnessed caissons, and one thousand prisoners. upon the capital. In consequence of this movement, the Crown Prince and Blucher made some change in their plan of operations; and, on the 13th, the army of the former recrossed the Saale. On the 14th, General Blucher moved his head-quarters to Gros Kugal, pushing his advance on the great road to Leipsig, and occupying the villages on each side of it. The enemy was in force in this front, still retaining possession of Deblitsch and Bitterfeld, with some troops along the Mulda. General Blucher found the enemy's forces, consisting of the fourth, sixth, and seventh corps of the French army, and great part of the guards, under Marshals Marmont and Ney, and General Bertrand, occupying a line with their right at Freyroda, and their left at Lindenthal. The country around these latter villages is open and very favourable for cavalry; but the enemy was strongly posted in front of a wood of some extent, near Radefeld, and behind it the ground is more intersected; generally speaking, however, it is open, and adapted to the operations of arms of all descriptions. The Corsican, in the mean time, had manoeuvred from Dresden, with a large corps of cavalry on the right, and all his infantry on the left bank of the Elbe, as far down as Archlau; and a strong demonstration of twenty or thirty thousand men was made towards the point of Elster, where General Blucher passed, probably with a design of inducing him to repass the river. The attack of the Silesian army was planned as folThe determination of the allies was not, however, to lows:-General Langeron's corps was to attack and be affected by demonstration; and the whole army of carry Freyroda and Radefeld, having the corps of Geour hero being now in close communication with the neral Sachen in reserve. The corps d'armée of GeneCrown Prince of Sweden, marched from Douba to Jes-ral D'York was directed to move on the great paved nitz, on the 9th of October, and passed the Mulda, way leading to Leipsig, until it reached the village of The Crown Prince, having concentrated his forces be-Sitzchera, when, turning to its left, it was to force the General St. Priest, crossed close to Coblentz, and took only to conquer peace, and to enable them to participate that city, after a slight and ineffectual resistance. The field-marshal now issued the following addresses to the inhabitants of the left bank of the Rhine, and to the army: its blessings. The army, in uniting to its well-tried valour the most severe discipline, will fix the admiration of its own age, and of future generations. "The commandants of corps will repeat to their corps the order, that the most severe punishment will be inflicted on every offender, as due to the honour of the army which is entrusted to my command, They will "To the Inhabitants of the Left Bank of the Rhine. "I have conducted the army of Silesia beyond the Rhine, to establish the liberty and independence of na-also announce, that every inhabitant out of uniform, tions, and to conquer peace. "The emperor Napoleon incorporated with the French empire, Holland, a part of Germany and of Italy: he has declared that he would not give up a single village of his conquests, not even if the enemy were upon the heights of Paris. "The armies of all the European powers are acting against this declaration and these principles? Will you defend these principles ? If so, range yourselves in the battalions of Napoleon, and endeavour to fight against the most just of causes, which Providence so visibly protects. Do not partake in this opinion: you will find protection on our part. "I will protect your property. Let every citizen, let every landholder, peaceably remain at his home, and every magistrate at his post, to continue his functions without interruption; however, all connexion with the French empire must cease from the moment of the entrance of the allied troops. "Whoever infringes this order, will render himself guilty of treason against the allied powers: he will be carried before a military council, and condemned to death. . taken with arms in his hands, will be considered as a malefactor or assassin, and shall be judicially condemned as such, and punished with death. "The town, city, or village, the inhabitants of which shall oppose any resistance, and commit any acts of hostility, shall be razed and reduced to ashes." Pursuing his victorious march, our hero entered the strong position of Keyser-Slautern, from which Marshal Marmont had retired; and a detachment of the Silesian army made themselves masters of Treves, which was defended by a garrison of one thousand men, On the 27th of January, Marshal Blucher, having passed the Marne, entered Brienne; which was furiously attacked by the French in the afternoon of the 29th: the assault, however, was vigorously repelled till night put an end to the contest. The field-marshal then perceiving that he could not maintain his position against the superior force of the enemy, prepared to retire. On the 31st of January, the corps of Marshal Blucher, consisting of General Sachen's, and part of General Langeron's divisions, took up a position near Trames. The Prince Royal of Wurtemberg was at Maison, in communi "Given upon the left bank of the Rhine, January cation with the field-marshal's right, General Giulay's the 1st, 1814. "To the Army of Silesia. "BLUCHER," "Jan. 8, 1814, corps was formed on the great road between Trames and Dienville; and General Wrede marched with his corps upon Donlevant, whence he was directed to advance to Chamneuil, upon the road by Tremilly, General Barclay de Tolly commanded the reserve, consisting of two divisions of Russian grenadiers and a division of cuirassiers, about six thousand men. "At this moment, when the army is advancing upon the French territory, I think it my duty to remind the commanders of corps of the orders which preceded that The French, commanded by Buonaparte in person, movement, and to enjoin them to redouble their zeal occupied two lines extending across the plain, from the for the maintenance of order and discipline. They will front of Dienville on the right, by the village of La exact the same attention, under a responsibility the Rothiere, towards Tremilly on the left. General Marmost extensive, from all commanders of regiments, bat-mont was posted at the village of Morvilliers in reserve. talions, &c. The troops will make the scourge of war The French, also, occupied the heights in the vicinity of bear as lightly as possible on the inhabitants; and on Brienne. no account must they exact more than the fixed marching allowance. The conduct and exact discipline of the soldier must fulfil the solemn engagements entered into by the allied monarchs in their declaration to the French people; must convince them that we do not make war upon them, and that we are now in the midst of them Marshal Blucher commenced the attack about noon, by advancing the corps of General Giaulay towards Dienville, and by forming in the front of La Rothiere the divisions of his own corps. The Prince Royal of Wurtemberg also advanced to attack the enemy in the village of La Gibrie, which they occupied, with the surrounding woods, in considerable force; and, after an obstinate contest, succeeded in carrying it: and General Wrede, about the same time, advanced upon Tremilly, of which he ultimately took possession with little difficulty. fell back, closely pursued by the allies, to Janvillieres, where they were joined by Buonaparte, on the 14th with the whole of his guards, and a large body o cavalry. The Field-marshal was now attacked with great imGeneral Sachen, perceiving that his right wing was petuosity by the enemy, whose decided superiority of now secured, determined to attack the centre of the numbers determined him to retreat: he therefore formFrench position at La Rothiere. While his infantryed his infantry into squares, which resisted all attempts were engaged in the attack of the village, Marshal Blucher directed a charge of cavalry upon the right of it, which completely succeeded. The enemy were driven from La Rothiere; and, at a late hour in the evening, General Giulay advanced upon Dienville, and succeeded in taking that part of the village situated on the right of the Aube.. Buonaparte, at the head of the young guards, repeatedly attacked the allies in the village of La Rothiere, but was unable to regain possession of this important post; and was finally obliged to retreat upon Vitry, Troyes, and Arcis. In this engagement, the allies took seventy-three pieces of cannon, and about four thousand prisoners; and the loss of the French, in killed and wounded, was very considerable. On the 8th of February, Marshal Blucher's headquarters were at Etoges; General Sachen being then at Montmirail, General D'York at Chateau Thierry, and General Kleist at Chalons; the whole advancing upon the French army under the command of Macdonald, who was retiring with one hundred pieces of artillery. On the evening of the 8th, however, Marshal Blucher moved his head-quarters to Vertus, on the report of a Russian regiment having been attacked at Baye. General D'York's advanced posts from Darment, and General Sachen's from Montmirail, now reached as far as Chateau Thierry and La Ferté-sousJouarre. In the afternoon of the 10th, the Russian corps of Alsuffieff was attacked at Champaubert, by a very superior force from Sezanne; and, after an obstinate resistance, was obliged to retire with considerable loss. On the following day, our hero's head-quarters were at Bergeres, and the corps of General Sachen and D'York marched upon Montmirail against the enemy. A severe engagement ensued, during which the village of Marchais was taken and retaken three times. Both armies maintained their positions; but, two days afterwards, the field-marshal judged it expedient to retire behind the Marne. On the 12th, Marshal Blucher, with the corps under Generals Kleist and Kassielvitz, being in position at Bergeres, advanced to attack Marshal Marmont, who was at Etoges, with ten thousand men. The French of the French cavalry to break them; and, finally, forced their way through a French corps which attempted to intercept them, and reached Etoges in safety. The loss of the allies, on this occasion, amounted to about three thousand five hundred men in killed, wounded, and prisoners; but that of the enemy was considerably greater, in consequence of their being exposed to a tremendous fire of artillery, in which the combined forces were superior. On the 21st, the field-marshal, having been previously joined by Generals D'York and Sachen, marched upon Mery, which was already occupied by General Count Witgenstein. On the arrival of our hero, the Count withdrew his corps, and, early on the morning of the 22d, took the direction of Chevrigny. Scarcely had the posts he left in front of the town been relieved by the army of the field-marshal, when Marshal Oudinot, with two corps, commenced, at eight o'clock in the morning, an attack from the opposite side of the river. As, however, it was not the immediate design of the allies to carry on any operation on the left bank of the river, arrangements were made for burning the bridge over the Seine, that divides the town into two parts, and for defending that on the other side of the river. Whilst Marshal Blucher was superintending this operation, the town itself took fire in three places, and, the wind being very high, it became impossible to subdue the flames: the defence of the town, therefore, became impracticable. During the action, the field-marshal, whilst reconnoitring the enemy's position in the town, was struck by a musket-ball on the leg, which passed through his boot, without, however, doing any material injury. The field-marshal now drew up his army in two lines, in an extensive plain outside of the town, having his cavalry in reserve, and prepared to attack the enemy, if he should venture to cross the river. Oudinot pushed over three battalions, and extended them along the left bank of the river, designing, by a very sharp fire, to cover the further advance of troops from the river. He was, however, now attacked by the allied troops, driven back into the town, and compelled to recross the broken bridge, leaving behind him many prisoners and |