View source for Battle of Bautzen (1813)

{{Short description|1813 battle during the War of the Sixth Coalition}}
{{Use shortened footnotes|date=June 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Battle of Bautzen
| image             = Battle of Bautzen 1813 by Bellange.jpg
| image_size        = 300
| caption           = Napoleon on white horse surrounded by his officers, receives a messenger.
| partof            = the [[German campaign of 1813|German campaign]] of the [[War of the Sixth Coalition|Sixth Coalition]]
| date              = 20–21 May 1813{{sfn|Bodart|1908|p=450}}
| place             = [[Bautzen]], [[Kingdom of Saxony]]
| coordinates       = {{Coord|51.1833|N|14.4167|E|source:ruwiki_region:DE_type:event|format=dms}}
| result            = French victory{{sfn|Bodart|1908|p=450}}
| combatant1        = {{flagcountry|First French Empire}}
| combatant2        = {{flagcountry|Russian Empire}}<br>{{flag|Prussia|1803}}
| commander1        = {{plainlist|
* {{flagicon|First French Empire}} [[Napoleon I]]
* {{flagicon|First French Empire}} [[Michel Ney]]
* {{flagicon|First French Empire}} [[Jean-de-Dieu Soult]]
* {{flagicon|First French Empire}} [[Auguste de Marmont]]
* {{flagicon|First French Empire}} [[Édouard Mortier]]
* {{flagicon|First French Empire}} [[Henri Gatien Bertrand]]
* {{flagicon|First French Empire}} [[Jacques MacDonald]]
* {{flagicon|First French Empire}} [[Pierre Augereau]]
* {{flagicon|First French Empire}} [[Nicolas Oudinot]]
* {{flagicon|First French Empire}} [[Géraud Christophe Michel Duroc|Géraud Duroc]] 
* {{flagicon|First French Empire}} [[Horace François Bastien Sébastiani de La Porta|Horace Sébastiani]]
* {{flagicon|First French Empire}} [[Jacques Lauriston]]
}}
| commander2        = {{plainlist|
* {{flagicon|Russian Empire}} [[Alexander I of Russia|Alexander I]]
* {{flagicon|Russian Empire}} [[Peter Wittgenstein]]
* {{flagicon|Russian Empire}} [[Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly|Barclay de Tolly]]
* {{flagicon|Russian Empire}} [[Mikhail Miloradovich]]
* {{flagicon|Russian Empire}} [[Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich of Russia|Grand Duke Konstantin]]
* {{flagicon|Russian Empire}} [[Levin August von Bennigsen]]
* {{flagicon|Kingdom of Prussia|1803}} [[Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher|Gebhard von Blücher]]
* {{flagicon|Kingdom of Prussia|1803}} [[Frederick William III of Prussia|Frederick William III]]
* {{flagicon|Kingdom of Prussia|1803}} [[Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg]]
* {{flagicon|Prussia|1803}} [[Friedrich Graf Kleist von Nollendorf|Friedrich von Kleist]]
}}
| strength1         = 100,000–200,000{{sfn|Grant|2011|p=542}}{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=1119}}{{sfn|Bodart|1908|p=450}}{{sfn|Leggiere|2015|p=357}}
| strength2         = 96,000–97,000{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=892}}{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=1119}}{{sfn|Bodart|1908|p=450}}{{sfn|Leggiere|2015|p=357}}
| casualties1       = 20,000–25,000{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=897}}{{sfn|Clark|2006|p=365}}{{sfn|Bodart|1908|p=450}}{{sfn|Leggiere|2015|p=341, 358}}
| casualties2       = 11,000–20,000{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=897}}{{sfn|Clark|2006|p=365}}{{sfn|Bodart|1908|p=450}}{{sfn|Leggiere|2015|p=341, 358}}{{sfn|Grant|2011|p=542}}
| map_type          = Europe
| map_relief        = 1
| map_size          = 300
}}
[[Image:Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher in Bautzen 1813.jpg|thumb|[[Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher]] in [[Bautzen]], 1813]]
{{Campaignbox German campaign}}
{{Campaignbox Sixth Coalition}}
{{OSM Location map
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|  zoom = 5
|   float = right
|    nolabels = 1
|     width = 304
|     height = 180
| title = [[War of the Sixth Coalition]]:<br>[[German Campaign of 1813|German campaign]]
| caption = {{legend|black|current battle}}{{legend|maroon|Napoleon in command}}{{legend|navy|Napoleon not in command}}

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| mark-title1 = [[Siege of Danzig (1813)]] from 16 January to 29 November 1813

| label2 = 
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| mark-title2 = [[Battle of Möckern]] on 5 April 1813

| label3 = 
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| mark-title3 = [[Battle of Lützen (1813)]] on 2 May 1813
| label-color3 = maroon
| shape-color3 = maroon

| label4 =
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| mark-title4 = Battle of Bautzen (1813) from 20 to 21 May 1813
| label-color4 = black
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| label5 =
| mark-coord5 = {{coord|51.27|15.93}}
| mark-title5 = [[Battle of Haynau]] on 26 May 1813

| label6 =
| mark-coord6 = {{coord|51.85|13.72}}
| mark-title6 = [[Battle of Luckau]] on 4 June 1813

| label7 =
| mark-coord7 = {{coord|52.35|13.3}}
| mark-title7 = [[Battle of Großbeeren]] on 23 August 1813

| label8 =
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| mark-title8 = [[Battle of the Katzbach]] on 26 August 1813

| label9 = 
| mark-coord9 = {{coord|51.03|13.73}}
| mark-title9 = [[Battle of Dresden]] from 26 to 27 August 1813
| label-color9 = maroon
| shape-color9 = maroon

| label10 = 
| mark-coord10 = {{coord|50.69|13.94}}
| mark-title10 = [[Battle of Kulm]] from 29 to 30 August 1813

| label11 =
| mark-coord11 = {{coord|51.97|13}}
| mark-title11 = [[Battle of Dennewitz]] on 6 September 1813

| label12 =
| mark-coord12 = {{coord|53.15|10.84}}
| mark-title12 = [[Battle of the Göhrde]]on 16 September 1813

| label13 =
| mark-coord13 = {{coord|50.99|12.43}}
| mark-title13 = [[Battle of Altenburg]] on 28 September 1813

| label14 =
| mark-coord14 = {{coord|51.83|12.25}}
| mark-title14 = [[Combat of Roßlau]] on 29 September 1813

| label15 =
| mark-coord15 = {{coord|51.81|12.78}}
| mark-title15 = [[Battle of Wartenburg]] on 3 October 1813

| label16 = Leipzig
| mark-coord16 = {{coord|51.33|12.38}}
| mark-title16 = [[Battle of Leipzig]] from 16 to 19 October 1813
| label-color16 = maroon
| shape-color16 = maroon

| label17 =
| mark-coord17 = {{coord|50.13|8.92}}
| mark-title17 = [[Battle of Hanau]] from 30 to 31 October 1813
| label-color17 = maroon
| shape-color17 = maroon

| label18 =
| mark-coord18 = {{coord|54.37|9.82}}
| mark-title18 = [[Battle of Sehested]] from 10 December 1813

| label19 =
| mark-coord19 = {{coord|53.58|9.98}}
| mark-title19 = [[Siege of Hamburg]] from 24 December 1813 to 12 May 1814
}}
In the '''Battle of Bautzen''' (20–21 May 1813), a combined Prusso-Russian army, retreating after their defeat at [[Battle of Lützen (1813)|Lützen]] and massively outnumbered, was pushed back by [[Napoleon]] but escaped destruction. Some sources claim that Marshal [[Michel Ney]] failed to block their retreat. The Prussians were led by General [[Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher]], and the Russians by General [[Peter Wittgenstein]].

==Prelude==
The Prusso-Russian army was in a full retreat following their defeat at the [[Battle of Lützen (1813)|Battle of Lützen]]. Finally, generals Wittgenstein and Blücher were ordered to stop at Bautzen by [[Tsar]] [[Alexander I of Russia|Alexander I]] and [[Monarch|King]] [[Frederick William III of Prussia|Frederick William III]]. The Russo-Prussian army was nearly 96,000 strong, but Napoleon had 144,000.{{sfn|Leggiere|2015|p=357}} Wittgenstein formed two strong defensive lines east of the River Spree, with the first holding strongpoints in villages and along hills and the second holding the bridges behind a river bend. Their left flank was anchored by the town of Bautzen and their right by a number of lakes.

Napoleon had planned to pin down his enemies to their lines on the first day and then trap them with [[Marshal of France|Marshal]] [[Michel Ney]]'s troops the following day when they arrived. However, due to faulty reconnaissance, he became concerned that the Prusso-Russians had more soldiers and held stronger positions than they actually did. So Napoleon then decided he would not set up his trap until they had been softened up.

==Battle==
After an intense bombardment by the [[Grand Battery|''grande batterie'']] of Napoleon's [[artillery]] that started about noon and hours of heated fighting, the French overpowered the first defensive lines and seized the town of [[Bautzen]]. The Prusso-Russians fell back in good order. By nightfall, the French were positioning to cut the allies off from their line of retreat but the Coalition was aware of Ney's approach to their right flank. But Marshal Ney became confused, and his faulty positioning left the door open for the Allies to escape.

Fighting on the following day, 21 May, was again hard and after several hours of setbacks, renewed French attacks began to gain momentum. But these assaults were only intended to fix the allies in place so they could be cut off and enveloped. Once again, Marshal Ney became distracted and decided to seize the village of {{Interlanguage link|Preititz|de}}, and thus lost sight of the strategic importance of cutting off the allies.

The Russo-Prussian army was being pushed back and at 4:00pm, the Tsar realized the threat that Ney posed on his right and that the battle was lost and issued orders for a general retreat. Without Ney's forces to seal them in, however, they again escaped the crushing defeat Napoleon had hoped for. Losses on both sides totaled around 20,000. But some other sources (e.g. Dr Stubner) also say that the losses on French side were significantly higher because of their aggressive attack tactics which failed to cut off the allies from their lines and the allies in fact only lost 11,000–14,000. The French victory at Bautzen is therefore often called a [[Pyrrhic victory]].{{sfn|Riley|2000|p=106}} Given his numerical superiority, the outcome was a missed opportunity for Napoleon.{{sfn|Leggiere|2015|p=359}}

==Aftermath==
Although another battle victory for the French, Bautzen was not the decisive, strategic result that Napoleon had wanted. Ney's failure to cut the line of retreat robbed the French of complete victory. Once more, Napoleon had to settle for a narrow and costly victory with over 20,000 French casualties. To make matters worse, during the battle, Napoleon's close friend and [[Grand Marshal of the Palace]], General [[Geraud Duroc]], was mortally wounded by a [[Round shot|cannonball]] the day after the battle and died. Following Bautzen, Napoleon agreed to a nine-week truce with the Coalition, requested by the Allies on 2 June 1813. The [[Armistice of Pläswitz]] was signed on 4 June, and lasted until 20 July but was later extended to 10 August. On the same 4 June the [[Battle of Luckau]] was fought. Napoleon hoped to gather more troops, especially cavalry, and better train his new army, but the allies were not idle and mobilised better prepared forces. After hostilities were resumed, the Austrians joined the ranks of the allies. It is reported that Napoleon later (on Saint Helena) said that his agreement to that truce was a bad mistake because the break was of much more use to the allies than to him.

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book | last=Bodart | first=Gaston | year=1908 | title=Militär-historisches Kriegs-Lexikon (1618–1905)|publisher=Stern|location=Vienna| url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_A0kNAAAAYAAJ| author-link=Gaston Bodart|oclc=230729343|language=de}}
* {{cite book|first=David G. | last = Chandler|title=The Campaigns of Napoleon|publisher=Scribner|location=New York|date=1966|isbn=0-02-523660-1}}
* {{cite book | last=Clark | first=Christopher C. | year=2006 | title=Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947 | publisher=Belknap Press of Harvard University Press | location=Cambridge, Massachusetts | isbn=978-0-674-02385-7}}
* {{cite book |editor-last1=Grant |editor-first1=RG  |title=1001 Battles That Changed the Course of History |date=2011 |publisher=Universe Publishing |isbn=978-0789322333}}
* {{cite book | last=Leggiere | first=Michael V. | year=2015 | author-link=Michael Leggiere | title=Napoleon and the Struggle for Germany | publisher=Cambridge University Press | isbn=978-1107080515 |volume=1}}
* {{cite book | first=Lorraine | last=Petre | year=1912 | title=Napoleon's Last Campaign in Germany in 1813 | publisher=Lane | location=London}}
* {{cite book | last=Riley | first=Jonathon | year=2000 | author-link=Jonathon Riley (British Army officer) | title=Napoleon and the World War of 1813 | publisher=Routledge}}
* {{Cite book|last=Thiers|first=Adolphe|title=History of the Consulate and the Empire of France under Napoleon|volume=8|date=1894|publisher=J.B. Lippincott|location=Philadelphia}} {{source-attribution}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book | ref=none | last=Lawford | first=James | year=1979 | title=Napoleon, The Last Campaigns 1813-1815 | publisher=Crown Publishers | location=New York}}
* {{cite book | ref=none | last=Lorraine | first=Petre, F. | year=1977 | title=Napoleon's Last Campaign in Germany in 1813 | publisher=Hippocrene Books, Inc. | location=New York}}
* {{cite book | ref=none | last=Nafziger | first=George | year=1992 | title=Lutzen and Bautzen: Napoleon's Spring Campaign of 1813 | publisher=Emperor's Press | location=Chicago}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20171103133415/http://www.napoleonguide.com/battle_bautzen.htm Battle of Bautzen at napoleonguide.com]
*{{commons-inline}}

{{Sequence
| prev = [[Battle of Lützen (1813)]]
| list = Napoleonic Wars
| curr = Battle of Bautzen (1813)
| next = [[Siege of Tarragona (1813)]]
}}
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[[Category:May 1813]]
[[Category:1813 in Europe]]
[[Category:Kingdom of Saxony]]
[[Category:German campaign of 1813]]
[[Category:Battles in 1813|Bautzen]]
[[Category:Battles commanded by Napoleon]]
[[Category:Battles inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe]]
[[Category:Battles of the War of the Sixth Coalition involving Prussia]]
[[Category:Battles of the War of the Sixth Coalition involving Russia]]
[[Category:Military of Saxony]]
[[Category:Bautzen|Battle of Bautzen]]
[[Category:Alexander I of Russia]]
[[Category:Frederick William III of Prussia]]