the newest marshal, Prince Poniatowski. The Pole, who had been
rewarded with a marshal's baton for his conspicuous gallantry the day
before, enjoyed his rank less than twenty-four hours. As he spurred his
steed across the engorged Elster, the horse lost its footing on the river
bed, toppled over and pitched its master into the flood waters, where he
drowned.
Leipzig was a catastrophe for Napoleon second only to 1812. Over four
days he had lost 38,ooo casualties and a further 3o,ooo taken prisoner as a
result of the fiasco at the Elster bridge; in addition he had abandoned 325
cannon and been deserted by 5,ooo Saxons. The Allies could make good
their horrendous 54,000 casualty roll over the same period, but the
French could not. Altogether in the 1813 campaign Napoleon had lost a
further 40o,ooo men on top of the massive casualties in Russia in 1812,
including 1oo,ooo men in the scattered garrisons from Danzig to Dresden
who were gradually forced to surrender, many of them by dishonest
Allied promises which the victors later refused to ratify. The Confederacy
of the Rhine was stone dead, as Bavaria and Saxony now made common
cause with the Allies.
The demoralized French Army arrived at Erfurt like a pack of beaten
curs and tatterdemalion beggars. Gloomily they retreated through
Frankfurt and Mayence. But even at this stage the Army had teeth, as the
incautious General Wrede, with a force of Bavarians and Austrians,
learned to his cost in an utter defeat at Hanau on 30 October. Remaining
at a respectful distance and hampered, like their opponents, by heavy rain
and a typhus epidemic, the Allies took until Christmas to reach the east
bank of the Rhine. By that time the prize for first to invade France had
already gone to Wellington, who trod French soil for the first time on 7
October.
The reasons for Napoleon's failure in 1813 were several. The poor
calibre of his men, the lacklustre performance of the marshalate, the
dwindling enthusiasm at all levels in the French Army, all these played a
part. Napoleon's performance as a captain was indifferent. He started
well at Bautzen and Liitzen but seemed to have run out of ideas by
Leipzig, especially as it became clear that the enemy had learned their
lessons well and were alive to all his tricks. Above all, though, the two
things that sank Napoleon were the lack of horses, preventing him from
campaigning properly, and the sheer volume of numbers on the Allied
side. In all his career as a gambler the Emperor had never before had to
confront the combined might of Russia, Austria and Prussia. In his heart
he knew his chances were forlorn after August 1813, and hence the many
interludes of almost catatonic depression. But now he needed to reach
marcin
(Marcin)
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