October 16–19, 1813 · Central Europe / Germany Theater
October 16–19, 1813
The largest battle in history before the First World War, Leipzig brought together over half a million men over four days of savage fighting around the Saxon city. Napoleon found himself surrounded by three converging Coalition armies — Schwarzenberg from the south, Blücher from the north, and Bernadotte from the northeast. He fought brilliantly on the defensive for two days, but the odds were impossible. On October 18 the Saxon corps treacherously switched sides mid-battle, firing on their former French allies. The next day, with retreat becoming a rout, the bridge over the Elster was prematurely blown while thousands of French troops were still in the city. Marshal Poniatowski drowned attempting to swim the river.
Commanders