"Favorite Battle From the War of the 6th Coalition? Leipzig!" Topic

You were asked – TMP link

What up is your favorite land battle of the War of the 6th Coalition (1813-14)?

47% said "Battle of Leipzig, 16–19 October 1813"
12% said "Battle of Lützen, 2 May 1813"
7% said "Battle of Bautzen, 20–21 May 1813"

Dennewitz.

By the way in the Osprey Campaign series book on Leipzig it lists Below's III Prussian Corps as part of the Army of the North but does not list the 4th Division? Anyone know where it was and what units served in the 4th Div?

Thanks

The Prussian Army of 1813-1814 did not have divisions per se. They were still termed brigades. According to Michael Leggiere's Napoleon & Berlin and Napoleon and the Struggle for Germany, the 4th Brigade was left behind by Bernadotte to continue the siege of Wittenberg. The 4th Brigade eventually was forced to lift the siege by Napoleon's maneuvers in early October, joining with Tauentzien's IV Korps to cover the approaches to Berlin. Thus they were too far away, and on the wrong side of the Elbe, to help at Leipzig. This is just another example of Bernadotte's inabilities as an army commander.

At the beginning of the autumn 1813 campaign, Thumen's 4th Brigade consisted of the 4th East Prussian Infantry Regiment (IR Nr. 5), Reserve Infantry Regiment Nr. 5 (4th East Prussian), half of the 2nd East Prussian Jager Battalion, the Elbe Infantry Regiment, the Pomeranian Light National Cavalry Regiment, and Foot Battery (6-lbr) Nr. 6. But since the Prussians tended to do some shifting of units or parts of units between brigades, that OB may not be completely accurate by the October battles.

Jim