Battle of Bautzen Ends

As reported yesterday, The Battle of Bautzen ended in victory for Napoleon.  The victory came on May 21, 1813, but it came at a cost, and Count Gebhard von Blucher's Prussian soldiers avoided a devastating rout when they escaped from Bautzen past Marshal Ney's troops.  Sir Walter Scott provides some human color to this episode in the Napoleonic Wars, in his "Life of Napoleon Bonaparte":

 '...The victories of Lutzen and Bautzen were so unexpected and so brilliant, that they completely dazzled all those who, reposing a superstitious confidence in Bonaparte's star, conceived that they again saw it reviving in all the splendour of its first rising. But the expressions of Augereau to Fouche, at Mentz as the latter passed to join Bonaparte at Dresden, show what was the sense of Napoleon's , best officers. "Alas!" he said, "our sun has set. How little do the two actions of which they make so much at Paris, resemble our victories in Italy, when I taught Bonaparte the art of war, which he now abuses. How much labour has been thrown away only to win a few marches onward! At Lutzen our centre was broken, several regiments disbanded, and all was lost but for the Young Guard. We have taught the allies to beat us. After such a butchery as that of Bautzen, there were no results, no cannon taken, no prisoners made. The enemy everywhere opposed us with advantage, and we were roughly handled at Reichembach, the very day after the cattle. Then one ball strikes off Bessieres, another Duroc; Duroc, the only friend he had in the world. Bruyeres and Kirchenner, are swept away by spent bullets. What a war! it will make an end of all of us. He will not make peace; you know him as well as l do; he will cause himself to be surrounded by half a million of men, for, believe me, Austria will not be more faithful to him than Prussia. Yes, he will remain inflexible, and unless he be killed, (as killed he will not be,) there is an end of all of us."?...'

Battle of Bautzen Begins

'...Another consequence of the battle of Lutzen was, that the allies could no longer maintain themselves on the Elbe. The main army, however, only retired to Bautzen, a town near the sources of the Spree, about twelve French leagues from Dresden, where they selected a strong position. An army of observation, under Bulow, was destined to cover Berlin, should the enemy make any attempt in that direction; and they were thus in a situation equally convenient for receiving reinforcements, or retiring upon Silesia, in case of being attacked ere such succours came up. They also took measures for concentrating their army, by calling in their advanced corps in all directions...

 The war was for a few days confined to skirmishes of doubtful and alternate success, maintained on the right bank of the Danube. On the 12th May, Ney crossed the river near Torgau, and menaced the Prussian territories, directing himself on Spremberg and Hoyerswerder, as if threatening Berlin, which was only protected by Bulow and his army of observation. The purpose was probably, by exciting an alarm for the Prussian capital, to induce the allies to leave their strong position at Bautzen. But they remained stationary there, so that Napoleon moved forward to dislodge them in person. On the 18th Elay he quitted Dresden. In his road towards Bautzen, he passed the ruins of the beautiful little town of Bischoffswerder, and expressed particular sympathy upon finding it had been burnt by the French soldiery, after a rencontre near the spot with a body of Russians. He declared that he would rebuild the place, and actually presented the inhabitants with 100,000 francs towards repairing their losses. On other occasions, riding where the recently wounded had not been yet removed, he expressed, as indeed was his custom, for he could never view bodily pain without sympathy, a very considerable degree of sensibility. "His wound is incurable, sire," said a surgeon, upon whom he was laying his orders to attend to one of these miserable objeccts.—"Try, however," said Napoleon; and added in a suppressed voice,—" There will always be one fewer of them,"—meaning, doubtless, of the victims of his wars...'

The Battle of Bautzen began on May 20, 1813.  It was to be a victory for Napoleon, following on the heels of the Battle of Lutzen.  Napoleon's forces, however, sustained heavy losses in this battle.  The text above is from Sir Walter Scott's "Life of Napoleon Bonaparte".