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Dresden August 26-27, 1813
Strategic Context
After his disastrous Russian Campaign, Napoleon Bonaparte hastily scratches up a new army to face the newly assembled Sixth Coalition of Russia, Austria, Prussia, Britain, Sweden, and others. The Allied strategy reflects their respectful fear of Napoleon himself; although they outnumber the French 1.5:1 overall and rising, they plan to only give battle to his subordinates or if they have overwhelming superiority. The first two Allied defeats to Napoleon at Lutzen and Bautzen, and the first two Allied victories against Marshals Oudinot and MacDonald at Grobeeren and Katzbach only emphasize the strategy’s potential to finally defeat Napoleon and reestablish France’s natural borders. So when the Allied Army of Bohemia discovers a French army half its size under Marshal Saint-Cyr at Dresden, it is believed that there is no better opportunity to defeat another one of Napoleon’s subordinates.
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Stakes
+ A French victory would hand the initiative back to Napoleon and push the Allied Army of Bohemia south away from its supporting armies to the north and east.
+ An Allied victory would give the Coalition confidence, deny the French a base to hinder Allied maneuvers in the theater and buy time for the already massive Allied armies to grow.
By Jonathan Webb, 2009

2. Dresden, 1813 Strength Grande Armée Well Allied Army of Bohemia Well
Napoleon Bonaparte
Karl Philipp Furst zu Schwarzenberg
Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr
120,000
170,000
By Jonathan Webb, 2009

3. Europe c.1807

4. Grande Armée Allied Army of Bohemia
The battlefield is relatively open and flat, rising slightly to the southwest. The most significant water feature is the Elbe River, which divides the battlefield through Dresden; the smaller Weisseritz and Landgraben Rivers run southwest off the Elbe, restricting movement between the three portions. Dresden and its suburbs are heavily fortified. Various small towns litter the terrain beyond Dresden. East of the city are the Great Garden and Blasewitz Woods, the only other major features. Overall, the key terrain consists of the Dresden bridges over the Elbe River, which control movement between the two sides. 1
2 km
Grande Armée
(St-Cyr)
Elbe River
Blasewitz
Dresden New City
Blasewitz Woods
Striesen
Priesnitz
Dresden Old City
Gruhna
Lobtans
Great Garden
Strehlen
Plauen
Racknitz
Gorbitz
Leubnitz
Landgraben River
Weisseritz River
Racknitz Heights
Allied Army of Bohemia
(Schwarzenberg)

5. Allied Army of Bohemia Grande Armée
St-Cyr entrenches his force in the city of Dresden and plans to hold out until reinforcements can arrive. He holds an outpost line near the Allied lines to hide his true fortifications; they include five newly built redoubts and artillery behind the Elbe River to protect his vulnerable left flank, his right flank being more secure by the cramped, marshy ground. Schwarzenberg deploys his massive force in an arc around Dresden; he plans to destroy the French army before its reinforcements can arrive. However, the Allies are hampered by a diverse war council that decisions must pass through first before any action can be taken.
The Allied soldiers are badly shaken by the failed offensive against the defences of Dresden and so Bonaparte judges the time to be right for his counterattack. Mortier hits the Allied right and succeeds in recapturing the Great Garden while Ney’s attack on the Allied center is so sudden that Schwarzenberg must commit his reserve to contain the damage. By nightfall, the French regain most of the outpost line originally held.
Just as Schwarzenberg is ready to launch his full scale assault, he and his men hear the dreaded cries of “Vive l’empereur!” resonating from Dresden as Napoleon Bonaparte arrives. The Tsar of Russia feels the Allies should retreat at once, the Emperor of Austria is unsure, and the King of Prussia is aghast that such a superior force would retreat from one man. Schwarzenberg is nonetheless instructed to postpone the attack but the command is received too late and the Allied attack goes ahead reluctantly. Elements of the elite Imperial Guard arrive with Bonaparte and bolster the ranks; Bonaparte leaves St-Cyr in defensive command and forms a counterattack reserve. Encouraged by the mere presence of their Emperor and fighting from elaborate defences, the French line holds in all sectors despite the center redoubt being taken.
Schwarzenberg carries out a reconnaissance in force to be followed by a full scale assault, which succeeds in pushing the French outpost line back to the city. However, the Allies must accept casualties from the French artillery and overcome fierce resistance to take the Great Garden before the French retreat in good order. 1
2 km
Grande Armée
(St-Cyr)
Elbe River
Landmarks
Symbol guide
Blasewitz
Dresden New City
Murat
Mortier
Grande Armée Allied Army of Bohemia
Infantry Infantry
Cavalry Cavalry
Headquarters Headquarters
Artillery
Skirmishers
Blasewitz Woods
Ney
Striesen
Priesnitz
Dresden Old City
Wittgenstein
Gruhna
Lobtans
Great Garden
Strehlen
Kleist
Bianchi
Plauen
Racknitz
Gorbitz
Leubnitz
Landgraben River
Chasteler
Colloredo
Weisseritz River
Racknitz Heights
Allied Army of Bohemia
(Karl Philipp Furst zu Schwarzenberg)
170,000
Grande Armée
(Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr)
120,000
Allied Army of Bohemia
(Schwarzenberg)

6. (Karl Philipp Furst zu Schwarzenberg)
Bonaparte fully expects a third day of fighting and makes preparations to survive and win a decisive victory but he is not given the opportunity. An Allied council of war, made up of national leaders spooked by the phantom cannonball, and discouraged by the past two days’ events and Bonaparte’s presence, opts to retreat. The Allies retreat during the night despite holding numerical superiority and a right flank anchor in Leubnitz that the French could not take during four full-scale assaults.
Overnight, 50,000 French reinforcements arrive while only 20,000 Allied reinforcements arrive due to a developing crisis to the east. Bonaparte assumes command from St-Cyr and deploys 35,000 troops on each flank with 50,000 holding the center; he plans to envelop the Allied army by overrunning its flanks, and holding Dresden’s defences and the Allies’ attention in the center. Schwarzenberg deploys only 25,000 troops on his flanks with the bulk of his force, 120,000, in the center; he plans to shatter Dresden’s defences with overwhelming numbers and divide the French army. Overnight, it also rains heavily, flooding the lower ground to the west of Dresden, leaving only the bridge at Plauen as a possible crossing of the Weisseritz River.
Bonaparte orders two more assaults to take Leubnitz but both fail after heavy fighting. Bonaparte personally supervises a third assault with more concentrated artillery fire but this is also repelled. Somewhat annoyed by this, Bonaparte begins back to his command post but spots an Allied staff group visibly situated on a hill. He nonchalantly orders the nearest artillery battery to fire a shot, which scatters them. This staff group turns out to be the Allies’ highest leadership and the shot narrowly misses the Tsar of Russia. Yet another assault on Leubnitz fails as night falls.
Bonaparte strikes first: the French left quickly drives the Allies right backwards before being checked at Leubnitz. The French right meanwhile quickly drives its opposition backwards and seizes the bridge at Plauen, severing the Allied left from the Allied center. The Allied center can do nothing but watch as Victor and Latour-Mauborg kill, scatter or capture Bianchi’s entire force. 1
2 km
Grande Armée
(Bonaparte)
Elbe River
Landmarks
Symbol guide
Nansouty
Blasewitz
Dresden New City
Latour-Mauborg
Mortier
Grande Armée Allied Army of Bohemia
Infantry Infantry
Cavalry Cavalry
Headquarters Headquarters
Artillery
Skirmishers
Blasewitz Woods
Victor
Striesen
Priesnitz
Dresden Old City
Ney
Marmont
St-Cyr
Ney
Gruhna
St-Cyr
Lobtans
Great Garden
Wittgenstein
Bianchi
Mortier
Strehlen
Plauen
Racknitz
Gorbitz
Nansouty
Leubnitz
Landgraben River
Miloradovich
Kleist
Weisseritz River
Racknitz Heights
Wittgenstein
Allied Army of Bohemia
(Karl Philipp Furst zu Schwarzenberg)
170,000
Grande Armée
(Napoleon Bonaparte)
120,000
Allied Army of Bohemia
(Schwarzenberg)

7. Dresden, 1813 Casualties & Aftermath
Grande Armée:
Allied Army of Bohemia:
10,000 or 8%
38,000 or
22%
The French victory was wasted by the careless pursuit of the Allies by Marshal Vanadamme and his 32,000 men, which had been pushing west to hit the Allied Army of Bohemia’s right flank throughout the battle. Vandamme pursued the Allied army when it retreat but was defeated at the Battle of Kulm August 29-30;, Vandamme and much of his force surrendered to 54,000 Allied soldiers. The French soldiers lost in this unnecessary disaster were sorely missed at the decisive Battle of Leipzig in October of the same year. Bonaparte lost this battle against overwhelming numbers and abdicated following the Allied invasion of France in 1814.
By Jonathan Webb, 2009

8. The Art of Battle: Animated Battle Maps
By Jonathan Webb, 2009