Lübeck–North Gate

Blocked from reaching the Oder, Blücher turned and raced to the west to join forces with the Swedes around the neutral city of Lübeck. When Blücher reached the city, he forced his way in, but promised he would not fight …

1806-11-06

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Blocked from reaching the Oder, Blücher turned and raced to the west to join forces with the Swedes around the neutral city of Lübeck. When Blücher reached the city, he forced his way in, but promised he would not fight in the city in exchange for food drink and fodder. However, as soon as his force was inside the city walls, he ordered them to take up defensive positions. Bernadotte’s and Soult’s Corps arrived soon thereafter and attacked immediately. When the French attacked the city, Blücher broke his promise to the city fathers, stating he must fight. Bernadotte’s soldiers, after a hard fight, broke through the city’s northern defenses and overwhelmed the Prussian defenders, capturing thousands of dispirited soldiers. Blücher, who thought the city secure, was nearly captured in his headquarters at the Golden Angle Inn. He barely escaped, but most of his staff, including the brilliant Scharnhorst, was not as fortunate. The French brutally sacked Lübeck during and after the fighting, partly because of Blucher’s violation of neutrality, and partly because the French soldiers were as skilled at looting as they were at fighting. The next day, the French trapped the remaining Prussians against the Danish frontier and Blücher was compelled to surrender.

Lübeck, Germany

The Battle of Lübeck took place on 6 November 1806 in Lübeck, Germany between soldiers of the Kingdom of Prussia led by Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, who were retreating from defeat at the Battle of Jena–Auerstedt, and troops of the First French Empire under Marshals Murat, Bernadotte, and Soult, who were pursuing them. In this War of the Fourth Coalition action, the French inflicted a severe defeat on the Prussians, driving them from the neutral city. Lübeck is an old Baltic Sea port approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) northeast of Hamburg.

Wikipedia: Battle of Lübeck

French

Prussians

Fourth Coalition