Dennewitz

Oudinot had failed, but Napoleon was still obsessed with taking Berlin to knock Prussia out of the war. He chose Marshal Ney, ‘the bravest of the brave,’ to take over from Oudinot and try again. Ney determined not to repeat …

1813-09-06

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Oudinot had failed, but Napoleon was still obsessed with taking Berlin to knock Prussia out of the war. He chose Marshal Ney, ‘the bravest of the brave,’ to take over from Oudinot and try again. Ney determined not to repeat Oudinot’s mistake, and concentrated his entire army to advance on one road. Still short of cavalry, Ney unexpectedly ran into the Prussians, but could not deploy his troops quickly enough to defeat the outnumbered Prussians to his front. The battle turned into a classic meeting engagement with both sides throwing in fresh troops as they arrived. The battle seesawed back and forth, until von Bülow arrived with his corps to take command. Ney, leading from the front, was not aware that the tactical situation was turning against him, and ordered Oudinot’s troops to pull back to form a reserve. The Prussians, believing the French were retreating redoubled their attack, which forced the French back. The retreat turned into a rout when Ney’s old comrade in arms, Bernadotte, threw his arriving Swedes into the disorganized French left flank. In the aftermath of the defeat, the Bavarians deserted the French, and most of the other French allied German states, especially Saxony, began to waver.

Dennewitz, Germany

The Battle of Dennewitz took place on 6 September 1813 between French forces commanded by Marshal Michel Ney and the Allied Army of the North consisting of Prussia, Russia, and Sweden of the Sixth Coalition commanded by Crown Prince Charles John of Sweden and Friedrich Wilhelm von Bülow. It occurred in Dennewitz, a village in the Prussian province of Brandenburg, near Jüterbog, 40 kilometres (25 mi) southwest of Berlin. The battle marked a turning point in the German Campaign of 1813 as not only did the Allied victory end Napoleon's hopes of capturing Berlin and knocking Prussia out of the war, but the severity of the French defeat was also the catalyst for the defection of Napoleon's primary German ally Bavaria and the erosion of fidelity in the Saxon Army toward the Napoleonic cause.

Wikipedia: Battle of Dennewitz

French

Prussians

Sixth Coalition