StanleyWheeler

 

The Battle of Leipzig Continues

After a hiatus of several months, the battle resumes. From 12:30 to 1:30, Allied reinforcements arrived. Russian guns, infantry, and cavalry hurried into battle. The Allies sought to attack and overwhelm the French center with the fresh troops and guns, while threatening on the left and right with the worn troops who had been fighting since morning. On the Allied left, the French repulsed the Prussian infantry attack on Crostewitz.

Russian artillery galloped onto the field. They quickly moved forward and unlimbered. The horse artillery fired but couldn't find the range. The heavy guns unlimbered but could not fire before the French guns opened up, damaging them and forcing them to limber and pull back. 

Russian infantry stormed toward the French center. They were met with withering fire from two batteries of Guard Artillery and French infantry. The Russian division had to fall back with heavy losses.

To the right, a Russian infantry brigade assaulted a French infantry brigade and drove them back. Both brigades suffered tremendous casualties. The Allies followed up that success by throwing three waves of Guard cuirassiers at the French infantry and artillery still at the base of the hill. The French turned back the first two waves. The third wave of horse and steel overwhelmed the defenders, breaking the formation and destroying the infantry and the guns.

The pair of red squares with Xs in the middle mark the location of the clash of cuirassiers and infantry with artillery. The cavalry withdrew after their victory rather than brave the French guns on the hill. The other square with the X marks the location of French infantry brigade before it was driven back by the Russian infantry. The X with the circle marks the location where that same Russian infantry disintegrated under French artillery fire. Farther to the right, Allied artillery fired ineffectively against the French troops in the town. The Russian infantry had yet to work up the courage to again assault the town after the terrible fighting there during the morning.

The Prussians targeted Crostewitz on the bank of the river with three batteries and pushed a brigade forward to attack in the confusion. The artillery fire failed to do any damage and didn't cause enough confusion to prevent the young guard troops in the town from driving away the Prussian infantry before the assault could build momentum. On the other hand, the French young guard artillery zeroed-in on the Prussian guns and eliminated two of the three batteries. The two boxes with Xs in them mark the location where the Prussian guns were destroyed. They had taken heavy losses in earlier counter-battery fire, so a successful barrage on each finished the destruction.

More Allied guns, infantry and horse are on their way. The French dice have been pretty terrible, turning initiative back to the Allies almost as soon as the French received it. Fortunately, the fire from the French artillery has more than compensated for the initiative problem. In addition the French are already in position, so the plentiful reaction opportunities they get have been adequate for the defense.

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