Battle of Leipzig

Even though it was one of the most significant conflicts of the time and in many respects the biggest fight on the continent in that century, this conflict has been mostly ignored in historical assessments of the Napoleonic Wars. Despite the catastrophes of 1812 in Russia and Spain, Napoleon Bonaparte's Le Grand Armee invaded Prussia (modern Germany) in 1813 to reassert his domination of the continent.

Napoleon was obliged to concentrate his forces at Leipzig as allied armies gathered to cut off his supply and communication connections with France. Napoleon had the most soldiers and guns under his command in one combat at the start of the conflict on October 16: 198,000 men. He had to contend with the combined armies of Prussia, Austria, and Russia, which numbered close to 400,000 soldiers and 1,500 pieces of artillery.

The French launched counterattacks against the Austrian and Prussian forces on the first day, using Napoleon's tried-and-true "divide and conquer" strategy as their sole option. However, when more soldiers approached, Napoleon's focus was diverted, and he was unable to defeat either army. Following that, it was just a matter of time before the allies crushed Le Grand Armee from every angle while neutralizing all French cavalry counterattacks with their own mounted forces.

Tens of thousands of Frenchmen were left to either be cut to pieces or drown, as they started their retreat across a bridge over the Elster River on October 18. Unfortunately, the bridge was demolished well before the final troops had gone. In total, the French lost half of their artillery pieces and suffered 73,000 fatalities compared to the enemy's 54,000. Napoleon's ability to conduct war was destroyed by the fight, and even prior to it, the French would be strategically so outnumbered as to ensure that Napoleon's reign as Emperor of France would conclude with his ejection rather than his demise or retirement.

Date: 16–19 October 1813
Location: Leipzig, Kingdom of Saxon

Result: Coalition victory
Territorial changes: The Confederation of the Rhine is dissolved; France loses control of territory east of the Rhine.