After failing to inflict a knock out blow on the Allies at the Battle of Liegnitz, Napoleon ordered the army to retreat on Bautzen. The Allies were quick to grasp the new situation and gave chase with the impetuous Field Marshal Blucher leading the way.
General Vandamme is rumoured to have threatened to challenge both Ney and Marmont to duels for abandoning him at the river Quiess where he was almost overwhelmed by three Allied forces. The wily French general was able to extricate himself but for some reason headed south towards Lauban and not east to Goerlitz where the rest of the army had retreated to. For a while it looked as if he was going to be surrounded by converging Allied armies. Fortunately for him, General Bertrand had spotted an opportunity to inflict a bloody nose on Osten-Sacken’s isolated cavalry corps which was near Lauban and so had also marched on that town. Two concurrent battles were fought at Lauban as described below.
Cavalry encounter west of Lauban
General Osten-Sacken stumbled into Bertand’s cavalry corps and realised he would not be able to extricate himself without a battle. Slightly to the east, Wittgenstein promised to send him the Russian Guard cavalry division, but nevertheless it was with much trepidation that the cautious Russian general gave battle. He started by throwing out a strong screen of Cossacks to slow the French advance.
Bertrand ordered his artillery forward to drive off the Cossacks. On the French left, artillery attachments fire in bombardment and close range fire to drop the Cossack twice. Accurate fire from the French guns completely disrupted the Cossacks and seeing this the French charged with two divisions of cavalry.
The Cossacks fled in the face of this combined arms assault, exposing the advancing Russian hussars who suddenly found themselves faced by French heavy and light cavalry. To make matters worse they were thrown into disorder by the retreating Cossacks. The French cavalry made short work of this second Russian line who were soon fleeing to the rear. Osten-Sacken realised the battle was lost barely an hour after it had begun and sounded the retreat, using all his powers of persuasion to rally enough Cossacks to cover his retreating force. For the second time in two weeks the dispirited Russian troopers found themselves in headlong retreat after a bloody encounter with the French.
Blucher & Wittgenstein corner Vandamme
Meanwhile at Lauban, Blucher had aggressively pursued Vandamme and forced him to give battle. In turning to face Blucher advancing from the north, Vandamme also unwittingly exposed his flank to Wittgenstein commanding the Russian Guard advancing from the east.
Both sides deployed their artillery to open the battle with long range bombardments. Blucher took up position on a dominating hill in the centre of the action personally directing his grand battery of guns with strong wings of redoubtable Prussian infantry on each side, most being recent recruits. The bulk of the cavalry were deployed to their left except for a unit of the elite Lieb Hussars which were positioned on the right. The French likewise deployed the bulk of their foot to either side of their guns with their cavalry in reserve in the centre. A brigade of conscripts held the village to their right.
The Prussians opened with a great volley of shot that forced the heavy French guns back and continued to pressure them throughout the battle. While the French guns replied, they concentrated on the Prussian right.
Vandamme ordered his cavalry forward to attack the battered Prussian right. However no sooner had these troopers begun their advance when the Russian Guard began to appear on the French left. In a bold attempt to force victory against the odds, the French cavalry, charge the Russian Guard. However the Guard held steady and a charge by the Prussian Lieb Hussars was enough to send the French cavalry reeling backwards.
The arrival of the Russians gave the green Prussian troops new heart and they charged forward into the reeling French lines. Vandamme, realizing the battle was lost gave orders to retreat. What started as a orderly retreat soon dissolved into panic as the Prussian cavalry pursued the fleeing French conscripts mercilessly. Only the arrival of the victorious Bertrand and his cavalry corps fresh from their victory only a mile away saved Vandamme’s corps from annihilation.
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