1813 8. Leib Infantry Regiment in the battle Wartenburg 3 October 1813

THE PRUSSIAN

8. LEIB-INFANTERIE-REGIMENT

IN THE BATTLE OF WARTENBURG,

3 October 1813

translated and edited by Geert van Uythoven

“The French stood behind two dikes and bushes, surrounded by water, in a strong position. General von Horn realised that, in order to be able to take Wartenburg village, the enemy had to be driven from this advantageous position. The Leib Fusilier battalion had already fought a considerable time without great results and suffering heavy loss. So Von Horn took a bold decision, and trusting the already known bravery of the 2nd battalion, and decided to dispel the enemy he ordered the battalion to take the musket in the attack position with the words: “Ein Hundsfott der einen Schuβ thut” [‘a villain who does one shot’], commanding: “March!”.

The battalion put full trust in the brave general, and with a strong ‘Hurrah’ it struggled trough the wet and marshy terrain in front of the dike. Then it threw itself on the superior enemy, which was thrown into great disorder. Only the bold decision of General von Horn and the extreme bravery of the 2nd battalion turned this important battle into a victory. It is even more our duty to depict the behaviour of this battalion as extra-ordinary, while General von York the next day, when the battalion marched past him, did them great honour: When the 1st Zug of the battalion reached him, he took of his hat in honour, leaving it off until the last Zug has passed, saying to all surrounding him: “This is the brave battalion which the whole world needs to respect!”.

General York taking of his hat for the 2nd battalion / Leib Infantry Regiment

Because of the bravery of the 2nd battalion, the French had to retreat and soon took flight. They were pursued by five skirmisher Zuge of the 1st and 2nd battalion, and both weak Schützen detachments of the regiment, these all commanded by the meritorious Captain von Holleben. The French tried to find refuge behind an enemy battalion deployed en colonne, supported by cannon. A French general tried to halt the rout, but he only managed to hold back some skirmishers to protect the cannon. In vain though, as the guns were captured by the Prussian skirmishers at bayonet point. The French general only managed to save himself by the speed of his horse. Several times again, the French tried to rally their routing troops. But even at places were they were favoured by the terrain, and their numerical superiority, time and again they were quickly dislodged again by the victorious Prussians. Which, outnumbered and without supports, pursued the French for over a mile from the battlefield right back to the bridgehead of Wittenberg. They captured two cannon and over eighty prisoners. Their losses were two officers and six men wounded.”

Source: “Ausgezeichnete Groβtaten mehrerer und einzelner Individuen in den letzten Kriegen der jahre 1813, 1814 und 1815 – Betreffend das 8te, (Lein-Inf-Regt.) – Gefecht bei Wartenburg am 3ten Okbr. 1813”, in ‘Militair-Wochenblatt’, 2. Jahrgang (Berlin 1817), pp. 280 - 281.

For comparison: Joh. Gust. Droysen, “Das Leben des Feldmarschalls Grafen Yorck von Wartenburg” 2. Band (Leipzig 1913) pp. 190 - 193: “In agreement with the Prince [ Karl von Mecklenburg] and his attack on Bleddin (1 o’clock), General Horn had advanced two battalions, the Thuringians and the Leib Fusiliers, thought the orchards. Coming under have crossfire, time and again the skirmisher line had to be reinforced, until the battalions had completely been deployed as skirmishers. Horn needed supports. While the advance guards of Langeron’s corps already advanced and communications were secure, Horn ordered the remainder of his [7th] brigade forward, which had been held in reserve behind the Kleine Streng. First to arrive was the 2nd battalion of the Leib Regiment, led by Major Bose. But this did not improve matters.

(…) Horn was ordered to storm the dike and to go around the right of Wartenburg, as soon as the Brigade Hünerbein had arrived to support him. The landwehr battalions [Sommerfeld and Pettenkoser] forced their way forward. The enemy behind the dike received them with lively fire, canister from the wall to the right covered the space in front of the ditch like a glacis. The brave landwehr men however did not yield, but continued the fire fight doggedly.

When Horn heard the heavy firing to his right, he was of the opinion that he could not wait for the arrival of Hünerbein’s brigade. York agreed: “Yes Horn, now its time”. In front was the 2nd battalion of the Leib Regiment, next the Löwenberger Landwehr (Count Reichenbach), finally the 1st battalion of the Leib Regiment. York yelled at the advancing troops to keep to their left, in order not to get into deep water. So they went through the orchards, and many took a plum from the trees. The 2nd battalion found itself, as well as the landwehr on their right, under heavy fire when it came close to the ditch. It began to return fire, but what result could be attained this way? At that moment Horn’s horse was hit by a musket ball in the breast, and it went down. he answered the yell “the general is dead!” with a healthy curse. The men closest to him aided him to free him from the dead horse. He took the musket of a killed musketeer, yelling: “Eind hundsfott, wer noch schieβt! Zur Attacke Gewehr rechts!” Headed by the general, the battalion waded through the marsh in front of them and climbed the dike. The Löwenberger Landwehr followed, and the remainder of the Lieb Fusilier battalion joined them. The enemy skirmishers ran back. The five battalions standing behind them, Italians, broke as well. A second bushy dike five hundred paces further behind could provide them cover. However, the skirmishers and Captain Holleben did not give them time to rally. One saw a general to rally his men in vain, but not even the cannon deployed with them were saved. (...)

General Horn leading the attack of the 2nd battalion / Leib Infantry Regiment

The cavalry lacked to make victory even more complete. In the meantime, the skirmishers of the Leib Regiment under Holleben and a landwehr Zug pursued as far as under the cannon of Wittenberg; with a cannon, three ammunition caissons and eighty prisoners they returned in the evening to Wartenburg. (...)

York himself singled out especially the 2nd battalion of the Leib Regiment, which had climbed the dike first. When the battle had been ended victoriously, the troops marched past York, Every commanding officer was greeted. When however the above named battalion arrived, York asked if this was the 2nd battalion of the Leib Regiment. When the answer was yes, he took of his hat, and example followed by his whole entourage, until the battalion had passed.”

For comparison: George Nafziger, “Napoleon at Leipzig – The Battle of Nations 1813” (Chicago 1996) pp. 57 - 58 [Nafziger has not much detail about the attack of the 2nd battalion]: “(…) When Bleddin fell, General von Horn threw forward the Fus / Leib Regiment and the Thuringian Battalion. The Prussians began to roll up the French flank. The French skirmishers proved such a problem that both the Fus / Leib and the Thuringian Battalion were totally deployed as skirmishers. The Fus / Brandenburg was sent over to support Horn’s attack, because his formed units consisted only of the 2 / Leib Regiment. (...) With its flank turned, the IV Corps had no alternative, but to withdraw. The dike and all the entrenchments were now enfiladed (...).”