THE BATTLE OF DRESDEN

1ST DAY

26 AUGUST 1813

translated and edited by Geert van Uythoven

“During the battle of Dresden on 26 August 1813, at a given moment the French left wing debouched out of the Ziegelschlage [suburb of Dresden]. All roads here were now completely filled with soldiers, guns, powder wagons etc., and this compressed mass could have suffered great loss because of the following circumstance.

A Russian battery fired at a few French howitzers, which had advanced from the redoubt at the Ziegelschlage to a nearby hill. From here, they bombarded Russian cavalry masses. A French ammunition caisson, with a team of four horses, was set on fire by the well directed fire of the Russians. The caisson contained grenades, which exploded one at the time, killing two horses of its team. Both remaining horses shied; they bolted and ran back to the city with the burning caisson behind them. The advancing battalions backed out of the way of the bolting horses, and at the gate great disorder ensued. At the same moment, again several grenades exploded, killing a third horse of the team, in such a way that all three dead horses came free of the caisson. From the gate, muskets were fired at the unlucky fourth animal surviving this all, still pulling the burning volcano behind him. The animal, now wounded, again turned and pulled the caisson into the meadows close to the Elb river, not able to pull it any further. Few minutes later the whole caisson exploded into the air, sending its load as far as the so called Bear Bastions in the Neustadt [New city on the other side of the Elb river]. Still, the teared up horse stood in front of the remains of the burning caisson, until it finally dead early in the evening.

The moment the ammunition wagon threatened to block the main exit at the Ziegel Gate was very crucial. Because at that same moment, the French left wing on the height behind the so-called Stückgieβerschen Garden was in great danger of being outstripped. The French column defending this hill formed the last remaining line of the French left wing; between it and the Elb river was a huge unprotected gap, already penetrated by Russian skirmishers. In addition, Russian cavalry was already advancing to this gap. The Ziegelschlag remained blocked for some time, until commanding officers brought order into the chaos. New attack columns advanced, Polish lancers engaged the Russians, and the French resumed the attack again. French skirmishers formed a new line up to the riverbank of the Elb, and the advantageous position in front of Blasewitz was lost for the Allies.”

Source: Anonymous, “Anekdote”, in ‘Militair-Wochenblatt’, 1. Jahrgang (Berlin 1816).

© Geert van Uythoven