The first battle was fought in the plain of Lutzen. It was brought on by the Russian general, who wished to prevent the junction of the different divisions of the French army. The Prussians, eager to avenge the wrongs their country had sustained from France, began the contest ; and it soon became general along the line. The villages in front were several times taken and retaken, and the action continued with great carnage till seven of the evening of the 2d of May. The allies kept possession of the field ; the 3d of May passed without fighting, and on the 4th Bona parte retreated. But his retreat was not continued far ; for the allies, though victorious, had so weakened them selves by their victory, that they could not oppose the ad vance of the French to the Elbe, which river they crossed at Dresden on the 6th and 7th ; and at this place Bona parte fixed his head quarters. '['he King of Saxony hav ing now joined the French with his forces, the allies con tinued to retreat, and took up a position on the heights overhanging the Spree, with the centre of their front line behind Bautzen.
Here Bonaparte resolved to attack them, with his main army in front, while the divisions of Ney, Lauriston, and Regnier, turned their right. The latter part of this plan was foreseen and frustrated by the Russian General, who ordered these divisions of the French to be separately attacked ; this took place on the 19th. At four in the morning of the 20th, the grand attack by the French main army commenced ; and after seven hours hard fight ing, they so far prevailed, that the allies were obliged to fall back to Hochkirchen. On the 21st they were again attacked in this position ; this battle was still more obsti nately contested than the former ; but it also ended in the allies again retreating, but in good order, and presenting a formidable front to the French. The track of their retreat was towards Silesia, the capital of which was entered by Lauriston on the 1st of June.
In consequence of the necessity under which the allies were placed of calling in all their separate corps to make up for their losses, or to put them out of danger from the advancing foe, Hamburgh was evacuated by them ; and after a short time, and an ineffectual resistance, again oc cupied by the French.
Bonaparte had hitherto been successful, and had driven the allies before him ; but his successes and his advance had been dearly purchased ; he therefore listened to the Emperor of Austria, who offered his mediation. In con sequence of it, a cessation of hostilities took place, and it was agreed that a congress should be held at Prague. But
this congress produced no pacific result ; and the Empe ror of Austria, from a mediator, became an enemy to Bo naparte, as soon as he saw that he was not sincerely disposed for peace. The Crown Prince of Sweden also had by this time landed in Germany ; so that the enemies of Bonaparte were greatly increased. The immediate vicinity of Dres den was the principal scene of the most important actions, all of which terminating in favour of the allies, their ad vanced guard encamped on the heights above that city on the 26th of August. On the following day the French abandoned their ground before Dresden, and withdrew into the suburbs, and their different works, which they had ren dered extremely strong. Against them, however, though estimated at 130,000 men, thus defended, the allies re solved to move : but their enterprise was unsuccessful : and on the following day, the 28th of August, the French became the assailants, the allies occupying a very extended position on the heights round the city. In this engagement, General Moreau, who had come over from America to op pose Bonaparte, was mortally wounded. The result of it was, that the allies retreated in the evening, having sustain ed a very considerable loss. They were pursued by a large division of the French under Generals Vandamme and Bertrand ; who were at first successful, but being un expectedly attacked on all sides by fresh corps of the Aus trians and Prussians, Vandamme and 10,000 of his men were taken prisoners.
The allies were also successful in Silesia, the recovery of which from the French was entrusted to Blucher. Hav ing defeated Marshal Macdonald, and taken 18,000 prison ers, on the banks of the Katsbach, on the 2d of September, he encamped near Gorlitz, and in an address to his troops, congratulated them on the deliverance of Silesia from the enemy.
On the 6th of this month, the Crown Prince of Sweden, having collected the SweCish and Russian armies, was in formed that about 70.000 of the French, under the com mand of Ney, were in full march upon Juterboch, in order to attack a very inferior corps stationed there. He imme diately ordered the Prussians under Bulow to support this corps, while he advanced as quickly as possible. The Prussians fought nobly against much superior numbers ; and as soon as the columns of the Prince's army began to 'appear, the French retreated. In this action they lost nearly 18,000 men, and 80 pieces of cannon.