Editing Battle of Leipzig (section)

===16 October===
[[File:Woodville Richard Caton - Poniatowski's Last Charge at Leipzig 1912.jpg|thumb|''Poniatowski's Last Charge at Leipzig'', by [[Richard Caton Woodville, Jr.|Richard Caton Woodville]]]]

The French had gained slight victories at [[Lindenau, Germany|Lindenau]] and [[Wachau, Saxony|Wachau]], and sustained a reverse at [[Möckern]]. The Allies had lost approximately 30,000 men, including 2,000 prisoners, the French about 25,000 in all. Despite the French advantage in terms of casualties, the first day ended in a draw. Moreover, the odds seemed to be shifting in the Allies' favor, for while Napoleon could only anticipate the arrival of [[Jean Reynier|Jean Reynier's]] 14,000 men to raise his strength to barely 200,000 troops and 900 cannon, the Allies were awaiting the appearance of Charles John's 70,000 men and a similar number under Bennigsen, and these reinforcements would bring their total strength to over 300,000 and 1,500 guns.{{sfn|Chandler|1966|pp=932–933}}

Looking back on the first day's fighting, both sides made mistakes. Napoleon had underestimated Allied aggressiveness and miscalculated the position of Blücher and the Army of Silesia, and his men had suffered a sharp repulse at Möckern as a consequence. As for the Allies, the chaotic nature of their initial attack at Wachau, coupled with the flanking of waiting French forces, nearly led to catastrophe.{{sfn|Chandler|1966}}{{rp|932–933}}

====Action at Dölitz====
[[File:Battle of Leipzig by Zauerweid.jpg|thumb|275px|Overview of the battlefield]]
The Austrian II Corps, commanded by Merveldt, advanced towards [[Connewitz]] via Gautzsch and attempted to attack the position. By the time Napoleon arrived on the battlefield along with the [[Imperial Guard (Napoleon I)|Young Guard]] and some Chasseurs, Merveldt found that the avenue of advance was well covered by the French battery and some [[skirmisher]]s who had occupied the houses there and did not permit the Austrians to deploy their artillery in support of the attack. Merveldt himself in an unlucky turn was wounded and captured by the French after he went straight into the Saxon-Polish lines at the Pleiße River. Repulsed, the Austrians then moved to attack nearby Dölitz, down a road crossed by two bridges and leading to a manor house and a mill. Two companies of the 24th Regiment ousted the small Polish garrison and took the position. A prompt counterattack by the Saxons and Poles ejected the Austrian troops and the battle seesawed until the Austrians brought up a strong artillery battery and blew the Poles out of the position. The Poles suffered heavy casualties during their furious defense and set fire to both the manor and the mill during their retreat.{{sfn|napolun|2021}}

====Action at Markkleeberg====
[[File:Leipzig Battle.svg|thumb|300px|Actions as of 16 October]]
General [[Friedrich Graf Kleist von Nollendorf|Kleist]], moving along the Pleiße, attacked Poniatowski and Marshal Augereau in the village of [[Markkleeberg]]. The Austrians repaired a bridge and took a school building and manor. The French counterattacked, throwing the Austrians out of the school and back over the river. French attacks on the manor only resulted in mounting casualties for the French and Poles. The Russian 14th Division began a series of flanking attacks that forced the Poles out of Markkleeberg. Poniatowski stopped the retreat and the advancing Russians. Catching four battalions of the Prussian 12th Brigade in the open, Poniatowski directed attacks by artillery and cavalry until they were relieved by Russian hussars. Poniatowski retook Markkleeberg, but was thrown out by two Prussian battalions. Austrian grenadiers then formed in front of Markkleeberg and drove the Poles and French out of the area with a flank attack.{{sfn|napolun|2021}}

====Action at Wachau====<!-- This section heading is used in the redirect Battle of Wachau-->
The Russian II Corps attacked [[Markkleeberg|Wachau]] near Leipzig with support from the Prussian 9th Brigade. The Russians advanced, unaware that French forces were waiting. The French took them by surprise on the flank, mauling them. The Prussians entered Wachau, engaging in street-to-street fighting. French artillery blasted the Prussians out of Wachau and the French recovered the village.{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=927}}{{sfn|napolun|2021}}{{sfn|Cathcart|1850}}

====Action at Liebertwolkwitz====
[[File:Leontiy korennoj.jpg|thumb|left|French soldiers sparing the life of Russian soldier Leontiy Korennoy for his bravery]]
[[Liebertwolkwitz]] was a large village in a commanding position, defended by Marshal MacDonald and General [[Jacques Lauriston|Lauriston]] with about 18,000 men. General [[Johann von Klenau|von Klenau]]'s Austrian IV Corps attacked with 24,500 men backed up by [[Georg Dubislav Ludwig von Pirch|Pirch]]'s 10th Brigade (4,550) and [[Hans Ernst Karl, Graf von Zieten|Zieten]]'s 11th Brigade (5,365). The Austrians attacked first, driving the French out of Liebertwolkwitz after hard fighting, only to be driven out in turn by a French counterattack. Russo-Prussian General [[Duke Eugen of Württemberg (1788–1857)|Württemberg]] was notable for his extreme bravery directing his troops under fire. At this point, Napoleon ordered General [[Antoine Drouot|Drouot]] to form a grand battery of 150 guns on Gallows hill.{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=928}} This was done and the guns blasted the exposed Russian II Corps, forcing the Prussian battalions supporting it to take cover.{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=929}}

The hole had now been opened as Napoleon wished and at this point, Marshal Murat was unleashed with 10,000 French, Italian, and Saxon cavalry.{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=929}} However, Murat's choice of massive columns for the attack formation was unfortunate for the French force, as smaller mobile formations of Russian, Prussian, and Austrian cavalry were able to successfully harass Murat's division, driving them back to their own artillery, where they were saved by the French [[Dragoons of the Imperial Guard|Guard Dragoons]]. The Young Guard was sent in to drive out the allies and give Napoleon his breakthrough. They recaptured both Liebertwolkwitz and Wachau, but the allies countered with Russian Guard and Austrian grenadiers backed by Russian cuirassiers. The units lived up to their elite reputation, forming squares that blasted the French cavalrymen from their horses and overran the French artillery batteries. On the southern front, although Napoleon gained ground, he could not break the Allied lines.{{sfn|napolun|2021}}

====Northern attack====
The northern front opened with the attack by General [[Louis Alexandre Andrault Langeron|Langeron's]] Russian corps on the villages of Groß-Wiederitzsch and Klein-Wiederitzsch in the centre of the French northern lines.{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=931}} This position was defended by General [[Jan Henryk Dąbrowski|Dąbrowski]]'s Polish division of four infantry battalions and two cavalry battalions. At first sign of the attack, the Polish division attacked. The battle wavered back and forth with attacks and counterattacks.{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=931}} General Langeron rallied his forces and finally took both villages with heavy casualties.{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=931}}

====Action at Möckern====
[[File:Boutigny-Battle of Leipzig.jpg|thumb|200px|French infantry defending a barricade against a Prussian assault]]
The northern front was dominated by the Battle of Möckern. This was a four phase battle and saw hard fighting from both sides. A manor, palace, walled gardens, and low walls dominated the village. Each position was turned into a fortress with the walls being loopholed for covered fire by the French. The ground to the west of the position was too wooded and swampy for emplacement of artillery. A dike ran east along the Elster River being four metres high. Marshal Marmont brought up infantry columns behind the positions in reserve and for a quick counter-attack against any fallen position. Blücher commanded Langeron's Russian and [[Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg|Yorck]]'s Prussian corps against Marmont's VI Corps. When the battle hung in the balance, Marmont ordered a cavalry charge, but his commander refused to attack. Later, an attack by Prussian hussars caused serious losses to the French defenders. The battle lasted well into the night. Artillery caused the majority of the 9,000 Allied and 7,000 French casualties, and the French lost another 2,000 prisoners.{{sfn|napolun|2021}}

====Action at Lindenau====
In the western front, the Austrian III Corps under General Gyulay attacked the suburb of Lindenau and had success at first, forcing Marshal Ney to divert General [[Henri Gatien Bertrand|Bertrand]]'s IV Corps to hold the position.{{sfn|Chandler|1966|pp=926–928}} But soon the French held, the fighting later ground down into a stalemate, and the Austrians were driven back not far from the village.{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=928}} However, for the French, there was also a negative strategic consequence for this minor success. IV Corps was needed by Napoleon for his attacks on the main Austro-Russian armies positioned at the south, and since they did not take part in the attack as they were that time engaging the Austrians in Lindenau, his attack failed.{{sfn|Chandler|1966|p=926}}