La Bataille de Bautzen 1813

Napoleon, who was always preparing for war, had managed to start building another army in the summer of 1812 that would be ready to come to the colors in 1813. The Emperor had left the Grande Armée in December 1812 and had worked feverishly in France assembling this new army. Alexander, Commander-in-Chief Napoleon rejoined the French army at Erfurt in late April of 1813 to start the new campaign. Meanwhile, Alexander, who had been with the Russian army as it expelled the French from Mother Russia, was billeted with the Russian Guard and would see first hand the German War of Liberation. In fact, Tsar Alexander would stay with the Russian army, with some minor exceptions, from Lutzen through Leipzig. Alexander was considered the overall commander-in-chief of the Coalition forces. Many was the time that the Coalition was ready to break apart and give up the war, but Alexander would counsel perseverance in continuing the war. After the Coalition defeat at Lutzen and their subsequent retreat, the Coalition generals were convinced by Alexander (with the Prussian King’s support) that they must stop and stand to face Napoleon. While the Bautzen battle should be seen as a Coalition loss, the Coalition performance, as inspired by Alexander, was enough to convince Napoleon that he should agree to an armistice a few days later. A decision that Napoleon admits, while on St. Helena, was one of the worst of his career, as it gave the Coalition enough time to build its armies and alliances leading to the French defeat at Leipzig It was in 1813 that Alexander had his first experience with the Moravian spiritual communities that would influence his remaining life and provide much of Alexander’s spiritual inspiration. There are reports he actually visited some of these communities and took inspiration from the examples those communities would provide to a Europe filled with war for more than a generation. After Leipzig, the Tsar had pushed the Coalition armies to invade France. However, as the 1814 campaign commences, the Prussians and the Austrians both were manhandled by Napoleon. And both nations wanted to end hostilities and let Napoleon survive in power. However, Alexander held firm, and the French ascent would soon peak. The Coalition would take Paris and Napoleon would be forced to abdicate. In 1814, Alexander would meet another spiritual director in France, Madame von Krüdener, was also influenced by the Moravians. This spiritual relationship between the Russian Tsar and the Baltic German mystic would spill over into every aspect of Alexander’s life, including the creation of the diplomatic Holy Alliance. In the end, the machinations of the Austrian Metternich would torpedo the spiritual aspects of the Holy Alliance, and Alexander’s influence would decline as time passed. His unexpected death in 1825 would only create another controversy as there were

La Bataille de Bautzen 1813

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