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270
Battle of Leipsic.
Complete defeat HISTORY OF THE SWEDES.
of the Imperialist army
under Tilly.
[1C2S-
We brought forward all manner of grounds for the
former, and the elector of Saxony held for the lat-
ter, being of opinion that the enemy could in no
other manner be driven out of his country. At
last it was determined aUKmg us to go conjointly to
Leipsic, in the enemy’s face, and hazard a battle.
We had already information that the enemy had
taken Leipsic (both town and castle) by accord,
and that the crabats were roving here and there
in the villages not far from Duben. On the 0th,
at the dawning, we passed through Duben, caused
our army to follow in tile across the pass before it,
and came towards evening to the hamlet of Wolche,
a mile and a half from Leipsic, where we stayed
for the night. On the 7th, as it began to grey, we
commanded them to sound the break-up, and as
between the hamlet and Leipsic there was almost
no wood, but wide and level fields, and we had
good conveniency, we caused the army to advance
in full array towards the town. The march had
lasted hardly an hour and a half when we descried
the enemy’s van-guard, with his artillery planted
on a knoll, and liehind it his whole force". He
was much favoured by the sun and wind, from the
clouds of dust which the long drought produced.
We strove zealously to deprive him of these advan-
tages, but could not bring it about, since our men
had all the time to go over a bad pass in the ene-
my’s sight. We therefore dressed our array, taking
ourselves the right wing, and giving the elector the
left, and thereupon went in such posture as we
found good for the occasion (whereof we will
shortly transmit you a plan), ever nearer to the
enemy;
—who, when he found opportunity, immedi-
ately began to discharge his pieces, first three and
three, then all at once, so that he gave two salvoes
with his artillery ere our own was in order. Yet
it did not last long befoi-e ours was ready, and then
it answered three shots for one. The Saxon cavalry,
and the troops which vvere stationed with the Saxun
9 "
Strength as in the annexed roll, letter A," the king
adds. This roll does not remain. KlievenhuUer enume-
rates the thirty-two ret;iments of which Tilly’s army con-
sisted, but without stating their force.
’
"The regiments of Balderon, Dietrichstein, De Gois,
De Blankart, and De Chesuis, who rallied, gained the van-
tage of the edge of the wood, and turned to retrieve the
honour of their comrades. In fact here the victory was ob-
stinately disputed, the Swedes having to do with those old
bands of Tilly who were not accustomed to give ground.
Many old soldiers were there seen fighting on their knees,
with legs broken, never quitting their post with life. The
cavalry and infantry of the king did tlieir duty to a miracle,
resolved to conquer or die, charging the enemy, after sime
salvoes, at the sword’s point.
—What served principally to
throw the enemy into disorder was tlie dexterity of the king,
who pushing towards Tilly’s artillery, rode down the troops
who guarded it, and made them abandon all their equipage.
The enemy’s cannon being in the kings hands, he pierced
with it Tilly’s battalions and covered them with fire ; nothing
but arms and legs were seen flying in the air, with blood and
corpses every where "
Siildat Suedois, Kouen, 1634, p. 72.
2 The king adds, "Tilly came the same nigh.t to Halle
with duke Rudolph of Saxe-Lauenburg, Pappeuheim, count
l^urstenberg, and colonel Cronberg; and the barbers (sur-
geons) tell that Tilly hail three shots, of which none passed
through him, whence the report is got abroad that Tilly is
shot-fast. The next day at nine o’clock lie moved from
Halle to Aschersleben and Halbcrstadt, very weak and
powerless from the shots he had received. These had cau.sed
black and blue swellings, which the chirurgeou opened and
artillery, stood their ground well at the outset; but
after the best of the constables (gunners) had been
shot, the rest took to flight, and lefc their cannons
behind. The Saxon infantry behaved no better,
but took to their heels by companies, and gave out
that we were beaten aud all was lost. This caused
great aff’right among those who were with our bag-
gage, who, seeing the Saxons run, turned round and
fled this evening in such confusion to Duben, that
a train of waggons belonging to our officers, as also
the elector’s own, was plundered by these runners.
The elector, who kept with the rear-guard, ran
himself also with all his body-guard, and did not
stop before he came to Eilenburg. Our men, both
Swedes and Germans, as many as came into action
(for of the infantry only tlu’ee brigades had this
honour), demeaned themselves excellently well,
and pressed that they might be commanded to the
front. The enemy at first stood like a rock, and
long fought in some quarters with such hotness and
ardour, that it appeared entirely doubtful who
woidd obtain the victory ’. By-and- bye he began
to yield, and we so set u[)on him that he was com-
pelled to abandon both his own artillery and that
of the Saxons, which he had just won. At the last
he turned his back, with all bis rout, and left us
masters of the field, alter the fight had lasted un-
remittingly from two o’clock to dark night. Wo
caused the greatest part of our cavalry to pursue
the enemy, and rested ourselves on the field of
battle 2."
The course of Gustavus Adolphus after the battle
of Leipsic, in leaving the elector of Saxony to in-
vade the emperor’s hereditary dominions, and
himself turning his arms against the remaining
forces of the League, has been censured by states-
men and warriors, and foremost by Axel Oxen-
stierna. Not only did the chancellor, when he
found the Idug in Frankfort, salute hiiu with the
bandaged. How many of the enemy remained on the field
we cannot so precisely know, but we conjecluie about three
thousand. Of Tilly’s captains, Schonberg, the general of
artillery, and Erwitt, the major-general, are both shot. The
duke of Holstein was bruised and taken prisoner to Eilen-
burg, where he expired on the 9th current. We have made
so many prisoners that we can both complete our old regi-
ments with them and form new. Of the superior officers
we have lost Teufel, Kallenbach, and Hall, the lieutenant-
colonels Aderkas and Damitz, and a captain of horse, Long
Fritz by name, who are all dead. Courville also was said at first
to be dead, but we now hear that he is taken ; and although
the loss of men so valiant is highly to be regretted, yet this
victory, on whiih tlie sum of alTairs here well nigh de-
pended, is so remarkable, that we have all reason to thank
God, who mercifully hath protected us in so evident a dan-
ger, that we hardly ever before were in the like." The letter
is dated Scheidiiz, Sept. 10, 1631, and is copied in the
Piilmsk. RISS. t. 08, p. 2187. Khevenhiiller estimates the
slain altogether at nine thousand, of which the Imperialists
had six thousand three hundred, the Saxons two thousand,
but the king’s men only seven hundred. Gustavus Adol-
Ijhus’ infantry was thirteen thousand strong in the battle.
A few days after, at the muster in Halle, it consisted of
eighteen thousand. Chemnitz, i. 213. In reference to this
author, wliom we have often cited, we quote a passage from
the Minutes of the Swedish Council in 1642: "Chemnitz
was commissioned hy the high chancellor to go through the
relations and discouises which were evulgated during the
German war, correcting the same according to the chan-
cellor’s direction; which the whole senate found very good
and profitable."
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