DOC Handguns by Frederick Wilkinson in History

Description

The crucial three-day battle of Leipzig; known to posterity as the Battle of the Nations; was the biggest battle of the Napoleonic Wars. It was also one of Napoleon's worst defeats - Leipzig sealed the fate of Napoleon's empire. Now; in this superbly narrated account of the battle; Digby Smith describes the events of 16; 17; 18 and 19 October 1813; and stresses both the significance of the battle and the brutality of the fighting. At the height of the battle Napoleon fielded more than 200;000 men against an Allied force - which included contingents from Russia; Austria; Prussia and Sweden - of some 360;000 soldiers. Cornered against the River Estler; Napoleon; outnumbered and suffering heavily from the fire of 1;400 Allied guns; was soundly defeated; had to relinquish control of Germany and was forced back into France. Digby Smith's evocative account of Leipzig concentrates on the ferocious fighting; charts the fortunes of the three day struggle and underlines the incredible human cost of the battle. Using a wealth of first-hand accounts; many of them previously unpublished in English; he brings the dramatic struggle to life and demonstrates just what it was like for the average French; German; Russian; Prussian; Austrian or Swedish soldier to take part in the Battle of the Nations.