Battles & Campaigns · 1813
Battle of Dennewitz
Dennewitz, Brandenburg, Germany
What happened
Ney led the second French attempt to reach Berlin. His army met Bülow's Prussians at Dennewitz, and the French briefly held the heights before Bülow retook them. An order from Ney was mistaken for a retreat, and when the rest of the Allied army arrived the French broke and were chased into the next day.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It ended Napoleon's hopes of taking Berlin and knocking Prussia out of the war. It also weakened German support for France; Bavaria left the war soon afterwards.
What came next
Napoleon blamed Ney. The Allies kept their armies together, and the campaign led to the great Battle of Leipzig in October.
Did you know?
Ney wrote afterwards that he had been 'totally beaten' and did not yet know whether his army had regrouped.
Timeline
- 23 August 1813Battle of Großbeeren.
- 6 September 1813Battle of Dennewitz.
- October 1813Battle of Leipzig.