Battles & Campaigns · 1813
Battle of Möckern
Möckern, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
What happened
Wittgenstein attacked, believing he faced only a small French rear guard. Prussian troops took the village of Dannigkow after hours of fighting, and Allied troops pushed across the Ehle River. That night the French retreated toward Magdeburg.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was the first successful Allied attack of the 1813 campaign in Germany. It boosted Allied morale and cost the French the initiative in northern Germany.
What came next
Eugène pulled back behind the Elbe, and the armies met again at Lützen on 2 May 1813.
Did you know?
Eugène retreated partly because he wrongly believed Wittgenstein was trying to surround him.
Timeline
- 5 April 1813Battle of Möckern.
- April 1813Eugène pulls back behind the Elbe.
- 2 May 1813Battle of Lützen.