Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

BREITENFELD

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V04, Page 493 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

BREITENFELD , a See also:

village of See also:Germany in the See also:kingdom of See also:Saxony, 51 M. N.N.W. of See also:Leipzig, noted in military See also:history. The first See also:battle of Breitenfeld was fought on the 17th of See also:September 1631, between the allied See also:Swedish and Saxon armies under Gustavus See also:Adolphus and the imperial forces under See also:Count See also:Tilly. The battlefield is a See also:low See also:ridge See also:running See also:east and See also:west between the villages of Gobschelwitz and Breitenfeld, the position of the Imperialists lying along the See also:crest from Gobschelwitz on the right to a point about 1 m. See also:short of Breitenfeld on the See also:left; opposite this position, and behind a See also:group of villages on the Loberbach stream, See also:lay the Swedish forces, flanked on their left by the Saxon contingent under the elector, who was assisted by See also:Arnim. The villages formed the only obstacle on the See also:gentle slope lying between the Loberbach and Tilly's See also:line; through these villages the Swedes defiled slowly, and formed up on the open ground beyond them. Tilly's See also:army was See also:drawn up in a continuous line, the See also:infantry ranged in heavy battalions in the centre, the See also:cavalry on the wings, and the heavy See also:artillery in a See also:mass in front of the infantry. Gustavus arrayed the Swedes in two lines and a reserve, infantry in the centre, cavalry on the flanks, and the See also:Saxons were drawn up in a similar formation on the left of the Swedish left-wing cavalry. So far as can be gauged the respective See also:numbers were at least 32,000 Imperialists, 22,000 Swedes and 15,000 Saxons. The Swedish infantry was drawn up on an entirely novel See also:system; each See also:brigade of infantry, composed of several battalions, was formed in many small and handy See also:corps of pikernen and musketeers, and parties of musketeers were also detached to support the cavalry. The guns were scattered along the front. The Saxons were ranged, like Tilly's army, in heavy masses of See also:foot and See also:horse preceded by a See also:great See also:battery of guns. At 2 P.M.

See also:

Pappenheim, commanding Tilly's left wing, led forward the whole of his cavalry in a furious See also:charge. Feeling the See also:fire of the musketeers who were intercalated amongst the Swedish horse, Pappenheim swung See also:round to his left and charged the Swedish right wing in flank. The Swedes of both lines promptly wheeled up, and after a prolonged conflict the Imperial horse were driven completely off the See also:field. The attack of Tilly's right wing under See also:Furstenberg directed against the Saxons was more successful. The Saxons were at once broken and routed, only a handful under Arnim maintaining the ground. Furstenberg pursued the fugitives for many See also:miles, and Tilly with the centre of infantry (which, considering the See also:depth of its formations, must have possessed great manoeuvring See also:power) rapidly followed him and formed up opposite the now exposed left of the Swedes. Thereupon the Swedes, in their See also:light and handy formation, changed position rapidly and easily to meet him. Tilly's attack was strenuously opposed, and at this moment the decisive stroke of the battle was delivered by the Swedish right wing, which, having disposed of Pappenheim, swung round and occupied the ground originally held by the Imperial infantry, seized Tilly's guns, and with them enfiladed the enemy's new line. This put an end to the attack of the Imperial foot, and before sunset Tilly was in full See also:retreat, hotly pursued and losing heavily in prisoners. His losses on the field have been estimated at 7000 killed and wounded and almost as many prisoners; the Swedes lost about 2000 and the Saxons over 4000 men. The village of Breitenfeld also gives its name to another great battle in the See also:Thirty Years' See also:War (See also:November 2, 1642), in which the Swedes under See also:Torstensson defeated the Imperialists under the See also:archduke See also:Leopold and See also:Prince See also:Piccolomini, who were seeking to relieve Leipzig. The Swedish cavalry decided the See also:day on this occasion also.

End of Article: BREITENFELD

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
BREISLAK, SCIPIONE (1748-1826) 		[next]
BREMEN

Site © 2006 - Net Industries