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LUTZEN

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Originally appearing in Volume V17, Page 143 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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LUTZEN , a See also:

town in Prussian See also:Saxony, in the circle of See also:Merseburg (pop. in 1S•os, 3981), chiefly famous as the See also:scene of a See also:great See also:battle fought on the 6/16th of See also:November 1632 between the Swedes, under See also:King Gustavus See also:Adolphus, and the Imperialists, under See also:Wallenstein. On the 5/15th November, Gustavus, with some 20,000 men, advanced from See also:Naumburg on the See also:Saale to meet a contingent of his See also:German See also:allies at See also:Grimma, S.E. of See also:Leipzig, but becoming aware of the presence of Wallenstein's See also:army near Lutzen, and that it had been weakened by a large detachment sent away under See also:Pappenheim towards See also:Halle, he turned towards Lutzen. Wallenstein's posts at See also:Weissenfels and Rippach pre-vented him from fighting his See also:main battle the same evening, and the Swedes went into See also:camp near Rippach, a little more than an See also:hour's See also:march from Lutzen. VVallenstein made ready to give battle on the following See also:day and recalled Pappenheim. The latter had taken a small See also:castle, the reduction of which was one of the See also:objects of his expedition, but his men had dispersed to See also:plunder and could not be rallied before the following See also:morning. Gustavus had now to choose between proceeding to Grimma and fighting Wallenstein on the See also:chance that Pappenheim had not rejoined. He See also:chose the latter. In the mist of the See also:early morning Wallenstein's army was formed in See also:line of battle along the Leipzig road with its right on Lutzen. Its See also:left was not carried out as far as the Flossgraben in See also:order to leave See also:room on that flank for Pappenheim. His See also:infantry was arranged in five huge oblongs, four of which (in lozengeformation) formed the centre and one the right wing at Lutzen. These " battalias " had their angles strengthened in the old-fashioned way that had prevailed since See also:Marignan, with small outstanding bodies of musketeers, so that they resembled rectangular forts with bastions. On either See also:side of this centre was the See also:cavalry in two See also:long lines, while in front of the centre and See also:close to the right at Lutzen were the two batteries of heavy See also:artillery.

Lutzen was set on See also:

fire as a precaution. Skirmishers lined the See also:bank and the ditch of the Leipzig road. The See also:total strength of the Imperial army was about 12,000 See also:foot and 8000 See also:horse. Gustavus's hopes of an early decision were frustrated by the See also:fog, which delayed the approach and deployment of the Swedes. It was 8 A.M. before all was ready. The royal army was in two lines. The infantry in the centre was arrayed in the small and handy battalions then See also:peculiar to Gustavus's army, the horse on either wing extended from opposite Lutzen to some distance beyond Wallenstein's left, which Pappenheim was to extend on his arrival. By the See also:accident of the terrain, or perhaps, following the experience of See also:Breitenfeld (q.v.), by See also:design, the right' of the Swedes was somewhat nearer to the enemy than the left. In front, near the centre, were the heavy guns and each infantry See also:battalion had its own See also:light artillery. The force of infantry and cavalry on either side was about equal, the Swedes had perhaps rather less cavalry and rather more infantry, but their artillery was See also:superior to Wallenstein's. Not until 11 was it possible to open fire, for want of a visible See also:target, but about See also:noon, after a preliminary cannonade, Gustavus gave the word to advance. The king himself commanded the right wing, which had to wait until small bodies of infantry detached for the purpose had driven in the Imperialist skirmish line, and had then to See also:cross a ditch leading the horses.

They were not. charged by the Imperialists at this moment, for Pappenheim had not yet arrived, and the usual cavalry See also:

tactics of the day were founded on the See also:pistol and not on the See also:sword and the charging horse. Gaining at last room to See also:form, the Swedes charged and routed the first line of the Imperial cavalry but were stopped by the heavy squadrons of See also:cuirassiers in second line, and at that moment Gustavus galloped away to the centre where events had taken a serious turn. The See also:Swedish centre (infantry) had forced their way across the Leipzig road and engaged Wallenstein's living forts at close quarters.

End of Article: LUTZEN

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LUTZOW, ADOLF, FREIHERR VON (1782-1834)

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