Battle of Halle

Battle of Halle
Part of the War of the Fourth Coalition
The Battle of Halle, October 17th 1806 by Per Krafft the Younger, 1821
Date 17 October 1806[1] Location Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany 51°28′00″N 11°58′00″E / 51.4667°N 11.9667°E / 51.4667; 11.9667 Result French victory[1]
Belligerents
French Empire	Prussia
Commanders and leaders
Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte	Duke of Württemberg
Strength
16,000[1]–20,594 34 guns	13,700[1]–16,000 58 guns
Casualties and losses
800[1]	5,000–5,200[1] 11 guns 4 colours

War of the Fourth Coalition

200km
125miles

Friedland

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Eylau

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Berlin

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Jena–Auerstedt

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⬤ current battle

⬤ Napoleon not in command

⬤ Napoleon in command

In the Battle of Halle on 17 October 1806 a French corps led by Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte fought the Prussian Reserve under Eugene Frederick Henry, Duke of Württemberg. The French defeated their opponents, forcing the Prussians to retreat northeast toward Dessau after suffering heavy losses. The clash occurred in the War of the Fourth Coalition, part of the Napoleonic Wars. The city of Halle is located about 30 kilometers northwest of Leipzig on the Saale River.

Emperor Napoleon I of France invaded the Electorate of Saxony and inflicted two disastrous defeats on the Prussian-Saxon armies on 14 October 1806. As the beaten armies fled, Marshal Bernadotte's corps marched north and found Duke Eugene's unblooded Reserve located at Halle. At the beginning of the encounter, two French divisions rushed the bridges over the Saale on the west side of the city. They overran a weak defending force and quickly occupied the city.

Later in the day, Bernadotte's troops stormed out of Halle and attacked Eugene's Reserve which was drawn up to the southeast of the city. The Prussians were driven from their positions and chased to the northeast. While this engagement was going on, Bernadotte's third division surrounded and captured a Prussian regiment isolated on the west side of the city. One of the few intact Prussian forces west of the Elbe River was now crippled.