Excerpt from the battle of Leipzig, first day:

On the 16th of October, early in the morning, he [Napoleon] repaired to the position that he had visited on the preceding day. The King of Naples received him on the same heights near Liebertwolkwitz. Napoleon, having alighted, observed for some moments with the little opera-glass which he always had with him, the manner in which the enemy's columns drawn up for the attack were formed, and towards which the King of Naples had excited his attention. The horses were brought. Napoleon with his suite slowly withdrew from the hill, and at that instant (nine o'clock by my watch) three guns, fired at regular intervals, announced on the side of the Allies the beginning of the battle. The balls flew over the Emperor's suite, and occasioned the regiments of cuirassiers in the rear and the imperial guard some loss. A cannonade of unexampled fury was heard on both sides all along the line, and continued for five hours without intermission, in such a manner that the earth literally shook. The veteran French soldiers affirmed that they never had witnessed so concentrated a fire. From the beginning of the action the Russians and Austrians attacked with courage and ardor, under the orders of Klenau, Kleist and Prince Eugene de Wurtemberg; they took possession of Liebertwolkwitz, Wachau, and Markkleeberg, and made the whole French line draw back. Napoleon found himself obliged to retire a little with his guard (near the sheep-walk of Meusdorf), and several soldiers who were near him fell victims to the dreadful shower of bullets. The greatest coolness and tranquillity reigned as far as his influence could extend. A little ground had been lost; Marshal Victor's corps d'armée had been obliged to yield to the attacks of Klenau, and to abandon to the latter for the moment Liebertwolkwitz. But the Duke of Tarentum, Macdonald, advanced at the same time, coming from Holzhausen, and marched directly towards the Swedish redoubt, one of the principal points of the position. Napoleon directed, through the medium of his adjutants, the fire of the artillery placed on the heights of Liebertwolkwitz, and these villages were re-taken.

The artillery thundered in the center, and the fire of musketry was continually kept up on the two wings. Two French columns advanced from Wachau, towards Gossa and Crœbern, but they met with such resistance that they were obliged to retire. About three o'clock Macdonald advanced from the extremity of the left wing, to the place whence, according to the order of battle on the preceding day, near Zuckelhausen, in form of a hook, the enemy's position had been observed. This general caused the Swedish redoubt to be carried at the point of the bayonet. This was doubtless, a decided advantage. Napoleon appeared serene and contented; he had already informed the King of Saxony, "that the battle had begun, at the moment when the enemy was about to debouch; that we had made 2,000 prisoners; that the cannonade was continued because appearances were favorable." When the redoubt was in his power, he again sent to the King, to inform him "that all was going on well; that we had taken some villages and heights." A short time after he added, "Let the bells in the city and its environs be rung, in order to acquaint the whole army with our success."

Napoleon was still in rear of the center, near Meusdorf. At that moment, he caused fifty pieces of cannon, belonging to the reserve artillery of the young guard, to advance towards the first line, on the right of Liebertwolkwitz, where the King of Naples commanded. This artillery, which, according to the affirmation of the French, had struck the decisive blow in all the preceding battles, once more shook the ground; the enemy's return to this fire appeared to become weaker and weaker. Then Napoleon repaired to that commanding point, whence he perceived the enemy's lines drawn up in the best order and immoveable composure. The right wing of the enemy rested on the wood of the university, and the left on the causeway of Borna, behind Wachau. The French lines extended, on that side, from Liebertwolkwitz to Markkleeberg. On a sudden a furious attack commenced on the last-mentioned village, upon the right flank. It was so warm, and was carried on in the midst of such dreadful cries, that Napoleon was struck with it, and again retired some hundred paces, to the place where the old guard was posted, which was obliged to make a manœuvre, in order to form large squares, their front turned towards Markkleeberg. Prince Poniatowski sustained the attack with firmness; Napoleon resumed his tranquillity; he was informed of the capture of many Austrian prisoners of the Somariva regiment of body guards, which had been surrounded in that affair.

In the meantime, the struggle still continued round the village of Markkleeberg; the attacks on that side were perpetually renewed. It became necessary to send considerable reinforcements thither, in order to retain possession of the village. At night-fall, after a most tremendous fire of nine hours, the extreme left of the French army rested, as it had done some hours before, on the Swedish redoubt, the center on the height near Wachau, and the right wing at Markkleeberg. The position of the Allies was almost parallel to that of the French, except that the center of the former, placed in front of Guldengossa, seemed rather to form a salient angle. The King of Naples passed the night at Wachau; Napoleon established his bivouac in a dried up fish-pond, near the old tile manufactory, at a short distance from the road leading to Rochlitz; as usual, his five tents were pitched on that spot, and the guard encamped round him. Before he had chosen this situation, General Meerfeld, who had just been made prisoner, was brought before him. Napoleon conversed with him for some time in the most affable manner. In the night, this same general was called by the Emperor, who despatched him on a mission to the Austrian headquarters, whence he returned on the following morning. Napoleon passed a very uneasy night. Nansouty and other generals were called while he was in bed. The artillery continued to fire from time to time, till an advanced period of the night, upon the right wing; and it was uncertain if other attacks had not taken place in the neighborhood of Markkleeberg. All were waiting in the greatest anxiety, which was still augmented by the want of news from the side of Leipsic.