had recently joined his array to that of Eugene:  he was in force, and was then planning a turning movement on the north, similar to that which threatened his south flank.  Ney, on whom fell Bluecher’s first blows, had observed the preparations, and one of his divisions, that of Souham, had strengthened the village of Gross Goerschen for an obstinate defence.  The French position is thus described by Lord Cathcart, who was then present at the allied headquarters: 

“The country is uncovered and open, but with much variety of hill and valley, and much intersected by hollow ways and millstreams, the former not discernible till closely approached.  The enemy, placed behind a long ridge and in a string of villages, with a hollow way in front, and a stream sufficient to float timber on the left, waited the near approach of the allies.  He had an immense quantity of ordnance:  the batteries in the open country were supported by masses of infantry in solid squares.  The plan of our operations was to attack Gross Goerschen with artillery and infantry, and meanwhile to pierce the line, to the enemy’s right of the villages, with a strong column of cavalry in order to cut off the troops in the villages from support....  The cavalry of the Prussian Reserve, to whose lot this attack fell, made it with great gallantry; but the showers of grapeshot and musketry to which they were exposed in reaching the hollow way made it impracticable for them to penetrate; and, the enemy appearing determined to hold the villages at any expense, the affair assumed the most expensive character of attack and defence of a post repeatedly taken, lost, and retaken.  The cavalry made several attempts to break the enemy’s line, and in some of their attacks succeeded in breaking into the squares and cutting down the infantry.  Late in the evening, Bonaparte, having called in the troops from [the side of] Leipzig and collected all his reserves, made an attack on the right of the allies, supported by the fire of several batteries advancing.  The vivacity of this movement made it expedient to change the front of our nearest brigades on our right; and, as the whole cavalry from our left was ordered to the right to turn this attack, I was not without hopes of witnessing the destruction of Bonaparte and of all his army; but before the cavalry could arrive, it became so dark that nothing could be seen but the flashes of the guns."[296]

The desperate fight thus closed with a slight advantage to the French, due to the timely advance of Eugene with Macdonald’s corps against the right flank of the wearied allies, when it was too late for them to make any counter-move.  These had lost severely, and among the fallen was Scharnhorst, whose wound proved to be mortal.  But Bluecher, far from being daunted by defeat or by a wound, led seven squadrons of horse against the victors after nightfall, threw them for a brief space into a panic, and nearly charged up to the square which sheltered Napoleon.  The