Taucha.  It was principally composed of Saxons.  They had just come into action, and the allies had already brought up a great number of guns against them.  To the no small astonishment and consternation of their leader, they suddenly shouldered their arms, marched forward in close files with their artillery, and went over to the enemy.  Several French battalions, misled by this movement, joined them, and were immediately disarmed and made prisoners by the allies.  The French cuirassiers, suspecting the design of the Saxons, followed, apparently with the intention of falling upon them.  The Saxons faced about, and compelled them, by a smart fire of musketry, to return.  A volley of small arms was discharged after them, but with no more effect—­it did them no injury.  Their horse-artillery turned about, and soon dismounted that of the French.  They were greeted with a joyful hurrah! by the Cossacks, who cordially shook hands with their new comrades.  The Saxons desired to be immediately led back to the attack of the French.  The hearts of these soldiers individually had long glowed with revenge for all the devastations committed in their native land by their allies and companions in arms, for whom they had so often shed their blood in torrents.  The generals of the allies refused on very good grounds to comply with their desire.  The Saxons marched a league into the rear of the field of battle, and there bivouacked.  Their artillery only was afterwards invited to take part in the engagement, and did great execution.  This circumstance had an essential influence on the issue of the contest, inasmuch as the defection of a body of more than 8000 men facilitated the advance of the right wing of the allies.  But for this step the Saxons would have fared very badly, as their opponents had already ranged upwards of thirty pieces of cannon against their line, and were bringing up still more to the attack.  These now proved the more galling to the ranks of the French, who were driven back almost to the Kohlgaerten.  From my position this advance of the allies was not to be perceived except by the approach of the thunder of the artillery.  The French centre yet stood immoveable; at least we could not observe from the city any change which denoted a retrograde movement.  The sanguinary character of this tremendous conflict might be inferred from the thousands of wounded, who hobbled, crawled, and were carried in at the gates.  Among the latter were many officers of rank.  If you inquired of those who returned from the field, how the battle was going on, the reply almost invariably was—­“Badly enough,—­the enemy is very strong.”  A Saxon cuirassier declared, without reserve, that it might be considered as decided, adding, “We have lost a deal of ground already.”—­Stoetteritz and Schoenefeld were stormed the same evening.  All the streets were covered with wounded, and fortunate were they who could find a shelter.  As for surgical aid and refreshments, these were not to be thought of.  A far greater number of those miserable wretches were yet left behind in the villages, as might be seen from the detached limbs, which were piled in heaps, especially at Probstheide.