Next to the death of Duroc the loss most sincerely regretted during the campaign of 1813 was that of Prince Poniatowski.  Joseph Poniatowaki, a nephew of Stanislas Augustus, King of Poland, was born at Warsaw on the 7th of May 1763:  At an early age he was remarkable for his patriotic spirit; but his uncle’s influence gave him an apparent irresolution, which rendered him suspected by some of the parties in Poland.  After his uncle had acceded to the Confederation of Targowitz, Poniatowski left the service accompanied by most of his principal officers.  But when, in 1794, the Poles endeavoured to repulse the Russians, he again repaired to the Polish camp and entered the army as a volunteer.  His noble conduct obtained for him the esteem of his countrymen.  Kosciusko gave him the command of a division, with which he rendered useful services during the two sieges of Warsaw.  Immediately after the surrender of that capital Poniatowski went to Vienna.  He refused the offers of Catherine and Paul to bear arms in the service of Russia.

Poniatowaki retired to his estate year Warsaw, where he lived like a private gentleman until the creation of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw revived the hopes of the Polish patriots.  He then became War Minister.  The Archduke Ferdinand having come, in 1809, with Austrian troops to take possession of the Duchy of Warsaw, Poniatowski, who commanded the Polish troops, which were very inferior in numbers to the Austrian force, obliged the latter, rather by dint of skillful maneuvering than by fighting, to evacuate the Grand Duchy.  He pursued them into Galicia as far as Cracow.

After this honourable campaign he continued to exercise his functions as Minister until 1812.  The war against Russia again summoned him to the head of the Polish army.  After taking part in all the events of that war, which was attended by such various chances, Poniatowaki was present at the battle of Leipsic.  That battle, which commenced on the 14th of October, the anniversary of the famous battles of Ulm and of Jena, lasted four days, and decided the fate of Europe.  Five hundred thousand men fought on a surface of three square leagues.

Retreat having become indispensable, Napoleon took leave at Leipsic of the King of Saxony and his family, whom he had brought with him from Dresden.  The Emperor then exclaimed in a loud voice, “Adieu; Saxons,” to the people who filled the market-place, where the King of Saxony resided.  With some difficulty, and after passing through many turnings and windings, he gained the suburb of Runstadt and left Leipsic by the outer gate of that suburb which leads to the bridge of the Elster, and to Lindenau.  The bridge was blown up shortly after he had passed it, and that event utterly prevented the retreat of the part of the army which was on the left bank of the Easter, and which fell into the power of the enemy.  Napoleon was at the time accused of having ordered the destruction of the bridge immediately after he had himself passed it in order to secure his own personal retreat, as he was threatened by the active pursuit of the enemy.  The English journals were unanimous on this point, and to counteract this opinion, which was very general, an article was inserted in the ‘Moniteur’.