om the mighty barrier of the Erzgebirge, that
army compelled him three times to give up his offensive moves and
hastily to fall back into the heart of Saxony.

The plain truth is that he was out-generalled by the allies. The
assertion may seem to savour of profanity. Yet, if words have any
meaning, the phrase is literally correct. His aim was primarily to
maintain himself on the line of the Elbe, but also, though in the
second place, to keep up his communication with France. Their aim was
to leave him the Elbe line, but to cut him off from France. Even at
the outset they planned to strike at Leipzig: their attack on Dresden
was an afterthought, timidly and slowly carried out. As long, however,
as their Grand Army clung to the Erz mountains, they paralyzed his
movements to the east and north, which merely played into their hands.

As regards the execution of the allied plans, the honours must
unquestionably rest with Bluecher and Gneisenau. Their tactful retreats
before Napoleon in Silesia, their crushing blow at Macdonald, above
all, their daring flank march to Wartenburg and thence to Halle, are
exploits of a very high order; and doubtless it was the emergence of
this unsuspected volcanic force from the unbroken flats of continental
mediocrity that nonplussed Napoleon and led to the results described
above. Truly heroic was Bluecher's determination to push on to Leipzig,
even when the enemy was seizing the Elbe bridges in his rear. The
veteran saw clearly that a junction with Schwarzenberg near Leipzig
was the all-important step, and that it must bring back the French to
that point. His judgment was as sound as his strokes were trenchant;
and, owing to the illusions which Napoleon still cherished as to the
saving strength of the Elbe line, the French arrived on that mighty
battlefield half-famished and wearied by fruitless marches and
countermarches. Of all Napoleon's campaigns, that of the second part
of 1813 must rank as by far the weakest in conception, the most
fertile in blunders, and the most disastrous in its results for
France.

NOTE TO THE THIRD EDITION.--In order not to overcrowd these chapters
with diplomatic details, I have made only the briefest reference to
the Treaties signed at Teplitz on Sept. 9th, 1813, with Russia and
Prussia, which cemented the fourth great Coalition; but it will be
well to describe them here.

A way having been paved for a closer union by the Treaty of Kalisch
(see p. 276) a