The Battle of Schleiz was the first engagement of the War of the Fourth Coalition, opening Napoleon's 1806 campaign against Prussia and Saxony.
Key Facts
- Date
- 9 October 1806
- Distance north of Hof
- 30 kilometers km
- Distance SW of Dresden
- 145 kilometers km
- Prussian retreat destination
- Auma
- Coalition conflict
- War of the Fourth Coalition
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Napoleon's Grande Armée advanced northward through the Franconian Forest, targeting the extended left wing of the combined Prussian and Saxon armies, which were spread across a long front and vulnerable to concentrated French attack.
Elements of Jean-Baptiste Drouet's division clashed with Tauentzien's outposts near Schleiz. Recognizing the French strength, Tauentzien began a tactical withdrawal. Joachim Murat then assumed command and launched an aggressive pursuit, cutting off and destroying a battalion-sized Prussian force to the west.
The Prussian and Saxon forces retreated northward, reaching Auma by evening. The engagement served as the opening clash of the War of the Fourth Coalition and signaled the vulnerability of the allied armies to Napoleon's rapid offensive strategy.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'Erlon, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, Joachim Murat.
Side B
1 belligerent
Bogislav Friedrich Emanuel von Tauentzien.