War of Liberation
1813 -
Autumn Campaign
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The combat of Flemmingen (9 October 1813) was part of a failed Allied attempt to prevent Marshal Augereau's IX Corps from reaching Leipzig.
Augereau had spent much of the 1813 campaign posted on the River Inn, to watch the Austrians, but on 17 September he was summoned north, with orders to guard the Saale. His route was to take him from Würzburg to Coburg and then to Jena.
On 5 October Augereau's orders were altered, and he was told to move to Leipzig where he was to join his men with Arrigi's 6,000 to form a more powerful garrison.
Although Augereau was moving well behind the front line, the French didn’t really have command of the countryside away from their main armies. In early October Maurice, prince of Lichtenstein (Austrian 1st Light Division) and General Thielmann were operating in the area south of Leizpig, somewhat in advance of the main body of the Army of Bohemia. Lichtenstein decided to try and stop Augereau reaching Leipzig.
The first clash came at Flemmingen, a village just to the west of Naumburg, on the right bank of the Saale, about 30 miles to the west/ south-west of Leipzig. Here the Allied cavalry clashed with General Subervie's dragoon brigade, and were pushed back. Lichtenstein then decided to occupy the defile of Wethau, just to the east of Naumburg, where he made a second attempt to stop Augereau on the following day.