Battle of Haynau

The Battle of Haynau was fought on 26 May 1813, between Prussian cavalry under the command of General Blücher and a French infantry division under the command of General Maison. The result was a Prussian victory.

Prelude
After their defeat at the Battle of Bautzen (20–21 May) the Coalition allies broke off the action at their own time and retired in such good order that Napoleon failed to capture a single trophy as proof of his victory. The enemy's escape annoyed him greatly, the absence of captured guns and prisoners reminded him too much of his Russian experiences, and he redoubled his demands on his corps commanders for greater vigour in the pursuit.

Battle
Napoleon's entireties led his corps commanders to push on without due regard to tactical precautions, and Blücher took advantage of their carelessness. On 26 May, with some twenty squadrons of Landwehr cavalry, he surprised, rode over and almost destroyed Maison's division. The material loss inflicted on the French was not very great, but its effect in raising the morale of the raw Prussian cavalry and increasing their confidence in their old commander was, enormous.