Your corps has suffered a great deal; on your
victorious fields of Mockern and Leipsic you lost many brave
soldiers. Your ranks need filling up, in order that you may act
vigorously and energetically. Therefore, three new corps will be
added to your forces [Footnote: Varnhagen von Ense, "Biography of
Prince Blucher of Wahlstatt," p. 205.]--a Prussian corps under
General Kleist, a Hessian corps under the crown prince of Hesse, and
a mixed corps under the Duke of Saxe-Coburg, the whole amounting to
about fifty thousand fresh soldiers. With these reenforcements,
added to your own eighty-five thousand men, you will be at the head
of an army with which great things may be accomplished, and with
which I believe you may gather your laurels in France."
"Moreover," said Alexander, kindly, "you will hereafter not be
responsible to any other commander. We shall consider jointly with
you all operations of the war, and the whole plan of the campaign,
and lay before you all general communications. Prince Schwartzenberg
will always keep you well instructed of the movements of the grand
army, and only REQUEST you to inform him of those you deem it best
for the Silesian army to make in cooperation with the former.
[Footnote: Varuhagen von Euse, "Biography of Prince Blucher of
Wahlstatt," p. 205.] You will, therefore, be entirely at liberty to
carry your own plans into execution, and will have only to report to
Schwartzenberg and to us what you are doing.
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