Battle of Dresden

Battle of Dresden, major engagement of the Napoleonic Wars in which the French forces defeated the superior allied forces of Austria, Prussia, and Russia just outside Dresden, Saxony (now in Germany), on August 26-27, 1813. Dresden at that time was Napoleon's operational base. 170,000 allied soldiers converged on the garrison, held by only 20,000 French, but Napoleon managed to raise reinforcements by a gruelling forced march of the Imperial Guard and other conscripts. Eventually, a total of 120,000 French forced the allies to retreat, who were also severely hampered by bad weather.