As the allied armies advanced from three axes towards the central position of Napoleon in Leipzig , a series of desperate battles broke out with which the emperor hoped to keep his enemies apart. Following Murat's defeat at the Battle of Liebertwolkwitz on October 14, south of Leipzig, approaching from the north, Marshal Blücher's Silesian Army , which included the Prussian Corps of General Yorck , ran into the French who were stationed on a smooth plateau near the town of Möckern , October 16th. There, the men of Marshal Marmont , supported by Dąbrowski's Poles, awaited the enemies:the savage confrontation in the streets marked the battle, as the French and Prussians fought house to house.
Commander Von Hiller , who commanded the first Prussians to attack the town, describes the enthusiasm that spurred his forces on that day:
«So I attacked the village again. All were eager to deal with the enemy, and when I proclaimed that the fate of Germany would be decided that day, they rushed forward with great cheers, advancing over the bodies of their fallen comrades. I was forced to call on my reserve, the West Prussian Grenadiers, but despite all the rage and courage of my men, it was impossible to silence the fire of the enemy battalions inside the houses. However, I had the pleasure of watching the enemy advance… turn and run at the courage of my men. As I did, I watched the advance of the rest of the corps brigades."
The numerical superiority of the Allies at the Battle of Möckern took a heavy toll on Marshal Marmont's men. The explosion of an ammunition wagon in the middle of their large battery caused the loss of a good number of French guns and, taking advantage of the confusion produced, the Prussians captured their positions. Marmont was forced to withdraw late in the afternoon, having himself been wounded in the scuffle. Both sides suffered heavy casualties.
Blücher's providential arrival in Möckern altered plans of Napoleon's battle for that October 16, which happened to concentrate their forces in a devastating attack on the Bohemian Army in the Wachau sector, south of Leipzig. The Battle of the Wachau roared fiercely that day and the next, but the Prussian presence in the north and the consequent diversion of troops allowed Prince Schwarzemberg withstand the Napoleonic onslaught. The terrible battle of Leipzig would last for three more days.