After the fall of Berlin on 23 November Napoleon assumed that the Prussian army, having been beaten, would disperse. In that he was mistaken, for although the city had been taken the army had not been smashed.
The following morning the Prussians were back. Both armies had scattered overnight to rest their tired troops, so the day started very tentatively. Rüchel's column formed the centre of the advance, marching on Berlin from the north-west, past the Tegelsee and through the village of Tegel. To his right was Prince Hohenlohe, coming east from Spandau. The left flank was held by the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, supported by Klingspor's Swedes. This perhaps gives an exaggerated impression of the Prussian strength, for at dawn each of these was represented by only a single division on the field. Most of the commands named, as well as Kalkreuth's reserve, were still on the way.
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| Mid-morning, after a little rationalisation. |
