After the victory at Dresden, Napoleon is pursuing Blüchers Army of Silesia eastwards with his main army. Schwarzenberg, who has rallied the Army of Bohemia much faster than Napoleon thought, went for a second invasion of Saxony, besieging Leipzig and marching eastward to Dresden, following the French army. Napoleon gave Davout the order to collect as many troops as possible in Magdeburg and attack Schwarzenberg from the North. Meanwhile, Bernadottes Army of the North is slowly moving southwards from Potsdam. To screen his northern flank, Schwarzenberg ordered the Austrian Light Division and the Russian Avant Garde to take positions north of HALLE on both sides of the river Saale. On wednesday, 15th September 1813 around 1600 the fighting started near the village GIERSLEBEN.