actions helped Napoleon's army to escape a deadly trap. Throughout the 1813 campaign, Doumerc continued to lead the 3rd Heavy Cavalry Division. He was present at the Battle of Lützen on 2 May and at the Battle of Bautzen on 20 and 21 May. On 26 and 27 August, he commanded his division in Marie Victor de Fay, marquis de Latour-Maubourg's I Cavalry Corps at the Battle of Dresden. The division included the 4th and 7th Cuirassiers in Charles Lalaing d'Audenarde's brigade and the 7th, 23rd, 28th, and 30th Dragoon Regiments in Marie Antoine de Reiset's brigade, as well as two horse artillery batteries. Directed by Marshal Joachim Murat, the French cavalry fell upon the Allied left wing, which was isolated from the center and right by a rain-flooded stream. Unable to effectively defend itself because of wet powder, Ignaz Gyulai's Austrian corps was severely mauled by the rampaging French horsemen, backed by infantry and artillery. Mesko, the same general defeated in 1809, saw his division overrun before being taken prisoner by a trooper from Doumerc's 23rd Dragoons. A number of Austrian battalions were routed or forced to surrender. Altogether, 13,000 prisoners fell into French hands in this sector. At the Battle of Leipzig on 16 October 1813, Napoleon made a bid to crush Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg's Army of Bohemia. During the day's action, Doumerc took command of the I Cavalry Corps after Latour-Maubourg suffered a bad wound. After inconclusive fighting in the morning, the French emperor directed his cavalry to smash a hole in the Allied line at 2:00 PM. Schwarzenberg brought up the Austrian reserve cavalry and managed to slow the French drive. About 2:30 PM, Doumerc spotted a weak point in the enemy defenses and launched Étienne Tardif de Pommeroux de Bordesoulle's 1st Heavy Cavalry Division at it. The charge quickly dispersed two infantry battalions, overran 26 guns, and nearly cut its way to Czar Alexander I of Russia's headquarters. However, before either Murat or Doumerc could bring up support, Bordesoulle was counterattacked by the Czar's escort and a large force of Russian cuirassiers. The decisive moment passed and the day's battle ended with the Allies driven back to their start line but intact. After Napoleon's defeat at Leipzig, his former ally Bavaria joined the Allies and sent a corps to cut him off from France. At the Battle of Hanau, the French emperor completely