Bernadotte was attacking from the north and was only opposed by the weak Souham's III corps, commanded by marshal Ney. Benningsen's army with the Austrian Klenau's IV corps was attacking the city from the east and south‑east. The decimated XI MacDonald's and V Lauriston's corpses stood on their way.

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Obraz przedstawiający francuską piechotę broni barykady przed pruskim atakiem.

Initially the strongly advancing Prussian Bülov's III corps was fought off at the outskirts, however later the Wintzingerode's reinforcements and the Swedish forces tipped the scales of victory to the allied side.

The masses of allied troops started penetrating the city. The worst consequence was that they threatened to capture the bridge the Napoleon's troops were using to evacuate from the city. Bennigsen's 50 cannons were firing at the French soldiers.

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Obraz przedstawiający ostatnią szarżę Poniatowskiego pod Lipskiem.

Poniatowski had been fighting with his soldiers since the very morning, giving multiple proofs of courage. At the time his corps counted about 2 thousand men. With his people he bravely opposed Bennigsen's battalions, when they threatened MacDonald, by charging the enemy time and time again.

The southern outskirts fell around 11:00 o'clock, with the lack of sturdy fortifications rendering further defense impossible. Poniatowski was fighting his way through the city, battling not only the advancing enemy but also the local population shooting from the windows at the retreating soldiers. The VIII corps gave its last organized resistance to the enemy on the boulevards near the Wasserkunst fountain. It did not last long, and further retreat had to proceed. In disarray and scattered the corps made its way to reach the bridge at Fleischerplatz. Unfortunately, they were not able to reach it. The corporal who in the absence of the officer kept watch of the explosives prepared to blow up the bridge once Napoleon's troops have passed the bridge panicked, and thinking that the enemy was already there, he proceeded to blow the bridge off, cutting 15 thousand soldiers, including the forces of the IV Polish corps, off their salutary escape route. MacDonald, Poniatowski, Lauriston and Reynier were left on the right bank of the Elster river without the possibility of reconnecting with the rest of the army.

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Obraz przedstawiający odwrót Napoleona na polu bitwy.

A makeshift bridge was built in a hurry, but it collapsed after a fraction of the troops had crossed it. Part of the Polish troops surrendered to the Austrians after the initial fight. Poniatowski, however, was trying to withdraw from the city which was almost entirely in the hands of the allied forces. The decision was made to swim across Elster river. The river swollen with the autumn rains was wild and dangerous. The horse, pulled by the strong current could not reach the bank. A young French staff officer, Hipolit Belchamps sought to help Poniatowski free from his horse and get out of the river. They further tried to walk through the gardens, where Poniatowski was hit by an enemy bullet for the fourth time that day, this time at his side. Very weak and losing consciousness the Prince mounted a new horse supported by the surrounding officers and rode towards the river once again.

Meanwhile, the enemy reached the bank of the river and in some places even made it to the other side, firing at the soldiers who were trying to cross the river.

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Obraz przedstawiający śmierć księcia Józefa Poniatowskiego.

Seeing the enemy troops on his way, Poniatowski directed his horse to the Elster. The horse reached the other bank, but unfortunately during the climb on steep cliff a fifth bullet hit the Prince. He slid into the river. The faithful Blechamps jumped to help for the second time, but they both died in the white currents of Elster. With Prince Józef Poniatowski, the great Pole and the best example of sacrifice for the homeland, the wild waters buried the hope for rebuilding free Poland with Napoleon.