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It was by this time absolutely clear to Napoleon that the Leipzig position was untenable. There still had been no clearcut decision, but all the advantages were now clearly in the Allied favor. French ammunition reserves were falling dangerously low and the toll of casualties was mounting. Returning to Leipzig, Napoleon dictated orders for the retreat. During the 18th what remained of the trains and part of the cavalry had already crossed the Lindenau causeway, but now it was decreed that the Old Guard, followed by Oudinot's corps of the New Guard, the 4th Cavarly, the IXth and IInd Corps d'Armee and the 2nd Cavalry Corps should fall back through Leipzig in that order, covered by the rest of the army . . .

[T]here was no immediate cause for alarm as Oudinot and the rear guard were easily keeping the Allies at bay well away from the causeway. The withdrawal consequently continued with hardly an interruption, and it appeared that Napoleon was on the point of bringing off a model combined evacuation and river-crossing in the face of the enemy fit to rival the celebrated passage of the Berezina in 1812.

Unfortunately, however, Napoleon delegated responsibility for preparing the causeway for demolition to an unreliable general officer of the Guard named Dulauloy. He in turn passed on the task to a Colonel Montfort, who soon decided that the whistle of musketballs was coming uncomfortably close and quitted the scene, leaving one miserable corporal in charge of the demolition charges. This unfortunate individual panicked at one o'clock and without the least need blew the bridge in spite of the fact that it was still crowded with French troops. This criminal mistake turned a successful withdrawal operation into a disaster for the rear guard was trapped in Leipzig with no means of making good their escape. Oudinot managed to swim his way over the Elster, but Poniatowski, handicapped by his wounds was drowned attempting the same feat -- a mere twelve hours after being appointed a marshal. The trapped troops did their best to continue resistance but by late afternoon the survivors were compelled to surrender.

Over the four-day period the Allies lost probably 54,000 killed and wounded, although accurate figures are extremely hard to calculate. As for the French, their battle casualties were probably in excess of 38,000, but a further 30,000 fell into Allied hands during the 19th.

The Campaigns of Napoleon, David, Chandler, pg 935-36.