Enthusiasts re-enact bloody 19th-century Battle of Leipzig

Hundreds of history buffs have re-enacted the 19thcentury Battle of Leipzig, which saw the defeat of Napoleon I’s army by combined forces from Prussia, Austria, Russia and Sweden.

Enthusiasts from across Europe, dressed in period costumes, fired muskets and cannons at each other Saturday as spectators looked on near Germany’s eastern city of Leipzig.

The Battle of Leipzig took place from Oct. 1619, 1813. It pitted hundreds of thousands of soldiers against each other and is considered one of the bloodiest battles in European history.

AP PHOTO/JENS MEYER Troops fight during the reconstruction of the Battle of the Nations at the 205th anniversary near Leipzig, Germany.