Troubleshooting Battery Chain Circuit for Motor Operation

[Greenfish]

Hello, I'm new here, and I need help with a problem. I'm sure there is a really easy answer to this, but I don't know what it is. I can't find it googling, probably because it is so obvious to everyone else.
But I have a circuit, which requires multiple batteries to opperate. Too combine their voltage, I had the negative terminal of one soldered to the positive of the next, so one and so one in a chain. Then the positive end of that chain I soldered a wire, connected it to a motor, and then through the other part of the motor, to a switch, back to the negative end of the chain. But I had found, after leaving the switch open overnight, that 5 of the 6 batteries had not voltage (according to a multimeter), did the batteries discharge each other, or do they need the circuit to be closed for that?
Any help whatsoever would be very much appreciated.

 

[Averagesupernova]

If you truly have everything hooked how I read it from your description then it seems strange that you would have 5 dead cells after a short time. This is an acceptable way to wire batteries.

 

[Greenfish]

Okay, thanks a lot then!

 

[rayjohn01]

As per the last if what you say is accurate then there appears no clear reason.
1) can you test your switch to make sure it is open when it is supposed to be
2) I do not recommend soldering directly to batteries it is possible to damage them
3) is it possible that wires were accidentally touching
You did not say what type of batteries were used but typical dry cells can last several years , and rechargeables like Nicads can self discharge but usually only over months, so if they did discharge then there was a reason however unlikely.
Ray.