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Invasion of France, 1814

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Invasion of France, 1814
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Author(s): F. W. O. Maycock
Date Published: 2009/01
Page Count: 168
Softcover ISBN-13: 978-1-84677-579-6
Hardcover ISBN-13: 978-1-84677-580-2

The history of the last days of Napoleonic France

In 1812 Napoleon set out with his greatest army upon his most ambitious campaign-the invasion of Imperial Russia. It became a disaster that cost him an entire army—a body of men and material that could never be replaced and by the time this disaster was compounded by the defeat of the 'Battle of the Nations' at Leipzig the decline of the First Empire was irreversible. What followed was a hard fought campaign as the French Army was driven back to and over it's borders and which would only end in the streets of Paris itself. Now with his back to the wall Napoleon would fight some of his final engagements and demonstrate once again the magnitude of his military genius. This is the history of that campaign and an essential book for students of the Napoleonic era.

Blücher determined to crush the isolated French right and ordered Langeron and Sacken to move to their left and take up their position between Laon and Chambry to support the attack, which was to be carried out by the whole of the left wing, under the direction of Yorck. <br>
The latter general had also realised the opportunity presented by Marmont’s unsupported corps and had sent a messenger to Blücher to obtain his sanction for the proposed movement. Thus as soon as he received his orders, he formed the whole of his infantry into a mass of columns at close intervals, with Kleist’s corps in close support, while the cavalry and horse artillery were posted well forward on his left, so as to be in a position to take up the pursuit at once. Covered by the darkness, the Prussians quietly moved into their positions, totally unobserved by their opponents, and Yorck issued a written order:<br>
<br>
Not a shot shall be fired; the attack is to be made with bayonets alone.<br>
<br>
Advancing in perfect order and complete silence, the Prussians suddenly fell on their unsuspecting opponents with a loud hurrah and Marmont’s wretched conscripts, who were sleeping heavily after their exertions, were scattered and driven from the field in hopeless confusion. <br>
Zieten’s troopers at once took up the pursuit, capturing nearly 3000 dazed fugitives, who were much too astonished by the sudden onslaught to think of attempting the least resistance. <br>
The night attack had been planned and carried out by Yorck in the most brilliant manner, and the French force had been so completely overthrown that Marmont reported to Napoleon at 2 a.m.:<br><br>

We have not been able to restore order to the different bodies of troops, which are all mingled together and in no condition to carry out any evolution or perform any service. <br><br>

Blücher was delighted at Yorck’s success, and wrote:<br><br>

Your Excellency has once more shown what clearness of mind combined with decision can accomplish. <br><br>

He also ordered Yorck and Kleist to take up the pursuit at once and strike at Marmont’s right flank, but these were the last orders that the veteran Prussian marshal was destined to issue for some time. <br>
The strain of the last two months had been enormous, while the difficulties and dangers had been aggravated by the fact that the political situation was most involved and that it was impossible to rely either on Schwarzenberg’s co-operation or support. Suffering severely from ague, coupled with a violent inflammation of the eyes, he had been totally unlike his own vigorous self during the day’s fighting, and, oppressed by the dread of the sudden appearance of a strong hostile force from some unknown direction, his tactics had been marked by an unusual hesitation and he had omitted to seize the opportunity of overwhelming Napoleon’s comparatively weak force. <br>
During the night Blücher completely collapsed, but his illness was kept a secret as long as possible by Gneisenau, who found himself in a most difficult position, for he was junior to both Langeron and Yorck. <br>
The former, besides being absolutely incompetent, was merely the commander of the Russian detachment serving with the army of Silesia, while the latter, though a most capable general, was so quarrelsome and self-willed that Gneisenau could never have worked in harmony with him. <br>
In the desperate situation in which Napoleon found himself, the average leader would have thought of nothing but escape and would probably have retreated in haste during the early hours of the 10th, but Napoleon chose the bolder and in reality the safer course. He argued that an immediate retreat would certainly be the signal for thousands of his conscripts to desert, and would infallibly bring the whole of the army of Silesia on his heels, while a vigorous attack, though it could not possibly lead to a decisive success, might at least impose on his opponents for some time, and would, in any case, take the pressure from Marmont’s shaken troops.
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