When the last of the French troops had
crossed to the western bank of the Rhine, divided counsels made their
appearance at the headquarters of the allies. Every one was weary of the
war, and many felt that it would be unwise to push Napoleon and the
French nation to extremes.
Hence a prolonged halt arose, utilized by the troops in renewing
their equipment and so forth, but ultimately the Young German party, led
by Blucher and the principal fighting men of the army, triumphed, and on
the 1st of January 1814 the Silesian army (50,000) began its passage of
the Rhine at Kaub. They were to be supported by Schwarzenberg with
200,000 men, who was to advance by Basel and Neu Breisach to the south,
and Bernadotte with the Northern army, about 120,000, was to move in
support on the right flank through the Netherlands and Laon; this force
was not yet ready and did not, in fact, reach the latter place till
March.
To meet these forces the emperor could not collect 200,000 men in
all, of whom upwards of 100,000 were held by Wellington on the Spanish
frontier, and 20,000 more were required to watch the debouches from the
Alps. Hence less than 80,000 remained available for the east and north
eastern frontier. If, however, he was weak in numbers, he was now
again operating in a friendly country, able to find food almost everywhere and else
practically indifferent as to his communications.
About noon the 2nd of
February Napoleon attacked them; but the weather was terrible, and the
ground so heavy that his favorite artillery, the mainstay of his whole
system of warfare, was useles
s and in the drifts of snow which at
intervals swept across the field, the columns lost their direction and
many were severely handled by the Cossacks. At nightfall the fighting
ceased and the emperor retired to Lesmont, and thence to Troyes, Marmont
being left to observe the enemy.
Owing to the state of the roads, more perhaps to the
extraordinary lethargy which always characterized Schwarzenberg’s
headquarters, no pursuit was attempted. But on the 4th of February
Blucher, chafing at this inaction, obtained the permission of his own
sovereign to transfer his line of operations to the valley of the Marne;
Pahlen’s corps of Cossacks were assigned to him to cover his left and
maintain communication with the Austrians.
Believing himself secure behind this screen, he advanced from Vitry
along the roads leading down the valley of the Marne, with his columns
widely separated for convenience of subsistence and shelter, the latter
being almost essential in the terrible weather prevailing. Blucher
himself on the night of the 7th was at Sézanne, on the exposed flank so
as to be nearer to his sources of intelligence, and the rest of his army
were distributed in four small corps at or near Epernay, Montmirail and
Etoges; reinforcements also were on their way to join him and were then
about Vitry.
In the night his headquarters were again surprised, and he learnt
that Napoleon himself with his main body was in full march to fall on
his scattered detachments. At the same time he heard that Pahlen’s
Cossacks had been withdrawn forty-eight hours previously, thus
completely exposing his flank. He himself retreated towards Etoges endeavoring
to rally his scattered detachments, but Napoleon was too
quick for him and in three successive days he defeated Sacken at
Montmirail,York at Champ Aubert and Blucher and his main body at Etoges,
pursuing the latter towards Vertus. These disasters compelled the
retreat of the whole Silesian army, and Napoleon, leaving Mortier and
Marmont to deal with them, hurried back to Troyes with his main body to
strike the flank of Schwarzenberg’s army, which had meanwhile begun its
leisurely advance, and again at Mormant on the 17th of February,
Montereau the 18th and Méry the 21st, he inflicted such heavy
punishment upon his adversaries that they fell back precipitately.
Laon
In the meantime Blucher had rallied his scattered forces
and was driving Marmont and Mortier before him. Napoleon, as soon as he
had disembarrassed himself of Schwarzenberg, counter-marched his main
body and moving again by Sézaniie, fell upon Blucher’s left and drove
him back upon Soissons. This piace had been held by a French garrison,
but had capitulated only twenty-four hours beforehand, a fact of which
Napoleon was naturally unaware. The Silesian army was thus able to
escape, and marching northwards combined with Bernadotte at Laon, this
reinforcement bringing the forces at Blucher’s disposal up to over
100,000 men.
On the 7th of March Napoleon fell upon the advance guard of this
force at Craonne and drove it back upon Laon, where a battle took place
on the 9th. Napoleon was here defeated, and with only 30,000 men at his
back he was compelled to renounce all ideas of a further offensive, and
he retired to rest his troops to Reims. Here he remained unmolested for
a few days, for Blucher was struck down by sickness, and in his absence
nothing was done. On the 14th of March, however, Schwarzenberg, becoming
aware of Napoleon’s withdrawal to Reims, again began his advance when the news of Napoleon’s approach again
induced him to retreat to Brienne.
The Allies March on Paris
Thus after six weeks’ fighting the
allies were hardly more advanced than at the beginning. Now, however,
they began to realize the weakness of their opponent, and perhaps
actuated by the fear that Wellington from Toulouse might, after all,
reach Paris first, they determined to march to Paris (then an open city), and let Napoleon do his worst
to their communications. Actually this was exactly what he was preparing
to do. He had determined to move eastward to St Dizier, rally what
garrisons he could find, and raise the whole country against the
invaders, and had actually started on the execution of this plan when
his instructions fell into the enemy’s hands and his projects were
exposed. Regardless of the threat, the allies marched straight for the
capital. Marmont and Mortier with what troops they could rally took up a
position on Montmartre heights to oppose them, but seeing further
resistance to be hopeless they gave way on the 31st of March, just as
Napoleon, with the wreck of the Guards and a mere handful of other
detachments, was hurrying across the rear of the Austrians towards
Fontainebleau to join them.
This was the end of the First Empire.