Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube
In late February 1814, Napoleon discovered that the Allied armies of Schwarzenberg and Blücher had separated. Blücher's army was making a lunge at Paris with 53,000 soldiers. Only 10,000 men under Marshals Auguste de Marmont and Édouard Mortier stood in Blücher's path. The French emperor left 42,000 troops under marshals MacDonald and Nicolas Oudinot to contain Schwarzenberg's main army. He headed northwest with 35,000 soldiers to deal with the Prussian field marshal. Marmont and Mortier repulsed Blücher in the Battle of Gué-à-Tresmes on the 28th of February. However, Napoleon failed to catch Blücher who slipped out of the trap. At this time, the French emperor adopted a plan to first drive Blücher far away to the north. Then he would gather up the French frontier garrisons. Finally, he intended to swoop down on Schwarzenberg's supply line to Germany. As Napoleon's 48,000-man army chased Blücher's army to the north, the Allies absorbed many reinforcements. These were led by Russian general Ferdinand von Wintzingerode and Prussian general Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bülow. The French emperor believed that his opponent had 70,000 soldiers. In fact, Blücher's army numbered 110,000.
On the 20th of March, Schwarzenberg ordered Wrede to take position at Saint-Nabord-sur-Aube while extending the Crown Prince of Württemberg's three corps between there and Voué. The Austrian field marshal intended to begin a westward advance at 11 am. Assuming that Napoleon was marching across his front from Plancy to Méry, Schwarzenberg hoped to smash into the exposed French flank. However, Napoleon was advancing east, not south, which threw off all of the Austrian army commander's plans. Early in the morning, Ney and Horace Sebastiani's cavalry advanced east along the south bank of the Aube. At 10:00 a.m. the French-occupied Arcis-sur-Aube which was abandoned by Wrede's Bavarians. Local residents repeatedly warned that large Allied forces were within range of Arcis. Ney and Sebastiani forwarded this information to Napoleon but the French emperor refused to believe it. The French quickly repaired the bridge over the Aube, which was only partially demolished by the Allies. Ney placed Janssens' division with its left flank in Torcy-le-Grand on the south bank of the Aube. Sebastiani's cavalry took a position to Janssens' right while Pierre François Xavier Boyer's division was placed in reserve.
At 2:00 pm, Napoleon arrived along the northern bank of the Aube river, crossed the bridge and met with Ney at Torcy-le-Grand. Convinced that the Allies were in full retreat, the French emperor accepted the report of a staff officer that only 1,000 Cossacks were nearby. Though he now knew that the Crown Prince's left wing was out of touch, Schwarzenberg finally gave the order to launch an attack at 2:00 pm. Wrede's infantry advanced on Torcy-le-Grand while a mass of Allied cavalry moved forward to challenge Sebastiani's horsemen. Paisiy Sergeevich Kaisarov ordered an artillery bombardment, followed with a cavalry charge by his Cossacks, the Archduke Joseph Hussar Nr. 2 and Szekler Hussar Nr. 11 Regiments and Leopold von Geramb's Austrian light cavalry brigade. The attack overthrew Colbert's division in the first line and soon involved the defeat of Exelmans' division in the second line. As a mob of fleeing French cavalry galloped for the Arcis bridge, Napoleon drew his sword and rode into their path shouting, See who will re-cross the bridge before me. At the same time, the crack troops of Louis Friant's Old Guard division began crossing the bridge and took up a position to defend Arcis.
On the second day, the Allied host faced 28,000 French soldiers, of whom 9,000 were cavalrymen. George Nafziger credited the Allies with 83,400 infantry and 24,500 cavalry and Napoleon with 29,800 troops. Digby Smith and Gaston Bodart counted 100,000 Allied soldiers of whom only 43,000 came into action while the French army numbered 23,000-foot soldiers and 7,000 horsemen. As the troops of Ney and Sebastiani reached the crest of the plateau, they found themselves facing perhaps 100,000 enemies arrayed in three lines stretching from the Aube to the Barbuise. In front of this immense host were skirmishers and at least 100 field guns. Sebastiani immediately attacked Pahlen's cavalry, opposite him, driving it back on the second line. The French position was extremely dangerous, especially since Torcy-le-Grand was left empty of troops and Arcis was lightly held. In this crisis, Ney kept his battalions in column, ready to retreat. If Schwarzenberg had launched a general attack at this time, the French army would have been shattered.
Chandler wrote that the battle cost the French 3,000 casualties and the Allies 4,000 casualties. Smith and Bodart stated that the French lost 3,400 killed and wounded plus three guns and 800 men captured. Allied losses were about 3,000. Nafziger agreed that the French suffered 4,200 casualties. He added that the Bavarian corps alone lost 224 officers and 2,000 rank and file casualties. That evening, Oudinot blocked the causeway on the north bank of the Aube with his troops. MacDonald reached nearby Ormes with two divisions at 9:00 pm, joining François Étienne de Kellermann's cavalry corps. Étienne Maurice Gérard's corps reached Plancy while the division of François Pierre Joseph Amey was farther west at Anglure. The rest of Napoleon's army was headed north to Sompuis. From there, the French emperor planned to follow his plan to march east to Saint-Dizier and operate against the Allied supply lines. All day on the 22nd of March, MacDonald's troops blocked the bridge at Arcis so that the Allies were completely unaware of Napoleon's movements.
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Common questions
What happened during the Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube in 1814?
Napoleon fought a battle against Allied forces led by Schwarzenberg and Blücher on the 20th of March 1814. The French army faced approximately 100,000 enemies arrayed in three lines stretching from the Aube to the Barbuise.
Who commanded the French forces at the Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube?
Napoleon commanded the French army which included Marshals Auguste de Marmont, Édouard Mortier, Ney, Horace Sebastiani, MacDonald, Nicolas Oudinot, and Pierre François Xavier Boyer. These leaders coordinated infantry divisions such as Janssens' division and cavalry units under Colbert and Exelmans.
How many soldiers were present at the Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube?
George Nafziger credited the Allies with 83,400 infantry and 24,500 cavalry while Napoleon had 29,800 troops. Digby Smith and Gaston Bodart counted 100,000 Allied soldiers of whom only 43,000 came into action while the French army numbered 23,000-foot soldiers and 7,000 horsemen.
When did the Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube take place?
The battle occurred on the 20th of March 1814 when Schwarzenberg ordered Wrede to take position at Saint-Nabord-sur-Aube. Fighting continued through the day until the evening when Oudinot blocked the causeway on the north bank of the Aube.
What were the casualties for each side in the Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube?
Chandler wrote that the battle cost the French 3,000 casualties and the Allies 4,000 casualties. Smith and Bodart stated that the French lost 3,400 killed and wounded plus three guns and 800 men captured while Allied losses were about 3,000.