Battle of Brienne
In November 1813, the 70,000 French survivors of the disastrous German Campaign crossed to the west bank of the Rhine River. Emperor Napoleon left 100,000 French soldiers in German garrisons, trapped by enemy blockading forces and hostile populations. All of Napoleon's German allies switched sides and joined the Sixth Coalition. To the south, Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult's 60,000 men and Marshal Louis Gabriel Suchet's 37,000 defended the Spanish border. Napoleon's step-son Eugène de Beauharnais with 50,000 troops defended the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy against the Austrian Empire. There were numerous French garrisons in Belgium, the Netherlands and eastern France, while 15,000 soldiers were isolated in Mainz.
Czar Alexander I of Russia and King Frederick William III of Prussia wished to dethrone Napoleon, but Emperor Francis I of Austria was not anxious to overthrow his son-in-law. Francis also feared that weakening France would strengthen his rivals, Russia and Prussia. Prince Schwarzenberg followed his emperor's wait-and-see policy, while Blücher yearned to crush Napoleon at the earliest opportunity. Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, the crown prince of Sweden and a former French marshal, led a third Allied army. He secretly wished to replace Napoleon as the leader of France and was not inclined to invade his former homeland. The Allied leaders met at Frankfurt-am-Main to work out a plan to fight Napoleon.
On the 22nd of December 1813, elements of Schwarzenberg's army crossed the upper Rhine and moved into France and Switzerland. Blücher crossed the middle Rhine on the 29th of December. Napoleon's cordon defense quickly collapsed in the face of these two Allied armies. Victor soon abandoned Nancy and on the 13th of January 1814 Marmont retreated to Metz. By the 17th of January, Marmont, Ney and Victor withdrew behind the Meuse River. Blücher's army advanced in nine days and crossed the Meuse on the 22nd of January.
Schwarzenberg reached Langres on the 17th of January, where the cautious Austrian halted for a few days, convinced that Napoleon was about to attack him with 80,000 troops. When Schwarzenberg moved forward again, Mortier's Imperial Guard slowed his advance by carrying out skillful rearguard actions. The First Battle of Bar-sur-Aube was fought on the 24th of January between Mortier's guardsmen and two of Schwarzenberg's corps. At first, Napoleon grossly underestimated Allied numbers, crediting Schwarzenberg with 50,000 troops and Blücher with 30,000. By the end of January, he formed a more realistic estimate and resolved to prevent the armies of Blücher and Schwarzenberg from joining.
On the 28th of January, Napoleon advanced toward Brienne in three columns. Étienne Maurice Gérard's right column marched south from Vitry-le-François and included the infantry divisions of Étienne Pierre Sylvestre Ricard and Georges Joseph Dufour plus Cyrille Simon Picquet's cavalry. The center column was made up of the Imperial Guard and marched southwest from Saint-Dizier through Montier-en-Der. The left column, consisting of Victor and Milhaud, marched south to Wassy before turning west to join the center column at Montier-en-Der.
Marmont was left with Joseph Lagrange's infantry division and the I Cavalry Corps near Bar-le-Duc to hold off Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg's Prussian I Corps. Napoleon sent messages to Mortier at Troyes, Étienne Tardif de Pommeroux de Bordesoulle at Arcis-sur-Aube and Pierre David de Colbert-Chabanais at Nogent-sur-Seine to cooperate with his plan. Russian Cossacks captured all three couriers and delivered their dispatches to Blücher. By the morning of the 29th of January, the Prussian field marshal was aware that Napoleon had gotten between him and Yorck and was approaching him from the northeast with 30,000, 40,000 soldiers.
Warned just in time of the impending French attack, Blücher recalled Sacken from Lesmont to Brienne. The Prussian field marshal had Olsufiev's 6,000 infantry, Pahlen's 3,000 cavalry and Lanskoy's 1,600 hussars on hand until Sacken arrived. Olsufiev's command was part of Louis Alexandre Andrault de Langeron's Russian army corps. Blücher posted Olsufiev in Brienne, Pahlen in the plain to the northeast and Lanskoy near the Bois d'Ajou.
By 3:00 pm Pahlen retreated through Brienne and reformed his horsemen on the Russian right flank. The French pursuit by the divisions of Samuel-François Lhéritier and André Briche stopped when it encountered three battalions of the 4th and 34th Jägers deployed in square formation. Sacken's troops began arriving at Brienne at this time and he sent his cavalry under Ilarion Vasilievich Vasilshikov to the right flank. Napoleon called a halt until 3:30 pm when Guillaume Philibert Duhesme's II Corps infantry division reached the field. Then the French emperor ordered a general attack.
Historian Francis Loraine Petre stated that both sides suffered about 3,000 casualties. He called the action scarcely a tactical victory for Napoleon; strategically it was little short of a defeat, and noted that the French were unable to keep Blücher from joining Schwarzenberg. Gaston Bodart asserted that the French had 36,000 men engaged against 30,000 Allies and that each side sustained 3,000 casualties. He called it a French victory.
David G. Chandler reported that the French lost 3,000 and the Allies 4,000 casualties, but that the battle was inconclusive. Nikolay Orlov also claimed that the battle was indecisive. Digby Smith asserted that Napoleon had 36,000 troops while the Allies had 28,000 and called it a French victory. The French lost 3,500 casualties and 11 guns and the Allies sustained 3,000 casualties. François Louis Forestier, commanding Victor's 2nd Division, lost his life. Forestier died of his wounds on the 5th of February. Decouz succumbed to his wounds on the 18th of February.
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Common questions
When did the Battle of Brienne take place?
The Battle of Brienne took place on the 29th of January 1814. Napoleon advanced toward Brienne in three columns on the 28th of January and ordered a general attack after 3:30 pm on the following day.
Who commanded the French forces at the Battle of Brienne?
Emperor Napoleon led the French army with 36,000 to 40,000 soldiers during the engagement. Key commanders included Marshal Marmont, Marshal Ney, Marshal Victor, and General Étienne Maurice Gérard who directed specific columns.
What were the casualty figures for the Battle of Brienne?
Historian Francis Loraine Petre stated that both sides suffered about 3,000 casualties while David G. Chandler reported the Allies lost 4,000 men compared to 3,000 for the French. Digby Smith claimed the French lost 3,500 casualties and 11 guns against 3,000 Allied losses.
Where was the Battle of Brienne fought?
The battle occurred near the town of Brienne in France where Blücher had posted Olsufiev's infantry and Pahlen's cavalry. The fighting involved positions in the plain to the northeast and near the Bois d'Ajou before Sacken arrived from Lesmont.
Why did the Battle of Brienne end inconclusively?
Napoleon failed to prevent the armies of Blücher and Schwarzenberg from joining forces after the engagement. Historians describe the result as indecisive or a strategic defeat because the French could not keep Blücher from linking up with other Coalition troops.