Battle of Montereau
On the 10th of February 1814, Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg moved his Army of Bohemia from Troyes. Peter Wittgenstein and Karl Philipp von Wrede pushed toward Nogent-sur-Seine and Bray-sur-Seine on the Seine River. Crown Prince Frederick William of Württemberg advanced on Sens with the I Corps of Frederick Bianchi, Duke of Casalanza. Ignác Gyulay's corps backed the left flank forces. The Allies faced brief resistance at Nogent on the 10th of February from 1,000 French troops under Louis-Auguste-Victor, Count de Ghaisnes de Bourmont. Sens fell on the 11th of February after a skirmish between the Crown Prince and Jacques Alexandre Allix de Vaux.
By the 12th of February, Allied forces captured Bray from a weak force of French National Guards. They also seized the bridge at Pont-sur-Seine near Montereau-Fault-Yonne. Marshal Claude-Victor Perrin evacuated Nogent in fear of being surrounded. By the 15th of February, French troops retreated to the Yerres River only from Paris. Alexander Nikitich Seslavin led a scouting force of three Russian hussar squadrons and one Cossack regiment south to seize Montargis. Auxerre was stormed and its garrison wiped out. Cossacks roamed freely in the Forest and Palace of Fontainebleau. When Victor's wagon train appeared at Charenton-le-Pont, Parisians were thrown into panic.
The Crown Prince's IV Corps consisted of an infantry division led by Christian Johann Gottgetreu von Koch and a cavalry division under Prince Adam von Württemberg. Ludwig Stockmeyer's brigade included two battalions of King Frederick Jäger Regiment Nr. 9 and one battalion of Light Infantry Regiment Nr. 10. Christoph Friedrich David Döring's brigade had two battalions each of Infantry Regiments Duke Wilhelm Nr. 2, Nr. 3 and Nr. 7. Prince Karl von Hohenlohe-Kirchberg's brigade included two battalions each of Infantry Regiments Nr. 4 and Crown Prince Nr. 6.
Walsleben's cavalry brigade comprised four squadrons each of Duke Louis Jäger zu Pferde Regiment Nr. 2 and Crown Prince Dragoon Regiment Nr. 3. Karl August Maximillian Jett's cavalry brigade had four squadrons of Prince Adam Jäger zu Pferde Regiment Nr. 4. Attached to each cavalry brigade was one horse artillery battery while Döring's and Hohenlohe's brigades each had a foot artillery battery. All four batteries were armed with four 6-pound cannons and two howitzers. Joseph Schäffer's Austrian brigade consisted of two battalions each of Infantry Regiments Gyulai Nr. 21, Esterhazy Nr. 32 and Josef Colloredo Nr. 57. Altogether there were 11,000 Württembergers and 4,000 Austrians present.
Schwarzenberg directed the Crown Prince to hold Montereau until the evening of the 18th of February. Oudinot's leading troops found that Wittgenstein had withdrawn across the Seine at Nogent. Wrede was across at Bray. At both places, the Allies broke the bridges. The north bank is crowned by a height with a steep slope next to the river. Surville chateau overlooks the bridges and town of Montereau.
Napoleon ordered Victor to be at Montereau at 6:00 am but the first French forces to arrive were Pajol's cavalry and Pacthod's National Guards at 8:00 am. Aside from numbering no more than 4,500 men, the horsemen had almost no training while the National Guards were ill-equipped and ill-trained. They made no impression on the Crown Prince's defenders. Victor leading elements arrived at 9:00 am and their initial attack was repulsed. When the divisions of Chateau and Duhesme reached the field they were thrown into an attack on Les Ormeaux. This was beaten back and Chateau, who was Victor's son-in-law, was fatally wounded.
At 3:00 pm, Napoleon hurled three attack columns at Les Ormeaux and Surville. Another one struck the Allied right flank along the Seine. While the Guard remained in reserve, the French artillery unleashed a barrage at Surville chateau. The French finally overran Les Ormeaux, causing the Crown Prince to order Schäffer's Austrians to cover the retreat. As the Württembergers began pulling back, Pajol launched a cavalry charge down the Paris highway against the Allied left flank.
Pajol's horsemen charged into the fleeing mass of soldiers and managed to seize first the Seine bridge and then the Yonne bridge before either could be blown up. Duhesme's division rapidly crossed after the cavalry and helped clear Montereau of the Allies. The beaten Allies joined Hohenlohe's brigade and began a disorderly retreat toward Le Tombe. An eyewitness wrote that Lefebvre foamed at the mouth and struck at Allied soldiers with his saber. Napoleon personally sighted one of the cannons and refused to leave when his guardsmen begged him to go.
According to Digby Smith, the Allies had losses of 1,400 killed and wounded. The Württembergers lost 92 killed and 714 wounded while Prince Hohenlohe was killed. The French captured 3,600 men, two cannons and two ammunition wagons. Of these totals, the Austrians had about 2,000 casualties and Schäffer became a French prisoner. The French lost 2,000 killed and wounded. A source quoted by Smith gave 4,895 Allied casualties and 15 guns lost.
Napoleon lamented that heavy frosts permitted the foe to move over the fields. He turned on his generals in disappointment. Victor complained to the emperor about losing his command and received a storm of abuse. Napoleon raged against Victor's wife whom he accused of snubbing Empress Marie Louise. Chateau died from his wounds on the 8th of May 1814. Other generals who felt Napoleon's wrath included Lhéritier for failing to charge at Valjouan and Jean François Aimé Dejean for not providing enough artillery ammunition.
Even before the battle started, Schwarzenberg ordered a general withdrawal to Troyes. He ordered Wrede to hold Bray until nightfall on the 19th of February. A dispatch went to Blücher asking him to support his right flank at Méry-sur-Seine on the 21st of February. The Prussian replied that he would be at the rendezvous with 53,000 troops and 300 guns. With Montereau in French hands, the position of the Austrians on the left flank along the Loing River became precarious.
Under the guise of negotiations with Allix, they retreated to join the wreckage of Schäffer's brigade at Saint-Sérotin. Seslavin was ordered to relinquish his far left flank position and take a position on the opposite flank. Napoleon's pursuit was hampered by a lack of bridges and the Allies got a two-day head start in the march to Troyes. The next series of actions between the two armies started at Méry-sur-Seine on the 22nd of February and led to the Battle of Bar-sur-Aube.
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Common questions
When did the Battle of Montereau take place?
The Battle of Montereau took place on the 18th of February 1814. Napoleon ordered his forces to engage at this location while Allied troops held the town until that evening.
Who commanded the French forces during the Battle of Montereau?
Napoleon personally directed the French army and Marshal Claude-Victor Perrin led elements of the force. Victor's son-in-law Chateau commanded a division but was fatally wounded during the fighting.
What were the casualty figures for the Allies in the Battle of Montereau?
According to Digby Smith, the Allies suffered losses of 1,400 killed and wounded with Prince Karl von Hohenlohe-Kirchberg among those killed. Another source cited by Smith recorded 4,895 Allied casualties and the loss of 15 guns.
Where did the Battle of Montereau occur geographically?
The battle occurred near Montereau-Fault-Yonne where the Seine River meets the Yonne River. Surville chateau overlooks the bridges and town from a height crowned by a steep slope next to the river.
How many Württembergers and Austrians fought in the Battle of Montereau?
There were 11,000 Württembergers and 4,000 Austrians present at the Battle of Montereau. Joseph Schäffer commanded an Austrian brigade consisting of infantry regiments Gyulai Nr. 21, Esterhazy Nr. 32 and Josef Colloredo Nr. 57.