Battle of Mormant

• 1. Six Days Campaign Prelude

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  On the 1st of February 1814, Allied generals celebrated their victory at La Rothière. They believed Napoleon was defeated and planned to advance on Paris from multiple directions. Field Marshal Schwarzenberg moved his main army toward Troyes while Blücher marched north along the Marne River. Napoleon realized Blücher posed the greater threat by the 6th of February. He shifted 30,000 troops northward to confront the Prussian field marshal. Leaving Marshals Victor and Oudinot with 34,000 men to hold off Schwarzenberg's larger force, Napoleon began a series of attacks. On the 10th of February, French forces struck Zakhar Dmitrievich Olsufiev's corps near Champaubert. Only 1,700 Russians escaped out of 4,000 infantry and 24 guns. The next day, Napoleon defeated Fabian Gottlieb von Osten-Sacken's Russians and Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg's Prussians at Montmirail. French losses reached 2,000 killed and wounded while inflicting 3,700 casualties and capturing 13 guns on the Allies. By the 12th of February, the French beat Sacken and Yorck again at Château-Thierry. French losses were just 600 men while the Allies lost 2,750 soldiers and nine guns. Blücher attacked the French on the 14th of February and was nearly destroyed in the Battle of Vauchamps. The French sustained 600 men while the Allies lost 6,000 men and 16 guns. Altogether, Blücher's 56,000-man army lost over 16,000 soldiers and 47 guns during that week. Napoleon's total losses added up to only 4,000.

• 2. Russian Advance And Positioning

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  While Napoleon fought Blücher northward, Schwarzenberg's main army pushed back Victor and Oudinot south of Paris. On the Allied right wing, Peter Wittgenstein's Russian corps advanced toward Nogent-sur-Seine. Karl Philipp von Wrede's Austro-Bavarian corps struck toward Bray-sur-Seine. On the left wing, Crown Prince Frederick William of Württemberg moved his corps toward Sens with Frederick Bianchi's Austrian corps on his left. Ignaz Gyulai's Austrian corps supported the left flank while Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly's Allied Reserves backed the right. Wrede crossed the Seine at Bray, causing the French to abandon Nogent to Wittgenstein. Victor and Oudinot retreated behind the Yerres stream, dangerously close to Paris. When the marshals called for help, Napoleon sent Marshal Jacques MacDonald to Guignes where he arrived on the 14th of February. A blunder caused the army's wagon train to withdraw across the Marne near Paris, causing panic in the French capital. Napoleon rapidly transferred his strength southward against Schwarzenberg's army after leaving Marshals Auguste de Marmont and Édouard Mortier to watch Blücher. The French emperor arrived at Guignes on the evening of the 16th of February. He found the army of Victor and Oudinot in good order and prepared to go over to the offensive. Instead of obeying Schwarzenberg's orders to pull back behind the Seine, Wittgenstein aggressively pushed his corps west beyond Provins toward Nangis. His advanced guard under Pahlen reached Mormant.

• 3. French Tactical Deployment

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  At dawn on the 17th of February, Pahlen saw that he faced an overwhelming force and began to retreat. The Russian commanded 2,000, 2,500 foot soldiers and 1,500, 1,800 mounted troops. The infantry consisted of Selenginsk, Reval, Tenguinsk and Estonia Regiments plus the 4th and 34th Jäger Regiments. The cavalry were led by Theodor von Rüdiger and included 14 squadrons from the Soumy Hussar, Olviopol Hussar and Tchougoulev Uhlan Regiments. Colonel Rosen's brigade was positioned to the east at Bailly. At 5:00 a.m., the French infantry advanced with Guillaume Philibert Duhesme's II Corps division on the left. Étienne Maurice Gérard's Paris Reserve formed the center while Louis Huguet-Château's II Corps division took the right. Victor's corps artillery marched in the intervals between these units. Milhaud's corps included Hippolyte Piré's light cavalry division, André Briche's dragoon division and Samuel-François Lhéritier dragoon division. Kellermann's corps had only Anne-François-Charles Trelliard's dragoon division fresh from the Spanish theater. Lhéritier was temporarily assigned to Kellermann. Milhaud commanded the left wing cavalry with Piré's horsemen deployed on Duhesme's left flank. Briche's troopers echeloned to Piré's left rear. Kellermann commanded the right wing cavalry with Trelliard's dragoons on Huguet-Château's right side. Lhéritier's troopers echeloned to Trelliard's right rear. Behind the front-line units marched two VII Corps units on the north side of the highway. Pierre François Xavier Boyer's division led the way with Henri Rottembourg's division farther back.

• 4. The Battle Of Mormant

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  Pahlen ordered the two battalions in Mormant to hold back the French at all cost to allow his command to escape. Four Cossack regiments opposed Kellermann's corps while Rüdiger's regular cavalry faced Milhaud's corps. Jacques Gervais, baron Subervie's brigade turned half-right and swooped down on the Russian skirmishers. The rest of Milhaud's cavalry advanced on Rüdiger's horsemen. In the center, Gérard's infantry forced its way into the village of Mormant, flushing defenders into the open. Pierre Ismert, leading one of Trelliard's brigades, hurled the 4th Dragoons at fleeing Russians, forcing many to surrender. On the right flank, Lhéritier's first brigade under August Étienne Lamotte dispersed the first two Cossack regiments. When the Illowaiski and Rebrikov Cossacks tried to intervene they were swept away by Lhéritier's second brigade led by Jean Antoine de Collaert. As Lhéritier's horsemen galloped after routed Cossacks, the 16th Dragoons of Trelliard's division charged and broke a Russian square. On the north flank, Rüdiger deployed nine squadrons in the first line and five squadrons in the second line. Against the Russian horsemen, Milhaud had Piré's division minus Subervie's brigade in the first line. Gabriel Gaspard Montelégier's brigade formed the second line while Denis Éloi Ludot's was third. Successive charges by Piré and Montelégier broke Rüdiger's squadrons and chased them off the battlefield with French light cavalry in pursuit.

• 5. Valjouan Skirmish

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  At Nangis, Napoleon split his advancing army into three columns for the day's operations. Victor led the right-most column south toward Montereau with the II Corps, Paris Reserve, Lhéritier's dragoons and Bordesoulle's recruits. The left-most column under Oudinot followed Wittgenstein's retreat east toward Provins with the VII Corps and Trelliard's dragoons. MacDonald's center column consisted of the XI Corps, Piré light horsemen and Briche's dragoons heading southeast toward Donnemarie. The French emperor held the Imperial Guard in reserve at Nangis. Wittgenstein retreated rapidly and crossed the Seine at Nogent that evening. Victor's column departed Nangis at 1:30 p.m. and bumped into enemy resistance at Villeneuve-le-Comte about 3:00 p.m. Peter de Lamotte deployed the 3rd Bavarian Division on the Valjouan heights blocking the road. Lamotte posted the 11th Bavarian Line Infantry in an advanced position at Villeneuve and Grand-Maison farm. His cavalry covered both flanks while Hardegg and Splény divisions began withdrawing as soon as the French appeared. Gérard decided to attack at once and asked Victor for help from the II Corps. Supported by 12 cannons, Jacques Félix Jan de La Hamelinaye's brigade stormed Villeneuve and Grand-Maison at 3:30 p.m. As the Bavarian foot soldiers bolted from both positions they were set upon by Bordesoulle's cavalrymen.

• 6. Casualties And Aftermath

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  The Russians probably lost one-third of their cavalry and admitted the loss of 2,114-foot soldiers. The French claimed 9, 12 guns and 40 caissons captured while the Russians said they saved two cannons. The French cavalry commanders reported losing 150 horsemen and Gérard reported only 30 casualties. Pahlen's survivors dispersed over the French countryside. Another authority stated that Pahlen lost 2,000 men and 10 guns. The Reval and Selenginsk Regiments lost so many men that they were withdrawn to Plock in Poland to reorganize. George Nafziger estimated that the French sustained 800 casualties while the Allies lost 3,000 men and 14 guns at Mormant and Valjouan combined. Digby Smith gave casualties for the actions as 600 French and 3,114 Allied, with the French seizing 9 guns and 40 caissons. Napoleon was angry at Victor for not pressing on that evening. He expected Victor to be at Montereau at 6:00 a.m. the next day. When Victor did not arrive before the town until 9:00 a.m., the French emperor replaced him with Gérard. Schwarzenberg ordered the Crown Prince of Württemberg to hold a bridgehead at Montereau for a day. The Battle of Montereau was fought on the 18th of February.