Battle of Arcis-on-Paddle

The battles of Arcis-on-Paddle takes place the 20 and March 21st 1814, between a French Army ordered by Napoleon I {{er}} and an Austrian army ordered by Schwartzenberg.

Countryside preceding the battle

After the Countryside of Germany, Napoleon is forced to pass by again the the Rhine: he remakes his troops ( to see the Marie-Louise ). Armies united affluent of all shares towards France: the Anglo-Spanish ones cross the the Pyrenees, of the Austrian armies cross the Alps, of the Russian armies , Prussian and Austrian the Rhine.

The French Army is for its larger part dispersed in the places of the Netherlands, of Germany, of Belgium. Its bodies of operation are of reduced size, and can constantly be submerged by much higher forces of number. These various columns convergent towards Paris, which is the stake of the countryside of France.

Against any waiting, Napoleon gains victory over victory during the winter 1814. Its plan is to beat the bodies of the united separately, while waiting for that the French troops of Germany, under the control of Davout, join France. March 17th, 1814, Schwarzenberg gained a victory over the marshals Oudinot and Macdonald in the sector of Troyes. The same day, it seized the passage of the the Seine to Nogent, so that its avant-gardes are with less than one hundred kilometers of Paris.

To prevent that the army of Bohemia arrives under the walls of the capital in the four days, Napoleon decides to attack it as fast as possible the latter. The Emperor chooses the daring solution to run of Rheims on Troyes by Arcis-on-Paddle, in order to fall on the backs from the enemy about fifty kilometers in on this side his column headings. He leaves in Fismes and Rheims Mortier and Marmont vis-a-vis Blücher, and puts itself the course towards the south. March 19th, learning that the Austrians occupy Arcis, it passes the Aube to Plancy and goes on Méry, thinking to emerge in this point into full in the back with the adversary. But its arrival if striking down which is, did not remain inaperçue ; the chiefs of the army of Bohemia, informed at once, retrogressed in all haste. The whole of their forces is folded up methodically towards Troyes and, in the risks of such a massive retreat, they leave with the hands French runners only some cars…

This new blow of imperial audacity saved Paris once more. But the disproportion of the forces returns a victory inenvisageable. The Emperor engages a new operation on the backs of the army of Bohemia. It is enough for him to pass to the north of the latter, by joining Saint-Dizier by Arcis-on-Paddle, then to go down on Joinville or Doulevant-the-Castle to find itself in the back of Schwarzenberg, with moreover direct communication ensured with the garrisons of the places of the East, even with Augereau and its Lyons divisions.

The battle

March 20th, after having recalled to him Oudinot and Macdonald, Napoleon moves towards Arcis-on-Paddle. In this point, 2 p.m., its cavalry encounters against the avant-garde of the army of Bohemia, whose chief, discovering it ventured along the Aube, has just decided a general offensive suitable to finish some with him of collapsing it in the river.

At 4 p.m., the battle makes rage. The support of the infantry of Ney did not make it possible the French riders to progress front. The “brave man of the brave men” clings to the hamlet Torcy-the-Large , holding head with the Bavarois of De Wrede, while the position even of Arcis, bitterly disputed against the Austrians with the vigorous assistance of the division of the Old guard led by Friant. The night of winter does not slow down the combat ; Torcy-the-large is not any more that one debris cluster devoured by the fire, when at midnight the shooting declines to become sporadic. 16 500 fanaticized French have just held head with 30 000 combined during more than eight hours of body with body.

At the dawn of March 21st, Schwarzenberg, misled by the astonishing resistance of its adversaries, over-estimates the importance of their manpower and loses all the morning to await the arrival of its reserves to reform its line of battle. Wasted time proves all the more invaluable as, vis-a-vis him, the reinforcements flow également : the body of Macdonald is not further and the entry on line of that of Oudinot carries the Napoleonean forces to 28 000 bayonets and 6 000 sabers.

If the Austrian prince made a fault by over-estimating his adversary, Napoleon, misled by this calm early morning of March 21st, underestimates to it his by thinking that its inactivity corresponds to a retirement. Also, around 10 a.m., the French receive the order of attaquer ; but soon, force their is to realize that they give in the middle of an army of 100 000 combatants whose various elements draw an arc of circle around Arcis, with west in is, Wurtemberg eois, Russians and Bavarian and Austrian forming the reserve. 370 let us cane support this imposing unit. No other solution for Bonaparte to make retirement by folding up all its world on Right Bank of the Paddle, by single the small bridge of Arcis.

Fortunately for him, Schwarzenberg begins its attack only with 16:30. Oudinot holds to him head in the borough under a rain of shell and succeeds in towards 21:00 destroying the passage only after having withdrawn its last brigade.

Assessment

For lack of audacity and spirit of initiative, the staff of the army of Bohemia has just lost a splendid occasion to make Paddle the tomb of the Large army.

See too

Countryside of France

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