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Battle of Mormant

The Battle of Mormant (17 February 1814) was fought during the War of the Sixth Coalition between an Imperial French army under Emperor Napoleon I and a division of Russians under Count Peter Petrovich Pahlen near the town of Mormant, some 50 km (31 mi) southeast of Paris. Enveloped by cavalry led by François Étienne de Kellermann and Édouard Jean-Baptiste Milhaud and infantry led by Étienne Maurice Gérard, Pahlen's outnumbered force was nearly destroyed, with only about a third of its soldiers escaping.

Battle of Mormant
Part of the Campaign of France of the Sixth Coalition

Battle of Mormant by Jean-Antoine-Siméon Fort
Date17 February 1814[1]
Location48°36′28″N 02°53′19″E / 48.60778°N 2.88861°E / 48.60778; 2.88861Coordinates: 48°36′28″N 02°53′19″E / 48.60778°N 2.88861°E / 48.60778; 2.88861
Result French victory[1]
Belligerents
France Austria
Bavaria
Russia
Commanders and leaders
Napoleon Bonaparte
Claude Victor-Perrin
Étienne Gérard
François Kellermann
Édouard Milhaud
Karl von Schwarzenberg
Anton von Hardegg
Peter de Lamotte
Peter Wittgenstein
Peter Pahlen
Units involved
II Corps
Reserve of Paris
V Cavalry Corps
VI Cavalry Corps
V Corps
V Corps
VI Corps
Strength
18,000[1]–20,000 Hardegg's division
Lamotte's division
3,500–4,300, 12 guns
Total: 9,000[1]
Casualties and losses
600[1] 1,000
+2,114, 9–12 guns lost
Total: 3,114[1]
class=notpageimage|
Location within France
  current battle
  Napoleon in command
  Napoleon not in command

Later in the day, a French column led by Marshal Claude Perrin Victor encountered an Austrian-Bavarian rearguard under Anton Leonhard von Hardegg and Peter de Lamotte in the Battle of Valjouan. Attacked by French infantry and cavalry, the Allied force was mauled before it withdrew behind the Seine River. The Mormant-Valjouan actions and the Battle of Montereau the following day marked the start of a French counteroffensive intended to drive back Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg's Allied Army of Bohemia.

Background

The Allied generals, particularly the Prussians, were exuberant following their victory over Napoleon at the Battle of La Rothière on 1 February 1814. They soon conceived a plan in which the main army under the Austrian Field Marshal Schwarzenberg advanced toward Paris via Troyes. Simultaneously, Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher's army took a more northerly route along the Marne River toward Meaux.[2] When Napoleon realized that Blücher represented the more serious threat on 6 February, he began to shift his strength northward in order to deal with the Prussian field marshal. Leaving Marshals Victor and Nicolas Oudinot with 34,000 men to hold off Schwarzenberg's much larger army, Napoleon headed north on 9 February with 30,000 troops.[3]

Napoleon landed some damaging blows on Blücher's army in the subsequent Six Days' Campaign. On 10 February in the Battle of Champaubert, the French army fell on Zakhar Dmitrievich Olsufiev's corps, which numbered only 4,000 infantry and 24 guns. Only 1,700 Russians escaped the disaster and the French made Olsufiev a prisoner.[4] The next day, Napoleon defeated Fabian Gottlieb von Osten-Sacken's Russians and Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg's Prussians in the Battle of Montmirail. For the loss of 2,000 killed and wounded, the French inflicted a loss of 3,700 men and 13 guns on the Allies.[5] On 12 February, the French beat Sacken and Yorck again in the Battle of Château-Thierry. French losses were 600; the Allies lost 2,750 men and nine guns.[6] Blücher attacked the French on 14 February and was nearly destroyed in the Battle of Vauchamps. The French sustained a loss of 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 the week while Napoleon's losses added up to only 4,000.[7]

While Napoleon was drubbing Blücher, Schwarzenberg's main army pushed back the forces of Marshals Victor and Oudinot. On the Allied right wing, Peter Wittgenstein's Russian corps advanced toward Nogent-sur-Seine while Karl Philipp von Wrede's Austro-Bavarian corps struck toward Bray-sur-Seine. On the Allied left wing, Crown Prince Frederick William of Württemberg's Württemberg corps moved toward Sens with Frederick Bianchi's Austrian corps on his left. Ignaz Gyulai's Austrian corps supported the left wing while Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly's Allied Reserves supported the right wing.[8] Wrede got across 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 14 February with a corps that was rebuilt by replacements from Paris. A blunder caused the army's wagon train to withdraw across the Marne near Paris, causing panic in the French capital.[9]

Leaving Marshals Auguste de Marmont and Édouard Mortier to watch Blücher, Napoleon rapidly transferred his strength southward against Schwarzenberg's army. The French emperor arrived at Guignes on the evening of 16 February and planned to launch his offensive the next day.[10] He found the army of Victor and Oudinot in good order and prepared to go over to the offensive.[11]

Battle

Armies

 
Map shows French (black) and Allied (white) positions on evening 16 February 1814.

Schwarzenberg had over 100,000 soldiers in his main army. A week later, on 23 February, the army counted Moritz von Liechtenstein's 2nd Light Division (4,000), Bianchi's I Corps (13,000), Gyulai's III Corps (11,000), Württemberg's IV Corps (10,000), Wrede's V Corps (21,000), Wittgenstein's VI Corps (15,000) and Barclay's Guard and Reserve Corps (30,000).[12] This reckoning was made after the Battle of Montereau which cost the I Corps 2,000 casualties and the IV Corps 2,844 casualties.[13] When Schwarzenberg heard about Blücher's defeats, he ordered his army to pull back behind the Seine.[14] Instead of obeying, Wittgenstein aggressively pushed his corps west beyond Provins toward Nangis while his advanced guard under Pahlen reached Mormant. On 16 February, Wrede's corps was near Donnemarie-Dontilly except for Anton von Hardegg's division which was in Nangis. Württemberg's corps was near Montereau with advance guards near Melun. Bianchi's corps was south of the Seine between Moret-sur-Loing and Villeneuve-la-Guyard with advance guards farther west in Fontainebleau. Gyulai's corps was in Pont-sur-Yonne, Barclay's Russian Reserves were near Nogent while Liechtenstein's division and the Austrian Reserves were at Sens.[15]

Napoleon massed his army near Guinges by the evening of 16 February. The Imperial Guard forces included Louis Friant's Old Guard division (4,500), Marshal Michel Ney's Young Guard divisions (3,000) and Guard cavalry under Louis Marie Laferrière-Levesque, Rémi Joseph Isidore Exelmans and Louis Michel Pac (3,000 total).[16] The line troops consisted of Victor's II Corps (6,549 men, 40 guns), from Oudinot's VII Corps (7,516 men, 34 guns), from MacDonald's XI Corps (8,797 men, 37 guns), Édouard Jean Baptiste Milhaud's V Cavalry Corps (4,700) and François Étienne de Kellermann's VI Cavalry Corps (2,788).[17] In addition, there were 4,500 men from Étienne Maurice Gérard's Reserve of Paris. Farther east near Melun were Henri François Marie Charpentier's Young Guard division (3,500), Michel-Marie Pacthod's National Guards division (5,000) and Pierre Claude Pajol's cavalry division (1,400). On the march to Guignes were Jean François Leval's division (4,500), Joseph Boyer de Rébeval's Young Guard division (3,300) and Antoine-Louis Decrest de Saint-Germain's division (1,300).[16] Étienne Tardif de Pommeroux de Bordesoulle was also on hand with 581 newly recruited horsemen.[18]

Mormant

 
Theodor von Rüdiger

At Mormant, Pahlen became aware that large numbers of French troops were near his position. The Russian placed two battalions in Mormant and massed the rest of his troops on both sides of the highway with his artillery in the center. He was prepared to fight or to retreat. During the night, Wittgenstein received positive orders to withdraw so he marched his corps east toward Provins at dawn. He forwarded the orders to Pahlen but they came too late. At daybreak, Pahlen saw that he faced an overwhelming force and began to retreat.[19] 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 and 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 plus the Illowaiski XII, Rebrikov III and two unnamed Cossack Regiments. Colonel Rosen's brigade was to the east at Bailly.[20] Another source stated that the Grodno rather than the Olviopol Hussars were engaged, that the 20th and 21st Jägers were involved and that the Russians had 12 field pieces.[21]

 
French attack formation: Battle of Mormant

At 5:00 a.m. the French infantry advanced with Guillaume Philibert Duhesme's II Corps division on the left, Gérard's Paris Reserve in the center and Louis Huguet-Château's II Corps division on the right. Victor's corps artillery marched in the intervals.[19] 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.[18] Milhaud commanded the left wing cavalry with Piré's horsemen deployed on Duhesme's left and Briche's troopers echeloned to Piré's left rear. Kellermann commanded the right wing cavalry with Trelliard's dragoons on Huguet-Château's right and 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 was in the lead with Henri Rottembourg's division 200 m (219 yd) farther back. The Imperial Guard artillery moved along the main road beside the VII Corps. The remainder of the army followed.[19]

 
Jacques Subervie

Pahlen ordered the two battalions in Mormant to hold back the French at all cost in order to allow the rest of his command to escape. Four Cossack regiments opposed Kellermann's corps while Rüdiger's regular cavalry faced Milhaud's corps.[20] Jacques Gervais, baron Subervie's brigade of Pire's division turned half-right and swooped down on the Russian skirmishers while 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 its defenders into the open. Pierre Ismert, leading one of Trelliard's brigades, hurled the 4th Dragoons at the 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 the routed Cossacks, the 16th Dragoons of Trelliard's division charged and broke a Russian square.[22]

 
Étienne Gérard

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 in the second and Denis Éloi Ludot's in the third. Successive charges by Piré and Montelégier broke Rüdiger's squadrons and chased them off the battlefield with the French light cavalry in pursuit. Milhaud directed Montelégier to deal with the Russian infantry while sending Ludot on a sweep to block Pahlen's escape route. Without its supporting cavalry, Pahlen's infantry battalions were compelled to form into a square formation to defend against cavalry. Antoine Drouot aggressively pushed 36 guns from the French Guard artillery into the front line where they pummeled the Russians.[23]

 
Peter Pahlen

Pahlen sent messengers to Nangis pleading for assistance, but Ignaz Splény de Miháldi's division had already marched off leaving only Anton Leonhard von Hardegg's Austrian division from Wrede's V Corps. Hardegg had some infantry battalions in Nangis and two cavalry regiments in Bailly. The Austrian division commander declined to assist his ally and ordered an immediate retreat. However, before they could get away, the two Austrian cavalry regiments were disordered by the fleeing Cossacks and then scattered by Piré's and August Lamotte's horsemen. The Russian infantry's withdrawal continued, leaving a trail of casualties from artillery fire. On the outskirts of Grandpuits they were finally brought to halt by Ludot's brigade which was now blocking the Russian line of retreat.[23] Surrounded and hammered by artillery, the Russian battalions were all overrun by cavalry charges. The final square was broken when charged simultaneously by the brigades of Ludot and Ismert.[24]

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.[24] Another authority stated that Pahlen lost 2,000 men and 10 guns.[25] The Reval and Selenginsk Regiments lost so many men that they were withdrawn to Plock in Poland to reorganize.[24][21]

Valjouan

 
Samuel Lhéritier

At Nangis, Napoleon split his advancing army into three columns. Victor led the right-most column south toward Montereau. This force included the II Corps, Paris Reserve, Lhéritier's dragoons and Bordesoulle's recruits.[25] The left-most column under Oudinot, with the VII Corps and Trelliard's dragoons, followed Wittgenstein's retreat east toward Provins. MacDonald's center column consisted of the XI Corps, Piré light horsemen and Briche's dragoons; it headed southeast toward Donnemarie. The French emperor held the Imperial Guard in reserve at Nangis. Wittgenstein retreated rapidly[24] and crossed the Seine at Nogent that evening.[25]

Victor's column departed Nangis at 1:30 p.m. and bumped into enemy resistance at Villeneuve-le-Comte about 3:00 p.m. Tipped off by Hardegg's survivors, 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. The divisions of Hardegg and Splény were behind Lamotte; they began withdrawing as soon as the French appeared. The Schwarzenberg Uhlans Nr. 1 and Archduke Joseph Hussars Nr. 2, rallied from their earlier mauling by the French cavalry, were positioned to assist the Bavarian cavalry. Gérard, whose troops led the infantry column, decided to attack at once and asked Victor for help from the II Corps. Gérard deployed Lhéritier to the right and Bordesoulle to the left.[24]

Supported by 12 cannons, Jacques Félix Jan de La Hamelinaye's brigade stormed Villeneuve and Grand-Maison at 3:30 p.m. Gérard held Georges Joseph Dufour's brigade in reserve. As the Bavarian foot soldiers bolted from both positions, they were set upon by Bordesoulle's cavalrymen. When some Allied cavalry tried to rescue the Bavarians, the French horsemen rode into them and chased them away. Next, the Iller Mobile Legion tried to intervene, only to be routed by the French recruits. Altogether, Bordesoulle's half-trained horsemen inflicted about 300 casualties on their foes.[24] They apparently took no prisoners except a wounded Austrian officer who Bordesoulle had to personally save.[26]

Peter de Lamotte formed his division into a square formation and began to retreat, followed by Bordesoulle.[24] At some point during the withdrawal, the two Austrian mounted regiments were attacked by a large force of French cavalry and suffered 200 casualties in the melee. After Lamotte marched about 2 km (1.2 mi) toward Donnemarie, Gérard's infantry burst out of the woods and nearly broke up Lamotte's division. However, the French cavalry was absent this time, allowing the Bavarians to reform their battalions and resume their retreat.[26] That evening, Wrede got the V Corps across the Seine at Bray, except for a rearguard at Mouy-sur-Seine.[27]

Other actions

On 17 February, Charpentier's division and a task force under Jacques Alexandre Allix de Vaux advanced south from Melun, driving Ignaz von Hardegg's division (Bianchi's I Corps) from Fontainebleau. Pajol and Pacthod left Saint-Germain-Laxis and headed southeast toward Montereau. They skirmished with Prince Adam of Württemberg's 1,000 infantry and cavalry during the day.[19]

Result

The Allies had become overextended and Napoleon took advantage of this to strike hard at his enemies. One historian estimated that the French sustained 800 casualties while the Allies lost 3,000 men and 14 guns at Mormant and Valjouan.[26] A second authority gave casualties for the actions as 600 French and 3,114 Allied, with the French seizing nine guns and 40 caissons. Pahlen was credited with 2,500 infantry and 1,800 cavalry of which 1,250 were Russian and 550 were Austrian. Though the author listed the Valjouan action, he did not list Bavarian numbers. The French brought 18,000–20,000 men to the battlefield.[21]

Napoleon was angry at Victor for not pressing on that evening.[25] 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.,[27] the French emperor replaced him with Gérard.[28] Schwarzenberg ordered the Crown Prince of Württemberg to hold a bridgehead at Montereau for a day.[25] The Battle of Montereau was fought on 18 February.[21]

Forces

French army

Allied forces

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f Bodart 1908, p. 473.
  2. ^ Chandler 1966, pp. 964–965.
  3. ^ Chandler 1966, pp. 966–968.
  4. ^ Petre 1994, pp. 58–60.
  5. ^ Petre 1994, pp. 64–66.
  6. ^ Petre 1994, p. 67.
  7. ^ Petre 1994, pp. 70–71.
  8. ^ Petre 1994, p. 77.
  9. ^ Petre 1994, p. 78.
  10. ^ Petre 1994, p. 80.
  11. ^ Nafziger 2015, p. 196.
  12. ^ Nafziger 2015, p. 220.
  13. ^ Nafziger 2015, p. 214.
  14. ^ Petre 1994, p. 81.
  15. ^ Nafziger 2015, p. 198.
  16. ^ a b Nafziger 2015, pp. 193–194.
  17. ^ Nafziger 2015, p. 199.
  18. ^ a b Nafziger 2015, p. 200.
  19. ^ a b c d Nafziger 2015, p. 201.
  20. ^ a b Nafziger 2015, p. 202.
  21. ^ a b c d Smith 1998, p. 498.
  22. ^ Nafziger 2015, p. 203.
  23. ^ a b Nafziger 2015, p. 204.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g Nafziger 2015, p. 205.
  25. ^ a b c d e Petre 1994, p. 82.
  26. ^ a b c Nafziger 2015, p. 206.
  27. ^ a b Petre 1994, p. 83.
  28. ^ Petre 1994, p. 84.
  29. ^ Nafziger 2015, p. 598.
  30. ^ a b Nafziger 2015, pp. 615–616.
  31. ^ a b Nafziger 2015, pp. 627–628.
  32. ^ Nafziger 2015, pp. 559–560.
  33. ^ Nafziger 2015, pp. 557–558.

References

  • Bodart, Gaston (1908). Militär-historisches Kriegs-Lexikon (1618-1905). Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  • Chandler, David G. (1966). The Campaigns of Napoleon. New York, N.Y.: Macmillan.
  • Nafziger, George (2015). The End of Empire: Napoleon's 1814 Campaign. Solihull, UK: Helion & Company. ISBN 978-1-909982-96-3.
  • Petre, F. Loraine (1994) [1914]. Napoleon at Bay: 1814. London: Lionel Leventhal Ltd. ISBN 1-85367-163-0.
  • Smith, Digby (1998). The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill. ISBN 1-85367-276-9.

Further reading

  • Alison, Archibald (1842). History of Europe from the Commencement of the French Revolution to the Restoration of the Bourbons. Vol. 10. Paris: Baudry's European Library. Retrieved 13 February 2016.

External links

  •   Media related to Battle of Mormant at Wikimedia Commons
Preceded by
Battle of Garris
Napoleonic Wars
Battle of Mormant
Succeeded by
Battle of Montereau

battle, mormant, february, 1814, fought, during, sixth, coalition, between, imperial, french, army, under, emperor, napoleon, division, russians, under, count, peter, petrovich, pahlen, near, town, mormant, some, southeast, paris, enveloped, cavalry, françois,. The Battle of Mormant 17 February 1814 was fought during the War of the Sixth Coalition between an Imperial French army under Emperor Napoleon I and a division of Russians under Count Peter Petrovich Pahlen near the town of Mormant some 50 km 31 mi southeast of Paris Enveloped by cavalry led by Francois Etienne de Kellermann and Edouard Jean Baptiste Milhaud and infantry led by Etienne Maurice Gerard Pahlen s outnumbered force was nearly destroyed with only about a third of its soldiers escaping Battle of MormantPart of the Campaign of France of the Sixth CoalitionBattle of Mormant by Jean Antoine Simeon FortDate17 February 1814 1 LocationMormant France48 36 28 N 02 53 19 E 48 60778 N 2 88861 E 48 60778 2 88861 Coordinates 48 36 28 N 02 53 19 E 48 60778 N 2 88861 E 48 60778 2 88861ResultFrench victory 1 BelligerentsFranceAustria Bavaria RussiaCommanders and leadersNapoleon Bonaparte Claude Victor Perrin Etienne Gerard Francois Kellermann Edouard MilhaudKarl von Schwarzenberg Anton von Hardegg Peter de Lamotte Peter Wittgenstein Peter PahlenUnits involvedII Corps Reserve of Paris V Cavalry Corps VI Cavalry CorpsV Corps V Corps VI CorpsStrength18 000 1 20 000Hardegg s division Lamotte s division 3 500 4 300 12 gunsTotal 9 000 1 Casualties and losses600 1 1 000 2 114 9 12 guns lostTotal 3 114 1 class notpageimage Location within France War of the Sixth Coalition Campaign in north east France Interactive fullscreen map current battle Napoleon in command Napoleon not in command Later in the day a French column led by Marshal Claude Perrin Victor encountered an Austrian Bavarian rearguard under Anton Leonhard von Hardegg and Peter de Lamotte in the Battle of Valjouan Attacked by French infantry and cavalry the Allied force was mauled before it withdrew behind the Seine River The Mormant Valjouan actions and the Battle of Montereau the following day marked the start of a French counteroffensive intended to drive back Karl Philipp Prince of Schwarzenberg s Allied Army of Bohemia Contents 1 Background 2 Battle 2 1 Armies 2 2 Mormant 2 3 Valjouan 2 4 Other actions 3 Result 4 Forces 4 1 French army 4 2 Allied forces 5 Notes 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksBackground EditThe Allied generals particularly the Prussians were exuberant following their victory over Napoleon at the Battle of La Rothiere on 1 February 1814 They soon conceived a plan in which the main army under the Austrian Field Marshal Schwarzenberg advanced toward Paris via Troyes Simultaneously Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blucher s army took a more northerly route along the Marne River toward Meaux 2 When Napoleon realized that Blucher represented the more serious threat on 6 February he began to shift his strength northward in order to deal with the Prussian field marshal Leaving Marshals Victor and Nicolas Oudinot with 34 000 men to hold off Schwarzenberg s much larger army Napoleon headed north on 9 February with 30 000 troops 3 Napoleon landed some damaging blows on Blucher s army in the subsequent Six Days Campaign On 10 February in the Battle of Champaubert the French army fell on Zakhar Dmitrievich Olsufiev s corps which numbered only 4 000 infantry and 24 guns Only 1 700 Russians escaped the disaster and the French made Olsufiev a prisoner 4 The next day Napoleon defeated Fabian Gottlieb von Osten Sacken s Russians and Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg s Prussians in the Battle of Montmirail For the loss of 2 000 killed and wounded the French inflicted a loss of 3 700 men and 13 guns on the Allies 5 On 12 February the French beat Sacken and Yorck again in the Battle of Chateau Thierry French losses were 600 the Allies lost 2 750 men and nine guns 6 Blucher attacked the French on 14 February and was nearly destroyed in the Battle of Vauchamps The French sustained a loss of 600 men while the Allies lost 6 000 men and 16 guns Altogether Blucher s 56 000 man army lost over 16 000 soldiers and 47 guns during the week while Napoleon s losses added up to only 4 000 7 While Napoleon was drubbing Blucher Schwarzenberg s main army pushed back the forces of Marshals Victor and Oudinot On the Allied right wing Peter Wittgenstein s Russian corps advanced toward Nogent sur Seine while Karl Philipp von Wrede s Austro Bavarian corps struck toward Bray sur Seine On the Allied left wing Crown Prince Frederick William of Wurttemberg s Wurttemberg corps moved toward Sens with Frederick Bianchi s Austrian corps on his left Ignaz Gyulai s Austrian corps supported the left wing while Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly s Allied Reserves supported the right wing 8 Wrede got across 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 14 February with a corps that was rebuilt by replacements from Paris A blunder caused the army s wagon train to withdraw across the Marne near Paris causing panic in the French capital 9 Leaving Marshals Auguste de Marmont and Edouard Mortier to watch Blucher Napoleon rapidly transferred his strength southward against Schwarzenberg s army The French emperor arrived at Guignes on the evening of 16 February and planned to launch his offensive the next day 10 He found the army of Victor and Oudinot in good order and prepared to go over to the offensive 11 Battle EditArmies Edit Map shows French black and Allied white positions on evening 16 February 1814 Schwarzenberg had over 100 000 soldiers in his main army A week later on 23 February the army counted Moritz von Liechtenstein s 2nd Light Division 4 000 Bianchi s I Corps 13 000 Gyulai s III Corps 11 000 Wurttemberg s IV Corps 10 000 Wrede s V Corps 21 000 Wittgenstein s VI Corps 15 000 and Barclay s Guard and Reserve Corps 30 000 12 This reckoning was made after the Battle of Montereau which cost the I Corps 2 000 casualties and the IV Corps 2 844 casualties 13 When Schwarzenberg heard about Blucher s defeats he ordered his army to pull back behind the Seine 14 Instead of obeying Wittgenstein aggressively pushed his corps west beyond Provins toward Nangis while his advanced guard under Pahlen reached Mormant On 16 February Wrede s corps was near Donnemarie Dontilly except for Anton von Hardegg s division which was in Nangis Wurttemberg s corps was near Montereau with advance guards near Melun Bianchi s corps was south of the Seine between Moret sur Loing and Villeneuve la Guyard with advance guards farther west in Fontainebleau Gyulai s corps was in Pont sur Yonne Barclay s Russian Reserves were near Nogent while Liechtenstein s division and the Austrian Reserves were at Sens 15 Napoleon massed his army near Guinges by the evening of 16 February The Imperial Guard forces included Louis Friant s Old Guard division 4 500 Marshal Michel Ney s Young Guard divisions 3 000 and Guard cavalry under Louis Marie Laferriere Levesque Remi Joseph Isidore Exelmans and Louis Michel Pac 3 000 total 16 The line troops consisted of Victor s II Corps 6 549 men 40 guns from Oudinot s VII Corps 7 516 men 34 guns from MacDonald s XI Corps 8 797 men 37 guns Edouard Jean Baptiste Milhaud s V Cavalry Corps 4 700 and Francois Etienne de Kellermann s VI Cavalry Corps 2 788 17 In addition there were 4 500 men from Etienne Maurice Gerard s Reserve of Paris Farther east near Melun were Henri Francois Marie Charpentier s Young Guard division 3 500 Michel Marie Pacthod s National Guards division 5 000 and Pierre Claude Pajol s cavalry division 1 400 On the march to Guignes were Jean Francois Leval s division 4 500 Joseph Boyer de Rebeval s Young Guard division 3 300 and Antoine Louis Decrest de Saint Germain s division 1 300 16 Etienne Tardif de Pommeroux de Bordesoulle was also on hand with 581 newly recruited horsemen 18 Mormant Edit Theodor von Rudiger At Mormant Pahlen became aware that large numbers of French troops were near his position The Russian placed two battalions in Mormant and massed the rest of his troops on both sides of the highway with his artillery in the center He was prepared to fight or to retreat During the night Wittgenstein received positive orders to withdraw so he marched his corps east toward Provins at dawn He forwarded the orders to Pahlen but they came too late At daybreak Pahlen saw that he faced an overwhelming force and began to retreat 19 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 and the 4th and 34th Jager Regiments The cavalry were led by Theodor von Rudiger and included 14 squadrons from the Soumy Hussar Olviopol Hussar and Tchougoulev Uhlan Regiments plus the Illowaiski XII Rebrikov III and two unnamed Cossack Regiments Colonel Rosen s brigade was to the east at Bailly 20 Another source stated that the Grodno rather than the Olviopol Hussars were engaged that the 20th and 21st Jagers were involved and that the Russians had 12 field pieces 21 French attack formation Battle of Mormant At 5 00 a m the French infantry advanced with Guillaume Philibert Duhesme s II Corps division on the left Gerard s Paris Reserve in the center and Louis Huguet Chateau s II Corps division on the right Victor s corps artillery marched in the intervals 19 Milhaud s corps included Hippolyte Pire s light cavalry division Andre Briche s dragoon division and Samuel Francois Lheritier dragoon division Kellermann s corps had only Anne Francois Charles Trelliard s dragoon division fresh from the Spanish theater Lheritier was temporarily assigned to Kellermann 18 Milhaud commanded the left wing cavalry with Pire s horsemen deployed on Duhesme s left and Briche s troopers echeloned to Pire s left rear Kellermann commanded the right wing cavalry with Trelliard s dragoons on Huguet Chateau s right and Lheritier 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 Francois Xavier Boyer s division was in the lead with Henri Rottembourg s division 200 m 219 yd farther back The Imperial Guard artillery moved along the main road beside the VII Corps The remainder of the army followed 19 Jacques Subervie Pahlen ordered the two battalions in Mormant to hold back the French at all cost in order to allow the rest of his command to escape Four Cossack regiments opposed Kellermann s corps while Rudiger s regular cavalry faced Milhaud s corps 20 Jacques Gervais baron Subervie s brigade of Pire s division turned half right and swooped down on the Russian skirmishers while the rest of Milhaud s cavalry advanced on Rudiger s horsemen In the center Gerard s infantry forced its way into the village of Mormant flushing its defenders into the open Pierre Ismert leading one of Trelliard s brigades hurled the 4th Dragoons at the fleeing Russians forcing many to surrender On the right flank Lheritier s first brigade under August Etienne Lamotte dispersed the first two Cossack regiments When the Illowaiski and Rebrikov Cossacks tried to intervene they were swept away by Lheritier s second brigade led by Jean Antoine de Collaert As Lheritier s horsemen galloped after the routed Cossacks the 16th Dragoons of Trelliard s division charged and broke a Russian square 22 Etienne Gerard On the north flank Rudiger deployed nine squadrons in the first line and five squadrons in the second line Against the Russian horsemen Milhaud had Pire s division minus Subervie s brigade in the first line Gabriel Gaspard Montelegier s brigade in the second and Denis Eloi Ludot s in the third Successive charges by Pire and Montelegier broke Rudiger s squadrons and chased them off the battlefield with the French light cavalry in pursuit Milhaud directed Montelegier to deal with the Russian infantry while sending Ludot on a sweep to block Pahlen s escape route Without its supporting cavalry Pahlen s infantry battalions were compelled to form into a square formation to defend against cavalry Antoine Drouot aggressively pushed 36 guns from the French Guard artillery into the front line where they pummeled the Russians 23 Peter Pahlen Pahlen sent messengers to Nangis pleading for assistance but Ignaz Spleny de Mihaldi s division had already marched off leaving only Anton Leonhard von Hardegg s Austrian division from Wrede s V Corps Hardegg had some infantry battalions in Nangis and two cavalry regiments in Bailly The Austrian division commander declined to assist his ally and ordered an immediate retreat However before they could get away the two Austrian cavalry regiments were disordered by the fleeing Cossacks and then scattered by Pire s and August Lamotte s horsemen The Russian infantry s withdrawal continued leaving a trail of casualties from artillery fire On the outskirts of Grandpuits they were finally brought to halt by Ludot s brigade which was now blocking the Russian line of retreat 23 Surrounded and hammered by artillery the Russian battalions were all overrun by cavalry charges The final square was broken when charged simultaneously by the brigades of Ludot and Ismert 24 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 Gerard reported only 30 casualties Pahlen s survivors dispersed over the French countryside 24 Another authority stated that Pahlen lost 2 000 men and 10 guns 25 The Reval and Selenginsk Regiments lost so many men that they were withdrawn to Plock in Poland to reorganize 24 21 Valjouan Edit Samuel Lheritier At Nangis Napoleon split his advancing army into three columns Victor led the right most column south toward Montereau This force included the II Corps Paris Reserve Lheritier s dragoons and Bordesoulle s recruits 25 The left most column under Oudinot with the VII Corps and Trelliard s dragoons followed Wittgenstein s retreat east toward Provins MacDonald s center column consisted of the XI Corps Pire light horsemen and Briche s dragoons it headed southeast toward Donnemarie The French emperor held the Imperial Guard in reserve at Nangis Wittgenstein retreated rapidly 24 and crossed the Seine at Nogent that evening 25 Victor s column departed Nangis at 1 30 p m and bumped into enemy resistance at Villeneuve le Comte about 3 00 p m Tipped off by Hardegg s survivors 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 The divisions of Hardegg and Spleny were behind Lamotte they began withdrawing as soon as the French appeared The Schwarzenberg Uhlans Nr 1 and Archduke Joseph Hussars Nr 2 rallied from their earlier mauling by the French cavalry were positioned to assist the Bavarian cavalry Gerard whose troops led the infantry column decided to attack at once and asked Victor for help from the II Corps Gerard deployed Lheritier to the right and Bordesoulle to the left 24 Supported by 12 cannons Jacques Felix Jan de La Hamelinaye s brigade stormed Villeneuve and Grand Maison at 3 30 p m Gerard held Georges Joseph Dufour s brigade in reserve As the Bavarian foot soldiers bolted from both positions they were set upon by Bordesoulle s cavalrymen When some Allied cavalry tried to rescue the Bavarians the French horsemen rode into them and chased them away Next the Iller Mobile Legion tried to intervene only to be routed by the French recruits Altogether Bordesoulle s half trained horsemen inflicted about 300 casualties on their foes 24 They apparently took no prisoners except a wounded Austrian officer who Bordesoulle had to personally save 26 Peter de Lamotte formed his division into a square formation and began to retreat followed by Bordesoulle 24 At some point during the withdrawal the two Austrian mounted regiments were attacked by a large force of French cavalry and suffered 200 casualties in the melee After Lamotte marched about 2 km 1 2 mi toward Donnemarie Gerard s infantry burst out of the woods and nearly broke up Lamotte s division However the French cavalry was absent this time allowing the Bavarians to reform their battalions and resume their retreat 26 That evening Wrede got the V Corps across the Seine at Bray except for a rearguard at Mouy sur Seine 27 Other actions Edit On 17 February Charpentier s division and a task force under Jacques Alexandre Allix de Vaux advanced south from Melun driving Ignaz von Hardegg s division Bianchi s I Corps from Fontainebleau Pajol and Pacthod left Saint Germain Laxis and headed southeast toward Montereau They skirmished with Prince Adam of Wurttemberg s 1 000 infantry and cavalry during the day 19 Result EditThe Allies had become overextended and Napoleon took advantage of this to strike hard at his enemies One historian estimated that the French sustained 800 casualties while the Allies lost 3 000 men and 14 guns at Mormant and Valjouan 26 A second authority gave casualties for the actions as 600 French and 3 114 Allied with the French seizing nine guns and 40 caissons Pahlen was credited with 2 500 infantry and 1 800 cavalry of which 1 250 were Russian and 550 were Austrian Though the author listed the Valjouan action he did not list Bavarian numbers The French brought 18 000 20 000 men to the battlefield 21 Napoleon was angry at Victor for not pressing on that evening 25 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 27 the French emperor replaced him with Gerard 28 Schwarzenberg ordered the Crown Prince of Wurttemberg to hold a bridgehead at Montereau for a day 25 The Battle of Montereau was fought on 18 February 21 Forces EditFrench army Edit Units engaged from Emperor Napoleon s army at Mormant Corps Division Brigade Units StrengthII CorpsMarshalClaude Perrin Victor 29 1st DivisionGeneral of BrigadeLouis Chateau Huguet 1st Brigade 24th Light Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion 27419th Line Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion 47727th Line Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion 1322nd Brigade 11th Light Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion 2192nd Line Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion 15456th Line Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion 268Artillery 5th Foot Artillery Regiment 17th Company 596th Foot Artillery Regiment 10th Company 70Train Battalion 85Guns 4 12 pounders5 6 pounders6 4 pounders2nd DivisionGeneral of DivisionGuillaume Philibert Duhesme 1st Brigade 26th Light Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion 2504th Line Infantry Regiment 1st 2nd and 4th Battalions 81510th Line Infantry Regiment 1st and 2nd Battalions 5792nd Brigade 6th Line Infantry Regiment 1st and 2nd Battalions 72nd Line Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion 93rd Line Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion Artillery 9th Foot Artillery Regiment 8th Company 34Train Battalion 189Guns 4 8 pounders2 24 lb howitzersReserve of ParisGeneral of DivisionEtienne Maurice Gerard 30 1st DivisionGeneral of DivisionGeorges Joseph Dufour 1st Brigade 12th Light Infantry Regiment 3rd Battalion 29th Light Infantry Regiment 6th Battalion 32nd Line Infantry Regiment 8th Battalion 58th Line Infantry Regiment 6th Battalion 2nd Brigade 5th Light Infantry Regiment 2nd Battalion 15th Light Infantry Regiment 7th Battalion 135th Line Infantry Regiment 3rd Battalion 2nd DivisionGeneral of DivisionJacques de La Hamelinaye 1st Brigade 26th Line Infantry Regiment 4th Battalion 82nd Line Infantry Regiment 86th Line Infantry Regiment 2nd Brigade 121st Line Infantry Regiment 122nd Line Infantry Regiment 3rd Battalion 142nd Line Infantry Regiment 2nd Battalion Corps Artillery Artillery 6th Foot Artillery Regiment 10th Company 9th Foot Artillery Regiment 8th and 24th Companies 17th Foot Artillery 5th Company 7th and 14th Train Battalions Guns 4 12 pounders11 6 pdrs and howitzersV Cavalry CorpsGeneral of DivisionEdouard Milhaud 31 3rd Light DivisionGeneral of DivisionHippolyte Pire 5th Light BrigadeGeneral of BrigadeJacques Gervais Subervie 3rd Hussar Regiment 14526th Chasseurs a Cheval Regiment 2966th Light Brigade 14th Chasseurs a Cheval Regiment 11827th Chasseurs a Cheval Regiment 1373rd Heavy DivisionGeneral of DivisionAndre Briche 5th Heavy BrigadeGeneral of BrigadeGabriel Montelegier 2nd Dragoon Regiment 3066th Dragoon Regiment 29711th Dragoon Regiment 4096th Heavy BrigadeGeneral of BrigadeDenis Eloi Ludot 13th Dragoon Regiment 13415th Dragoon Regiment 230Corps Artillery Artillery 2nd Horse Artillery Regiment 4th Company 503rd Horse Artillery Regiment 2nd Company 446th Horse Artillery Regiment 8th Company 438th 12th and 14th Train Battalions 128Guns 4 6 pounders6 4 pounders4 24 lb howitzersVI Cavalry CorpsGeneral of DivisionFrancois de Kellermann 31 4th Heavy DivisionGeneral of DivisionSamuel Francois Lheritiertemporarily attached fromV Cavalry Corps 7th Heavy BrigadeGeneral of BrigadeAugust Lamotte 18th Dragoon Regiment 20819th Dragoon Regiment 17720th Dragoon Regiment 1098th Heavy BrigadeGeneral of BrigadeJean Antoine de Collaert 22nd Dragoon Regiment 25325th Dragoon Regiment 3635th Heavy DivisionGeneral of DivisionFrancois Trelliard 9th Heavy BrigadeGeneral of BrigadePierre Ismert 4th Dragoon Regiment 57014th Dragoon Regiment 39516th Dragoon Regiment 25510th Heavy BrigadeGeneral of BrigadeFrancois Leon Ormancey 17th Dragoon Regiment 33924th Dragoon Regiment 10627th Dragoon Regiment 502I Cavalry CorpsGeneral of DivisionEtienne de Bordesoulle 30 Detachment Replacements Unknown companies destined for I Corps 500Allied forces Edit Units engaged from the Allied armies at Mormant Corps Division Brigade UnitsVI CorpsAdvance GuardLieutenant GeneralPeter Petrovich Pahlen 32 14th Division BrigadeGeneralmajor Ljalin Tenguinsk Infantry Regiment one battalionEstonia Infantry Regiment one battalion3rd Division BrigadeColonel Schelwinsky Reval Infantry Regiment two battalionsSelenguinsk Infantry Regiment one battalionBrigadeColonel Kapustin 20th Jager Regiment one battalion21st Jager Regiment one battalion4th Division BrigadeColonel Rosen Tobolsk Infantry Regiment two battalionsKrementchug Infantry Regiment one battalionBrigadeColonel Stepanov 4th Jager Regiment two battalions34th Jager Regiment two battalions3rd Hussar DivisionLieutenant GeneralPeter Petrovich Pahlen BrigadeGeneralmajor Delejanov Grodno Hussar Regiment six squadronsSoumy Hussar Regiment five squadronsBrigadeGeneralmajor Dechterev Loubny Hussar Regiment five squadronsOlviopol Hussar Regiment four squadronsBrigadeGeneralmajor Lissanewitz Tchougouiev Uhlan Regiment eight squadronsBrigadeCossacks Vlassov II Cossack RegimentIllowaisky XII Cossack RegimentRebrikov III Cossack RegimentTschermuschin II Cossack RegimentJaroslav Cossack RegimentV CorpsLieutenant GeneralKarl Philipp von Wrede 33 1st Austrian DivisionFeldmarschall LeutnantAnton von Hardegg BrigadeColonelLeopold von Geramb archduke Joseph Hussar Regiment Nr 2 six squadrons1st Szekler Grenz Infantry Regiment two battalionsHorse Artillery Battery six 6 poundersBrigadeColonelAdolph von Mengen Schwarzenberg Uhlan Regiment Nr 1 six squadrons3rd Jager Battalion3rd Bavarian DivisionLieutenant GeneralPeter de Lamotte BrigadeGeneralmajorGeorg von Habermann 7th Bavarian Infantry Regiment one battalion11th Bavarian Infantry Regiment two battalionsUnterdonau Landwehr Regiment 1st BattalionIller Landwehr Regiment 1st BattalionBrigadeGeneralmajorFranz von Deroy 5th Bavarian Infantry Regiment one battalion8th Bavarian Infantry Regiment one battalion9th Bavarian Infantry Regiment one battalionIller Landwehr Regiment 2nd BattalionIsar Landwehr Regiment 1st BattalionBrigadeGeneralmajor Elbracht 4th Bavarian Chevau leger Regiment 1st 4th Squadrons5th Bavarian Chevau leger Regiment 1st 4th SquadronsArtillery Horse Artillery Battery six 6 poundersFoot Artillery Battery eight 6 poundersNotes Edit a b c d e f Bodart 1908 p 473 Chandler 1966 pp 964 965 Chandler 1966 pp 966 968 Petre 1994 pp 58 60 Petre 1994 pp 64 66 Petre 1994 p 67 Petre 1994 pp 70 71 Petre 1994 p 77 Petre 1994 p 78 Petre 1994 p 80 Nafziger 2015 p 196 Nafziger 2015 p 220 Nafziger 2015 p 214 Petre 1994 p 81 Nafziger 2015 p 198 a b Nafziger 2015 pp 193 194 Nafziger 2015 p 199 a b Nafziger 2015 p 200 a b c d Nafziger 2015 p 201 a b Nafziger 2015 p 202 a b c d Smith 1998 p 498 Nafziger 2015 p 203 a b Nafziger 2015 p 204 a b c d e f g Nafziger 2015 p 205 a b c d e Petre 1994 p 82 a b c Nafziger 2015 p 206 a b Petre 1994 p 83 Petre 1994 p 84 Nafziger 2015 p 598 a b Nafziger 2015 pp 615 616 a b Nafziger 2015 pp 627 628 Nafziger 2015 pp 559 560 Nafziger 2015 pp 557 558 References EditBodart Gaston 1908 Militar historisches Kriegs Lexikon 1618 1905 Retrieved 6 June 2021 Chandler David G 1966 The Campaigns of Napoleon New York N Y Macmillan Nafziger George 2015 The End of Empire Napoleon s 1814 Campaign Solihull UK Helion amp Company ISBN 978 1 909982 96 3 Petre F Loraine 1994 1914 Napoleon at Bay 1814 London Lionel Leventhal Ltd ISBN 1 85367 163 0 Smith Digby 1998 The Napoleonic Wars Data Book London Greenhill ISBN 1 85367 276 9 Further reading EditAlison Archibald 1842 History of Europe from the Commencement of the French Revolution to the Restoration of the Bourbons Vol 10 Paris Baudry s European Library Retrieved 13 February 2016 External links Edit Media related to Battle of Mormant at Wikimedia CommonsPreceded byBattle of Garris Napoleonic WarsBattle of Mormant Succeeded byBattle of Montereau Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Battle of Mormant amp oldid 1125824388, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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