Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube

Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube
Part of the Campaign of France of the Sixth Coalition
Napoleon at the bridge of Arcis-sur-Aube by Jean-Adolphe Beaucé
Date 20–21 March 1814 Location Arcis-sur-Aube, France 48°32′17″N 04°08′31″E / 48.53806°N 4.14194°E / 48.53806; 4.14194 Result Coalition victory[1][2]
Belligerents
Austria Bavaria Russia Württemberg Prussia	France
Commanders and leaders
Alexander I Karl von Schwarzenberg Karl Philipp von Wrede Crown Prince William	Napoleon I Nicolas Oudinot Michel Ney Horace Sébastiani
Strength
74,000–107,900	Day 1: 18,000 Day 2: 28,000–30,000
Casualties and losses
3,000–4,000	3,000–4,200, 3 guns
class=notpageimage| Location within France

War of the Sixth Coalition:
Campaign in north-east France

200km
125miles

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Bar-sur-Aube

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  current battle

  Napoleon in command

  Napoleon not in command

The Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube (20–21 March 1814) saw an Imperial French army under Napoleon face a much larger Allied army led by Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg during the War of the Sixth Coalition. On the second day of fighting, Emperor Napoleon finally realized he had blundered into battle as he was massively outnumbered, and immediately ordered a masked retreat. By the time the Austrian Field Marshal Schwarzenberg realized Napoleon was retreating, most of the French had already disengaged and the Allied pursuit afterwards failed to prevent the remaining French army from safely withdrawing to the north. This was Napoleon's penultimate battle before his abdication and exile to Elba, the last being the Battle of Saint-Dizier.

While Napoleon fought against Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher's Russo-Prussian army to the north, Schwarzenberg's army pushed Marshal Jacques MacDonald's army back toward Paris. After his victory at Reims, Napoleon moved south to threaten Schwarzenberg's supply line to Germany. In response, the Austrian field marshal pulled his army back to Troyes and Arcis-sur-Aube. When Napoleon occupied Arcis, the normally cautious Schwarzenberg determined to fight it out rather than retreat. The clashes on the first day were inconclusive and Napoleon mistakenly believed he was following up a retreating enemy. On the second day, the French advanced to high ground and were appalled to see between 74,000 and 100,000 enemies in battle array south of Arcis. After bitter fighting with Napoleon personally participating, the French troops fought their way out, but it was a French setback.