Ten days before Paris. Napoleon’s last chance
In just ten days, the Napoleonic soldiers will no longer be masters of Paris
Where are you, old hussar?
12 failures by Napoleon Bonaparte. On March 14, the Allies ’headquarters in Troyes, where the Russian emperor Alexander and the Prussian king arrived from Chaumont, received a message about the Laon victory. It was no longer possible to postpone a trip to Paris.
The departure of the Austrian monarch to Dijon, closer to the Southern Army, which was still threatened by Marshal Augereau, only contributed to the determination of his two most august cousins. Schwarzenberg continued to insist on defense, circled his troops, carefully avoiding meeting with the sovereigns. However, he had to shift the main forces of the army to the right to prevent Napoleon from striking the flank.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is by no means a battalist, brighter than many managed to reflect the spirit of the company in 1814
And although Napoleon, who was not given a victory at Laon, managed for some time to get rid of the annoying Blucher, the Allied Main Army was hardly worth fearing his blow. Nevertheless, Napoleon, with his unshootled conscripts, already recognizing the taste of victory, again attacked Schwarzenberg.
The emperor believed or, in any case, constantly stated that he had enough infantry and cavalry. But he understood that now he had almost no artillery left, and besides, the old gunner Marmont, his old comrade, so mediocre allowed the Russians and Prussians to recapture their guns at night near Laon.
The position of Arsi across the Ob River for the emperor was long ago selected by his punctual Berthier, comparing it with last year’s positions at Dresden. Napoleon did not forget that there the French core defeated General Moreau, his old enemy. However, under Arsi, the French commander no longer had the opportunity to act so freely along the internal operational lines, taking advantage of the passivity of the allies.
The positions at Dresden and Arsi only on the map are similar to each other.
No, the Austrian field marshal Schwarzenberg, like a year ago, commanding, in addition to the Austrians, Bavarians, Prussians, also Russians, did not differ in zeal and desire to attack. He was quite happy that Napoleon now had to lead an exhausted army against three times the enemy’s forces. Even with Druot under his command, an excellent artilleryman, who was sorely lacking not only cannons, but also experienced gunners.
The French were in a hurry, suggesting that the Silesian army would certainly try to hit them in the rear. In this case, Napoleon left behind the rearguard from the MacDonald corps, and without the artillery park, which tied him hand and foot. This marshal, to whom Blucher did not want to submit to the preparation of the Russian campaign, was a real master of maneuver, and could give Napoleon the most necessary - time to strike at the main army.
In addition, Blucher after the victorious Laon suddenly disappeared somewhere. For several days, little was known about the movements of the Silesian Army even in the Allies' Headquarters - couriers with dispatches were very late because of the difficulties of moving around France with a hostile population.
Vorwärts! To Paris!
But the old hussar already, as they say, bit the bit. He was attracted only by the French capital, close to which Blucher had once approached. He understood that only from Paris can dictate the conditions of the world. And it is not necessary to dictate them to the Emperor Napoleon.
At this time in Arsi-sur-Ob, the Allies had only the Bavarians Wrede, who clearly did not want a one-on-one confrontation with Napoleon, as near Ganau. The Russian corps of Wirtemberg and Rayevsky hastened to Proven to prevent MacDonald from playing the role of a rearguard against Blucher. Tom was practically untied, since MacDonald moved to Maison Rouge, which the Prussian soon took advantage of.
And Napoleon once again set his sights on the main army of Schwarzenberg, knowing that she again began to scatter her forces. After Laon, he gave the army, which had retreated and stopped at Soissons, a day of rest. One of Blucher's subordinates, the Russian general Saint-Prix, on his own initiative, moved from Chalon to Reims, believing that the French had not yet come to their senses after the Laon fiasco.
Napoleon had to postpone the offensive against Schwarzenberg. In order to protect the city, in which all his predecessors were crowned on the French throne, the emperor brought down the power of his entire army at Saint-Prix. Napoleon hid from the Blucher’s army, and Mortier hid himself, and attacked the Russian corps that settled in Reims almost completely by surprise, since the soldiers had already been disbanded by his commander.
The Russians have not received such a cruel lesson for a long time. General Saint-Prix himself was mortally wounded, and his corps lost almost four thousand people and 10 guns. The Reims defeat pretty confused Schwarzenberg, who immediately recalled the corps of Raevsky and Wirtemberg, and along with them the Hungarian corps of Giulai.
On March 17, Napoleon was already advancing against the Allied Main Army, choosing its right flank as an object for attack, with a threat to communications. The emperor knew very well how anxiously their Austrian field marshal took care. He planned to cross the Ob River just at Arsi.
A day later, Schwarzenberg received a message about the movement of Napoleon and that his vanguard, passing Fer-Champenoise, was sent to Herbiss. It is only 7 kilometers from Arsi, where at that time the headquarters of the Austrian field marshal was located. The main apartment with the sovereigns the day before wisely moved to Troyes.
The scattered corps of the Main Army was also planned to be assembled at Troyes, but Napoleon paused, not reaching Herbiss in order to join the MacDonald corps. The emperor decided either to fall on the right flank of the Allies, or to cut off the corps that could advance to the banks of the Both in support of the Bavarians of Wrede.
Napoleon’s far-reaching goal was to drop Schwarzenberg’s army and annex 30 fortress garrisons already in eastern France. Marshal Marmont was supposed to bring another 20 thousand draftees from under Paris, and then Napoleon could practically equalize the forces with the Main Army of the Allies.
However, such ambitious but controversial plans were a salvation for Schwarzenberg. During March 18 and 19, he was able to concentrate significant forces - almost 80 thousand, and not at Troyes, but in front - between Arsi and Plansi, in order to attack the French when crossing Ob. But in the meantime, the Napoleonic vanguards had already crossed the river at Plansy. Harma, who had departed with the Bavarians towards Brienne, feeling the support of other corps, headed back to the ferries at Arsi.
Over the river, in the shade of trees
The French managed to advance to the bridges on the Ob even faster, and almost 20 thousand people with several batteries managed to force the river during the night of March 20. On three roads, they advanced to the villages of Torsi and Vilet, and immediately began to strengthen them. At about one in the afternoon, the Bavarian infantry attacked both villages, starting the battle of Arsi-sur-Ob.
Schwarzenberg, not without reason, feared for crossing in another place, at Plansi, from where he was threatened with a blow to the flank. There were immediately three allied corps. Therefore, against the French, who after the arrival of Napoleon was already 26 thousand, Schwarzenberg was able to expose only 40 thousand people. However, he had a very significant superiority in artillery - more than 300 guns and howitzers against 180 from the French.
The entire first day of the battle of Arsie Napoleon literally climbed into the thick of it. Many contemporaries believed that he was openly seeking death. Worthy of death.
"1814. Emperor." Batalist J.-L. E. Masonier in all the paintings tried to compliment the emperor, it did not always work out
Four and a half thousand experienced MacDonald fighters and guns, no less than fifty, were soon to approach Napoleon. The seven thousandth division of General Lefebvre-Denuet was already lining up behind Ob. But the reinforcements to the allies, which almost continuously attacked the French position, pulled up much faster.
Napoleon could count on no more than 32 thousand of his soldiers. At the same time, by the evening of March 20, at least Schwarzenberg had at least 90 thousand people at hand, who covered the French positions in a semicircle. Their depth was much less than under Dresden, individual kernels fired by the Russian gunners reached the cities and even before crossing the Ob.
The Allies lined up in front of the French already in the dark, but their enormous superiority in forces was still noticeable. The French historian, future Prime Minister and President of the Third Republic A. Thiers found somewhere a record of the conversation between the emperor and General Sebastiani:
“Well then, general, what can you say about what is happening?”
“I will say that Your Majesty undoubtedly has new resources that we do not know.”
- Only those that you see, and no other.
“But then, why does your Majesty not think about raising a nation?”
- Chimeras! Chimeras from the memories of the revolution and of Spain. A nation has been raised in a country where the revolution destroyed the nobility and the clergy, and where I myself destroyed the revolution!
With the loss of four thousand people, no more and no less than the allies, Napoleon did not dare to continue the battle the next day. Russians and Prussians managed to take the city of Arsi only after the French blew up the bridge and secured themselves on the right bank.
The Bavarians crossed Ob at the town of Lemon and carefully followed the retreating French. Napoleon will once again try to outwit the allies with the help of a false workaround, but he will not have time for Blucher. Only ten days remained before the fall of Paris and renunciation.
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