| The various success that attended the arms of Napoleon
during the month of February, 1814, naturally calls us to a recapitulation
of the whole, more particularly as the features of the medal now under our
view possess no leading clue to any particular event, but generally, as
we are of opinion, to the whole, its title being "Fevrier, 1814." We shall
therefore, to preserve the chain, commence from the 25th of January, 1814,
when Bonaparte left Paris to put himself at the head of the grand armies;
he arrived on the 27th at St. Dizier, on the Marne, where he immediately
directed an attack upon a body of the allies, supposed to be the advanced
guard of General Schwartzenberg, who were compelled to retreat; and in the
evening the French army was at Vassy. He then advanced on the rear of the
allied army at Brienne, and after an action, on the 29th, magnified by some
of the French accounts to a considerable victory, took possession of that
town and its citadel. It being ascertained that Bonaparte was in the field,
it drew the allied commanders from the different quarters where they had
been posted, more immediate around his position, which it was naturally
concluded would necessarily become the scene of the most important engagements.
Blucher, whose headquarters on the 17th were at Nancy, ordered Toul to be
stormed, but the troops posted in it immediately capitulated. That part
of his army which consisted of Sacken's division, and part of Langeron's,
took a position, on the 3Ist, near Trannes, his right being in communication
with the Prince of Wurtemberg. Schwartzenberg who, from the borders of Switzerland,
had traversed all the great defences on that side of France, had formed
a junction with Blucher's army; and Guillay, with his division, marched
from Bar Sur l'Aube to support it. General Wrede had advanced to Dourlevent. |
| Napoleon had drawn up his army in two lines, or which
the village of La Rothiere was the centre. The force of the allies was between
seventy and eighty thousand men, that of the French was estimated something
less; however it appears there were in the field the corps of Marshal Victor,
Marmont, and Mortier, besides those immediately attached to the person of
Napoleon. |
| At noon, on the 1st February, Marshal Blucher commenced
the attack, by advancing the corps of Guillay towards Dieuville, on the
right of the enemy, and forming the divisions of his own corps in front
of La Rothiere, nearly at the same time the Prince Royal of Wurtemberg advanced
from Maison upon the Village of Giberie, which after a sharp contest, he
carried, and afterwards repulsed an attempt of the enemy to regain it. General
Wrede, assisted by the Austrian Uhlans, possessed himself of the Village
of Tremilly on the enemy's left, and these successes induced General Sacken
to attack the enemy's central position of La Rothiere, which he carried,
and frustrated all the attempts of the French, and of Napoleon in person,
to regain it. The allies took thirty-six pieces of cannon, and three thousand
prisoners. At night the enemy still held the ground beyond La Rothiere,
and were in possession of the heights of Brienne; but before morning he
had determined upon a retreat, and gradually abandoned all his positions
about Brienne, his whole loss being about seventy-three pieces of cannon,
and about four thousand prisoners. His retreat was followed closely by the
allies, who obtained some farther advantages over him; but from a heavy
fall of snow which took place, prevented any decisive victory. Napoleon
continued his retreat on Troyes and Arcis, and thence to Nogent; and the
allies advanced their headquarters, Schwartzenberg to Bar sur Seine, and
Blucher to Planci on the Aube. On February 5th, General D'Yorck made a successful
attack upon the rear of Macdonald's army near to Chaussee, between Vitry
and Chalons, taking three pieces of cannon, and several hundred prisoners.
|
| The consequence of the battle of La Rothiere was the
occupation by the allies of the important town of Troyes, the chief city
of Champagne, and being the point at which a number of roads to the capital
unite, it was taken possession of by the Prince of Wurtemberg, on the 7th
February, who had previously turned the enemy's position near Ruvigni. |
| On the 10th February, Napoleon attacked a Russian division
under General Alsufief at Champ-Aubert, and captured or destroyed the whole,
taking all their cannon and baggage. On the 12th, the French advancing against
the army of Blucher were encountered by Sacken's corps, and three brigades
of D'Yorck; a severe engagement ensued, which lasted several hours; in which
Napoleon in person commanded at the head of his old guards and other detached
corps. The result was, that both armies retained their positions, and Napoleon,
instead of returning to Montmirail, bivouacked on the ground. On the 13th,
General Sacken was at Chateau Thierry, and it appears that he and D'Yorck
afterwards quitted that place, and retired behind the Marne; the French
bulletin speaks of a great capture of cannon and prisoners by the Emperor,
with whom the advantage evidently rested: Blucher was posted at this period
at Bergeres, whilst Marmont, with the sixth French corps, had taken the
position of Etoges. On 13th February, Blucher determined on attacking Marmont,
and for that purpose the advanced-guard of Kleist's corps was advanced forwards;
but on its approach Marmont gradually retreated, keeping up a brisk fire,
and was pursued by the Cossacks beyond the village of Champ-Aubert; Blucher
halted there for the night, and the enemy bivouacked in front of Fromentiers.
|
| On the morning of the 14th, Blucher, finding that Marmont
was still in retreat, resolved on a further pursuit, and with the corps
of Kleist and General Kapsiewitz's division of Langeron's corps, being all
he had then under his command, he commenced his march. The enemy still continued
his retreat till he came near the Village of Janvilliers, where a considerable
body of cavalry was posted; he then rushed suddenly upon six advanced guns,
and took possession of them, but soon after they were again recovered by
the Prussian cavalry; the prisoners reported that Napoleon was on the ground
with all his guard, and a large body of cavalry, having made a forced march
in the night from Chateau Thierry. Blucher's infantry was at this time advancing
in columns on the open grounds, on each side of the causeway leading through
the villages, when a great mass of the cavalry of the enemy pushed forward,
broke through the cavalry of the advanced-guard, and dividing itself, attacked
with great fury the columns of infantry; the columns formed into squares,
and succeeded in repelling the enemy; but the numbers of the latter increasing,
and bodies of cavalry being seen to move round on each flank, Blucher resolved
on a retreat; he disposed of his troops in the most skilful order for defence
against the superior numbers by which they were vigorously assailed, and
from Janvilliers to half-way between Champ-Aubert and Etoges, a distance
of nearly four leagues, it was a continued retiring combat, the most perfect
order, however, was preserved by the retreating troops, and every charge
was repelled. At sunset, a corps of French cavalry, which had taken a circuit
round the flanks, threw themselves into the line of retreat, and formed
into a solid mass, with the evident purpose of disputing the passage; Blucher
by this movement was entirely surrounded, and nothing was left him but to
force a passage through his opponents; with promptitude he decided, and
instantly arranged his infantry for the attack. They opened a heavy fire
upon the intercepting cavalry, which it was unable to withstand, and the
passage was left free; still the flank and rear of the retreating army were
exposed and assailed, but not a square or column was broken. At the approach
of night, the enemy's infantry succeeded to their cavalry in their attacks,
and particularly in the Village of Etoges, threw a severe fire upon both
flanks; General Kleist and Kapsiewitz however, forced the way with their
corps, and at length, without further molestation, reached the position
of Bergeres, where they bivouacked for the night; the loss acknowledged
on their side, amounted to three thousand five hundred men, and seven pieces
of artillery: the French account of this affair boasts of far greater success;
it asserts, that several of the squares of the allies were broken, and makes
their loss to ten thousand prisoners, ten pieces of cannon, ten stands of
colours, and an immense number killed. That the check now given to the army
of Silesia was a very serious one, appeared from the necessity Blucher found
himself under of retiring back as far as Chalons, with the compleat interruption
of his communications with the Austrian army. At Chalons he waited for the
junction of the dispersed parts of his force, which gradually took place;
so that instead of its annihilation according to the bulletins of the French,
it was in a few days again in a condition of marching to renew its connexion
with the grand army. In the mean time, General Winzingerode had carried
by assault the town of Soissons, in, which he made two Generals, and about
three thousand men prisoners, with thirteen pieces of cannon; he then moved
to Rheims, from which it was his intention to join Blucher at Chalons. |
| On February 11th, the Prince Royal of Wurtemberg summoned
the commandant of Sens to surrender, and upon his refusal forced the barricades,
and entered the town. Prince Schwartzenberg, in the mean time, was co-operating
with the army of Silesia, by an advance upon Paris in the direction of the
Seine. Witgenstein having been directed to the Seine, and Wrede to advance
from Nogent towards Bray, the enemy abandoned the left bank of the Seine,
and destroyed the bridges over that river. Schwartzenberg then determined
to push these corps, and that of the Prince of Wurtemberg to Provins and
Villenax, ready to advance, if necessary, upon Napoleon's rear, or to protect
the movements of that part of the army which was to act on the left bank
of the Seine towards Fontainbleau. |
| On the 16th February, the Austrian corps under Hardegg
and Thurn, and the Cossacks of Platoff, had, succeeded in reducing Fontainbleau,
where they captured a general, several cannon, and many prisoners, but,
the allies on this side were now to experience a reverse. Napoleon having
succeeded in driving back Blucher, in pursuance of his plan, turned his
force against Schwartzenberg; and on the 17th February, with a large body
of cavalry, he attacked the advanced-guard of Witgenstein's corps, which
was posted at Nangis, under the command of Count Pahlen, and obliged them
to retreat with a considerable loss of men and guns, and Schwartzenberg
deemed it prudent on this check being given to his operations to withdraw
the greatest part of his army across the Seine; he still however kept possession
of the bridges over that river at Montereau, Bray, and Nogent. On the 18th
February, the two former posts were vigorously attacked, but without effect;
and the Prince of Wurtemberg, who commanded at Montereau, not only repulsed
three attacks, but made some prisoners, and took some artillery. Late in
the evening, the French renewed the assault with such an augmented force,
that the Prince was driven across the river, and so closely pursued, that
he had not time to destroy the bridge, when he found it necessary to retreat
toward Bray, and a considerable body of the French passed the river, and
followed close after him. The final result was, that Schwartzenberg withdrew
the grand army from its position on the Seine, and established his headquarters
at Troyes. |
| The army of Silesia being restored to marching order,
advanced on the 21st February, to Meri on the Seine, purposing to form the
right wing of the grand army at Troyes. It was there attacked from the left
side of the river, by a large force under Marshal Oudinot; upon which Blucher
made immediate preparations to burn the bridge which connects the two parts
of the town, and to defend the part on the right bank; the town however
was set on fire, and its defence thereby rendered impracticable; and the
rapid advance of the French saved the bridge from being so far injured,
as to destroy the communication. The party left in the town was obliged,
after a firing of some hours, to give way to the French, who crossed the
bridge. In the mean time, Blucher had drawn up his army in two lines on
a plain, and three battalions of the French having pushed forward to make
a passage for the remainder of their troops, they were driven back over
the bridge, leaving wounded and many prisoners behind them. |
| Blucher being informed that Marmont was marching in
force from Sezanne towards Chalons, he crossed the Aube with his whole army
on the 24th, and followed Marmont, who continued his route to Ferté
sous Jouarre on the Marne. On arriving at Rebais, Blucher was informed that
Marshal Mortier with the young guard had marched from Chateau Thierry, to
make a junction with Marmont, and it being probable that Napoleon hearing
of the march of the army of Silesia in this direction, would detach a force
to the rear of it, the passage of the Marne, in face of the united troops
of Mortier and Marmont became a matter of extreme delicacy. The plan therefore
was adopted, of directing the corps of Sacken and Langeron to march by Coulomiers
upon Meaux, whilst those of D'Yorck and Kleist were to proceed to Ferté
sous Jouarre. The result was, that the two French Marshals precipitately
quitted that town, and the passage of the Marne was effected without difficulty.
Sacken's advanced-guard occupied the suburbs of Meaux, on the left bank
of the river. |
| On the 23rd of February, the French troops with Napoleon
at their head, invested Troyes on all sides, and a Russian aid-de-camp came
to the advanced posts to demand time for evacuating the city, otherwise
it would be set on fire. This threat arrested the movements of the French,
and Troyes was evacuated during the night; Napoleon entered it in the morning,
and there made two thousand prisoners, besides one thousand wounded in the
hospitals. This recovery of the capital of Champagne was a cause of no small
triumph; and the spirits of the Parisians were further supported by the
presentation in grand procession to the Empress, of the colours taken from
the allies. |
| As it is probable this medal was struck on this latter
event, we shall not proceed further with the narrative, but to observe the
allegory of the fish en passant, evidently alludes to the passing
and repassing of rivers (the Seine and Marne). The Victory on the other
side of the eagle cannot be mistaken in its allusion. |
