veered south, the effect of all this was to drive Blucher pell-mell towards
Paris, and he was soon reported at Meaux, 25 miles from the French
capital. Napoleon's strategy was now in ruins. After a brilliant feint that
sent Schwarzenberg eastward, he doubled back for the defence of Paris.
The early days of February severely tested Napoleon's morale, for bad
news rained in on him thick and fast. Paris was in a high state of panic
over Blucher's advance, while Caulaincourt removed the last hope of a
peaceful settlement by reporting from the Chatillon-sur-Seine conference
that the Allies would offer only the 1792 frontiers. There was now fine
detail on Murat's defection in Italy and news that Bulow had taken
Brussels and was besieging Antwerp. The Napoleon of 1812 and 1813
would have sat brooding, but the man of 1814, displaying energies not
seen since his heyday, not only put strong forces into Paris to restore
morale there but, with just 3o,ooo troops made plans to defeat Blucher in
detail before turning south to deal with Schwarzenberg.
Advancing cautiously and hampered by icy and slushy roads and food
shortages, Napoleon took time to get within range of Blucher. Then,
learning that the Prussian field-marshal had divided his forces, he struck
hard. On 10 February he sent Ney and Marmont against the advanced
Prussian positions at Champaubert, inflicting 4,000 losses on the enemy
at cost of two hundred Frenchmen, and providing himself with an
entering wedge between the corps of Y orck and Sack en which Blucher
had foolishly separated. Too late Blucher ordered his two deputies to
concentrate, but Napoleon got to Sacken first. On rr February at
Montmirail he brought off a textbook manoeuvre, pinning Sacken's
Russian allies with artillery fire until Mortier arrived to deliver the
knock-out blow. Timing his movements perfectly, Napoleon then sent in
the Guard for the coup de grace. Montmirail was one of the Guard's great
moments and the victory was particularly to be savoured as the Emperor
had once again defeated a numerically superior enemy (18,ooo against
1o,ooo), inflicting twice as many casualties (4,ooo) and hauling in 3,000
prisoners. Those who claim that the Napoleon of 1814 was the General
Bonaparte of 1796-97 back to his best form are not exaggerating.
Flushed with victory, Napoleon seemed to gain a new lease of life; he
was again the complete commander, full of energy, alert to the slightest
battlefield nuance. In this mood he attacked Y orck at Chateau-Thierry on
12 February; the Prussians fought a desperate rearguard action before
escaping north over the Marne to Soissons. Marching to Yorck's aid,
Blucher sheered off once he heard the Emperor himself was commanding
the French and then had to beat off assaults on his rearguard. In the
marcin
(Marcin)
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