received 3o,ooo Russian reinforcements, more than making good his lost
numbers. It was as if Napoleon's victories had never been achieved.
Reasonably confident that Blucher would take time to lick his wounds
after such a mauling, Napoleon left Marmont and Mortier in a holding
position at Vauchamps, and swung away south-east in pursuit of
Schwarzenberg, whose cavalry patrols were already probing Melun and
Fontainebleau. After marching 47 miles in 36 hours, he hurled his forces,
now 6o,ooo strong, against the Austrians. In engagements at Mormant
and Valjiouan the French generals carried all before them. For the fourth
time on this campaign the supremely useless Victor ruined things.
Commanded to march through the night to catch the enemy at
Monterreau, he disobeyed orders, thus allowing the Austrians to dig in
behind strong positions. Napoleon angrily dismissed him, replaced him
with General Gerard, then brought off another superb victory by sending
in his cavalry at just the right moment. For the loss of 2,50 0 the French
inflicted casualties of 6,ooo.
Yet another French success at Mery-sur-Seine on 21 February left the
Allies demoralized and in disarray. Having won seven battles in eight
days, Napoleon was again offered the 1792 frontiers as the basis for peace
but, flushed with his string of recent successes, turned the offer down.
He intended to pursue Schwarzenberg to Troyes, forcing him to make a
stand there, but learned to his dismay that Blucher had managed to link
up with him there. Disheartened, Napoleon sent word through his
envoys that he would accept the 1792 frontiers, only to be told that the
offer was revoked. Even so, had the Allies stood to face him at Troyes,
Napoleon, with 70,000 against Ioo,ooo might have won a great victory.
But at a council of war between Blucher and Schwarzenberg in Troyes on
22 February, the Allies agreed to withdraw: Blucher would head north to
the Marne to link up with Bulow and divert attention from Schwarzen
berg, who would retire to Langres. Consequently, Napoleon entered
Troyes to a greeting far warmer than his last one; the burghers had had
enough of Germanic depredations.
From a military point of view Napoleon's position at the end of
February looked promising. But the apparent situation masked a host of
problems: t he Emperor had reached the end of his ingenuity, his armies
were exhausted, there were no recruits, France seemed sunk in apathy
and morale in the army failed to pick up. Ominously, too, the Allies'
political will was growing stronger. After conferences between Castle
reagh, Czar, Kaiser and Austrian Emperor at Bar-sur-Aube on 25
February and again at Chaumont on 1 March, it was agreed that Britain
marcin
(Marcin)
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