Battle of Craonne

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War of the Sixth Coalition
Lützen – Bautzen – Großbeeren – Katzbach – Dresden – Kulm – Dennewitz – Leipzig – Hanau – La Rothière – Champaubert – Montmirail – Château-Thierry – Vauchamps – Montereau – Craonne – Laon – Arcis-sur-Aube – La Fère-Champenoise - Paris

The Battle of Craonne was fought on March 7, 1814, and resulted in a French victory under Napoleon I of France against Russians and Prussians under General Blücher.

Craonne is a village on the Chemin des Dames, in the département of Aisne.

Marshal Blucher had recovered from his earlier setbacks more quickly than Napoleon Bonaparte had hoped and so the French Emperor was forced to switch his attacks from Field Marshal Schwarzenberg back to the Prussian commander.

Moving with speed and aggression, the French pushed the Allies over the Aube river and while Blucher planned his counter with some 85,000 men, Napoleon's 37,000 troops struck.

Napoleon's aim was to pin the Allies and then launch Marshal Ney, leading a mixed force heavily weighted towards cavalry, in a flanking move.

Unfortunately, for the French, the coordination was poorly timed and Ney not only suffered heavy casualties but the Allies managed to extricate themselves from a sticky situation.

Craonne cost Blucher 5,000 casualties, while Napoleon lost some 5,400.

French soldiers were called "Marie-Louise" (Napoleon's second wife name) because many were too young to have a beard.

[edit] External links

• Napoleon, His Army and Enemies
• The Napoleonic History Magazine