Battle of Issy

The Battle of Issy was a skirmish fought on 3 July 1815 at the village of Issy, a short distance south west of Paris. The result was a victory for Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher over a French army defending Paris.

Prelude

After the French defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, the armies of the Duke of Wellington and Blucher and other Seventh Coalition forces advanced upon Paris. Although a Prussian brigade was defeated in a skirmish at Rocquencourt near Versailles, the movement of the Prussians to the right was not checked. The Prussian I Corps under the command of General Zieten advanced on the 2 July towards the heights of Meudon and Ghatillon and fought a sharp battle for the possession of Sèvres, Moulineaux, and Issy.^[1][2]

Battle

On the 3 July Vandamme led out two strong columns of infantry, supported by cavalry and a formidable train of artillery, and seemed bent on retaking the ground which had been lost on the previous day. For though the French greatly exceeded the Prussians in numbers, they failed to take the village of Issy, and after much firing fell back in disorder. The French were pursued by the Prussian skirmishers up to the outer defences of Paris.^[3]

Aftermath

Issy was the final attempt of the French Army to defend Paris and, with this defeat, all hope of holding Paris faded. Napoleon Bonaparte had already announced his abdication (24 June 1815); unable to remain in France or escape from it, on 15 July he surrendered himself to Captain Maitland of HMS Bellerophon and was transported to England. The full restoration of Louis XVIII followed the emperor’s departure. Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to the island of Saint Helena where he died in May 1821.

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