At a glance
- About 85,000 Allies against 45,000 French
- Fought in heavy snow; muskets misfire, bayonets decide
- Wrede's Bavarians break through at Chaumesnil
- French lose about 6,000 men and 50–60 guns
- First defeat on French soil, but the Allies grow careless
The full account
Napoleon stayed around Brienne for two days. Commandant Weil suggests that he was reluctant to retreat because of the effect it would have on opinion in Paris. Those two days let the Allies concentrate. On 1 February, Blücher, with troops lent by Schwarzenberg, attacked a French line about seven miles long that ran from Dienville on the Aube through La Rothière to Morvilliers.
The snow was so heavy that the priming in the flintlocks would not fire, and Sacken’s Russians went in with the bayonet. La Rothière changed hands in savage fighting, and Rottembourg’s Young Guard division made a famous evening counter-attack. On the French left, Wrede’s Bavarians had refused Schwarzenberg’s order to march elsewhere. They broke through at Chaumesnil, and it was this that decided the day.
Napoleon lost about 6,000 men and between 50 and 60 guns, and retreated over the Aube at Lesmont towards Troyes. The Allies were jubilant and raised their peace terms at Châtillon. They also made the decision that would give Napoleon his chance: they separated again.
Why it mattered
It was a heavy defeat, but it led the Allies to overconfidence. Blücher and Schwarzenberg divided their forces, and that opened the way for the Six Days.
