Battle of Craonne

Battle of Craonne
Part of the Campaign of France of the Sixth Coalition

The battle of Craonne, by Theodore Jung
Date7 March 1814[1]
Location49°26′27″N 3°47′15″E / 49.44083°N 3.78750°E / 49.44083; 3.78750
Result French victory[2][3]
(see the Result section)
Belligerents
First French Empire France Kingdom of Prussia Prussia
Russian Empire Russia
Commanders and leaders
First French Empire Napoleon Bonaparte
First French Empire Michel Ney
First French Empire Étienne de Nansouty
Overall:
Kingdom of Prussia Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher
Russian Empire Ferdinand Fyodorovich Wintzingerode

Craonne:
Russian Empire Mikhail Vorontsov
Strength
Overall:
48,000.
Craonne:
30,000; 102 guns.[4]
Overall:
110,000.
Craonne:
22,300; 96 guns.[4]
Casualties and losses
5,400–8,000[4][1] 5,000[5][1]
Battle of Craonne is located in France
Battle of Craonne
Location within France
Map
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Maps: terms of use
200km
125miles
Paris
22
Battle of Paris (1814) from 30 to 31 March 1814
21
Battle of Saint-Dizier on 26 March 1814
20
Battle of Fère-Champenoise on 25 March 1814
19
Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube from 20 to 21 March 1814
18
Battle of Limonest on 20 March 1814
17
Battle of Reims (1814) from 12 to 13 March 1814
16
Battle of Mâcon (1814) on 11 March 1814
15
Battle of Laon from 9 to 10 March 1814
14
13
Battle of Laubressel on 3 March 1814
12
Battle of Saint-Julien (1814) on 1 March 1814
11
Battle of Gué-à-Tresmes on 28 February 1814
10
Battle of Montereau on 18 February 1814
9
Battle of Mormant on 17 February 1814
8
Battle of Vauchamps on 14 February 1814
7
Battle of Château-Thierry (1814) on 12 February 1814
6
Battle of Montmirail on 11 February 1814
5
Battle of Champaubert on 10 February 1814
4
Battle of Lesmont on 2 February 1814
3
Battle of La Rothière on 1 February 1814
2
Battle of Brienne on 29 January 1814
Bar-sur-Aube
1
First Battle of Bar-sur-Aube on 24 January 1814 Second Battle of Bar-sur-Aube on 27 February 1814
  current battle
  Napoleon in command
  Napoleon not in command

The Battle of Craonne (7 March 1814) was a battle between an Imperial French army under Emperor Napoleon I opposing a combined army of Imperial Russians and Prussians led by Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. The War of the Sixth Coalition engagement began when the bulk of Napoleon's army tried to drive Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov's 22,000 Russians off the Chemin des Dames plateau to the west of Craonne. After a bitter struggle, Napoleon's attacks compelled Vorontsov's force to withdraw, but French casualties exceeded Russian losses. While the battle raged, Blücher's attempt to turn Napoleon's east flank ended in failure due to poor planning.

In late February 1814, Blücher's army separated from the main Allied army of Austrian field marshal Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg, moving northwest and making a dash at Paris. Napoleon left Marshal Jacques MacDonald with one army to observe Schwarzenberg and started after Blücher with another army. Blücher evaded Napoleon's attempt to trap him and retreated north toward Laon, picking up reinforcements as he went. Russian forces under Ferdinand von Wintzingerode and a Prussian corps led by Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bülow would soon give Blücher a huge numerical advantage over the French. Napoleon came into contact with Vorontsov's corps on the evening of 6 March, believing that he had Blücher on the run. The next contest would be the Battle of Laon on 9–10 March.

Craonne is located 25 kilometres (16 mi) southeast of Laon and about 90 kilometres (56 mi) northeast of Paris.[6]

  1. ^ a b c Bodart 1908, p. 476.
  2. ^ Nafziger 2015, p. 249.
  3. ^ Petre 1994, p. 131.
  4. ^ a b c Pigeard 2002, pp. 648–649.
  5. ^ Pigeard 2002, pp. 648–639.
  6. ^ Smith 1998, p. 507.

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