The First Battle of Bar-sur-Aube (24 January 1814) was fought during the

War of the Sixth Coalition In the War of the Sixth Coalition (March 1813 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation, a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, and a number of German States defeated F ...

when

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

Édouard Mortier, duc de Trévise Édouard is both a French given name and a surname, equivalent to Edward in English. Notable people with the name include: * Édouard Balladur (born 1929), French politician * Édouard Boubat (1923–1999), French photographer * Édouard Colonne ( ...

's corps of French Imperial Guards defended against an

Austrians , pop = 8–8.5 million , regions = 7,427,759 , region1 = , pop1 = 684,184 , ref1 = , region2 = , pop2 = 345,620 , ref2 = , region3 = , pop3 = 197,990 , ref3 ...

corps under

Ignaz Gyulai Ignaz is a male given name, related to the name Ignatius. Notable people with this name include: * Franz Ignaz Beck (1734–1807), German musician * Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644–1704), Bohemian-Austrian musician * Ignaz Brüll (1846–1907), ...

and a

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Württ ...

er corps led by Crown Prince Frederick William of Württemberg. After holding his main defensive positions in stiff fighting, Mortier withdrew his elite troops during the night and retreated to

Troyes Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near ...

Bar-sur-Aube Bar-sur-Aube (, literally ''Bar on Aube'') is a commune and a sub-prefecture in the Aube department in the Grand Est region of France. Surrounded by hills and Champagne vineyards, the city is traversed by the river Aube, from which it derive ...

is located east of Troyes. The 1814 Campaign opened with an invasion of eastern France by the main Coalition army led by Austrian

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg Karl Philipp, Fürst zu Schwarzenberg (or Charles Philip, Prince of Schwarzenberg; 18/19 April 1771 – 15 October 1820) was an Austrian Generalissimo. He fought in the Battle of Wagram (1809) but the Austrians lost decisively against Napole ...

and a second army led by Prussian Field Marshal

Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Fürst von Wahlstatt (; 21 December 1742 – 12 September 1819), ''Graf'' (count), later elevated to ''Fürst'' (sovereign prince) von Wahlstatt, was a Prussian '' Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal). He earne ...

. The weak French defending forces were pushed back without too much trouble, except for Mortier's guardsmen near

Langres Langres () is a commune in northeastern France. It is a subprefecture of the department of Haute-Marne, in the region of Grand Est. History As the capital of the Romanized Gallic tribe known as the Lingones, it was called Andematunnum, th ...

. These crack troops made a fighting withdrawal to Bar-sur-Aube where they offered battle in a strong position. Two days after the clash, Emperor

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

joined his reeling forces and the major fighting began.

Invasion

For Emperor

the

Battle of Leipzig The Battle of Leipzig (french: Bataille de Leipsick; german: Völkerschlacht bei Leipzig, ); sv, Slaget vid Leipzig), also known as the Battle of the Nations (french: Bataille des Nations; russian: Битва народов, translit=Bitva ...

was a catastrophe. Of his army, only 60,000–70,000 survivors retreated to the west bank of the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...

River in November 1813. Almost 100,000 of Napoleon's soldiers were left behind in German fortresses and all his German allies abandoned him and joined the Coalition. In the 1814 campaign, Napoleon could act with singleness of purpose since he was both the political and military leader of France. The Coalition's major powers had divergent interests. Czar

Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first King of Congress Poland from 1815, and the Grand Duke of Finland from 1809 to his death. He was the eldest son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. The son o ...

wished to seize

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

and overthrow Napoleon. King

Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, w ...

was ready to go along with the czar and his countrymen were eager to avenge years of French occupation and humiliation. Emperor

Francis I of Austria Francis II (german: Franz II.; 12 February 1768 – 2 March 1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor (from 1792 to 1806) and the founder and Emperor of the Austrian Empire, from 1804 to 1835. He assumed the title of Emperor of Austria in response ...

was less keen on the overthrow of Napoleon, who was married to his daughter Marie Louise and Austria already stood to regain all the territories lost to France. Francis and his minister

Klemens von Metternich Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein ; german: Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar Fürst von Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein (15 May 1773 – 11 June 1859), known as Klemens von Metternich or Prince Metternic ...

feared Russia and Prussia might gain too much power if France were crushed. The Coalition planned to send the main Army of Bohemia under Prince Karl Philipp of Schwarzenberg to invade France via Switzerland and march to

. The Army of Silesia under

was ordered to cross the middle Rhine and advance on Schwarzenberg's right while the Army of the North invaded the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The Coalition armies counted 278,000 Russians, 230,000 Austrians, 162,000 Prussians, 197,000 other Germans and 20,000 Swedes. To oppose this gigantic force, Napoleon had Marshal

Claude Perrin Victor Claude-Victor Perrin, 1st Duke of Belluno (7 December 1764 – 1 March 1841) was a French soldier and military commander who served during both the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was made a Marshal of the Empire ...

with 10,000 men on the upper Rhine, Marshal

Auguste de Marmont Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont (20 July 1774 – 22 March 1852) was a French general and nobleman who rose to the rank of Marshal of the Empire and was awarded the title (french: duc de Raguse). In the Peninsular War Marmont succeede ...

with 13,000 troops, Horace François Sébastiani with 4,500 more on the middle Rhine, Marshal

Jacques MacDonald Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over ...

with 11,500 on the lower Rhine and

Nicolas Joseph Maison Nicolas Joseph Maison, 1st Marquis of Maison (19 December 1771 – 13 February 1840) was a Marshal of France and Minister of War.Charles Antoine Morand and another 15,000 troops were besieged in

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

. At first Napoleon hoped that the invading Allied armies numbered only 80,000 men but they fielded 200,000 troops, to which the French emperor could only oppose 70,000 soldiers. Among Schwarzenberg's formations were the Austrian III Corps under

with 14,732 soldiers and 56 artillery pieces and the Württemberg IV Corps under Crown Prince Frederick William of Württemberg with 14,000 men and 24 guns. To defend his regime, Napoleon planned to conscript 936,000 Frenchmen but only a third were actually called up. Of these, only about one-eighth fought because muskets were not available; large numbers resisted the draft. The emperor eventually drew from his southern armies 11,015 foot soldiers, 3,420 horsemen and 40 guns from Marshal

Jean-de-Dieu Soult Marshal General Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia, (; 29 March 1769 – 26 November 1851) was a French general and statesman, named Marshal of the Empire in 1804 and often called Marshal Soult. Soult was one of only six officers in Frenc ...

and 8,051 infantry, 2,132 cavalry and 18 guns from Marshal

Louis-Gabriel Suchet Louis-Gabriel Suchet (2 March 1770 – 3 January 1826), Duke of Albufera (french: Duc d'Albuféra), was a French Marshal of the Empire and one of the most successful commanders of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He is regarde ...

. Because of the French generals' weak forces, the Coalition armies' advance from the frontiers to the

Marne River The Marne () is a river in France, an eastern tributary of the Seine in the area east and southeast of Paris. It is long. The river gave its name to the departments of Haute-Marne, Marne, Seine-et-Marne, and Val-de-Marne. The Marne starts in t ...

was hardly opposed at all.

Operations

Langres was held by Marshal

with units of the

Imperial Guard An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the Emperor or Empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial forces, i ...

. There were 2,900 troopers of the 1st Guard Cavalry Division under Louis-Marie Leferrière-Levêque and 4,800 men of the 1st Old Guard Division under

Louis Friant Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis ...

. On the evening of 12 January 1814, at

Chatenay-Vaudin Chatenay-Vaudin () is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Haute-Marne department The following is a list of the 426 communes in the French department of Haute-Marne. The communes coope ...

, 300 guardsmen surprised a strong Austrian patrol from Gyulai's III Corps, capturing 27 soldiers and killing the rest. The next day, French probes captured 60 Austrians at Chaudenay and killed 44 Bavarians at Longeau-Percey while losing only 3 killed and 20 wounded. Intimidated by Mortier's aggressive patrolling, Gyulai stopped for several days and waited for reinforcements. On the night of 16/17 January, Mortier evacuated Langres and retreated north to

Chaumont Chaumont can refer to: Places Belgium * Chaumont-Gistoux, a municipality in the province of Walloon Brabant France * Chaumont-Porcien, in the Ardennes ''département'' * Chaumont, Cher, in the Cher ''département'' * Chaumont-le-Bois, in the C ...

. Urged by the townspeople, the small Langres garrison surrendered to Gyulai's troops at 6:00 pm on 17 January. Schwarzenberg sent the Russian 3rd Cuirassier Division under Ilya Mikhailovich Duka down the west bank of the Marne toward Chaumont and the Crown Prince of Württemberg's IV Corps down the east bank. On 18 January, Duka's horsemen charged straight into an ambush at

Marnay-sur-Marne Marnay-sur-Marne (, literally ''Marnay on Marne'') is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Haute-Marne department The following is a list of the 426 communes in the French department of ...

. After a number of losses, the cavalry fell back and called on Gyulai for infantry support. That day near Chaumont, the Württemberg 9th Jäger Battalion tried to capture the bridge at Choignes in a downpour. The Germans rushed across and nearly captured the village but were routed by a Guard Foot

Grenadier A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was originally a specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in battle. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited from ...

bayonet attack that inflicted numerous casualties and took 60 prisoners. The action ended in an inconclusive artillery duel. Mortier was in a strong position but anxious that the continual retreats of his fellow marshals would cause his forces to become trapped. He decided to withdraw north-west to

Colombey-les-Deux-Églises Colombey-les-Deux-Églises (, literally ''Colombey the Two Churches'') is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France. It is best known as the home of Charles de Gaulle. The municipality of Colombey-les-Deux-Églises was cre ...

on 19 January. Schwarzenberg had an opportunity to drive forward and crush the French forces before him. Instead he called a halt at Langres while diverting Hieronymus Karl Colloredo-Mansfeld's I Corps and Prince Frederick of Hesse-Homburg's Reserve Corps to seize

Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earlies ...

to the south. Militarily this move made little sense but he was carrying out the instructions of Metternich to avoid major fighting. By nature a cautious general, Schwarzenberg was jittery about his lengthening supply lines stretching back to the Rhine, partly explaining the Army of Bohemia's slow per day advance.

Battle

Mortier reached Bar-sur-Aube on 20 January and that afternoon his force was joined by the 2nd Old Guard Division led by

Charles-Joseph Christiani Baron Charles-Joseph Christiani (27 February 17726 April 1840) was a French Army '' Maréchal de camp'' who served during the Napoleonic Wars. Career Born in Strasbourg, Christiani was originally a private in the French Revolutionary Army and rose ...

and the 113th Line Infantry Regiment under Louis Auguste Victor de Bourmont. Mortier complained in a letter to Napoleon's

Chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

Marshal

Louis-Alexandre Berthier Louis-Alexandre Berthier (20 November 1753 – 1 June 1815), Prince of Neuchâtel and Valangin, Prince of Wagram, was a French Marshal of the Empire who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was twice Minister ...

, that Christiani's division had fewer than 3,000 men. Bourmont's regiment counted 1,800 soldiers. On 21 January, Mortier got a message that Napoleon was approaching his position and this made the marshal more determined to fight it out. During the next few days major units of the Army of Bohemia remained inert though both the III and IV Corps gathered intelligence of Mortier's positions from patrols. The arrival of Czar Alexander at the front on 22 January forced Schwarzenberg's hand. Alexander urged Schwarzenberg to advance and when the Austrian made weak excuses, the czar accused him of sabotaging the campaign. To placate Alexander, Schwarzenberg agreed to a plan of attack that Gyulai and the Crown Prince submitted to his headquarters. Dubufe - Marshal Mortier

On 23 January, Mortier became aware of Allied movements that indicated there would be a fight the following day. He found that several thousand Don Cossacks under

Matvei Platov Count Matvei Ivanovich Platov (8 (19) August 1753 – 3 (15) January 1818) was a Russian general who commanded the Don Cossacks in the Napoleonic wars and founded Novocherkassk as the new capital of the Don Host Province. Biography Platov ...

lurked at Doulevant-le-Château only to the north-east. He sent 500 infantry and 500 cavalry north to Trémilly where they drove off Platov's horsemen that evening. Mortier sent Bourmont's 113th Line to guard the bridge over the

Aube Aube () is a French department in the Grand Est region of north-eastern France. As with sixty departments in France, this department is named after a river: the Aube. With 310,242 inhabitants (2019),Dolancourt Dolancourt () is a Communes of France, commune in the Aube Departments of France, department in north-central France. Population See also *Communes of the Aube department *Parc naturel régional de la Forêt d'Orient References

...

just north-west of Bar-sur-Aube. The Horse Grenadiers of the Imperial Guard were posted between Dolancourt and Bar. One infantry regiment and three field guns watched his line of retreat near Spoy to the west of Bar. Two battalions and the Guard Chasseurs à Cheval held Fontaine south-east of Bar. The 2nd Division plus one battalion of the 1st Division were deployed across the Chaumont highway east of Bar supported by a 20-gun battery. Guarding the Boudelin Bridge to the east of Fontaine were 14 artillery pieces. Seven guns covered the bridge over the Aube in Bar. The remaining six field pieces were with Louis-Michel Letort de Lorville's four battalions and four squadrons at Colombey-les-Deux-Églises to the east of Bar. Mortier had 13,000 troops watching the approaches to Bar from the east and south. Another source credited the French with 14,200 troops. Gyulai Ignaz

According to their plan, Gyulai would assault Bar-sur-Aube at the same time that the Crown Prince attacked Colombey-les-Deux-Églises and Platov turned Mortier's left flank. To trap Letort's force, Ludwig von Stockmayer with three light infantry battalions, four cavalry squadrons and one horse artillery battery set out from

Juzennecourt Juzennecourt () is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France. Geography The river Blaise flows through the commune. See also *Communes of the Haute-Marne department The following is a list of the 426 communes in the Fre ...

at 9:00 am and marched west to Montheries. At that village, they planned to turn north through the Dhuits Forest and come into the main highway west of Colombey-les-Deux-Églises while other forces would attack Letort frontally. At 10:00 am, Karl August Maxmilian von Jett with two battalions of the 7th Infantry Regiment, four squadrons of Jäger cavalry, one squadron of hussars and one horse battery began to advance along the Chaumont-Bar highway. Jett was supported by one battalion of the 6th Infantry, the 3rd Dragoons and one foot artillery battery. Inexplicably, eight battalions, one cavalry regiment and one foot battery were left at Chaumont without orders. Including those left behind, the IV Corps numbered 12,000–13,000 men. The Crown Prince directed the support column in person. At 11:00 am Gyulai's columns began to come into action against the Mortier's southern defenses. By some staff blunder, Stockmayer's column left Montheries without a guide and missed the correct road. Instead of coming in behind Letort's troops, it emerged from the Dhuits Forest on the south side of Colombey-les-Deux-Églises. Spotting the danger, Letort evaded the trap and fell back toward Lignol. The Crown Prince led his 2nd and 4th Cavalry Regiments forward in attempt to cut the French off but supports arrived in time to help Letort pull back to the main French defense line near

Voigny Voigny () is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France. Population See also *Communes of the Aube department The following is a list of the 431 communes of the Aube department of France. The communes cooperate in the foll ...

. An attempted Württemberger advance was stopped by Mortier's 20-gun battery. The Crown Prince decided not to engage the French Guard infantry and withdrew his troops to Lignol, until Gyulai's advance showed some progress and conducted an artillery duel until dark. The German gunners managed to blow up two ammunition wagons and put some French guns out of action. Platov's Cossacks declined to cooperate with the Württembergers. Gyulai conducted his assault on the south side with more intensity. His troops marched north along the west bank of the Aube in two columns. The right column under

Louis Aloysius, Prince of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein Louis Aloysius, Prince of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein (german: Ludwig Aloysius Prinz zu Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein; 18 August 1765 – 30 May 1829) was a German prince and Marshal of France. He commanded a division of Austrian soldiers ...

cleared the French outposts from

Bayel Bayel () is a Communes of France, commune in the Aube Departments of France, department in the Grand Est region of north-central France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Bayellois'' or ''Bayelloises''. The commune has been awarded ...

while the left column under Joseph von Haecht pushed the French from

Baroville Baroville () is a commune in the Aube department in the Grand Est region of north-central France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Barovillois'' or ''Barovilloises''. Geography Baroville is located some 25 km west by north-w ...

. Hohenlohe's division repeatedly tried to storm the Boudelin bridge but each assault withered under the fire of the 14-gun battery. At Fontaine, Haecht's division overran the village three times but each time they were driven out by Christiani's guardsmen. Gyulai tried to break off the combat but found his own troops under attack by the French in a prolonged struggle for the Aube crossings. At 6:00 pm the Austrians captured the Boudelin bridge but Gyulai decided not to try to cut off Mortier's retreat. The Austrian general became angry that his Württemberger allies remained in place while his corps bore the brunt of the combat; evening ended the fighting.

Aftermath

One authority stated that the Allies sustained 1,400 casualties out of 12,500 men but listed only Austrian III Corps units. French losses were given as 500 killed and wounded and 200 captured out of an engaged total of 5,885 infantry, 2,567 cavalry and 50 guns. Another source asserted that each side suffered about 1,000 casualties. The French took about 100 Allied prisoners. A third source gave Allied losses as 1,500 killed and wounded plus 100 captured. The French reported losing only 400–500 casualties but an Allied officer claimed that the French lost 1,000 killed and wounded plus 200 captured. The same officer counted 900 Württemberger casualties which suggested that they fought harder than their allies realized. The Austrians reported 647 killed and wounded and 190 missing. At 11:00 pm, Mortier notified Napoleon of his plans to retreat to

Vendeuvre-sur-Barse Vendeuvre-sur-Barse (, literally ''Vendeuvre on Barse'') is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France. Geography The Barse has its source in the commune, under the chateau. Population Vendeuvre-sur-Barse_Eglise_R05.jpg, ...

and immediately sent orders for his troops to begin evacuating Bar-sur-Aube. The march discipline of the Imperial Guard was so good that the Allies were unaware of their departure until the next morning. Gyulai's corps did not begin the pursuit until the afternoon then it quickly halted at the broken bridge at Spoy. Gyulai mistakenly reported that the French retreated to Châlons-sur-Marne when Mortier was heading for

. The Crown Prince's troops halted and bivouacked in the area. After interrogating his prisoners, Mortier concluded that the Crown Prince's corps numbered 12,000–15,000 men while Gyulai had 30,000. He reported to the emperor that the Allies employed 60 artillery pieces against him including heavy 12-pounder batteries. On 26 January, Napoleon arrived at Châlons-sur-Marne and the

Battle of Brienne The Battle of Brienne (29 January 1814) saw an Imperial French army led by Emperor Napoleon attack Prussian and Russian forces commanded by Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. After heavy fighting that went on into the n ...

was fought on 29 January 1814. Historian David G. Chandler stated that Mortier suffered a "narrow defeat" while

Francis Loraine Petre Francis Loraine Petre (22 February 1852 – 6 May 1925) was a British civil servant in India and a military historian upon his retirement. He wrote a two-volume regimental history of the Norfolk Regiment, but is best known for his works on the ...

reported that the action was "indecisive". On the other hand,

Digby Smith Digby Smith (born 1 January 1935) is a British military historian. The son of a British career soldier, he was born in Hampshire, England, but spent several years in India and Pakistan as a child and youth. As a "boy soldier", he entered train ...

called the battle a "French victory".

Forces

French Order of Battle

According to a report dated 25 January 1814, the day after the battle,

General of Division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army co ...

Friant's 1st Old Guard Division numbered 4,705 soldiers, including the 1st Foot Chasseur Regiment, 1,265 men, 2nd Foot Chasseurs, 898 men, 1st Foot Grenadiers, 1,393 men, and 2nd Foot Grenadiers, 1,044 men. Each regiment consisted of 1st and 2nd Battalions and there were also 105 Guard sappers. General of Brigade Christiani's 2nd Old Guard Division numbered 3,878 soldiers, including the Flanquer-Chasseur Regiment, 1,042 men, Flanquer-Grenadiers, 285 men, Velites of Turin, 333 men, Velites of Florence, 164 men, Fusilier-Chasseurs, 1,366 men, and Fusilier-Grenadiers, 688 men. General of Division Laferrière-Levêque's 1st Guard Cavalry Division was made up of 2,228 horsemen, including the Guard Chasseurs à Cheval, 585 troopers, Guard Dragoons, 734 troopers, and Guard Horse Grenadiers, 909 troopers.

General of Brigade Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Bourmont's 1st, 3rd and 4th Battalions of the 113th Line counted 2,173 troops. The Guard artillery included seven foot artillery companies with 459 gunners, four horse artillery companies with 319 gunners, an artillery train with 665 drivers and 21 pontoon men. The French employed 50 artillery pieces.

Austrian Order of Battle

In a report from 1 January 1814,

Feldzeugmeister ''Feldzeugmeister'' was a historical military rank in some German and the Austro-Hungarian armies, especially in use for the artillery. It was commonly used in the 16th or 17th century, but could even be found at the beginning of the 20th century i ...

Gyulai's III Austrian Corps numbered 15,261 troops in three divisions led by

Feldmarschall-Leutnant Lieutenant field marshal, also frequently historically field marshal lieutenant (german: Feldmarschall-Leutnant, formerly , historically also and, in official Imperial and Royal Austrian army documents from 1867 always , abbreviated ''FML''), was ...

s Louis Charles Folliot de Crenneville, Prince Hohenlohe and Jean Charles Hennequin de Fresnel. The corps reserve artillery included three foot batteries armed with six 12-pound and 12 6-pound cannons. Crenneville's division consisted of two brigades supported by a horse artillery battery of six 6-pounders.

General-major Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Haecht commanded seven squadrons of the Klenau

Chevau-léger The Chevau-légers (from French ''cheval''—horse—and ''léger''—light) was a generic French name for several units of light and medium cavalry. Their history began in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, when the heavy cavalry forces ...

Regiment and one battalion of the St. George Warasdiner

Grenz Infantry Grenz infantry or Grenzers or Granichary (from german: Grenzer "border guard" or "frontiersman"; Serbo-Croatian: graničari, krajišnici, sr-cyr, граничари, крајишници, Russian Cyrillic: граничары) were light infant ...

Regiment. The second brigade of General-major Joseph Friedrich von der Trenck consisted of six squadrons of the Rosenberg Dragoon Regiment and another St. George Grenz battalion. Hohenlohe's division was made up of two brigades, each with a foot artillery battery of eight 6-pound cannons. General-major Franz Splényi de Miháldy's brigade had two battalions each of Infantry Regiments Mariassy Nr. 37 and Ignaz Gyulai Nr. 60. General-major Anton Grimmer von Riesenburg's brigade had two battalions each of Infantry Regiments Fröhlich Nr. 28 and Kollowrat Nr. 36. Fresnel's division counted two brigades, each with a foot battery of eight 6-pounders. General-major Philipp Pflüger von Lindenfels's brigade had two battalions each of Infantry Regiments Würzburg Nr. 7 and Archduke Ludwig Nr. 8. General-major Markus von Csollich's brigade had two battalions each of Infantry Regiments Kaiser Nr. 1 and Kottulinsky Nr. 41.

Württemberg Order of Battle

On 1 January 1814, Field Marshal the Crown Prince of Württemberg's IV Corps comprised an infantry division commanded by

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Christian Johann Gottgetreu von Koch and a cavalry division under Lieutenant General Prince Adam von Württemberg, a total of 11,569 troops. General-major Stockmeyer's 1st Brigade consisted of two battalions of King Frederick Jäger Regiment Nr. 9 and one battalion of Light Infantry Regiment Nr. 10. General-major Christoph Friedrich David Döring's 2nd Brigade included two battalions each of Infantry Regiments Duke Wilhelm Nr. 2, Nr. 3 and Nr. 7 plus the 1st Foot Artillery Battery. Prince Karl von Hohenlohe-Kirchberg's 3rd Brigade was made up of two battalions each of Infantry Regiments Nr. 4 and Crown Prince Nr. 6 and the 2nd Foot Battery. General-major Walsleben's cavalry brigade had four squadrons each of Duke Louis Jäger Cavalry Regiment Nr. 2 and Crown Prince Dragoon Regiment Nr. 3 and the 1st Horse Artillery Battery. General-major Jett's cavalry brigade had four squadrons of Prince Adam Jäger Cavalry Regiment Nr. 4 and the 2nd Horse Battery. Each battery was armed with four 6-pound cannons and two howitzers. Between 1 January and 13 March, Jäger Cavalry Regiment Nr. 5, Prince Friedrich Infantry Regiment Nr. 5 and Land Regiments (

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

) Nrs. 3–6 joined the corps.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bar-sur-Aube, First Battle of 1814 in France Battles of the Napoleonic Wars Battles of the War of the Sixth Coalition Battles involving Austria Battles involving France Battles involving Württemberg Aube Conflicts in 1814 January 1814 events