HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Battle of Gué-à-Tresmes (28 February–1 March 1814) was fought between 14,500 French troops led by
Marshals 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 of ...
Auguste de Marmont Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont, duc de Raguse (; 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 (). In the Peninsular War Marmont succeeded th ...
and
Édouard Mortier 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 ...
and 12,000 Prussians commanded by
Friedrich Graf Kleist von Nollendorf Friedrich Emil Ferdinand Heinrich von Kleist, granted the title Graf Kleist von Nollendorf from 1814 onwards (9 April 1762 – 17 February 1823), was a Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal and a member of the old ' fam ...
and Friedrich von Katzler. On 28 February the French attacked and drove the Prussians to the north along the west bank of the river
Ourcq The Ourcq (, ''Urc'' in 855) is an river in France, a right tributary of the Marne (river), Marne. Its source is near the village Ronchères, Aisne, Ronchères, and its course crosses the departments of France, departments of Aisne, Oise, and ...
. That evening and the next day Kleist tried to push the French back while Russian units under Peter Mikhailovich Kaptzevich tried to cross from the east to the west bank of the Ourcq; the Allies were unsuccessful. Gué-à-Tresmes (Tresmes Ford) is located where Route D405 crosses the Thérouanne stream about northeast of
Meaux Meaux () is a Communes of France, commune on the river Marne (river), Marne in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the ÃŽle-de-France Regions of France, region in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, Franc ...
. In late February,
Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher (; 21 December 1742 – 12 September 1819), ''Graf'' (count), later elevated to ''Fürst'' (prince) von Wahlstatt, was a Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal). He earned his greatest ...
's Allied Army of Silesia advanced west toward Paris, pressing a badly outnumbered French force before it. When Kleist's Prussian II Corps took a menacing position on the north bank of the river Marne near Meaux, the French attacked and pushed their adversaries back. When he learned that
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
's army was fast approaching from the southeast, Blücher abandoned the effort to force a way past Marmont and Mortier and began retreating to the north. The action occurred during the Campaign in north-east France, part of the
War of the Sixth Coalition In the War of the Sixth Coalition () (December 1812 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation (), a coalition of Austrian Empire, Austria, Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia, Russian Empire, Russia, History of Spain (1808– ...
.


Background


Schwarzenberg retreats

On 18 February 1814,
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
mauled a Coalition corps led by Crown Prince Fredrick William of Württemberg in the Battle of Montereau. After this defeat the Austrian field marshal
Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg Karl Philipp, Fürst zu House of Schwarzenberg, Schwarzenberg (or Charles Philip, Prince of Schwarzenberg; 18/19 April 1771 – 15 October 1820) was an Habsburg monarchy, Austrian Generalissimo and former Field Marshal. He first entered milita ...
ordered the Army of Bohemia to withdraw to
Troyes Troyes () is a Communes of France, commune and the capital of the Departments of France, 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 ...
. Schwarzenberg requested that his ally
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher (; 21 December 1742 – 12 September 1819), ''Graf'' (count), later elevated to ''Fürst'' (prince) von Wahlstatt, was a Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal). He earned his greatest ...
help defend his northern flank at Méry-sur-Seine; the Prussian general immediately marched to his aid. The Austrian intended to offer battle on 21–22 February near Troyes. However, bad news from his commander in the south, Prince Frederick VI of Hesse-Homburg altered his plans. With Marshal
Pierre Augereau Charles Pierre François Augereau, duc de Castiglione (; 21 October 1757 – 12 June 1816) was a French military commander and a Marshal of the Empire who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. After serving in the ...
threatening to retake
Chalon-sur-Saône Chalon-sur-Saône (, literally ''Chalon on Saône'') is a city in the Saône-et-Loire Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefectu ...
and Jean Gabriel Marchand marching on
Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
, Schwarzenberg detached Vincenzo Federico Bianchi and the Austrian I Corps plus other troops. Bianchi was ordered to march to
Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...
and reinforce Hesse-Homburg's forces. At Troyes, Schwarzenberg had 90,000 troops and Blücher had 50,000 soldiers to pit against 75,000 men under Napoleon. Schwarzenberg's intelligence services habitually overrated French strength so he remained unaware of his nearly two-to-one superiority. The Allied soldiers had worn-out uniforms and not enough food in a region that had been stripped of supplies by both sides. On 22 February the French launched probing attacks on the Allied positions from Méry to Troyes. That day, Marshal
Nicolas Oudinot Nicolas Charles Oudinot, duc de Reggio (; 25 April 1767 – 13 September 1847), was a French general of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He is known to have been wounded 34 times in battle, being hit by artillery shells, sa ...
's infantry cleared Méry of enemy troops and gained a foothold on the far bank, but they proved unable to hold their bridgehead against Coalition counterattacks. In this action, 3,600 French troops from Pierre François Xavier Boyer's division fought against 5,000 Russians from Alexei Grigorievich Scherbatov's VI Infantry Corps of Fabian Wilhelm von Osten-Sacken's command and 1,200 men from
Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg Johann David Ludwig Graf Yorck von Wartenburg (born von Yorck; 26 September 1759 – 4 October 1830) was a Prussian ''Generalfeldmarschall'' instrumental in the Kingdom of Prussia ending an alliance with France to form one with Russia during ...
's Prussian I Corps. That evening Schwarzenberg ordered his army to withdraw behind the river
Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...
, except for Ignaz Gyulai's III Corps, which was directed to move southeast to
Bar-sur-Seine Bar-sur-Seine (, literally ''Bar on Seine'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Aube Departments of France, department in the Grand Est region of north-central France. In the middle ages it constituted the Châtellenie de Bar-sur-Seine (). ...
. Disappointed that his Austrian colleague was determined to retreat, Blücher requested permission to operate independently and it was granted him. He hoped to join forces with two corps under Ferdinand von Wintzingerode and
Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bülow Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bülow, Graf von Dennewitz (16 February 175525 February 1816) was a Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian general of the Napoleonic Wars. Early life Bülow was born in Falkenberg (Wische), Falkenberg, in the Altmark, and wa ...
and advance toward Paris by a northerly route. Meanwhile, on 23 February Schwarzenberg's army withdrew to the east. The Coalition leaders sent an envoy to Napoleon to propose a truce, but the emperor's unreasonable conditions nixed the plan.


Blücher's offensive

With 53,000 troops, Blücher's Army of Silesia began moving north on the morning of 24 February, destroying the bridges at Arcis-sur-Aube and Plancy-l'Abbaye behind it. That evening he received an order from Schwarzenberg to withdraw east and form the right flank of the Army of Bohemia. Since this would have exposed his march to a French attack, Blücher ignored his instructions and continued marching northwest toward Sézanne. Marshal
Auguste de Marmont Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont, duc de Raguse (; 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 (). In the Peninsular War Marmont succeeded th ...
was at Sézanne with 6,000 soldiers on the evening of 24 February. Detecting the build up of Allied forces in his direction, the French marshal withdrew to the Vindey heights to the west of Sézanne. On 26 February Marmont fell back west toward La Ferté-Gaucher, while calling for Marshal
Édouard Mortier 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 ...
to join him at La Ferté-sous-Jouarre. Between Marmont and Mortier there were only 10,000 soldiers. On 27 February the two French marshals burned the bridge at La Ferté-sous-Jouarre before crossing the river Marne at Triport. Once on the west bank, Mortier turned north toward
Varreddes Varreddes () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the ÃŽle-de-France region in north-central France. The '' American Monument'', also called locally ''Monument de Varreddes'', is located in Meaux on the road to Varreddes. The memori ...
while Marmont moved east toward Meaux. Forming the
rearguard A rearguard or rear security is a part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or Withdrawal (military), withdrawal. The term can also be used to describe forces protecting lines, such as Line of c ...
, Étienne Pierre Sylvestre Ricard's 8th Infantry Division and Jean-Pierre Doumerc's cavalry repulsed Fabian Gottlieb von Osten-Sacken's pursuing troops and burned the bridge at Trilport. As Marmont's troops approached Meaux, they found Russians in possession. Sacken's Russian cavalry appeared at the first bridge at Meaux and routed the 1,600 French National Guards that defended the span. The Russians quickly fanned out into the city streets while a 4-gun battery began shelling the market place. Marmont quickly gathered up the nearest available body of French soldiers and led them in an attack that drove the Russians back to the bridge. French artillery rapidly moved through the city streets and silenced the Russian battery. The French sustained 100 casualties in the skirmish. Marmont finally gained control of the Meaux bridge and demolished it. Earlier, Mortier detached a force of 300 cavalry and 500 infantry led by Henri Baltazard Vincent. Finding himself isolated at
Château-Thierry Château-Thierry (; Picard: ''Catieu-Thierry'') is a French commune situated in the department of the Aisne, in the administrative region of Hauts-de-France, and in the historic Province of Champagne. The origin of the name of the town is u ...
, Vincent slipped out of the city on the night of 26 February. With Allied forces at large in the area, Vincent's soldiers abandoned the main roads and moved across country to reach
Lizy-sur-Ourcq Lizy-sur-Ourcq (, literally ''Lizy on Ourcq'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the ÃŽle-de-France Regions of France, region in north-central France. Population Inhabitants are called '' ...
. In doing so, Vincent avoided Friedrich von Katzler's Prussian advanced guard which counted three cavalry regiments, three fusilier (light infantry) and two
grenadier A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was historically an assault-specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in siege operation battles. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when ...
battalions, two jäger companies and a half-battery of artillery. During the day Katzler reached the Marne at La Ferté-sous-Jouarre and established a bridge at Sammeron. After crossing the river, Katzler found Vincent's force at Lizy-sur-Ourcq and drove it out of the village. Behind him,
Friedrich Graf Kleist von Nollendorf Friedrich Emil Ferdinand Heinrich von Kleist, granted the title Graf Kleist von Nollendorf from 1814 onwards (9 April 1762 – 17 February 1823), was a Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal and a member of the old ' fam ...
's Prussian II Corps crossed to the north bank of the Marne. Marmont and Mortier informed
Joseph Bonaparte Joseph Bonaparte (born Giuseppe di Buonaparte, ; ; ; 7 January 176828 July 1844) was a French statesman, lawyer, diplomat and older brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. During the Napoleonic Wars, the latter made him King of Naples (1806–1808), an ...
at
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
of their predicament; they were badly outnumbered and the capital was threatened. Raking up every available soldier from the Paris depots, Joseph immediately sent 1,300 foot soldiers and 100
lancers A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as and subsequently by India, Egypt, China, Persia, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the M ...
to the two marshals. Soon afterward, the 3,600-man 3rd Provisional Guard Infantry Division under
Paul-Jean-Baptiste Poret de Morvan Paul-Jean-Baptiste Poret de Morvan (; 14 April 1777 – 17 February 1834), baron of the First French Empire, Empire, was a French officer during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars, who rose to the rank of general officer, gener ...
was organized and sent, together with 800 cavalry and 48 artillery pieces. After Blücher's army left his front, Napoleon was not sure of its intentions or direction. The French emperor left Marshal Claude Perrin Victor's corps at Méry-sur-Seine and Marshal
Michel Ney Michel Ney, 1st Prince de la Moskowa, 1st Duke of Elchingen (; 10 January 1769 â€“ 7 December 1815), was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. The son of ...
's corps at Arcis-sur-Aube to watch to the north. On 26 February Napoleon reinforced Ney with Nicolas-François Roussel d'Hurbal's cavalry division and Pierre Boyer's infantry brigade. Even so, Napoleon did not believe Blücher was driving toward Paris. On the morning of 27 February, Napoleon finally received conclusive reports that Blücher's army was advancing on Paris and had gained a 3-day head start. The French emperor ordered Marshal
Jacques MacDonald Jacques or Jacq 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 one hundred identified noble families related t ...
to take command of the 42,000 troops opposing Schwarzenberg along the river
Aube Aube ( ) is a French departments of France, department in the Grand Est region of northeastern France. As with sixty departments in France, this department is named after a river: the Aube (river), Aube. With 310,242 inhabitants (2019),
. MacDonald would have the II, VII and
XI Corps 11 Corps, 11th Corps, Eleventh Corps, or XI Corps may refer to: * 11th Army Corps (France) * XI Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XI Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army * ...
and the II Cavalry, V Cavalry and VI Cavalry Corps. Napoleon took 35,000 troops and began marching northwest toward Sézanne and La Ferté-Gaucher in Blücher's wake. At nightfall on 27 February, Victor, 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 and/or empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial force ...
and Napoleon were in Sézanne while Ney's infantry, the Imperial Guard cavalry and Roussel's cavalry were in
Esternay Esternay () is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. Its sister city is Chatham, New Jersey. See also *Communes of the Marne department The following is a list of the 610 communes in the French department of Marne. ...
, west of Sézanne. The cavalry of Étienne Tardif de Pommeroux de Bordesoulle and the infantry of Jean-Toussaint Arrighi de Casanova were coming up on Ney's left flank.


Battle


28 February action

Kleist's Prussians rebuilt the bridge over the river
Ourcq The Ourcq (, ''Urc'' in 855) is an river in France, a right tributary of the Marne (river), Marne. Its source is near the village Ronchères, Aisne, Ronchères, and its course crosses the departments of France, departments of Aisne, Oise, and ...
at Lizy and crossed to the west bank. They swung left and moved southwest to the Thérouanne stream. Since Sacken had pulled back from Meaux, Marmont and Mortier deduced that Blücher intended to envelop their left flank near Lizy. Therefore, on 28 February the two marshals moved northeast toward Lizy where they knew Kleist spent the previous night. Leading Mortier's advanced guard, Vincent bumped into Kleist's forward positions at Gué-à-Tresmes at 4:00 pm. Farther west near Étrépilly, Vincent cavalry charged and threw back Katzeler's outpost line. The 2nd Old Guard Division under Charles-Joseph Christiani appeared in front of Gué-à-Tresmes and took the Prussian positions under fire with 24 artillery pieces. Katzeler had the Haase Combined Fusilier Battalion, the Fusilier Battalion of the 2nd West Prussian Regiment and the Hüllesheim Combined Musketeer Battalion in line to oppose the French. Kleist sent the Brandenburg
Uhlan Uhlan (; ; ; ; ) is a type of light cavalry, primarily armed with a lance. The uhlans started as Grand Ducal Lithuanian Army, Lithuanian irregular cavalry, that were later also adopted by other countries during the 18th century, including Polis ...
s to guard Katzeler's left flank while ordering Colonel Blücher's cavalry brigade to support the right flank. An artillery duel between French and Prussian cannons followed, during which Kleist formed his 9th and 10th Brigades on both sides of the main highway. Christiani sent his 1st Brigade to attack Gué-à-Tresmes in front while the Fusilier-Chasseur Regiment hit the village on the right side. The assault was successful in forcing the Linsingen Combined Battalion, the 2nd Silesian Combined Battalion and two more battalions to withdraw from Gué-à-Tresmes. As Kleist's corps withdrew to the northeast, the Prussians dismantled the bridge at Lizy. Mortier's corps swung to the right to face Lizy while Marmont's corps aggressively plunged after Kleist's men. The Prussian 9th Brigade made a stand at Le Plessis-Placy and a charge by one squadron of the Silesian Uhlans managed to stop two pursuing French battalions. By midnight Kleist's corps was pushed behind the Gergogne stream. Back at Lizy, Mortier repulsed an assault by two regiments from Peter Mikhailovich Kaptzevich's Russian corps. Kleist believed that he faced Napoleon because the French soldiers yelled "Vive l'Empereur" (Long live the emperor). The French pursuit ended at 1:00 am on 1 March at May-en-Multien. By this hour the Prussian 9th Brigade was at Neufchelles and 10th Brigade farther north at Mareuil-sur-Ourcq. The Prussians lost 11 officers and 934 rank and file in the battle. A long artillery bombardment lasted until the next morning, punctuated by bursts of musketry. In this phase of the battle, Russian casualties numbered 400 men, the Prussians lost 150–200 and the French 80 soldiers. Historian Digby Smith estimated French losses as 250 and Prussian losses as 1,035 killed, wounded and missing.


1 March action

Blücher received a report from
Cossack The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Rus ...
commander Friedrich Karl von Tettenborn that Napoleon was approaching. Recalling his drubbing in the
Six Days' Campaign The Six Days Campaign (10–15 February 1814) was a final series of victories by the forces of Napoleon I of France as the Sixth Coalition closed in on Paris. The Six Days Campaign was fought from 10 February to 15 February during which time Na ...
at the beginning of February, the Prussian field marshal immediately began transferring his army to the north bank of the Marne. By 2:00 pm on 1 March, the guns of Napoleon's advanced guard were throwing shells across the river, but it was too late to catch the Allies. By 10:00 am that morning, Blücher's rear guard cavalry under Fyodor Karlovich Korf safely crossed to the north bank of the Marne. Blücher had hoped to fight Napoleon with the bulk of his army, while Kleist dealt with Marmont and Mortier. Since Kleist fumbled, the Prussian army commander ordered Kleist into action again while committing major units to attack Marmont and Mortier. Yorck's I Prussian Corps marched to Crouy-sur-Ourcq while Kaptzevich and Korf moved to Gesvres farther south. Sacken at Lizy-sur-Ourcq would cover the shift while the Army of Silesia's wagon and pontoon trains were ordered northeast to Gandelu, in case a retreat to
Oulchy-le-Château Oulchy-le-Château is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The town is located about from Paris, between Soissons to the north and Château-Thierry to the south. It is directly accessible by highw ...
became necessary. While Napoleon was stalled by having to cross the Marne, Blücher planned to launch Yorck and Kaptzevich across the Ourcq at Crouy. Yorck found the Crouy bridge destroyed so he marched north to cross at Fulaines. Sacken was drawn into a noisy skirmish at Lizy and unable to lend support. Finding that his plans were not being carried out, at 6:00 pm Blücher ordered Kaptzevich to force a crossing at Gesvres. Despite being opposed by Doumerc's cavalry, the Russian corps commander pushed his leading elements onto the west bank. Marmont swiftly brought up his infantry and, after a stiff fight, overran Kaptzevich's small bridgehead, capturing 280–300 Russians. Kleist's attack also failed, leaving both sides in the same position as before. That night Poret de Morvan's division marched into the French camp accompanied by the rumble of 48 guns and loud cheers. Despite their great numerical advantage, the morale of the Allied soldiers sank.


Result

On 2 March, Blücher began retreating north in the direction of
Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital ...
. While Yorck withdrew through Château-Thierry, Kaptzevich pulled back to La Ferté-Milon and Sacken fell back to Ancienville. Bringing up the rear was Kleist, who was directed to send a probe south toward May-en-Multien. Led by
Hans Ernst Karl, Graf von Zieten Hans Ernst Karl, Graf von Zieten (5 March 1770 – 3 May 1848) was a Prussian Field Marshal who was prominent during the Napoleonic Wars, particularly in the Hundred Days where he took part in several battles in the Waterloo Campaign such as the ...
, the Silesian
Hussar A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry ...
s, Neumark
Dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...
s, Silesian Uhlans and two horse artillery batteries set out, supported by five battalions from the 9th Brigade. As the Prussian reconnaissance force emerged from Neufchelles, Christophe Antoine Merlin's 1st Light Cavalry Division charged them. Merlin was driven back but Ricard's 8th Division and
Joseph Lagrange Joseph-Louis Lagrange (born Giuseppe Luigi LagrangiaLouis Friant Louis Friant (; 18 September 1758 – 24 June 1829) was a French general who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. Early life and French Revolutionary Wars Friant was born in the village of Morlancourt, 8 km sou ...
's 1st Old Guard Division, the Imperial Guard cavalry, Emmanuel de Grouchy's line cavalry and Ney's corps to the north bank. Napoleon directed Victor and Arrighi to march to Château-Thierry. On 3 March, Marmont and Mortier crossed the Ourcq at La Ferté-Milon. Napoleon's plan was to drive the Allies back towards Oulchy-le-Château. That day there was a skirmish at Neuilly-Saint-Front in which the French failed to trap the retreating Allies. Nevertheless, the French inflicted 500–600 casualties on Blücher's army. During the day Blücher attempted to get in touch with Bülow and Wintzingerode who he hoped to join. He finally decided to withdraw behind the river
Aisne Aisne ( , ; ; ) is a French departments of France, department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne (river), Aisne. In 2020, it had a population of 529,374. Geography The department borders No ...
. The next major engagement would be the
Battle of Craonne 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 ...
on 7 March 1814.


Forces


French order of battle


Allied order of battle


Notes

;Footnotes ;Citations


References

* * *


Further reading

* *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gué-à-Tresmes 1814 Battles of the War of the Sixth Coalition involving Prussia Battles of the War of the Sixth Coalition involving Russia Conflicts in 1814 February 1814 1814 in France History of Seine-et-Marne Military history of Île-de-France