Allied divisions and the lack of unity of command had a negative impact on the conduct of military operations. Napoleon defeated Schwarzenberg's corps at Morman and Montreux, repelling the first attack on Paris.
Napoleon at the Battle of Montreux.
As a result of Napoleon's victory in the Battle of the Six Days (Napoleon'S Six Day War), the Silesian army lost almost a third of its personnel, was severely weakened and demoralized. Blucher's army was saved from complete defeat by the advance of the main army, which began to threaten Paris.
The news of Napoleon's victory encouraged the Parisians. From the moment the Allies entered the eastern territories of France and advanced westward, the front rapidly approached Paris. Parisians and high society are depressed. In the salons, palaces and auditoriums, they discussed the emperor's victories and hoped for new ones. Indeed, a little later, the Russian detachments of Platov and General Seslavin launched attacks near Nemours, Fontainebleau and Orleans, which again undermined the mood of the French.
February 12, 1814.
At the same time, the main army group under the command of Schwarzenberg continued to be stationed in Troyes and conducted small-scale exercises in different armies. The Russian Emperor Alexander Pavlovich, having learned about the situation with Blucher's army, demanded that the commander-in-chief take active action. Schwarzenberg received a secret order from the Viennese court not to cross the Seine, and he was forced to intensify his activities. His vanguard advanced towards the Seine. The French barrier of Victor and Oudino retreated without a fight.
On the Allied right flank, Wittgenstein's Russian corps advanced and occupied Nojean-sur-Seine. ** The general, tired of the sluggishness of the Austrian commander-in-chief, advanced further and reached Nanji, the vanguard of Palun (4000 men), who occupied this town and the next town, Morman. Headquarters ordered Wittgenstein to return to Provins. Fried's Bavarian corps marched towards Bray, the Crown Prince of Württemberg's Württemberg corps marched towards Montero (sur Seine), and Austria's Kororedo and Julai's corps crossed the Jonne (left tributary of the Seine) to Fontainebleau.
The corps marched in separate columns, at a considerable distance, and had no contact with each other. A strong reserve under the command of Barclay de Tolly remained in Troyes. As a result, Schwarzenberg, like Blucher, dispersed his army.
Napoleon wanted to destroy Blucher's forces at Chalon, and then pass through Vitry, reaching the rear of the main forces. Thus, the main Allied forces could find themselves between two French blocs. However, having learned about the Russian advance on Paris (the Allies were still 3-4 miles from the capital), he did not take any risks and immediately opposed Schwarzenberg.
In order to ensure the safety of the rear, the Emperor sent Marshal Mortier to Villecotre, Marmont to Chalon, and General Grouchy to La Fette-Sujoar. On 15 February, Bonaparte led the Imperial Guard in a hasty march from Montmillar to Meaux (part of the infantry rode in requisitioned carriages). It took about a day and a half for the Emperor to lead his troops nearly 90 miles, arriving at Guin on 16 February, where he joined the forces of Marshal Victo, Marshal Oudinot, and Marshal MacDonald.
At dawn on February 5 (17), 1814, Napoleon personally led his army (180,000 soldiers) marched south from Jean to Nanji. Marshal Victor's vanguard discovered the enemy in Morman early in the morning and, ready for battle, attacked the vanguard of the Count of Parren, who did not expect the enemy to appear.
Russian detachments could not put up serious resistance to the French. Palen began to retreat: the artillery marched along the main road, behind which were infantry regiments, the rear guard had two guns, infantry cover, and cavalry on the flanks. Palen repeatedly asked for help from the nearby Austrian vanguard, General Ignatius Zu Hadge from the Wilder Corps, but he received orders not to go into battle and refused.
The French defeated the Russian detachment during the crossing of Morman. French cavalry surrounded the city from east and west. A battle ensued. The French cavalry dispersed the ** men and attacked the infantry. Then, by order of Napoleon, they turned up the Guards guns (36 guns) and began to shoot the retreating Russian phalanx with grapeshot. In the village of Nanzhi, under pressure from the French cavalry and artillery, the Russian detachment was able to disperse. The Russian cavalry managed to break through, but almost all of the infantry were annihilated or captured.
Palen's adjutant Ivan Levensten described this moment in his memoirs:
Suddenly, the earth seemed to crack open, spewing death and destruction. On all sides, the enemy's horns sounded the horn of the attack, and a large cavalry marched towards us in a column on the battlefield ......The panic began, and everyone was only thinking about saving their lives. This has been going on ever since. Each of us fled, and whoever fell was doomed. ”
The losses of the Russian army amounted to 2114 people (3000 according to other ***, including 2000 prisoners) and 10 guns. Wittgenstein took full responsibility for this defeat and completely absolved the Count of Palen from culpability. Wittgenstein withdrew the corps to the rear of Provins.
Battle of Morman.
Upon reaching Nanja, Napoleon divided his army into three columns. Field Marshal MacDonald's corps headed for Bray, defeating Hadger's vanguard along the way, and then repulsing the rest of General Red's corps. Marshal Oudinot's troops pursued General Wittgenstein, stopping a few miles from Provin.
Marshal Victo's corps set off for Montero, but met D'Erraut's Bavarian Division near the village of Villeneuve and became embroiled in battle. The Bavarians suffered heavy losses, about 2500 soldiers (1500 prisoners). The Bavarian division was almost completely destroyed. Then Victor let his troops rest and, instead of rushing ahead of the enemy by the evening of February 17, as Napoleon demanded, took up a favorable position near the village of Montero. For this, he was relieved of the command of the legion by the angry emperor the next day.
At the same time, the headquarters of the main army learned of the defeat of the Count of Palen at Morman. Field Marshal Schwarzenberg, despite having nearly twice the superiority in manpower over the enemy, was immediately frightened and sent Count Parr to Nanji on the evening of February 17 to propose a truce to Napoleon.
But Napoleon, encouraged by a series of victories, refused. In the morning he wrote to Brother Joseph:
In the end, Prince Schwarzenberg showed signs of life: he sent a parliamentarian to demand a truce; It's hard to be mean to this extent......So far, the Allies have rejected any proposal for a truce in the most insulting way, not even accepting our envoys, and in the event of defeat, these miserable people fall to their knees. 
Battle of Montreux.
After spending the night at the Château de Nanguis, Bonaparte traveled the next day to the village of Montreux, located at the confluence of the Jonne and Seine rivers. In the early morning of February 6 (18), 1814, the French avant-garde approached Montreux from both sides. Payol's detachment of 6,000 men reached the left flank of the Allies, followed by a detachment of 9,000 men of Victor and Gerald to the right flank of the Allied forces.
The Allies were in an advantageous position. Control of the bridges on the right bank of the Seine and the main heights of the city, near the Château de Surville and the village of Villalon, was occupied by the Württemberg Corps under the command of Crown Prince Wilhelm of Württemberg. They were reinforced by two Austrian divisions; In total, under the command of the prince, there were 18000 soldiers and 40 artillery pieces.
Payol's first assault on the position was repulsed. Subsequently, the approaching divisions of the French Chateau and Dion divisions also joined the battle. A fierce battle began, and the French army stormed Villalon, but was quickly repulsed by the Württembergers. In the second offensive, the French again occupied the settlement, but were again repulsed. General Chatto was mortally wounded and died in the arms of Marshal Victor. The Allies retained their positions.
But by noon, reinforcements arrived, and General Gerard appointed the reserve to replace Victor as corps commander. Having advanced artillery, he began to shell the center and right flanks of the Württemberg corps and repelled the enemy's attack, which had already begun. The number of French troops increased to 30,000.
Battle of Montreux.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, Napoleon arrived, causing joy and excitement among the troops. The emperor appeared when the Württembergers, under pressure from the enemy, began to retreat across the only bridge to the other side of the Seine.
At the risk of being killed, Bonaparte moved to the most dangerous place, the shells fell, the bullets whistled, remembering his artillery past, he began to aim. When Napoleon was asked to leave the dangerous place to hide from the shelling, he replied:
"The core that killed me hasn't been forged yet! ”
After retreating to the left bank of the river, the coalition forces tried to destroy the bridge over the river, but it survived. In the city, local residents also attacked them, throwing stones and shooting from windows. Despite this, the rearguard units of the Crown Prince of Württemberg were able to protect the rest of the troops from the pursuit of enemy cavalry and allow them to withdraw to the mines.
In the Battle of Montreux, the coalition lost about 5 to 6 thousand people (almost half of them prisoners), but the French also lost about 2500 people.
Battle of Montreux-sur-Seine.
In the process of analyzing the battle, the emperor, in addition to awarding certificates, did not forget to reproach those who he considered to have acted wrong and not acted quickly enough: General Gay, General Montbrunn, General Dijon. But Marshal Vick suffered the most: "Lord Bey's was scheduled to arrive in Montreux on the evening of the 17th; He stayed in Salen: it was a major mistake. The capture of the bridge in Montreux would have given the emperor a full day to allow him to wipe out the ...... Austrian army"The emperor invited him to leave the army.
Victor, who lost his son-in-law, the brave General Chato, replied: "If I am to be held responsible for this mistake, then I will be severely punished because my family has been hit ......."I would take the gun; I haven't forgotten my old craft; Victor will join the guards. This greatly touched Bonaparte. Recalling the marshal's past exploits, the Emperor said: "Stay with me, Victor, I can't give you back your squad, because I gave it to Gerald; But I'll give you two guard divisions; Command them, everything between us is forgotten ......”
In order to encourage Paris, and to show his exploits in this battle more profoundly, the emperor ordered the destruction of all the flags captured in the battle and the thousands of prisoners of war. Delivered to the capital. The prisoners, accompanied by drummers, gendarmes and the National Guard, paraded the streets of Paris for several days. There were Russians (the captured General Orsufiev and Poltoratsky were the first to enter the city), Prussians and Austrians. It is noteworthy that the Parisians showed humanity and mercy to the prisoners, giving them money and food.
Russian prisoners were defiled along St. Martin's Boulevard.
The Austrian commander-in-chief led his army to Troyes. Fearing an offensive by Marshal Augereau from Lyon, Schwarzenberg asked Blucher to come to the aid and join the right flank. Blucher repelled Marmont's legions, went to the Au River and captured Marie-sur-Seine. On 22 February, Schwarzenberg began to withdraw its troops from Chaumont and Lange.
He also wrote to Marshal Berthier (Napoleon's chief of staff) asking for an armistice, as well as to another envoy to Napoleon's headquarters, his adjutant, the Austrian general Liechtenstein.
After the withdrawal of the Allied forces, Napoleon occupied Troyes.
On the morning of 25 February, the three monarchs reconvened a military council in Bar-on-Orb, to which military leaders and diplomats were invited. Due to the lack of supplies and fodder, the hostility of the population, and the spread of disease among the troops, Schwarzenberg wanted to continue the retreat beyond the Ob line.
Alexander I still advocated an attack on Paris. Blucher had received this message the day before, when he asked for permission to launch an independent attack on the French capital. His army became the main force of the offensive, and it was transferred to the Russian Vincengerode Corps from the Netherlands and the Prussian Bülo Corps of Bernadotte Northern Corps (they were located in Reims and Laon).
The size of the Silesian army almost doubled.
Napoleon camping.
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