Battle of Laon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Laon
Part of the Campaign of France of the Sixth Coalition
Napoleon and his staff are returning from Soissons after the battle of Laon, by Ernest Meissonier
Date 9–10 March 1814 Location Laon, France 49°33′57″N 3°37′14″E / 49.5658°N 3.6206°E / 49.5658; 3.6206 Result Coalition victory
Belligerents
France	Prussia, Russia
Commanders and leaders
Napoleon Bonaparte	Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher August von Gneisenau Ferdinand von Wintzingerode
Strength
37,000-50,000	90,000-100,000
Casualties and losses
6,000-6,500	3,500-4,000

The Battle of Laon was an important fight that happened on March 9-10, 1814. It was a big victory for the Allied forces, led by Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher of Prussia, against Napoleon's French army. The battle took place near the town of Laon in France.

Before this battle, Blücher's army had to retreat to Laon after a tough fight at the Battle of Craonne on March 7. On their way, they got help from Russian soldiers led by Ferdinand von Wintzingerode and Prussian soldiers led by Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bülow. Blücher chose Laon for the battle because it was a key road junction and a very strong place to defend.

Why the Battle of Laon Happened

The War of the Sixth Coalition

In 1814, many countries in Europe formed an alliance called the Sixth Coalition. They wanted to finally defeat Napoleon and his French Empire. Napoleon's army had been badly beaten in Russia in 1812 and again in Central Europe in 1813. Now, France was fighting to survive.

Blücher's Advance Towards Paris

In late February 1814, about a month after the Allies invaded France, Blücher decided to move his army towards Paris. Napoleon's two marshals, Édouard Mortier and Auguste Marmont, were guarding Paris. They only had about 10,000 soldiers, which wasn't enough to stop Blücher's much larger army.

Napoleon quickly rushed west with about 30,000 troops to help his marshals. He hoped to trap Blücher's army against the Marne River.

The Retreat to Laon

Blücher tried to attack Marmont and Mortier near the Ourcq river, but it didn't work out. When he heard Napoleon was coming, he ordered his troops to retreat north to gather more strength. The Prussian soldiers crossed the Aisne River and reached Soissons on March 4. There, they met up with more soldiers, bringing Blücher's total force to 100,000 men.

On March 7, Napoleon attacked Blücher's army at the Battle of Craonne. Blücher's plan to surround the French didn't happen in time, so the Prussians had to pull back towards Laon.

The Battlefield at Laon

Laon was a great place for a battle because of its natural defenses. The town was on top of a flat hill with very steep sides, rising about 330 feet (100 meters) above the land around it.

The area to the north of Laon was flat and open, which was good for moving armies. But the land to the south was rough and covered in woods, making it hard for soldiers to move around. The villages of Ardon and Semilly, at the bottom of the hill, were strong points for the Prussian and Russian armies to defend.

Preparing for Battle

Blücher now had about 90,000 soldiers and 176 cannons. He put Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bülow's Prussian soldiers in charge of defending Laon itself. The western side of Blücher's army was protected by Russian soldiers under Ferdinand von Wintzingerode. The eastern side was defended by two Prussian groups led by Generals Yorck and Kleist. Two more Russian groups, led by Generals Langeron and Osten-Sacken, were kept in reserve.

After the Battle of Craonne, Napoleon moved most of his army towards Laon. He sent about 10,000 soldiers under Marmont to approach Laon from a different road, the Berry-au-Bac road.

The Battle Begins

First Day: March 9

The fighting started on the evening of March 8. French soldiers chased a small group of Russian soldiers out of the village of Urcel. In the early morning of March 9, the French continued their attack. At 5:30 AM, French horsemen reached Laon, but they had lost the element of surprise and had to pull back under heavy fire.

From 7:00 AM onwards, the French repeatedly attacked the Allied positions at Ardon and Semilly. Some soldiers from Napoleon's Young Guard even managed to reach the top of the hill, but they were forced back down.

Blücher was sick with a fever, so he couldn't lead the battle as closely as he usually did. By 11:00 AM, the fog cleared, and the Allied commanders could see the battlefield clearly. Blücher thought the French had 90,000 soldiers, so he was careful about attacking. If the Allies had known Napoleon only had 30,000 men, they might have launched a huge attack and won quickly. Instead, Blücher only sent Winzingerode's soldiers to attack Napoleon's left side, but these attacks were weak and easily stopped by the French.

Blücher then decided to separate Napoleon's main army from Marmont's soldiers to the east. The Allies successfully captured the village of Ardon, but the winning Prussian soldiers were told to stop. Blücher was worried that French forces to the east would try to go around their side. Later that evening, the French attacked again and captured Clacy, a village on Blücher's western side. But by the end of the first day, Laon was still held by the Allies.

Marmont's Attack and Retreat

Meanwhile, around 5:00 PM on March 9, Marmont's soldiers attacked the village of Athies and pushed back the Prussian soldiers there. Marmont then sent 1,000 men under Colonel Charles Nicolas Fabvier to try and connect with Napoleon's main army.

Blücher and Gneisenau (Blücher's chief-of-staff) heard the fighting to the east. They ordered a strong counter-attack with two groups of soldiers. The Allies crashed into Marmont's troops and forced them to retreat. Marmont was saved by Colonel Fabvier, who bravely returned with his 1,000 soldiers to clear the road. He was also helped by 125 experienced soldiers from the Old Guard, who stopped the Allied horsemen from blocking their escape. Marmont's army suffered a big loss, with 3,500 men and 45 cannons lost.

Second Day: March 10

At midnight on March 10, Blücher planned a daring move to surround and defeat the French. He was even sicker on the second day, so Gneisenau was mostly in charge. The Allied army still defended Laon strongly. A few more French attacks throughout the day didn't work, and Napoleon finally pulled his forces back late that night.

What Happened After the Battle

The Battle of Laon was a setback for Napoleon, but it didn't end his fight right away. Just a few days later, the French army won another victory, crushing an isolated enemy group at the Battle of Reims. Blücher's army stayed quiet for a week after their victory at Laon.

However, the Allies' strong defense at Laon stopped Napoleon from pushing them further north. The Allies were still in a good position to advance on Paris, which they did at the end of March, leading to the end of the war.