Six Days Campaign
Encyclopedia
The Six Days Campaign was a final series of victories by the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte as the Sixth Coalition
closed in on Paris
.
With an army of only 70,000, the Emperor was faced with at least half a million Allied troops advancing in several main armies commanded by Field Marshal Prince von Blücher
and Field Marshal Prince zu Schwarzenberg amongst others.
The Six Days Campaign was fought from 10 February to 14 February during which time he inflicted four major defeats on Blücher's army in the Battle of Champaubert
, the Battle of Montmirail
, the Battle of Château-Thierry
, and the Battle of Vauchamps
. Napoleon managed to inflict 17,750 casualties on Blücher's force of 120,000 with his 30,000-man army, leading later historians and enthusiasts to claim that the Six Days was the Emperor's finest campaign.
However, the Emperor's victories were not significant enough to make any changes to the overall strategic picture, and Schwarzenberg's larger army still threatened Paris
, which eventually fell in late March.
War of the Sixth Coalition
In the War of the Sixth Coalition , a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and a number of German States finally defeated France and drove Napoleon Bonaparte into exile on Elba. After Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia, the continental powers...
closed in on Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
With an army of only 70,000, the Emperor was faced with at least half a million Allied troops advancing in several main armies commanded by Field Marshal Prince von Blücher
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Fürst von Wahlstatt , Graf , later elevated to Fürst von Wahlstatt, was a Prussian Generalfeldmarschall who led his army against Napoleon I at the Battle of the Nations at Leipzig in 1813 and at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 with the Duke of Wellington.He is...
and Field Marshal Prince zu Schwarzenberg amongst others.
The Six Days Campaign was fought from 10 February to 14 February during which time he inflicted four major defeats on Blücher's army in the Battle of Champaubert
Battle of Champaubert
The Battle of Champaubert was the opening engagement of the Six Days Campaign. It was fought on February 10, 1814 by a French force under Napoleon I against Russians and Prussians under General Olssufiev...
, the Battle of Montmirail
Battle of Montmirail
The Battle of Montmirail was a battle fought near Montmirail, France, during the Six Days Campaign of the Napoleonic Wars. It was fought on February 11, 1814, and resulted in the victory of the French under Emperor Napoleon I over the Russians under General Fabian Wilhelm von Osten-Sacken and the...
, the Battle of Château-Thierry
Battle of Château-Thierry (1814)
The Battle of Château-Thierry occurred on 12 February 1814 between a Prussian army under Marshal von Blücher and the French under Emperor Napoleon I...
, and the Battle of Vauchamps
Battle of Vauchamps
The Battle of Vauchamps, the final major engagement of the Six Days Campaign of the War of the Sixth Coalition, was fought on 14 February 1814...
. Napoleon managed to inflict 17,750 casualties on Blücher's force of 120,000 with his 30,000-man army, leading later historians and enthusiasts to claim that the Six Days was the Emperor's finest campaign.
However, the Emperor's victories were not significant enough to make any changes to the overall strategic picture, and Schwarzenberg's larger army still threatened Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, which eventually fell in late March.
Battles of the Campaign
- Battle of ChampaubertBattle of ChampaubertThe Battle of Champaubert was the opening engagement of the Six Days Campaign. It was fought on February 10, 1814 by a French force under Napoleon I against Russians and Prussians under General Olssufiev...
(10 February 1814) - 4,000 Russian casualties and Russian General Olsufiev taken prisoner, to approximately 200 French casualties .
- Battle of MontmirailBattle of MontmirailThe Battle of Montmirail was a battle fought near Montmirail, France, during the Six Days Campaign of the Napoleonic Wars. It was fought on February 11, 1814, and resulted in the victory of the French under Emperor Napoleon I over the Russians under General Fabian Wilhelm von Osten-Sacken and the...
(11 February 1814) – 4,000 Allied casualties, to 2,000 French casualties.
- Battle of Château-ThierryBattle of Château-Thierry (1814)The Battle of Château-Thierry occurred on 12 February 1814 between a Prussian army under Marshal von Blücher and the French under Emperor Napoleon I...
(12 February 1814) – 1,250 Prussian, 1,500 Russian casualties and nine cannons lost, to approximately 600 French casualties.
- Battle of VauchampsBattle of VauchampsThe Battle of Vauchamps, the final major engagement of the Six Days Campaign of the War of the Sixth Coalition, was fought on 14 February 1814...
(14 February 1814) – 7,000 Prussian casualties and 16 cannons lost, to approximately 600 French casualties.
External Links
- Six Days' Campaign animated battle map by Jonathan Webb