Napoleonic Medals Database

Laskey:

The various success that attended the arms of Napoleon during the month of February, 1814, naturally calls us to a recapitulation of the whole, more particularly as the features of the medal now under our view possess no leading clue to any particular event, but generally, as we are of opinion, to the whole, its title being "Fevrier, 1814." We shall therefore, to preserve the chain, commence from the 25th of January, 1814, when Bonaparte left Paris to put himself at the head of the grand armies; he arrived on the 27th at St. Dizier, on the Marne, where he immediately directed an attack upon a body of the allies, supposed to be the advanced guard of General Schwartzenberg, who were compelled to retreat; and in the evening the French army was at Vassy. He then advanced on the rear of the allied army at Brienne, and after an action, on the 29th, magnified by some of the French accounts to a considerable victory, took possession of that town and its citadel. It being ascertained that Bonaparte was in the field, it drew the allied commanders from the different quarters where they had been posted, more immediate around his position, which it was naturally concluded would necessarily become the scene of the most important engagements. Blucher, whose headquarters on the 17th were at Nancy, ordered Toul to be stormed, but the troops posted in it immediately capitulated. That part of his army which consisted of Sacken's division, and part of Langeron's, took a position, on the 3Ist, near Trannes, his right being in communication with the Prince of Wurtemberg. Schwartzenberg who, from the borders of Switzerland, had traversed all the great defences on that side of France, had formed a junction with Blucher's army; and Guillay, with his division, marched from Bar Sur l'Aube to support it. General Wrede had advanced to Dourlevent.

Napoleon had drawn up his army in two lines, or which the village of La Rothiere was the centre. The force of the allies was between seventy and eighty thousand men, that of the French was estimated something less; however it appears there were in the field the corps of Marshal Victor, Marmont, and Mortier, besides those immediately attached to the person of Napoleon.

At noon, on the 1st February, Marshal Blucher commenced the attack, by advancing the corps of Guillay towards Dieuville, on the right of the enemy, and forming the divisions of his own corps in front of La Rothiere, nearly at the same time the Prince Royal of Wurtemberg advanced from Maison upon the Village of Giberie, which after a sharp contest, he carried, and afterwards repulsed an attempt of the enemy to regain it. General Wrede, assisted by the Austrian Uhlans, possessed himself of the Village of Tremilly on the enemy's left, and these successes induced General Sacken to attack the enemy's central position of La Rothiere, which he carried, and frustrated all the attempts of the French, and of Napoleon in person, to regain it. The allies took thirty-six pieces of cannon, and three thousand prisoners. At night the enemy still held the ground beyond La Rothiere, and were in possession of the heights of Brienne; but before morning he had determined upon a retreat, and gradually abandoned all his positions about Brienne, his whole loss being about seventy-three pieces of cannon, and about four thousand prisoners. His retreat was followed closely by the allies, who obtained some farther advantages over him; but from a heavy fall of snow which took place, prevented any decisive victory. Napoleon continued his retreat on Troyes and Arcis, and thence to Nogent; and the allies advanced their headquarters, Schwartzenberg to Bar sur Seine, and Blucher to Planci on the Aube. On February 5th, General D'Yorck made a successful attack upon the rear of Macdonald's army near to Chaussee, between Vitry and Chalons, taking three pieces of cannon, and several hundred prisoners.

The consequence of the battle of La Rothiere was the occupation by the allies of the important town of Troyes, the chief city of Champagne, and being the point at which a number of roads to the capital unite, it was taken possession of by the Prince of Wurtemberg, on the 7th February, who had previously turned the enemy's position near Ruvigni.

On the 10th February, Napoleon attacked a Russian division under General Alsufief at Champ-Aubert, and captured or destroyed the whole, taking all their cannon and baggage. On the 12th, the French advancing against the army of Blucher were encountered by Sacken's corps, and three brigades of D'Yorck; a severe engagement ensued, which lasted several hours; in which Napoleon in person commanded at the head of his old guards and other detached corps. The result was, that both armies retained their positions, and Napoleon, instead of returning to Montmirail, bivouacked on the ground. On the 13th, General Sacken was at Chateau Thierry, and it appears that he and D'Yorck afterwards quitted that place, and retired behind the Marne; the French bulletin speaks of a great capture of cannon and prisoners by the Emperor, with whom the advantage evidently rested: Blucher was posted at this period at Bergeres, whilst Marmont, with the sixth French corps, had taken the position of Etoges. On 13th February, Blucher determined on attacking Marmont, and for that purpose the advanced-guard of Kleist's corps was advanced forwards; but on its approach Marmont gradually retreated, keeping up a brisk fire, and was pursued by the Cossacks beyond the village of Champ-Aubert; Blucher halted there for the night, and the enemy bivouacked in front of Fromentiers.

On the morning of the 14th, Blucher, finding that Marmont was still in retreat, resolved on a further pursuit, and with the corps of Kleist and General Kapsiewitz's division of Langeron's corps, being all he had then under his command, he commenced his march. The enemy still continued his retreat till he came near the Village of Janvilliers, where a considerable body of cavalry was posted; he then rushed suddenly upon six advanced guns, and took possession of them, but soon after they were again recovered by the Prussian cavalry; the prisoners reported that Napoleon was on the ground with all his guard, and a large body of cavalry, having made a forced march in the night from Chateau Thierry. Blucher's infantry was at this time advancing in columns on the open grounds, on each side of the causeway leading through the villages, when a great mass of the cavalry of the enemy pushed forward, broke through the cavalry of the advanced-guard, and dividing itself, attacked with great fury the columns of infantry; the columns formed into squares, and succeeded in repelling the enemy; but the numbers of the latter increasing, and bodies of cavalry being seen to move round on each flank, Blucher resolved on a retreat; he disposed of his troops in the most skilful order for defence against the superior numbers by which they were vigorously assailed, and from Janvilliers to half-way between Champ-Aubert and Etoges, a distance of nearly four leagues, it was a continued retiring combat, the most perfect order, however, was preserved by the retreating troops, and every charge was repelled. At sunset, a corps of French cavalry, which had taken a circuit round the flanks, threw themselves into the line of retreat, and formed into a solid mass, with the evident purpose of disputing the passage; Blucher by this movement was entirely surrounded, and nothing was left him but to force a passage through his opponents; with promptitude he decided, and instantly arranged his infantry for the attack. They opened a heavy fire upon the intercepting cavalry, which it was unable to withstand, and the passage was left free; still the flank and rear of the retreating army were exposed and assailed, but not a square or column was broken. At the approach of night, the enemy's infantry succeeded to their cavalry in their attacks, and particularly in the Village of Etoges, threw a severe fire upon both flanks; General Kleist and Kapsiewitz however, forced the way with their corps, and at length, without further molestation, reached the position of Bergeres, where they bivouacked for the night; the loss acknowledged on their side, amounted to three thousand five hundred men, and seven pieces of artillery: the French account of this affair boasts of far greater success; it asserts, that several of the squares of the allies were broken, and makes their loss to ten thousand prisoners, ten pieces of cannon, ten stands of colours, and an immense number killed. That the check now given to the army of Silesia was a very serious one, appeared from the necessity Blucher found himself under of retiring back as far as Chalons, with the compleat interruption of his communications with the Austrian army. At Chalons he waited for the junction of the dispersed parts of his force, which gradually took place; so that instead of its annihilation according to the bulletins of the French, it was in a few days again in a condition of marching to renew its connexion with the grand army. In the mean time, General Winzingerode had carried by assault the town of Soissons, in, which he made two Generals, and about three thousand men prisoners, with thirteen pieces of cannon; he then moved to Rheims, from which it was his intention to join Blucher at Chalons.

On February 11th, the Prince Royal of Wurtemberg summoned the commandant of Sens to surrender, and upon his refusal forced the barricades, and entered the town. Prince Schwartzenberg, in the mean time, was co-operating with the army of Silesia, by an advance upon Paris in the direction of the Seine. Witgenstein having been directed to the Seine, and Wrede to advance from Nogent towards Bray, the enemy abandoned the left bank of the Seine, and destroyed the bridges over that river. Schwartzenberg then determined to push these corps, and that of the Prince of Wurtemberg to Provins and Villenax, ready to advance, if necessary, upon Napoleon's rear, or to protect the movements of that part of the army which was to act on the left bank of the Seine towards Fontainbleau.

On the 16th February, the Austrian corps under Hardegg and Thurn, and the Cossacks of Platoff, had, succeeded in reducing Fontainbleau, where they captured a general, several cannon, and many prisoners, but, the allies on this side were now to experience a reverse. Napoleon having succeeded in driving back Blucher, in pursuance of his plan, turned his force against Schwartzenberg; and on the 17th February, with a large body of cavalry, he attacked the advanced-guard of Witgenstein's corps, which was posted at Nangis, under the command of Count Pahlen, and obliged them to retreat with a considerable loss of men and guns, and Schwartzenberg deemed it prudent on this check being given to his operations to withdraw the greatest part of his army across the Seine; he still however kept possession of the bridges over that river at Montereau, Bray, and Nogent. On the 18th February, the two former posts were vigorously attacked, but without effect; and the Prince of Wurtemberg, who commanded at Montereau, not only repulsed three attacks, but made some prisoners, and took some artillery. Late in the evening, the French renewed the assault with such an augmented force, that the Prince was driven across the river, and so closely pursued, that he had not time to destroy the bridge, when he found it necessary to retreat toward Bray, and a considerable body of the French passed the river, and followed close after him. The final result was, that Schwartzenberg withdrew the grand army from its position on the Seine, and established his headquarters at Troyes.

The army of Silesia being restored to marching order, advanced on the 21st February, to Meri on the Seine, purposing to form the right wing of the grand army at Troyes. It was there attacked from the left side of the river, by a large force under Marshal Oudinot; upon which Blucher made immediate preparations to burn the bridge which connects the two parts of the town, and to defend the part on the right bank; the town however was set on fire, and its defence thereby rendered impracticable; and the rapid advance of the French saved the bridge from being so far injured, as to destroy the communication. The party left in the town was obliged, after a firing of some hours, to give way to the French, who crossed the bridge. In the mean time, Blucher had drawn up his army in two lines on a plain, and three battalions of the French having pushed forward to make a passage for the remainder of their troops, they were driven back over the bridge, leaving wounded and many prisoners behind them.

Blucher being informed that Marmont was marching in force from Sezanne towards Chalons, he crossed the Aube with his whole army on the 24th, and followed Marmont, who continued his route to Ferté sous Jouarre on the Marne. On arriving at Rebais, Blucher was informed that Marshal Mortier with the young guard had marched from Chateau Thierry, to make a junction with Marmont, and it being probable that Napoleon hearing of the march of the army of Silesia in this direction, would detach a force to the rear of it, the passage of the Marne, in face of the united troops of Mortier and Marmont became a matter of extreme delicacy. The plan therefore was adopted, of directing the corps of Sacken and Langeron to march by Coulomiers upon Meaux, whilst those of D'Yorck and Kleist were to proceed to Ferté sous Jouarre. The result was, that the two French Marshals precipitately quitted that town, and the passage of the Marne was effected without difficulty. Sacken's advanced-guard occupied the suburbs of Meaux, on the left bank of the river.

On the 23rd of February, the French troops with Napoleon at their head, invested Troyes on all sides, and a Russian aid-de-camp came to the advanced posts to demand time for evacuating the city, otherwise it would be set on fire. This threat arrested the movements of the French, and Troyes was evacuated during the night; Napoleon entered it in the morning, and there made two thousand prisoners, besides one thousand wounded in the hospitals. This recovery of the capital of Champagne was a cause of no small triumph; and the spirits of the Parisians were further supported by the presentation in grand procession to the Empress, of the colours taken from the allies.

As it is probable this medal was struck on this latter event, we shall not proceed further with the narrative, but to observe the allegory of the fish en passant, evidently alludes to the passing and repassing of rivers (the Seine and Marne). The Victory on the other side of the eagle cannot be mistaken in its allusion.