The National Register.
London, England, 1814-02-27 00:00:00

FEB. 27.

right, and pressed the Russians against a wood, and a lake between
the roads to F.prrnity and hat to Chalons : the enemy had but little
cavalry; .mein; himself without retreat, bin masses became Con-
fused, al tillery, cavalry, intapitry. all fled, peWmell, into the wood ;
.2000 men were drowned in the lake 30 pikes of cannon, and vOO
carriages were taken ; the General in Chief, the (ienerals, the
Colonels, more than 100 officers and' 4000 men, *ere 'male pri-
soners. This corps, of two divisions and twelve regiments, ought
to have con,isted of 18,000 men ; but sickness, lone marches, and
battles, had reduced it to 8000; scarcely 1,500 escaped t,y ineans
of the woods and the dal kness. General Blaciter remained at hi,.
head-quarters at Versus, where he witnessed the disasters of this part
of his army, without being able to remedy them. Not a man of the
guard was cogned, except two of the four squadrons the service. whf,
behaved valiAntly. :file coil .tssiers of the Ist corps of cAvitiry have
displayed the tarest intrepidity. • '
" At eight General NansosJty having deboncried in the causeway,'
advanced upon Montmirail with tit:: division of the cavalry of the
guard of Generals Colbert and La FFrticre, took the town, cul
t;O4 Cossacks who were in it.

" The llth, at five in the morning, the division of General
Guyat also alvanced upon Montnyirail. Several di%isions of in-
fintiy were delayed, by being obliged to wait for their artilery.
`ihe tomb, Ifuni '..iezanne to Champ Anbert are execrable. Our ar-
tillery could Hut hive paspied them but for the diligence of the can-
nonier,r, awl by the aisistance furnished by the inhabitants, who
brought their horse;4.

" The %diem at Champ Anhert, where a pert of the Russian' ar-
my was destroyed, did not cost us above CO, killed or wounded.
The Galeria of Division LagrAnge, is among the latter, having . a
alight woofed in the head. . .

Tile Emperor arrived on the 11th, at ten in the morning, half
a league in advance of Moutmirail. General Nausonty was in his
position with the cavalry of the guard, mid kept in check the
army of Sacken, which began to snow itself. lufornjed• of the
disasters of a part of the Russian army, this General had quit,
ted Fate suus•Jouarre, on the 10th, at nine in the evening, and
anarched,the whole night. General Yorek .had also quitted Cha-
teau Thierry. At eleven in The morning of the 1 tth he began
to tbrm, and all f,..‘reboded the battle of Montmirail, the issue of
which was of such vat importance. The Duke of. Itagnsa with
Lis corps, and the first corps of the cavalry,
,had placed his head-
()starters at Etoges, on the road to Chalons. The division of Ri-
cart, and the Old Guard, arrived at ten in the morning.
The Emperor ordered the Prince of Moskwa to line with
troops the village of Marchais, by which it seemed the enemy's in-
tention to deboneh. This village was defended by the brave divi-
s-ion of General Ritart with rare firmness ; it was taken and re-
taken several times during the course of the day. At noon the
Empf.ror ordered General Nansonty to advance to the right, cut-
ting the road to Chateau Thierry, and formed the sixteen battalions
of the Old Guard, uruler the command of General Friant, in a
single column,. along the' road, the battalion columns being 1000
paces frtan -each other.
" Daring this tine our batteries of artillery successively ar-
rived.

At three o'clock the Duke of Treviso, with the sixteen bat-
talions of the -2(1 di..isibn of the O'd Guard,. which had left Sezanne
in the morning, debouehed on Montmirail.
" The Emi-vror would have wished to wait fon. the coming up of
the °On r divi‘ions, but night was uporoachinz. He, ordered Ge-
neral Friant to march with tour battalions of the Old Guard, two
of the (2d regiment of Gendarmerie, and two of the :24 re;iment
of Chassenrs, upon the farm of Epine-aux-Rois, which was the key
of the position, and to Carry it. The Duke of Treviso, with six
Inittalions of the ttil divisor of the (mid Guard, advanced to the
tight of General rriant's attack.
" The sncces4 of the day dell( OM on the position of the farm
of Epinc-aux-Hois. The enemy was Ft ”Aibk of this; he had
placed there forty pieces of cannon, and hued the lied;,,es with a
triple row of tiraillcurs, and loomed behind masses of infantry.
" Meantime, to render this attack more easy, the Emperor or-
dered General Niinsonty to extent his line to the right, which
wide the enemy apprehen,ive of being cut off. and forced to nn-
(over a pan t. of his centre to cover his right. At the vune time, he
ordered Generid Rieart to it'd a part of, the village•of Mai•chais,
tchiclt also induced the even v to nreovtr his centre to reinforce
thi, attack, on the Nneves c f which he supposed the gaining of the
bathe to tkp:inl. As,soim as General Friant had begun his move-
ment, earl the enemy had weakened his centre to take advantage
of an apparent success, which he believed real, General Friant at-
cite farm of liaut £pine, with the four battalions of the

`l3l

Old Guard. They came up to the enemy ramninO, and produced
oe him the ellect of the head of Medina. The Prince of NIO4k-
V.-3 marched-the first, and chewed them the road to hononr. Toe
tirailletws retired afire ht upon the moves cf infantry. which
were attacked: The artillery could no looger piny. the print, tiff
small arms beerme dreadful, auctsuccessavas balanced ; hut at the
same moment General Guyat, at the head of the first regieient of
lancers of the old tiragoons, mid old grenadiers of tete Imperial
Guard n hieh filed along the right road in full trot, nod with cries
of Vac l'Empereur," passed to the right of Hant Epicene. 'they
fel! on the rear of the masses of infantry. broke them, threw them
into disorder and kille.4 all that were not taken prisiaters. 'Dee
Doke of Trevi,.o, with six' buttalioes of the iliviston of General
Alichel.. st eon(' the attack of the Oki reached the wood 2
carried tit vii rtae of and took a whole park of mail-
!cry. •
" The division of the Guard' of Honour fihsd off after the 01:1
Guard• on the high road, tted helm; arrived at the height of !piece
:oix Bois turned to the left to ..airy what had olvant eel oil the vil-
hoe of Mareitaise General l'ertrand, Orval Marslea 14-the Palace,
and the Duke of Dieozie at the load oi* two battalions oe the Old
Guard, marched opoothe village and placed it net two lire's.
All that were in it were killed or taken.:
" In less than a quarter of an hour a profound silence succeeded
to the noise of the cannon, and a diTA,..ffal re.e of tousl .etry. te:e
enemy no longer sought safety but in diolit. Ot
infantry, oterals, officers, sol-
diers, cal/Wry, artillery, all fled pellonell.
44 At eight p. tn. the night being obscure, it was necessbry to take
a position. The Emperor placed his head quarters at the fartu of
lipieee au% 'lois.
" General Michel of the Guard, has been wounded by a ball In the
ann. Our loss amounts to more than 1,010 men killed or wounded.
That of the enemy is at least 8,000 men kilted or prisoners. We
have taken many crouton and six stands of colours flow hits. his
memorable day, which confuunds the pride and boastio; of-40
enemy, has annihilated the eate of the Russian' army. The fourth of
our army has not beeia engaged.
" The next clay, the 12th, at nine in the morning*, the Duke of
Treviso followed the enemy, upon the road of Citation Tide' ev.
The Emperor, with two divisions of cavalry of the :guard and.somo
battalions, went to Vieux-maisons, and from thence took the road
which goes right to Chateau Thierry. The enemy covered his re-
treat with eight battalions, which arrived late the preceding even-
ing, and had not been engaged. He supported them with. some
squadrons and three pieces of cannon. Arrived at the small vill..ge
Caccinerets, he appeared determined to defend the po‘ation which
behind the rivulet, and to cover the road of ChatC4ll 'Merry.
company of the old guard-tom tiled npott La Petite Neue, over-
t nrew the enemy's tirailleurs, wltu were pursued to their last position.
Six battalions of the old ;guard, at proper distitucee for deploying,
occupied the plain on both sides of the road. Genera! Naosouty,
with the divisions of cavalry-of Generals -Lefernere and ()drone,
had orders to make a movement to the right; and march between
Chateau Thierry and the enemy's rear guard. This movement was
executed with eqoal skill and intrepidity. TOe enemy's coy:l4y
marched from all points upon his kit to oppose the French cavalry.
It was overthrown, and obliged to, quit the field of battle. The
brave. Gen. Letort, with the dragoons of the ad division of the
guard, after Navin, repulsed the enemy's cavalry, moved upon the
flanks alai rears of eight-masses of infantry, which formed the env-
oty's rear-unard. 'lists division binned with desire to equal what
the head horse, the dragoons, aml the mounted greeadiers of' Ge-
neral fin)-at hard done the preeedine evening. It surrounded •on ad
.ailes these masses, and made an horrible caruage amouo theno
The three pieces of caution of the .Rtissian General'ereollenieh, who
commanded the rear-guard, . were killed or mote of ;sinters. The
number or priAouers made in this lei:hoot affair anionets to more
than two thousand. Colonel Curely; of Cie l'Ols hussar,,
goislied himself. We then arrived ern the heiehts of Chateau
Tilierry, from whence we saw the retiotioder of that army flvirg
in the greatest disorder, and gaining with all haste, it 4 bsidge.4. The
great toads ‘sere cut off from them: they suligla their salvahoa
Anon the:righthank of the Maroe. Prince :V. iiiaam of I;rns•ta. who
had retrained at Chao-an Thierry with a reserveof to nir.a,
viticed to the head of the suieoto to protect the th,..:Ot tal.
otg4toised mass. Two battalions of the guard at
aJ
rweittie. At the sight of them, tie: suburh am! left hank w pre
Geared ; tite. enemy harried Isis bridces, an-t unnuol.ed opot. the
right batik a battery of 11 Ikea's of caution; 300 awn of the re-
serve of Prince William were taken.
On the Ml', in ale evening,
the Emperor bad his hoad-quartvre
ill the small castle of Nislos