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

POLITICAL DISQUISITION.

-41?'"dr'se•
STATE OF MI. V% AR IN FRANCE.

We have received in the course of last week a most im-
pertant mass of official intelligence, which enables us to
form a 'netts, accurate view of the state of warfare iu France,
the Gazette of last night, and from Buonaparte* bul-
letins, which come doWn to the same date. On the Sth of
this month the Allied. Armies formed round Paris a con-
nected sNui-circle, on a cord of which stood Buonaparte
with all the troops he could gather front every part of the
dominions still in his power, like the bear at a stake ready to
take advantage of the unguarded and unsupported advauce
of the boldt assailants. The., 9th was spent on both sides
in military movements. O the loth, by Buocaparte's own
bulletin, the Silesia,' army was within three days march of
Paris, and it became deccssary to relieve Ow capital from
immediate pressure on that side. Acco!dingly on that
day Buoaaparte, who had previously mad.! all the necessary
preparations fur that object. moved forward from Sezattne
to attack the van Euard of General Sicken. posted at Chant•
paubert, under General Alsufielf. lie se,!rns to have coin;
pletely surprised that corps, which was obliged to yield to
superior f(o-ces with considerable loss in artillery and men,
killed. wounded, and prisoner;, and among the last was the
Commanding General himself. On the 11th, G ens. ..o.kezi and
D'Yorck, eager to revenge that defeat, advanced towards
Monrmitail, about twelve miles from Champaubert, to at-
tack the enemy, They stet Buonaparte at the head of thir-
ty thousand men ; a desperate action ensued ; the village of
Marchais was taken and retaken three times. Those corps
Cif the allies boat of having retained their position, and ad-
mit having lost four pieces of cannon' ; but they subsequent-
ly retreated towards the Marne, and afterwards retired behind
that river on the llth, a suffigient acknowledgment of the
superiority of the enemy. (We merely state what appears
to us to he the fair result of those actions ; on Buonaparte's
own accounts, as they differ from it we shall briefly advert
in the sequel.)
On the 13th. General Blucher. Commander in Chief of
the Silesian army, who had surely been apprised that Sacker
and 1/Yerck had been worsted by the ene:ny, but who pro-
bably was not aware of their h.iying retreated acroFs the
Marne, advancc4 from Bergeres, the center of his position,
to support them. lie directed his march towards Ltors, a
small town, occupied by Marshal Nfarmont, with nine or fen
thousand men to observe his movements, and who retteated
on his approach. It does not appear that Nial'S h3l Blucher
was able to make any serious impression upon him, but still
barrassing him in his re'reat, he foll Owed him to the smajl.
village of Prowentieres, beyond Champanbiert, the se
rot. I Aro. CCUN-T.

A '.

-3::4

the former action, and both armies bivouacked for the night,
Blucher being determined to attack next day. But before
this deign could he carried into execution, Nlarmont re.
treated still farther to Janvilieres. In the tn...en time, Bno•
naparte, who, having followed Sacken to the Marne, was at
Chateau Thierry on the 13th, made a forced march- in the
night with all his guards, and a considerable corps of cavalry,
and on the morning of the 14th er:e ‘ted his pre-concerted
junction with Marmont. The veteran Blnch"r was evidently
surprised by this rapid and masterlytnovement.An engagement
was now inevitable, and he had to contend in a flat countr„
with forces superior to his in a doubleproportiott, ar4 with
a cavalry three-fold mare numerous ; he was however supe-
r;or in artillery. In that unforeseen exigency Blucher was
still himself, and he could rely on his troops. The cavalry
of his advanced guard was soon forced to give wav before
the vastly superior numbers of the enemy ; but it found a
safe reaeat in the intervals of the infantry formed into
squarer, behind which it rallied Blucher, however, finding
the ground untenable, from the superiority of forces against
him in an open country, began his retreat towards Etoges,
His infantry continued farmed in solid squares, the intervals
being furnished with artillery, and the cavalry occasionally
skirmishing on the exterior sides of his moving fortresses.
In that way he retreated near sixteen tniles, fighting every
inch of the ground, resisting the most furious charges of the
enemy's cavalry, without one of his squares being once
broken. Surrounded at one time on all sides, he broke his
way by his determined resolution, the steadiness of his
troops, and the fire of his artillery and musketry, first through
circumvenintr corps of cavalry, then through infantry, end
at last reached Etoges at night in safety, with the loss
of about three thousand five hundred, and that of the enemy
must have been much more considerable from the nature of
the contest, masses of cavalry being exposed to the fire of ar-
tillery, and to the mitsquetry of squares of infantry against
which all their charges had been unavailing, ; bad one of
them been broken the loss of Bluchor's army was inevitable,
Buonaparte firmly reckoned upon it, and perhaps no. other
General, and no other army could have-avoided the impend.
ing destruction. By this retreat Blucher and his. army ae.
quired more glory than the most splendid. victory. Buono'
parte, however, reaped the most solid fruits of it. Blucher
in consequence of that action retreated unmolestNl to Cha-
, ions, behind the Marne, where he was afterwards joined
the corps separated from his army during these operations,
and by odic& who hastened to reinforce him, but in the
mean time the neiehlrent hood of Parisi
as far as the hanks
of the name, was free 4 from the presence of O' tietny.
,Subseenently Blucher having been joined by all those corps,
~411 his army being co:npletety with 411 niVesfaries,-,