page_title: Waterloo campaign: Waterloo to Paris (25 June – 1 July)
section_title: Prussian surprise night attack
hierarchical_section_title: Waterloo campaign: Waterloo to Paris (25 June – 1 July) / 28 June / Battle of Villers-Cotterêts / Prussian surprise night attack
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Façade du vieux bâtiment
context_page_description: After their defeat at the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815, the French Army of the North, under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte retreated in disarray back towards France. As agreed by the two Seventh Coalition commanders in chief, the Duke of Wellington, commander of the Anglo-allied army, and Prince Blücher, commander of the Prussian army, the French were to be closely pursued by units of the Prussian army.
  During the following week, although the remnants of the main French army were joined by the undefeated right wing of the Army of the North, the French were not given time to reorganise by the Coalition generals and they steadily retreated towards Paris.
  By the end Saturday 24 June the French who had fought at Waterloo were at Laon under the command of Marshal Soult, while those of the right wing who had fought at the simultaneous Battle of Wavre, under the command of Marshal Grouchy, were at Rethel. The Prussians were in and around Aisonville-et-Bernoville with Blücher's headquarters were at Hannapes, and the Anglo-allies were in the vicinity of Cambrai, Englefontaine, and Le Cateau-Cambrésis which is where Wellington had his headquarters.
context_section_description: General Pirch II having learned, upon his arrival at 01:00 on 28 June, with the vanguard of the Prussian I Corps at Longpré, near Villers-Cotterêts, that the latter place was not occupied by the French in any force, determined to capture the place forthwith by a surprise. The troops detached to the front on this service (the Fusilier Battalion of the 6th Regiment and the Brandenburg Dragoons), favoured by the darkness (which as yet was scarcely relieved by the approaching dawn), as also by the wood through which they advanced, fell upon a detachment that was moving by a by road through the wood, consisting of a French horse battery of fourteen guns, twenty ammunition wagons, and an escort of one hundred and fifty men.
  The whole vicinity of Villers-Cotterêts was, in fact, filled with French troops; thus dispersed, that they might sooner obtain refreshment after the long march, and be prepared to start again at 02:00. Thus they were all in motion at the time of this capture.
  General Pirch now pushed on to Villers-Cotterêts, where the Prussians took many prisoners. Grouchy himself narrowly escaped being taken as he was mounting his horse and hastening out of the opposite side of the town. On reaching the Windmill Heights upon the road to Nanteuil, he succeeded in collecting together and forming his troops.
  Pirch, after detaching cavalry in pursuit of the French, as also towards Longpré to cover his right, and towards Soissons to protect his left, took up a defensive position. He deployed his infantry, with the foot battery, upon the height at the garden of the Château de Villers-Cotterêts, posted two battalions at the point of a wood that jutted out on his right.
caption: Château de Villers-Cotterêts, Prussian infantry was posted in the garden during the action.
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