Battle at Claye

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Battle at Claye
Part of: coalition wars
The Ferme Gros-Bois around 1885
The Ferme Gros-Bois around 1885
date March 28, 1814
place Claye-Souilly
output Retreat of the French
Parties to the conflict

France 1804First empire France

Prussia KingdomKingdom of Prussia Prussia

Commander

Jean Dominique Compans

Andreas Georg Friedrich von Katzler

Troop strength
3,000 infantry, 1,700 cavalry, 18 cannons 2,600 infantry, 1,900 cavalry, 16 cannons
losses

200 killed and wounded, 150 prisoners

600 dead and wounded, 145 prisoners

The battle near Claye , also the Battle of Claye-Souilly (fr: Bataille de Claye ) took place on March 28, 1814 in the course of the Sixth Coalition War during the campaign in France. The event ended with an orderly French withdrawal from the advancing Prussian vanguard under General von Katzler.

prehistory

After the Battle of Fère-Champenoise on March 25, 1814, the Allies continued to pursue the French in the direction of Paris.

With the coalition forces behind them, a French detachment moved towards Paris towards the Marne . After a skirmish at Trilport , the French troops withdrew to Meaux . On March 27, it seemed no longer possible for the French generals to defend Meaux. In the evening the withdrawal was ordered towards Claye and Villeparisis . The rearguard under Général Vincent destroyed part of the Faubourg de Paris by blowing up the powder magazine there.

Applied forces

The French troops consisted of 4,700 men, including 3,000 infantrymen and artillerymen and 1,700 cavalrymen. The association carried 18 cannons and was led by Generals Compans and Ledru .

The advance guard of the Silesian Army under the command of General von Katzler consisted of 4,500 infantrymen and artillerymen, as well as 1,900 cavalrymen. They carried 16 cannons with them.

The battle

After the French had left Claye that evening , a column appeared under Général Guye from Paris for reinforcement.

Strongly pressed by the advancing Prussians of General von Katzler , the French commander Général Compans decided to try to stop the Prussians because of the reinforcements he had received. After the village had been evacuated, the French took up defense behind Claye. The Prussian infantry soon invaded the village and continued to advance. Général Compans then ordered a cavalry attack over the open area, which caused considerable losses in the attacking infantrymen. 300 men were killed or wounded and a number were captured. The remaining attackers then rushed back to Claye.

General Compans then decided a little further east in front of the bois de Montsaigle , the Bois de Claye, Morfondé and the Bois Voisins to move into new positions. The Ferme de Gros-Bois was occupied.

The Prussians then went back to Claye before crossing it and developed to the left of the Route d'Allemagne above the thicket of Gros-Bois to the order of battle. The cavalry also appeared and positioned itself with parts on the Grand route (today "Route nationale 3"). On the left wing was the Klüx infantry division, cavalry under General Zieten occupied the heights of Le Pin with the intention of circumventing the French lines.

The battle between the Bois de Montsaigle and the Gros-bois dragged on for a long time. After the Prussians had received reinforcements from the Kleist corps , who positioned themselves in front of Souilly , Général Compans withdrew further to Villeparisis and took up a new defensive position there.

The Fermes de Morfonde and Monzaigle, as well as the Bois Mulot and the Bois Mony were occupied by the French. Two battalions were directed to the left, where they advanced through the path to Le Pin and bypassed the farm there. Two other battalions attacked the Prussians through the Grosbois. At the same time, the two Prussian battalions that attacked the French defensive position came under heavy defensive fire. The battalion that had defended the Ferme de Monzaigle withdrew only after heavy resistance.

output

Despite the stubborn resistance of the defenders, one defensive position after the other fell into the hands of the attackers. Général Compans therefore had no choice but to take his troops back to Villeparisis in good order. After fighting broke out here as well, Compans had to give up this place and retreat to Bondy . He left a rearguard at Vert-Galant .

literature

  • Guillaume de Vaudoncourt : Histoire des campagnes de 1814 et 1815 en France. Castel, Paris 1817/26.
  • Frédéric Koch : Memories pour servir a l'histoire de la campagne de 1814. Accompagnés de plans, d'ordres de bataille et de situations. Maginet, Paris 1819.
  • Maurice Henri Weil: La campagne de 1814 d'après les documents des archives impériales et royales de la guerre à Vienne. La cavalerie des armées alliées pendant la campagne de 1814. Baudouin, Paris 1891/96
  • François-Guy Hourtoulle: 1814. La Campagne de France; l'aigle blessé . Éditions Histoire & Collections, Paris 2005.

Footnotes

  1. District
  2. General Andreas Georg Friedrich von Katzler (1764–1834), later commandant of Danzig
  3. Villeparisis: Le château de Montzaigle (ou Montsaigle)
  4. bois = forest
  5. Villeparisis: Le château de Morfondé
  6. Ferme = farm
  7. ^ Portion de route entre "Villeparisis" and Claye-Souilly ("Claye"), à hauteur du village de "Souilly".
  8. Villeparisis: Le chateau de Grosbois