Battle at Rocquencourt
Memorial plaque to the battle at Rocquencourt
| date | July 1, 1815 |
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| place | at the villages of Rocquencourt (Yvelines) and Le Chesnay , in France |
| output | French victory |
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| Commander | |
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The battle at Rocquencourt took place between French dragoons and Prussian hussars .
prehistory
The Napoleonic Wars were officially lost for France with the defeat in the summer campaign of 1815 . Louis-Nicolas Davout signed the final armistice of France on behalf of France, which was drawn up by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington . The treaty would be valid as soon as the Prussian army arrived in Saint-Germain-en-Laye . Rémy-Isidore Exelmans found the conditions in the treaty impossible and tried to prevent the Prussian army from entering Saint-Germain.
place
Exelmans chose the streets in the villages of Le Chesnay and Rocquencourt (Yvelines) , through which the Prussian army had to pass, as the location of the ambush .
French troops
- 5 e regiment de dragons
- 15 e regiment de dragons
- 20 e régiment de dragons
- 1 he régiment de chasseurs à cheval
- 6 e régiment de chasseurs à cheval
- 6 e régiment de hussards
- 1 battalion of 44 e régiment d'infantry de ligne
The battle
When the Prussians arrived on July 1, 1815, Exelmans opened the battle with the French cavalry. Friedrich Georg von Sohr attacked the French army with his hussars, while the rest of the army avoided the battlefield and continued on their way to Saint-Germain. The Prussians had no chance against the French veterans. After a short battle Sohr surrendered and became a prisoner of war. The battle was decided.
consequences
Despite this defeat, most of the Prussian army reached Saint-Germain, and the armistice came into effect. Despite this victory, France was finally defeated by the seventh coalition .
Today the battle is commemorated with a memorial in Rocquencourt (see photo).
literature
- Gunther Rothenberg : The Napoleonic Wars ("The Napoleonic wars"). Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-89488-134-8 .