Key Facts
- Dates
- 20–21 March 1814
- Allied force size
- 74,000–100,000 troops
- Napoleon's sequence
- Penultimate battle before abdication
- Duration
- 2 days
- Result
- French setback; successful masked retreat
Strategic Narrative Overview
Napoleon occupied Arcis believing he was pursuing a retreating enemy. The first day's clashes were inconclusive, reinforcing his mistaken assessment. On 21 March, French forces advanced to high ground only to find between 74,000 and 100,000 Allied troops drawn up in battle array south of Arcis. Napoleon personally participated in the bitter fighting that followed. Realizing he was massively outnumbered, he immediately ordered a masked retreat, disengaging most French forces before Schwarzenberg understood what was happening.
01 / The Origins
By March 1814, the Sixth Coalition had invaded France and was pressing toward Paris. Napoleon had split his attention between Blücher's Russo-Prussian army to the north and Schwarzenberg's larger Allied army pushing Marshal MacDonald back toward Paris. After a French victory at Reims, Napoleon moved south to threaten Schwarzenberg's supply lines to Germany, prompting the cautious Austrian field marshal to consolidate near Troyes and Arcis-sur-Aube and, unusually, choose to stand and fight.
03 / The Outcome
The Allied pursuit failed to prevent the French army from withdrawing safely to the north, but the engagement was a clear French setback. Napoleon's ability to maneuver was now critically constrained. The battle proved to be his penultimate action; the last was the Battle of Saint-Dizier. Shortly afterward, the coalition forces captured Paris, leading directly to Napoleon's abdication and exile to Elba in April 1814.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Napoleon Bonaparte, Jacques MacDonald.
Side B
1 belligerent
Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg, Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.