Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube

Significance

At Arcis-sur-Aube, Napoleon engaged Karl Philipp von Schwarzenberg's Army of Bohemia without recognizing until the second day of fighting that he was outnumbered by a force several times the size of his own. Once the disparity became clear, Napoleon ordered a masked retreat that succeeded largely because Schwarzenberg failed to identify the French disengagement in time; the subsequent Allied pursuit could not prevent the French army from withdrawing northward intact. The battle inflicted roughly equal casualties on both sides despite the vast imbalance in strength, but its strategic consequence was the continued erosion of Napoleon's ability to shape the campaign in France. Arcis-sur-Aube stands as Napoleon's penultimate engagement before his abdication and exile to Elba, with only the Battle of Saint-Dizier following it, marking the effective end of his capacity to defend French territory against the converging Allied armies of the Sixth Coalition.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (8)