16] 



ANNUAL REGISTER, IS 14. 



time had puslied to the village of 

 Semiily, close to the walls of Laoii, 

 whence they were driven by a bat- 

 talion of Prussians. They bivou- 

 acked in the field, but in the morn- 

 insr began a retreat on the road to 

 Soissous, pursued by the advance 

 guard of the allies. The absence 

 of the corps of D'Yorck, Sacken, 

 and Kleist, which were pursuing 

 the remainder of the column which 

 liad advanced from Rheims, pre- 

 vented any further active opera- 

 tion. The result of the actions 

 of these days, was the capture by 

 the allies of forty-eight pieces of 

 cannon, and between five and six 

 thousand prisoners, and the retreat 

 of the French at all points. Napo- 

 leon in person was their command- 

 er in the attack on the right and 

 centre, and Marmont and Arrighi 

 were those of the advance from 

 Rheims. 



On March 12, the Russian gene- 

 ral St. Priest marching from Cha- 

 lons surprised Rheims. On the 

 very next day Napoleon marched 

 ( for its recovery. Between ten and 

 eleven in the forenoon, the ad- 

 vanced posts of the allies on the 

 side of Soissons were driven in, 

 and the enemy were seen advanc- 

 ing in heavy masses of infantry 

 and cavalry. St. Priest moved his 

 troops to a position upon high 

 ground on each side the causeway 

 leading to Soissons, and the ad- 

 vance of the two armies were im- 

 mediately in action. The Russians 

 for a considerable tii.ie supported 

 with great steadiness the attacks of 

 the enemy in still increasing num- 

 bers, till St. Priest was struck from 

 his horse by a cannon ball, and 

 carried from the field. The con- 

 sequence was the retreat of his 

 whole corps through the town of 



Rheims to Berri-au-Bac, with th- 

 loss of eight guns and two thou- 

 sand men. It afterwards joined 

 Blucher's army in tho neighbour* 

 hood. Napoleon, who had en- 

 tered Rheims, left it on the Kith 

 with the greatest part of his army, 

 taking the road to Epernaj% On 

 the 18th Blucher put his troops in 

 motion, and passed the Aisne on 

 the 19lh, the Prussians taking the 

 road to Nismes, and tlip Russians 

 to Rheims. The latter, having 

 blown open the gates of the town, 

 re-entered it without opposition. 

 The intelligence of Blucher's suc- 

 cess at Laon, induced Prince 

 Schwartzenberg on the 15th to 

 move his head-quarters to Pont- 

 sur-Seine, with the intention of 

 commencing offensive operations ; 

 but the farther intelligence of the 

 defeat of St. Priest's corps, and the 

 re-occupation of Rheims by the 

 French, induced him to suspend 

 his movements. He took different 

 posts on the Seine and Aube ; and 

 on the 21st, his army was placed in 

 a concentrated position before Ar- 

 cis-sur-Aube. At this time the 

 French had a considerable force at 

 Arcis, and large masses of infantry 

 and cavalry before it. The dif- 

 ferent columns of Schwartzenberg's 

 army having joined, the two ar- 

 mies stood in order of battle before 

 each other till the afternoon, when 

 the French were seen filing oflP on 

 the other side of the Aube, and 

 taking the direction of Vitri, leav- , 

 ing a powerful rear-guard in pos- 

 session of Arcis. At this instant 

 the Prince of Wurtnmberg made 

 an attack upon Arcis with three 

 corps of the army, whilst dispo- 

 sitions were made for passing other 

 corps to the right bank of the 

 Aube. The attack was resisted 



