Napoleon's End

Napoleon approached a corps of Austrian and Württemberg troops. The Allied commander ordered a withdrawal, but 17 February saw his rear guards overrun or brushed aside. Ordered to hold Montereau until nightfall on the 18th, the Crown Prince of Württemberg posted a strong force on the north bank of the Seine. All morning the Allies stoutly held off a series of French attacks. However, the lines buckled in the afternoon and the troops ran for the single bridge behind them. The French cavalry got among the fugitives, capturing the spans over both the Seine and Yonne Rivers and seized Montereau. The Allied force suffered heavy losses and the defeat confirmed Schwarzenberg's decision to continue the retreat to Troyes.

After pulling out of Arcis-sur-Aube, the Emperor’s eagles moved east, hoping to draw the Coalition armies away from Paris by threatening their supply lines; this desperate ploy failed in its intent. Meanwhile, Marmont and Mortier were marching to join Napoleon, with Blücher’s Army of Silesia hot on their tails. As the two marshals moved east out of Sezanne they unexpectedly collided with Schwarzenberg. Realizing they were marching into a trap, they turned back, and managed an orderly retreat until a violent rainstorm rendered their muskets unreliable. They were steadily driven back and completely routed by aggressive Coalition horsemen and gunners, suffering heavy casualties and the loss of most of their artillery. A nearby convoy, escorted by two French divisions of National Guards under Pacthod, were also attacked and wiped out at Bannes. With the corps of Marmont and Mortier collapsing, the Allied assault on Paris was a foregone conclusion. The Battle of Paris followed on 30 March.