Battles & Campaigns · 1814
Battle of Montereau
Montereau, Seine-et-Marne, France
What happened
In February 1814, with Allied armies inside France, the Allies held Montereau through the morning against repeated French attacks. In the afternoon their lines broke, and the retreating troops crowded toward the single bridge behind them. French cavalry seized the bridges over the Seine and Yonne and took the town.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was a French victory that pushed the Allied army under Schwarzenberg to keep retreating toward Troyes.
What came next
Napoleon's pursuit was slowed by a lack of bridges. Fighting resumed at Méry-sur-Seine and then at Bar-sur-Aube.
Did you know?
The bridge at Montereau is also where John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, was killed in 1419.
Timeline
- 18 February 1814Battle of Montereau.
- 22 February 1814Fighting at Méry-sur-Seine.
- 27 February 1814Battle of Bar-sur-Aube.