Battles & Campaigns · 1814
Battle of Saint-Dizier
Saint-Dizier, Haute-Marne, France
What happened
Wintzingerode's mostly cavalry force had followed Napoleon's army to Saint-Dizier, pretending to be the advance guard of the whole Allied army. French troops attacked from several sides, pushed back the Cossacks and forced the Russian cavalry onto the road to Vitry. Wintzingerode withdrew that evening.
Why it matters
Why it matters: The page calls it Napoleon's last military victory before the surrender of Paris. The Allied trick delayed him by about three days.
What came next
Napoleon learned that the Allies were marching on Paris and hurried back, but Paris surrendered on 31 March and he abdicated in April.
Did you know?
Wintzingerode even booked rooms in Saint-Dizier for the Russian Emperor and Prussian King to make the trick convincing.
Timeline
- 25 March 1814Battle of Fère-Champenoise.
- 26 March 1814Battle of Saint-Dizier.
- 31 March 1814Paris surrenders.