Montmirail

11 February, 1814

With confidence growing after Champaubert, Napoleon Bonaparte and his troops sought their next targets and settled on the nearby corps of Russia's General Dmitri Sacken and Prussia's General Johann Yorck.

Bonaparte was taking a risk with the offensive as his 10,000 troops were outnumbered by almost two-to-one by each of the enemy corps of about 18,000 men.

The French leader, however, knew his reinforcements were likely to arrive before Yorch's men were ready to commit to battle and his troops were mainly veterans of the Old Guard.

Splitting his force, Bonaparte detached men to hold up Yorck's arrival while he threw his men against Sacken.

The Russian was decisively defeated and the arriving Prussians were quickly forced to retreat from Marshal Mortier's fast-marching reinforcements.

The Allies lost some 4000 men, while Bonaparte suffered 2000 casualties.