Prelude
The battle (the first of the 1814 Campaign) took place near Brienne-le-Château, where Napoleon had attended military school in his early years. As the Allies advanced on France from three different directions, the French Emperor planned to attack and defeat each in turn.
Napoleon's first target was the spread-out force of some 17,000 Russians (part of the combined Prusso-Russian Army of Silesia) under Field Marshal Blücher. To battle his old adversary, Napoleon had a force of some 30,000 troops, but most of these were just out of the recruiting camps with little training and no wartime experience. Napoleon had tried to accomplish an envelopment of Blucher's whole force near the Aube River, but allied cavalry captured a set of the Emperor's orders and Blucher avoided the trap. Additionally, rain had turned many area roads into mud, slowing Napoleon's advance. Napoleon finally caught up with Blucher near Brienne. Blucher, outnumbered, with only Russian Lt. General Baron Osten-Sachen's wing of his army on hand (Yorck's Prussian I Corps was out of supporting distance) was forced to accept battle, as his army's baggage trains were too close – stuck on the muddy roads between Brienne and Dienville.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Brienne
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