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Title
Ligny
Description
Napoleon had used speed and decisiveness to achieve the coveted central position between Wellington and Blücher. Napoleon’s chief goal was to keep the two allied armies apart and defeat them in detail. Ney moved against the concentrating Anglo-Allied forces at …
Publisher
Date
1815-06-16
Scenario#
418
Scenario Description
Napoleon had used speed and decisiveness to achieve the coveted central position between Wellington and Blücher. Napoleon’s chief goal was to keep the two allied armies apart and defeat them in detail. Ney moved against the concentrating Anglo-Allied forces at Quatre Bras, while Napoleon hoped to attack the Prussian army at Ligny, with the III and IV Corps. Blücher obliged by refusing to retreat even though his IV Corps was still not present. Napoleon’s attack started around 2:30, when he heard cannon fire from Quatre Bras. French artillery felled thousands of Prussians on the exposed forward slopes Soon Saint-Amand was in French hands. A counterattack was ordered, but not until Blücher intervened personally, was Saint-Amand retaken. Meanwhile at Ligny, the French IV Corps succeeded in capturing the church, but could not advance further because of lethal Prussian artillery fire. Subsequent French attacks to take Ligny were stopped at great cost. About 7:00pm, Blücher collected his last reserves to mount one more effort against the French left, stabilizing the Prussian line, but Blücher was wounded and had to leave the field. Napoleon’s battlefield skills were waning. He should have brought up his I and VI Corps to win decisively but neither fired a shot. As darkness fell, Napoleon knew he could not destroy the Prussian army, but committed his Guard to cripple it and keep it out of the fight for several days. The Guard tore through the fatigued, disorganized Prussians, compelling a disorganized Prussian retreat. To his credit, Blücher was able to restore order and retreat toward the Anglo-Allied Army, making victory possible at Waterloo two days later.
Location
Ligny, Belgium
Battle Name
Battle Narrative
The Battle of Ligny was fought on 16 June 1815, in which French troops of the Armée du Nord under the command of Napoleon I defeated part of a Prussian army under Field Marshal Blücher, near Ligny in present-day Belgium. The battle resulted in a tactical victory for the French, but the bulk of the Prussian army survived the battle in good order and played a pivotal role two days later at the Battle of Waterloo, having been reinforced by Prussian troops who had not participated at Ligny. The battle of Ligny was the last victory in Napoleon's military career.
Narrative Source
Wikipedia: Battle of Ligny
Combatants
French
Prussians
Additional Information
Seventh Coalition

Geolocation