Battle of Laon
1814 CE.
Shown on the map at 49.566°, 3.621°.
The Battle of Laon, fought on March 9–10, 1814, was a pivotal engagement during the waning months of the Napoleonic Wars. Blücher's Prusso-Russian force, occupying a tough defensive position at the town of Laon, repelled attacks by and successfully counterattacked French Emperor Napoleon and his subordinate corps commander, Marshal Marmont. Marmont's actions were severely criticized by Napoleon and almost led to disaster. Meanwhile, Blücher, despite having approximately 50,000 more troops, acted cautiously; he was misled by false information suggesting 90,000 in the French ranks, and was himself sick and exhausted. Blücher was significantly superior to Napoleon in all three arms: infantry (75,000 vs. 40,000), cavalry (25,000 vs. 10,000), and artillery (480 pieces vs. 260). The 71-year-old Blücher was rendered hors de combat just as he planned to deliver the decisive blow to Napoleon on the morning of the 11th. On the 11th, he was replaced by his chief of staff, Gneisenau, who was deceived by Napoleon's frontal demonstrations against Laon. By the morning of the 12th, Gneisenau's cautious attacks on Ney's rearguard were repeatedly repulsed.
Text from the Wikipedia article Battle of Laon, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.