March 7th 1814 - Battle of Craonne. This is a battle that took place between France’s Napoleonic army and the allied armies of Russia and Prussia. Napoleon had suffered an earlier defeat, been pushed back into France and the battle was fought 56 miles northeast of Paris. His army decimated, Napoleon imposed new conscription laws. Many young men escaped into the forests and mountains to escape this fate. Some of the new soldiers were called the Marie-Louise, after Napoleon’s 2nd wife, because they were too young to be able to grow a beard. Given the condition of the army most commanders would have gone into a defensive mode. Not Napoleon, he chose to attack. This is from
This Day in History
This Day in History
This Day in History
March 7th 1814 - Battle of Craonne. This is a battle that took place between France’s Napoleonic army and the allied armies of Russia and Prussia. Napoleon had suffered an earlier defeat, been pushed back into France and the battle was fought 56 miles northeast of Paris. His army decimated, Napoleon imposed new conscription laws. Many young men escaped into the forests and mountains to escape this fate. Some of the new soldiers were called the Marie-Louise, after Napoleon’s 2nd wife, because they were too young to be able to grow a beard. Given the condition of the army most commanders would have gone into a defensive mode. Not Napoleon, he chose to attack. This is from