Battle of Laon

Battle of Laon
	Part of the Campaign of France of the Sixth Coalition
	; Napoleon and his staff are returning from Soissons after the battle of Laon, by Ernest Meissonier
Date	9–10 March 1814
Location	Laon, France49.5658°N 3.6206°E
Result	Coalition victory
Belligerents
France	Prussia,; Russia
Commanders and leaders
Napoleon Bonaparte	Gebhard von Blücher; August von Gneisenau; Friedrich von Bülow; Ferdinand von Wintzingerode
Strength
37,000–50,000	90,000–100,000
Casualties and losses
6,000–6,500	3,500–4,000
	Location within France

The Battle of Laon (9–10 March 1814) was the victory of Blücher's Prussian army over Napoleon's French army near Laon. During the Battle of Craonne on 7 March, Blücher's army was forced to retreat into Laon after a failed attempt to halt Napoleon's east flank. Along the way to Laon, reinforcements from Russian forces under Ferdinand von Wintzingerode and a Prussian corps led by Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bülow joined the defensive. Blücher opted to face Napoleon at Laon because it was the site of a strategically important road junction, and because of its highly defensible position.

War of the Sixth Coalition:
Campaign in north-east France

200km
125miles

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current battle

Napoleon in command

Napoleon not in command

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