THE COMBAT OF MéRY

22-23 February 1814

translated by Geert van Uythoven

“On 21 February 1814, the Silesian army made contact with the great army of Fürst Schwarzenberg, and had taken up positions near Méry at the Seine, a few hours beneath Troyes. Field Marshal Blücher and General Count Wittgenstein placed their headquarters in Méry, and Generals von Yorck and Von Kleist in Droup St. Marie, about half an hour away. The troops had not been able to provide themselves sufficiently with foodstuffs in the villages of this very poor area. On the wide and flat chalk fields there were only few settlements and virtually no trees. The cold was very severe, and the troops suffered dreadfully. Especially bread, brandy and wood were lacking. These days were the harshest of the whole winter campaign.

On the 22nd, Count Wittgenstein marched upstream of the Seine to Villacerf, a castle in the valley, were a crossing of the Seine is situated. General von Sacken occupied Méry and the terrain on the opposite bank with troops of his corps. Around noon, enemy forces started to push back these, along the causeway to the bridge, during which the suburb was lost. At this moment, at once a very fierce fire broke out in the city, and in a short while a great part of it was in flames. One had to hurry to bring out the headquarters and the troops, except those defending the bridge.

In the meantime the enemy grew stronger, and musketry at the bridge became stronger and stronger. The field marshal ordered the troops under arms. In a short while the whole Silesian army was concentrated about a thousand paces behind Méry, along the chaussee leading to Arcis, in such a way that the Russian troops were completely on the right of it, the Prussians on its left. The battalions were in column, the infantry of the advance guard at the front, the Divisions close beside each other. Kleist’s corps in the same order of battle behind Yorck’s corps.

In the meanwhile, the French had deployed artillery and became master of the bridge and the city. The city is surrounded by an insignificant earthen wall and some kind of a ditch, connecting to the left and right side of the city with brushwood. The enemy tirailleurs boldly crossed the ditch and dispatched detachments inside the brushwood. These occupied the edge of the brushwood and fired at our columns, while at the same time enemy grenades fell on and even over our position,

The troops were positioned so close to the city that the short distance did not allow them to deploy, and the reserve suffered as much from enemy fire as the advanced troops. The enemy tirailleurs, positioned inside the houses on the outside, were so close by that Field Marshal Blücher was wounded, luckily only slight, by a musket ball. Colonel von Valentini (Chief of the General Staff of the 1st Army Corps) however was shot through the loin. Therefore, General von Yorck ordered the advance guard to advance against Méry on the left of the chaussee and the brushwood to the left of the city, while on the other side of the chaussee two Russian battalions advanced.

The fusiliers of the 1st and 2nd East-Prussian Infantry Regiment attacked the enemy fiercely and without much firing. They were supported by the combined fusilier battalion [GvU: Borke] of the Brandenburg and the 12th Reserve Regiment, and the grenadier battalion of Major von Leslie. These united attacks drove the French soon through the burning city and across the bridge. Night fell and brought an end to this days fighting.

One continuously saw enemy columns marching on Troyes, and concluded from this that Napoleon had set his eye on this point. At the same time, one learned that the attack on Méry had been undertaken by a Division just returned from Spain, belonging to the troops of Marshal Oudinot. During the night, the city remained occupied by two Russian and two Prussian battalions. The advance guard was commanded by General von Katzler.

Skirmishing fire on the banks of the Seine continued during the night. The enemy did not undertake a formal attack on the bridge. However, because of the darkness few hits were scored, making the enemy very bold, who continued the fire fight mostly without the use of any cover at all. When therefore at eight o’clock in the morning both Russian battalions were pulled back from the city, General von Katler ordered both East-Prussian jäger companies into it, and deployed part of them against the by now very bold forward troops of the enemy.

Immediately, the much superior results of a well aimed fire became apparent. After every shot of the jäger, an enemy fell; enemy fire became weaker and weaker, and soon the French tirailleurs had completely retreated inside the opposite houses. Here they tried to maintain fire. After however many, who were only showing head through the windows, were not able to evade the rifle fire of the jägers, their fire ceased completely. I kind of spontaneous cease fire was the result, which was only disturbed when a party made an effort to destroy the bridge. The jägers showed at this occasion that they were cunningly and cold-blooded. They suffered the loss of five men only, losing however in Lieutenant Schmidt a very able officer.

Because of the fact that the enemy was not active anymore, and as it seems that they had no further attacks on Méry in their minds, the corps remained in the bivouacs to which they had been assigned for the night. The severe frost and sufferings of all kinds were very painful for them. The village Droup St. Marie followed the faith of many villages in this area at that time; it was nearly completely demolished in order to provide materials for the campfires. In addition, several farmstead burned to the ground, and a fire that broke out in the camp of Kleist’s corps increased the sufferings of this day. Demand of firewood was great because of the severe cold, and it often happened that billeted officers had to defend the roof above their heads with their sword in the hand.

1st Army Corps lost on these both days five officers and 155 men in dead and wounded. It was also here that Field Marshal Blücher took the decision, agreed upon by the allied Monarchs, to threaten the enemy capital with a huge offensive operation, which had a just as important influence on the course of events as the crossing near Wartenburg had during the previous campaign.”

Source: “Das Gefecht bei Méry am 22/23 Februar 1814”, in ‘Militair-Wochenblatt’, 22. Jahrgang (Berlin 1837), pp. 2-3.

© Geert van Uythoven