Six Days Campaign

The Six Days Campaign was a critical series of battles in Napoleon's final defence of France in 1814 as the Allies advanced on Paris. With a tiny army of only 70,000 the Emperor was faced with at least half a million Allied troops advancing in several main armies commanded by Field Marshal Prince von Blücher and Field Marshal Prince Karl Schwarzenberg amongst others.

The Six Days Campaign was fought from 10 to 14 February during which time he inflicted four major defeats on Blücher's army at Champaubert, Montmirail, Château-Thierry, and Vauchamps. Napoleon managed to inflict 20,000 casualties on Blücher's force of 100,000 with his 30,000 man army leading many to claim that the Six Days was the Emperor's finest campaign.

However the Emperor's victories were not significant enough to make any changes to the overall strategic picture, and Scwarzenberg's larger army still threatened Paris. The overwhelming odds meant that from the beginning eventual French defeat was unavoidable.