On the Seine, Macdonald and Oudinot failed to hold Troyes against the masses of Schwarzenberg.  Of all the French Marshals, Marmont had distinguished himself the most in this campaign, and now at Laon he had been caught napping.  Yet, while all others failed, Napoleon seemed invincible.  Even after Marmont’s disaster, the allies forbore to attack the chief; and, just as a lion that has been beaten off by a herd of buffaloes stalks away, mangled but full of fight and unmolested, so the Emperor drew off in peace towards Soissons.  Thence he marched on Rheims, gained a victory over a Russian division there, and hoped to succour his Lorraine garrisons, when, on the 17th, the news of Schwarzenberg’s advance towards Paris led him southwards once more.

Yielding to the remonstrances of the Czar, the Austrian leader had purposed to march on the French capital, if everything went well; but he once more drew back on receiving news of Napoleon’s advance against his right flank.  While preparing to retire towards Brienne, he heard that his great antagonist had crossed that river at Plancy with less than 20,000 troops.  To retrace his steps, fall upon this handful of weary men with 100,000, and drive them into the river, was not a daring conception:  but so accustomed were the allies to dalliance and delay that a thrill of surprise ran through the host when he began to call up its retiring columns for a fight.[428]

Napoleon also was surprised:  he believed the Grand Army to be in full retreat, and purposed then to dash on Vitry and Verdun.[429] But the allies gave him plenty of time to draw up Macdonald’s and Oudinot’s corps, while they themselves were still so widely sundered as at first scarcely to stay his onset.  The fighting behind Arcis was desperate:  Napoleon exposed his person freely to snatch victory from the deepening masses in front.  At one time a shell burst in front of him, and his staff shivered as they saw his figure disappear in the cloud of smoke and dust; but he arose unhurt, mounted another charger and pressed on the fight.  It was in vain:  he was compelled to draw back his men to the town (March 20th).  On the morrow a bold attack by Schwarzenberg could have overwhelmed Napoleon’s 30,000 men; but his bold front imposed on the Austrian leader, while the French were drawn across the river, only the rearguard suffering heavily from the belated attack of the allies.  With the loss of 4,000 men, Napoleon fell back northwards into the wasted plains of Sezanne.  Hope now vanished from every breast but his.  And surely if human weakness had ever found a place in that fiery soul, it might now have tempted him to sue for peace.  He had flung himself first north, then south, in order to keep for France the natural frontiers that he might have had as a present last November; he had failed; and now he might with honour accept the terms of the victors.  But once more he was too late.