Battle of Issy
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Issy was a skirmish fought on 3 July 1815 at the village of Issy, a short distance south west of Paris. The result was a victory for Field Marshal
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher
over a French army defending Paris.
, the armies of the Duke of Wellington
and Blucher and other Seventh Coalition forces advanced upon Paris. Although a Prussian brigade was defeated in a skirmish at Rocquencourt
near Versailles, the movement of the Prussians to the right was not checked. The Prussian I Corps under the command of General Zieten
advanced on the 2 July towards the heights of Meudon and Ghatillon and fought a sharp battle for the possession of Sèvres, Moulineaux, and Issy.
led out two strong columns of infantry, supported by cavalry and a formidable train of artillery, and seemed bent on retaking the ground which had been lost on the previous day. For though the French greatly exceeded the Prussians in numbers, they failed to take the village of Issy, and after much firing fell back in disorder. The French were pursued by the Prussian skirmishers up to the outer defences of Paris.
and was transported to England. The full restoration of Louis XVIII
followed the emperor’s departure. Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to the island of Saint Helena
where he died in May 1821.
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Fürst von Wahlstatt , Graf , later elevated to Fürst von Wahlstatt, was a Prussian Generalfeldmarschall who led his army against Napoleon I at the Battle of the Nations at Leipzig in 1813 and at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 with the Duke of Wellington.He is...
over a French army defending Paris.
Prelude
After the French defeat at the Battle of WaterlooBattle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, the armies of the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
and Blucher and other Seventh Coalition forces advanced upon Paris. Although a Prussian brigade was defeated in a skirmish at Rocquencourt
Battle of Rocquencourt
The Battle of Rocquencourt was a cavalry skirmish fought on 1 July 1815 in and around the villages of Rocquencourt and Le Chesnay. French dragoons supported by infantry and commanded by General Exelmans destroyed a Prussian brigade of hussars...
near Versailles, the movement of the Prussians to the right was not checked. The Prussian I Corps under the command of General Zieten
Hans Ernst Karl, Graf von Zieten
Hans Ernst Karl, Graf von Zieten was an officer in the Prussian Army during the Napoleonic Wars.Zieten was born in Dechtow in the Margraviate of Brandenburg; he was not related to the Frederician general Hans Joachim von Zieten.During the Waterloo Campaign of 1815, Lieutenant-General von Zieten...
advanced on the 2 July towards the heights of Meudon and Ghatillon and fought a sharp battle for the possession of Sèvres, Moulineaux, and Issy.
Battle
On the 3 July VandammeDominique Vandamme
General Dominique-Joseph René Vandamme, Count of Unseburg was a French military officer, who fought in the Napoleonic Wars....
led out two strong columns of infantry, supported by cavalry and a formidable train of artillery, and seemed bent on retaking the ground which had been lost on the previous day. For though the French greatly exceeded the Prussians in numbers, they failed to take the village of Issy, and after much firing fell back in disorder. The French were pursued by the Prussian skirmishers up to the outer defences of Paris.
Aftermath
Issy was the final attempt of the French Army to defend Paris and, with this defeat, all hope of holding Paris faded. Napoleon Bonaparte had already announced his abdication (24 June 1815); unable to remain in France or escape from it, on 15 July he surrendered himself to Captain Maitland of HMS BellerophonHMS Bellerophon (1786)
The first HMS Bellerophon of the Royal Navy was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line launched on 6 October 1786 at Frindsbury on the River Medway, near Chatham. She was built at the shipyard of Edward Greaves to the specifications of the Arrogant, designed by Sir Thomas Slade in 1758, the lead ship...
and was transported to England. The full restoration of Louis XVIII
Louis XVIII of France
Louis XVIII , known as "the Unavoidable", was King of France and of Navarre from 1814 to 1824, omitting the Hundred Days in 1815...
followed the emperor’s departure. Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to the island of Saint Helena
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
where he died in May 1821.