Editing Battle of Mormant (section)

===Mormant===
[[File:Ridiger Fyodor Vasilyevich.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.7|alt=Painting shows a man with a receding hairline and sideburns. He wears a hussar uniform with a red and gold sash over the shoulder.|Theodor von Rüdiger]]

At Mormant, Pahlen became aware that large numbers of French troops were near his position. The Russian placed two battalions in Mormant and massed the rest of his troops on both sides of the highway with his artillery in the center. He was prepared to fight or to retreat. During the night, Wittgenstein received positive orders to withdraw so he marched his corps east toward Provins at dawn. He forwarded the orders to Pahlen but they came too late. At daybreak, Pahlen saw that he faced an overwhelming force and began to retreat.{{sfn|Nafziger|2015|p=201}} The Russian commanded 2,000–2,500-foot soldiers and 1,500–1,800 mounted troops. The infantry consisted of Selenginsk, Reval, Tenguinsk and [[8th Estonia Infantry Regiment|Estonia]] Regiments and the 4th and 34th Jäger Regiments. The cavalry were led by [[Theodor von Rüdiger]] and included 14 squadrons from the Soumy Hussar, Olviopol Hussar and Tchougoulev Uhlan Regiments plus the Illowaiski XII, Rebrikov III and two unnamed Cossack regiments. Colonel Rosen's brigade was to the east at [[Grandpuits-Bailly-Carrois|Bailly]].{{sfn|Nafziger|2015|p=202}} Another source stated that the Grodno rather than the Olviopol Hussars were engaged, that the 20th and 21st Jägers were involved and that the Russians had 12 field pieces.{{sfn|Smith|1998|p=498}}

[[File:Battle of Mormant French Attack.png|thumb|left|upright=1.2|alt=French Attack Formation, Battle of Mormant, Dawn, 17 February 1814. Drawn from information in The End of Empire by George Nafziger, p. 201.|French attack formation: Battle of Mormant]]

At 5:00&nbsp;a.m. the French infantry advanced with [[Guillaume Philibert Duhesme]]'s II Corps division on the left, Gérard's Paris Reserve in the center and Louis Huguet-Château's II Corps division on the right. Victor's corps artillery marched in the intervals.{{sfn|Nafziger|2015|p=201}} Milhaud's corps included [[Hippolyte Piré]]'s light cavalry division, [[André Briche]]'s dragoon division and [[Samuel-François Lhéritier]] dragoon division. Kellermann's corps had only [[Anne-François-Charles Trelliard]]'s dragoon division, fresh from the Spanish theater. Lhéritier was temporarily assigned to Kellermann.{{sfn|Nafziger|2015|p=200}} Milhaud commanded the left wing cavalry with Piré's horsemen deployed on Duhesme's left and Briche's troopers echeloned to Piré's left rear. Kellermann commanded the right wing cavalry with Trelliard's dragoons on Huguet-Château's right and Lhéritier's troopers echeloned to Trelliard's right rear. Behind the front-line units marched two VII Corps units on the north side of the highway. [[Pierre François Xavier Boyer]]'s division was in the lead with [[Henri Rottembourg]]'s division {{cvt|200|m|yd|0}} farther back. The Imperial Guard artillery moved along the main road beside the VII Corps. The remainder of the army followed.{{sfn|Nafziger|2015|p=201}}

[[File:Général Jacques Gervais Subervie.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.7|alt=Black and white print shows a clean-shaven man in a hussar uniform.|Jacques Subervie]]

Pahlen ordered the two battalions in Mormant to hold back the French at all cost in order to allow the rest of his command to escape. Four Cossack regiments opposed Kellermann's corps while Rüdiger's regular cavalry faced Milhaud's corps.{{sfn|Nafziger|2015|p=202}} [[Jacques Gervais, baron Subervie]]'s brigade of Pire's division turned half-right and swooped down on the Russian skirmishers while the rest of Milhaud's cavalry advanced on Rüdiger's horsemen. In the center, Gérard's infantry forced its way into the village of Mormant, flushing its defenders into the open. Pierre Ismert, leading one of Trelliard's brigades, hurled the 4th Dragoons at the fleeing Russians, forcing many to surrender. On the right flank, Lhéritier's first brigade under August Étienne Lamotte dispersed the first two Cossack regiments. When the Illowaiski and Rebrikov Cossacks tried to intervene they were swept away by Lhéritier's second brigade led by [[Jean Antoine de Collaert]]. As Lhéritier's horsemen galloped after the routed Cossacks, the 16th Dragoons of Trelliard's division charged and broke a Russian square.{{sfn|Nafziger|2015|p=203}}

[[File:Étienne Maurice Gérard 1773-1852.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|alt=Sepia print shows a man with a high forehead wearing a dark uniform with epaulettes and gold braid on the collar and front of the coat.|Étienne Gérard]]

On the north flank, Rüdiger deployed nine squadrons in the first line and five squadrons in the second line. Against the Russian horsemen, Milhaud had Piré's division (minus Subervie's brigade) in the first line, Gabriel Gaspard Montelégier's brigade in the second and Denis Éloi Ludot's in the third. Successive charges by Piré and Montelégier broke Rüdiger's squadrons and chased them off the battlefield with the French light cavalry in pursuit. Milhaud directed Montelégier to deal with the Russian infantry while sending Ludot on a sweep to block Pahlen's escape route. Without its supporting cavalry, Pahlen's infantry battalions were compelled to form into a square formation to defend against cavalry. [[Antoine Drouot]] aggressively pushed 36 guns from the French Guard artillery into the front line where they pummeled the Russians.{{sfn|Nafziger|2015|p=204}}

[[File:Peter Graf von der Pahlen.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.7|alt=Painting shows a serious-looking young man with a mustache and wavy hair. He wears an elaborate hussar military uniform with gold lace and a gold and red sash over his shoulder.|Peter Pahlen]]

Pahlen sent messengers to Nangis pleading for assistance, but Ignaz Splény de Miháldi's division had already marched off leaving only Anton Leonhard von Hardegg's Austrian division from Wrede's V Corps. Hardegg had some infantry battalions in Nangis and two cavalry regiments in Bailly. The Austrian division commander declined to assist his ally and ordered an immediate retreat. However, before they could get away, the two Austrian cavalry regiments were disordered by the fleeing Cossacks and then scattered by Piré's and August Lamotte's horsemen. The Russian infantry's withdrawal continued, leaving a trail of casualties from artillery fire. On the outskirts of Grandpuits they were finally brought to halt by Ludot's brigade which was now blocking the Russian line of retreat.{{sfn|Nafziger|2015|p=204}} Surrounded and hammered by artillery, the Russian battalions were all overrun by cavalry charges. The final square was broken when charged simultaneously by the brigades of Ludot and Ismert.{{sfn|Nafziger|2015|p=205}}

The Russians probably lost one-third of their cavalry and admitted the loss of 2,114-foot soldiers. The French claimed 9–12 guns and 40 caissons captured while the Russians said they saved two cannons. The French cavalry commanders reported losing 150 horsemen and Gérard reported only 30 casualties. Pahlen's survivors dispersed over the French countryside.{{sfn|Nafziger|2015|p=205}} Another authority stated that Pahlen lost 2,000 men and 10 guns.{{sfn|Petre|1994|p=82}} The Reval and Selenginsk Regiments lost so many men that they were withdrawn to [[Plock]] in [[Poland]] to reorganize.{{sfn|Nafziger|2015|p=205}}{{sfn|Smith|1998|p=498}}