Editing Battle of Mormant (section)

===Valjouan===
[[File:Général Samuel François Lhéritier de Chézelles.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.7|alt=Black and white print shows a clean-shaven man with long sideburns. He wears the high collared and dark uniform of a French general officer of the early 1800s.|Samuel Lhéritier]]

At Nangis, Napoleon split his advancing army into three columns. Victor led the right-most column south toward Montereau. This force included the II Corps, Paris Reserve, Lhéritier's dragoons and Bordesoulle's recruits.{{sfn|Petre|1994|p=82}} The left-most column under Oudinot, with the VII Corps and Trelliard's dragoons, followed Wittgenstein's retreat east toward Provins. MacDonald's center column consisted of the XI Corps, Piré light horsemen and Briche's dragoons; it headed southeast toward Donnemarie. The French emperor held the Imperial Guard in reserve at Nangis. Wittgenstein retreated rapidly{{sfn|Nafziger|2015|p=205}} and crossed the Seine at Nogent that evening.{{sfn|Petre|1994|p=82}}

Victor's column departed Nangis at 1:30&nbsp;p.m. and bumped into enemy resistance at [[Villeneuve-le-Comte]] about 3:00&nbsp;p.m. Tipped off by Hardegg's survivors, Peter de Lamotte deployed the 3rd Bavarian Division on the Valjouan heights, blocking the road. Lamotte posted the 11th Bavarian Line Infantry in an advanced position at Villeneuve and Grand-Maison farm; his cavalry covered both flanks. The divisions of Hardegg and Splény were behind Lamotte; they began withdrawing as soon as the French appeared. The Schwarzenberg Uhlans Nr. 1 and Archduke Joseph Hussars Nr. 2, rallied from their earlier mauling by the French cavalry, were positioned to assist the Bavarian cavalry. Gérard, whose troops led the infantry column, decided to attack at once and asked Victor for help from the II Corps. Gérard deployed Lhéritier to the right and Bordesoulle to the left.{{sfn|Nafziger|2015|p=205}}

Supported by 12 cannons, Jacques Félix Jan de La Hamelinaye's brigade stormed Villeneuve and Grand-Maison at 3:30&nbsp;p.m. Gérard held [[Georges Joseph Dufour]]'s brigade in reserve. As the Bavarian foot soldiers bolted from both positions, they were set upon by Bordesoulle's cavalrymen. When some Allied cavalry tried to rescue the Bavarians, the French horsemen rode into them and chased them away. Next, the Iller Mobile Legion tried to intervene, only to be routed by the French recruits. Altogether, Bordesoulle's half-trained horsemen inflicted about 300 casualties on their foes.{{sfn|Nafziger|2015|p=205}} They apparently took no prisoners except a wounded Austrian officer who Bordesoulle had to personally save.{{sfn|Nafziger|2015|p=206}}

Peter de Lamotte formed his division into a square formation and began to retreat, followed by Bordesoulle.{{sfn|Nafziger|2015|p=205}} At some point during the withdrawal, the two Austrian mounted regiments were attacked by a large force of French cavalry and suffered 200 casualties in the melee. After Lamotte marched about {{cvt|2|km|mi|1}} toward Donnemarie, Gérard's infantry burst out of the woods and nearly broke up Lamotte's division. However, the French cavalry was absent this time, allowing the Bavarians to reform their battalions and resume their retreat.{{sfn|Nafziger|2015|p=206}} That evening, Wrede got the V Corps across the Seine at Bray, except for a rearguard at [[Mouy-sur-Seine]].{{sfn|Petre|1994|p=83}}