Battle of Limonest

Battle of Limonest
Part of the Campaign of France of the Sixth Coalition
Charge of the 13th Cuirassiers Regiment at the Battle of Limonest, 20 March 1814, by Theodore Jung
Date 20 March 1814 Location Limonest, France 45°50′13″N 4°46′19″E / 45.83694°N 4.77194°E / 45.83694; 4.77194 Result Coalition victory[1][2]
Belligerents
Austrian Empire  Grand Duchy of Hesse	First French Empire
Commanders and leaders
Prince Frederick of Hessen-Homburg	Pierre Augereau
Units involved
1st Corps 2nd Corps 6th German Corps	Army of the Rhône
Strength
56,000, 124 guns[3] 30,000[1][2]	24,269, 33 guns[3] 20,000, 36 guns[1][2]
Casualties and losses
2,875,[4] 1,700,[2] 2,900[1]	1,000,[5] 2,000,[2] 2,000[1]
class=notpageimage| Location within France

War of the Sixth Coalition:
Campaign in north-east France

190km
118miles

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Bar-sur-Aube

   

  current battle

  Napoleon in command

  Napoleon not in command

The Battle of Limonest (20 March 1814) saw an army of Austrian and Hessian troops led by General der Kavallerie Prince Frederick of Hessen-Homburg attack a smaller French army under Marshal Charles-Pierre Augereau. The Coalition forces defeated the French and forced them to evacuate the city of Lyon. The battle was part of the Campaign in north-east France during the War of the Sixth Coalition.

In early 1814, the Coalition armies invaded Imperial France in greatly superior numbers. While the main Allied armies faced French Emperor Napoleon to the east of Paris, a secondary campaign was conducted near Lyon and Geneva. The small French army based on Lyon could not be ignored because it threatened the Coalition supply lines running back to Germany. Ultimately, the Allies captured Lyon, but they were compelled to divert considerable forces from the more important effort against Napoleon.^{[note 1]}

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