France. Battle of Craonne. Vorontsov must defend himself as best he can against the bulk of Napoleon’s forces, commanded by Napoleon himself. On the Chemin des Dames heights, he deploys his artillery and the 14th Chasseurs, as well as elite marksmen. The Russians have the advantage of terrain. Frenchman Ney advances with 14,000 men. His young and inexperienced recruits fight with great courage. Then Vorontsov’s counterattack forces the French to retreat. And Blucher orders Vorontsov to retreat. The French are considered victorious, but the Russians leave few prisoners and no cannons on the field. The Russians lose 5,000 men, the French between 5,400 (European source) and 8,000 (Russian source).
