Talk:Battle of Rocquencourt

Sources

See also Talk:Battle of La Suffel#More sources and Talk:Battle of Issy#Sources

Possible Book source are

• David Chandler Waterloo: The Hundred Days (Battles and Histories)
• Peter Hofschröer - 1815: The Waterloo Campaign. The German Victory.

This article needs to be fleshed out. I am going to list a few Internet sources below which are not in themselves reliable, but they may contain facts that will allow other sources to be found on the Internet that are more reliable. --PBS 12:23, 5 September 2007 (UTC)

• The New Napoleon Series Discussion Forum: Re: effectiveness of pursuits by Digby Smith, 13 May 2006, at 10:42 a.m.
• Prussian Army During the Napoleonic Wars: Race to Paris Probably based on Peter Hofschröer - "1815: The Waterloo Campaign. The German Victory."

On June 30th the Prussians met strong French force near Aubervilliers. The Prussians were halted by canal and French artillery drawn up beyond it. Several troops of French Young Guard were rushed to la Villette and were now commanded by Davout in person along with his whole staff. The Prussian and French skirmishers fired on each other all afternoon. With the support of cavalry the Prussians gained some ground before being thrown back. Although Ziethen received Blucher's orders before midnight, he was concerned about making a night attack on the villages of Pantin and la Villette.

• Le Chesnay source Rocquencourt (Municipality, Yvelines, France) "On 1 July 1815, Napoléon I's Grande Armée fought its last battle in Rocquencourt and the neighbouring municipality of Le Chesnay"

The provisory government led by Fouché appointed Davout General in Chief. The French troops concentrated in Paris had as many soldiers as the invaders and much more cannons. Moreover, the Prussians and the Anglo-Dutch troops were separated. Davout sent to Wellington and Blücher a proposal of armistice but asked Exelmans to muster the cavalry located on the left bank of the Seine and to march against the Prussians, who stayed in Versailles. Exelmans ordered the Piré division to rush to Rocquencourt via Sèvres and Vaucresson in order to block the Prussian line of retreat and commanded himself the central column made of two dragoons' divisions, which rushed straight to Versailles via Plessis-Piquet and Vélizy. The Prussian hussars left Versailles for Plessis-Piquet and were repelled by the French dragoons in Vélizy. They withdrew to Versailles but could not enter the city because of the dragoons chasing them. On their way to Saint-Germain, their first squadron was shot at the entrance of Rocquencourt by Piré's infantrymen hidden in the fields. The Prussian general von Sohr ordered his men to escape through the fields but was himself injured, captured and brought back to Paris. The Prussians were blocked into a small, narrow street in Le Chesnay and attempted to hide in the yard of the Poupinet farm, where all of them were killed or captured. However, the main body of the Prussian army rushed to Saint-Germain; Exelmans resisted until the next day and withdrew to Paris with 437 prisoners and several horses. A few days later, Exelmans attempted to avoid the capitulation of the French army, to no avail. Exelmans was confered the title of Marshal of France in 1851 and died the next year after a horse fall.

• Rocquencourt - July 1, 1815 (Google translation)

• China History Forum, chinese history forum _ World History and Culture _ Battle of Waterloo - why did Napoleon fail?] See post by: jlaporte Jun 23 2006, 02:09

The last Napoleonic battle was actually fought "by accident" in Rocquencourt, next to Versailles, were an erring Prussian cavalry regiment was destroyed within minutes by enraged French troops supported by the populace.

--PBS 12:23, 5 September 2007 (UTC)