Second week (25 June – 1 July) Waterloo Campaign

on 25 june napoleon received fouché, president of newly appointed provisional government (and napoleon s former police chief), intimation must leave paris. retired malmaison, former home of joséphine, had died shortly after first abdication.

on 27 june, le quesnoy surrendered wellington s army. garrison, amounted 2,800 men, chiefly national-guards, obtained liberty retire homes.

on 26 june, péronne taken british troops. first brigade of guards, under major-general maitland, took storm horn-work covers suburbs on left of somme, , place surrendered, upon garrison obtaining leave retire homes.

on 28 june, prussians, under blücher, @ crépy, senlis, , la ferté-milon; and, on 29 june, advanced guards @ saint-denis , gonesse. resistance experienced british army @ cambrai , péronne, detained them 1 day behind prussian army; forced marches enabled them overtake in neighbourhood of paris.

in meantime, soult displaced chief command of army, conferred on marshal grouchy. reason of remarkable step, according soult, because provisional government suspected fidelity. true reason; or scarcely @ moment have dismissed man superior successor, in point of abilities.

the rapid advance of coalition armies caused grouchy redouble speed reach paris before them. effected, after considerable loss, particularly on 28th, @ battle of villers-cotterêts fell in left wing of prussian army, , afterwards division under general bülow, drove him across river marne, loss of 6 pieces of cannon , 1,500 prisoners. grouchy acknowledged, troops not fight, , numbers deserted. in fact, though french army daily receiving reinforcements towns , depots in route, , interior, desertion great number little if thing @ augmented.

with remainder, however, grouchy succeeded in retreating paris, joined wreck of main army, whole consisting of 40 or 50,000 troops of line, wretched remains (including reinforcements) of 150,000 men, fought @ quatre bras , waterloo. these, however, added national-guards, new levy called les tirailleurs de la garde, , federés. according bonaparte s portfolio, found @ waterloo, these latter amounted 14,000 men. altogether, these forces @ least 40,000 more, if not greater number. paris was, therefore, still formidable, , capable of resistance.

on 29 june near approach of prussians, had orders seize napoleon, dead or alive, caused him retire westwards toward rochefort, whence hoped reach united states. presence of blockading royal navy warships under vice admiral henry hotham orders prevent escape forestalled plan.

meanwhile, wellington continued operations unabating activity. armies approached capital, fouché, president of provisional government, wrote letter british commander, asking him halt progress of war.

on 30 june blücher made movement proved decisive of fate of paris. blücher having taken village of aubervilliers, made movement right, , crossing seine @ lesquielles-saint-germain, downstream of capital, threw whole force, (apart skeleton force holding coalition line north of city) upon west-south side of city, no preparations had been made receive enemy.

on 1 july wellington s army arrived in force , occupied coalition lines north of paris. south of paris, @ battle of rocquencourt combined arms french force of commanded general exelmans destroyed prussian brigade of hussars under command of colonel von sohr (who severely wounded , taken prisoner during skirmish), did not prevent prussians moving whole army south side.