oo
weak to do anything more than lead them away from any possible touch
with Napoleon's troops, the Emperor advanced toward the little village
of Chateau-Thierry. Yorck, by this time, had learned the full details
of the disaster to Sacken. Indeed, several of Sacken's brigades had
joined him, considerably augmenting his force. But he was now no match
for Napoleon. To stay meant annihilation. He hastily made his
disposition for a rear guard defense and a withdrawal. He made a
stubborn rear guard battle of it during the day, and, although he lost
heavily in men, guns and supplies, he finally succeeded in crossing the
Marne and breaking the bridges behind him.

Macdonald had moved tardily. If he had shown half the enterprise of
the Emperor he would have been at the crossing of the Marne in good
time and Yorck would have been caught in a trap whence he could not
have extricated himself. As it was, Napoleon added largely to the
number of prisoners taken and the number of enemies killed. Altogether
he had put twenty-five thousand men out of action, in killed, wounded
and prisoners. He had taken one hundred and twenty guns--so many that
he had to tumble them into the creeks and rivers, because he could not
transport them all. He had rearmed and reclothed and provided for his
gallant little army at the expense of the enemy. It was an exploit of
which even he could be proud. On the other hand, in these operations
the French had lost some four thousand men killed and wounded, and, as
their army was so small, they could ill afford such a diminution of
their forces.

Meantime, Bluecher, apprised of these disasters, and at last awakened to
his peril, bravely marched westward. He had come in touch with
Marmont, and had driven him out of Champaubert after a desperate
resistance. The day after the elimination of Yorck, the fourteenth,
Napoleon headed his tired but triumphant troops back over the road to
Champaubert, sending word to Marmont to hold the Prussians in check as
long as possible, to dispute every rod of the way, but not to throw
away his precious men or bring on a general engagement until the
Emperor arrived.

The morning after that Napoleon fell on Bluecher, who clearly
outnumbered the French. But the allies were dismayed and disheartened.
The name of the Emperor whom they had defeated and driven across Europe
was again full of terror to them. The French were accordingly elated.
They would not be denied.