Gathering up his outnumbered forces, Napoleon rushed his soldiers south to deal with Schwarzenberg. Hearing of the approach of the French emperor, the Allied commander ordered a withdrawal, but on 17 February saw his rear guards overrun or brushed aside.
All morning and past noon, the Allies stoutly held off a series of French attacks. However, under increasing French pressure, the Crown Prince's lines buckled in the afternoon and his troops ran for the single bridge to their rear. Brilliantly led by Pierre Claude Pajol , the French cavalry got among the fugitives, captured the spans over both the Seine and Yonne Rivers and seized Montereau.
The Allied force suffered heavy losses, and the defeat confirmed Schwarzenberg's decision to continue the retreat to Troyes.
Afraid of being surrounded, Victor evacuated Nogent and fell back. The appearance of troops under Marshal Jacques MacDonald did not stop the retreat and by 15 February the French were moving back to the Yerres River only 18 miles 29 km from Paris. Auxerre was stormed and its garrison wiped out. Cossacks roamed freely in the Forest and Palace of Fontainebleau.
When Victor's wagon train appeared [ 7 ] at Charenton-le-Pont the Parisians were thrown into panic. Meanwhile, fleeing peasants reported that Paris would soon be attacked by , Cossacks. In an epic march, with some infantry traveling in carts and wagons, Napoleon's leading forces reached Guignes at pm on the 16th after moving 47 miles 76 km in 36 hours. He instructed Wrede to fall back to Donnemarie while leaving an advanced guard at Nangis.
