Battle of Limonest
| Battle of Limonest | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Campaign of France of the Sixth Coalition | |||||||
Charge of the 13th Cuirassiers Regiment at the Battle of Limonest, 20 March 1814, by Theodore Jung | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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Austrian Empire Grand Duchy of Hesse | First French Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Prince Frederick of Hessen-Homburg | Pierre Augereau | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
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1st Corps 2nd Corps 6th German Corps | Army of the Rhône | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
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56,000, 124 guns 30,000 |
24,269, 33 guns 20,000, 36 guns | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 2,875, 1,700, 2,900 | 1,000, 2,000, 2,000 | ||||||
The Battle of Limonest (20 March 1814) saw an army of Austrian and Hessian troops led by General der Kavallerie Prince Frederick of Hessen-Homburg attack a smaller French army under Marshal Charles-Pierre Augereau. The Coalition forces defeated the French and forced them to evacuate the city of Lyon. The battle was part of the Campaign in north-east France during the War of the Sixth Coalition.
In early 1814, the Coalition armies invaded Imperial France in greatly superior numbers. While the main Allied armies faced French Emperor Napoleon to the east of Paris, a secondary campaign was conducted near Lyon and Geneva. The small French army based on Lyon could not be ignored because it threatened the Coalition supply lines running back to Germany. Ultimately, the Allies captured Lyon, but they were compelled to divert considerable forces from the more important effort against Napoleon.