Battle of Mâcon (1814)

Battle of Mâcon (1814)
	Part of the War of the Sixth Coalition
	; Vinzenz Ferrerius Friedrich Freiherr von Bianchi
Date	11 March 1814
Location	Mâcon, Saône-et-Loire, French Empire46°18′23″N 4°49′53″E / 46.30639°N 4.83139°E
Result	Austrian victory
Belligerents
Austrian Empire; Grand Duchy of Hesse	France
Commanders and leaders
Prince Frederick of Hesse-Homburg; Frederick Bianchi; Prince Philipp of Hesse-Homburg	Pierre Augereau; Louis Musnier
Strength
8,000–16,550	5,000–6,000
Casualties and losses
881–900	683–1,300, 2 guns
	Location within France

War of the Sixth Coalition:
Campaign in north-east France

190km
118miles

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Bar-sur-Aube

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current battle

Napoleon in command

Napoleon not in command

The Battle of Mâcon (11 March 1814) saw a Imperial French division under Louis François Félix Musnier attack an Austrian corps led by Frederick Bianchi. The French enjoyed initial success, but their numerical inferiority led to their defeat in this War of the Sixth Coalition engagement. This was followed by the Battle of Saint-Georges (18 March) in which the French were again forced to retreat by the Allied Army of the South commanded by General der Kavallerie Prince Frederick of Hesse-Homburg.

The presence of Marshal Pierre Augereau's French army at Lyon threatened the supply line of the main Coalition armies that were battling against French Emperor Napoleon east of Paris. To protect their communications, the Coalition allies committed a sizable army to capture Lyon and extinguish the threat. The immense Allied numerical superiority practically assured victory over the French in this campaign.

Mâcon is located 72 kilometres (45 mi) north of Lyon at the intersection of routes A15, A21, and N62.