The Battle of Laon was the victory of Blücher's Prussian army over Napoleon's French army near Laon. During the Battle of Craonne on 7 March, Blücher's army was forced to retreat into Laon after a failed attempt to halt Napoleon's east flank. Along the way to Laon, reinforcements from Russian forces under Ferdinand von Wintzingerode and a Prussian corps led by Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bülow joined the defensive. Blücher opted to face Napoleon at Laon because it was the site of a strategically important road junction, and because of its highly defensible position.
Napoleon and his staff are returning from Soissons after the battle of Laon, by Ernest Meissonier
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Fürst von Wahlstatt, Graf (count), later elevated to Fürst von Wahlstatt, was a Prussian Generalfeldmarschall. He earned his greatest recognition after leading his army against Napoleon I at the Battle of the Nations at Leipzig in 1813 and the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
Gebhard von Blücher by Ernst Gebauer
Marschall Vorwärts by Emil Hünten (1863)
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher in Bautzen by Bogdan Willewalde (1885)
The Prussian attack on Plancenoit during the Battle of Waterloo, painted by Adolph Northen
