We discussed earlier the loss of Paris and the impact of its loss on the campaign of 1814. It was asserted then that the capture meant the END of the campaign.
Actually in his book, "Napoelon 1814" Andrew Uffindell on page 122, paragraph 1, has this to say about the fall of Paris:
"The fall of Paris did not in itself restore the Bourbons, end the war, or ensure a peaceful settlement of Poland and other outstanding issues between the Allied powers."
He goes on to say further down the page:
"The loss of Paris altered the whole balance of the campaign by dislocating Napoleon's government and removing the advantages that had enabled him to defy superior numbers for so long."
The advantages had to do with it being used as a road hub and depot. Orleans is discussed but discarded as having a poor road system to its rear and not being large enough to facilitate the gathering of manpower for the army.
He says finally, on page 123 para 2, "Above all, the fall of Paris was a psychological blow. The questions was not simply whether Napoleon had the military means to recapture his capital, or whether its population would rise to support his attack, but whether he could retain the confidence of his key subordinates and convince them that further fighting would not be counter-productive."
Thus the fall of Paris did not end the war as the French generals did not capitulate when they saw that they could not hold the city. Rather its use as a road center and depot was gone and unless the generals rallied behind Napoleon it could not be retaken. No, if anyone is to blame it was Joseph for leaving the battle lines to go be with Napoleon's wife at a key juncture in the battle. Not that it could have been won but by withdrawing from the lines it was almost as if his own family was turning against Napoleon.
Could Paris have been retaken? My feeling is that it could have. The Allies were just then reestablishing their supply lines through Belgium after having had them cut (to the Rhine) by Napoleon's armies.
Could Napoleon have won the war? No.
Now let us rehash the loss of the other capitals:
Berlin - The Prussians had the Russians coming to their rescue - the French just had what they had at hand.
Vienna - The Austrians in 1805 had the Russians coming to aid them. Resolve was shown only until December 2nd when an already rickety Austrian government (the worst of the European monarchs IMHO) finally caved in after Austerlitz.
Moscow - sheesh, you have the entire Russian hinterland to fall back to. And St. Petersburg was historically the Russian capital, not Moscow by this time. Lose St. Petersburg and the war might have ended as the court would have been driven either into the east or into exile. But still, unlike Napoleon in 1814, the Russians didn't have a "Wellington" approaching from another flank.
The downfall of Napoleon was not Paris falling - it was his own doing. In the end his lack of diplomatic savvy and ability to gather in newer, younger men as the major leaders of his army (Massena should have been retired after 1809 for instance) he lost all control. Had he negotiated with the Austrians and given them lands in N.Italy and so on (given them Bavaria too perhaps) before the armistace was reached in the Summer of 1813 he may have been able to defeat the Prussians and Russians and remained in control of the Rhineland and Metropolitan France.
But the fall of Paris was a blow there is no doubt. But so was Vienna and Moscow and Berlin. The difference is that those countries had totalitarian regimes that could have their generals heads cut off for disobeying their monarch's desires. Napoleon had men of the Republic. Franz Josef, Frederick-Wilhelm, Alexander all had men that dared not turn on their master.
I believe that had Napoleon appealed to the men in the army like he did in 1815 that the war would have gone on. He could have nullified any agreement made by his subordinates to the Allies and had them removed from power.
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Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Prinz Peters von Dennewitz
3. Husaren-Regiment, Reserve-Kavallerie, Preußischen Armee-Korps
Honarary CO of Garde-Ulanen Regiment, Garde-Grenadier Kavallerie
NWC Founding Member
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