entire command destroyed. He at once had Exelmans move his cavalry to secure the bridges and began a retreat by forced marches that would take him back to Paris. The victorious French forces had held the battlefield for only 30 minutes. Conclusion While the battle ended in a French tactical victory, with the Prussians in retreat and Grouchy firmly athwart Prussian lines of communication to the east, this victory proved hollow as Napoléon was defeated at Waterloo. The Prussians had held their ground long enough to allow Blücher's transfer of 50,000 troops to Wellington’s aid at Waterloo. In addition, the Prussian rearguard of 17,000 troops had tied down 33,000 French troops that could have otherwise taken part at Waterloo. Thus, for the Prussians, the battle was a strategic success, as it contributed to the decisive victory at Waterloo. See also Order of Battle of the Waterloo Campaign List of Napoleonic battles Explanatory notes Notes References Further reading French Order of Battle Prussian Order of Battle French Order-of-Battle at Wavre: 18 June 1815 by Stephen Millar Carl von Clausewitz's analysis of the Waterloo campaign, which includes a rather detached discussion of events at Wavre that had been, for him personally, rather harrowing, can be found in Carl von Clausewitz and Arthur Wellesley, first Duke of Wellington, On Waterloo: Clausewitz, Wellington, and the Campaign of 1815, ed./trans. Christopher Bassford, Daniel Moran, and Gregory W. Pedlow (Clausewitz.com, 2010). External links Battles of the Napoleonic Wars Battles involving France Battles involving Prussia 1815 in France Waterloo campaign Battle of Wavre June 1815 events