Battle of Toulouse (1814) - Commentary

Commentary

Both British and French historians claimed victory for their respective nations. The French claimed victory because Wellington failed to accomplish his aims of entrapping the French army, whilst Soult never intended to hold this position but to merely dispute it, intending to unite with Marshal Suchet before attacking Wellington's army: the taking of Toulouse amounted to very little, whilst the French lost one of their positions but their army was not defeated, causing Wellington to waste supplies and suffer heavy casualties. The British claimed victory because Toulouse ended up in their hands and the French were forced to give up ground.

However, the battle had only just began when it was abruptly cut short by the news of Napoleon's abdication. Soult recognised that because the war had ended there was no point in fighting. He and Wellington agreed on a ceasefire and the allies occupied Toulouse.