On the 25th, Louis XVIII., at the suggestion of the Duke of Wellington, despatched an Officer, Le Comte d'Audenarde, with a summons, in His Majesty's name, for the Governor, Baron Roos, to surrender the Citadel of Cambray. The summons was obeyed, and the garrison capitulated; when the Duke immediately gave over the Fortress entirely to His Majesty.
The main body of the Anglo-Allied Army advanced this day to Joncour. The Fourth Division continued at Cambray. The Reserve moved on to Marets.
The First Prussian Corps d'Armée marched this day from Guise to Cérisy, on the road from St Quentin to La Fère: its Advanced Guard pushed on to Fargnières, near the latter place. An Officer and thirty Dragoons were detached across the Oise to cut off the communication between this Fortress and Laon, by which means the investment of the place was effected. Along the right bank of the Oise, La Fère was protected by inundations, and no favourable points presented themselves for the establishment of Batteries. On this account, preparations were made in the night to cross the river below the place, and gain the Heights which command the Fortress on the Laon side.
During the march of the Advanced Guard, Major General Jagow, who commanded it, sent a Detachment of the 1st Silesian Hussars to Chauny, which communicated by its left, through St Gobain, with Captain Goschitzky in Crespy, and by its left, with the Outpost at Jussy of the Advanced Guard of the Fourth Corps. The parties detached on the previous day to Crecy, Pont à Bussy, and along the Serre, were now called in.
The Third Prussian Corps d'Armée marched from Nouvion to Homblières and its vicinity. Two of its Brigades occupied passages across the Oise, namely, the Ninth at Origny, and the Twelfth at Neuvillette. The Eleventh Brigade bivouacked at Marey, and the Tenth at Homblières and Menil St Laurent. The Detachments sent out from this Corps on the previous day towards the road leading from Mezières to Laon, brought in word that at eleven o'clock in the forenoon of the 24th, the French troops had abandoned Aubenton, and marched off to Monternet; also that Grouchy's Army had reached Rocroi on the 23rd, and Réthel on the 24th; and it was presumed that his next march was to be on Soissons. On the receipt of this intelligence these Detachments were drawn back, and their observation limited to the ground nearest to the left bank of the Oise.
The Advanced Guard of the Fourth Prussian Corps d'Armée was closely followed by the Reserve Cavalry, and all these troops were placed under the command of Prince William of Prussia. The Cavalry marched along the road leading to Chauny, as far as Montescour, where it bivouacked. The main body of the Corps reached Essigny le Grand.
At St Quentin, Prince Blücher received a letter from Laon addressed to the Allied Commanders by the Commissioners sent from the two Chambers of the French Parliament; in which they communicated the fact of Napoleon's abdication, and of the elevation of his Son to the Throne, and stated that they had been deputed by the Provisional Government to negotiate an Armistice.
To this the Prince replied verbally, by an Aide de Camp, that he would suspend hostilities on arriving at Paris, provided Buonaparte was given up to him, and several Fortresses on the frontiers delivered up as sureties; and provided, also, that the Duke of Wellington should agree to what might be proposed.
According to the accounts which were this day received from Lieutenant Colonel Schmiedeberg it was presumed that the Enemy was still at Laon. The reports from the Detachments of the Third Corps d'Armée also confirmed this view, and intimated that Grouchy's troops were yet two marches distant from Laon. This intelligence, combined with the attempts made by the French to induce the Allies to enter into negotiations, clearly showed the importance of endeavouring, by means of a forced march, to gain the passages of the Oise, and then to intercept the Enemy's line of retreat by Soissons upon Paris.
In the night of the 25th, however, decided information was received that the French Army had marched from Laon to Soissons, a fact from which it was naturally concluded that the Enemy was no longer deceived as to the advance of the Prussians towards Laon; and that he was therefore bent upon effecting his further retreat, or, perhaps, even of anticipating their movements towards the Oise, and detaching towards Compiegne. Hence, not a moment was now to be lost in securing the points of passage, particularly that at Compiegne; to which Prince Blücher attached so much more importance from the circumstance that his Army had no Pontoons; and that the British Pontoon Train was still far behind, and not to be calculated upon. The Prince decided upon moving his Left Column (the First and Third Corps) on Compiegne, and his Right Column (the Fourth Corps) upon Pont St Maxence; the latter to secure the passage both at this place, and at Creil lower down the Oise.