Breaking the Ice on the Karnemelksloot, Naarden, January 1814

Breaking the ice on Karnemelksloot at Naarden, 1814, by P.G. van Os. Not all of Napoleon's troops retreated after the collapse of French rule in 1813. Well-armed and with plenty of provisions, the remainder were able to hold their positions in a number of garrison towns. At Den Helder, Naarden, Grave and Delfzijl they eventually capitulated in the spring of 1814 when the new king of France ordered that French troops should evacuate all fortifications outside the country's borders. The Naarden waterway, Karnemelksloot, had frozen over in early January. To prevent a French attack across the ice, it was broken open with a local ferry barge.