Battle of Eylau

The battles of Eylau (, in the past Preußisch Eylau) took place the February 8th 1807.

Be a prelude to

Prussian having been crushed with Iéna and Auerstaedt, Bennigsen that the Tsar had sent with 60  000 men to support them, is obliged to temporize while waiting for Russian reinforcements under the orders of Buxhovden. Without making junction with the Prussian Army corps of the Général Lestocq surviving it is folded up on the town of Ostrołęka in Poland.

Napoleon I {{er}}, irritated by the resumption of the hostilities by the Russia, which he believed to have relatively saved at the time of the peace of Presbourg, crosses the the Vistula and then tries to wrap the retirement of the Russians by a movement of his left, which because of the atmospheric conditions fails, causing only combat of back keeps with Pułtusk and Golymin (December 26th 1806).

The Russian reinforcements , 50  000 men with Buxhovden and 30  000 of the Russian imperial Guard, having arrived, Bennigsen have 140  then; 000 men in Poland and is solved to pass to the offensive by attacking the body of the marshal Bernadotte, located at north of the French device and after having demolishes it, and to engage in the backs of the French. However Bernadotte reacts promptly by taking the offensive to Mohrungen, the January 25th 1807, which makes it possible to release its Army corps, vis-a-vis forces twice higher of number.

Napoleon, informed, orders to him like with Ney being folded up behind, thinking of attracting Bennigsen, to take it side and to lean it with the Baltique. But the catch of a French mail puts this one at the current of the tended trap and again pushes it with the retirement. Napoleon, then decides to force it with the general battle while walking directly towards Königsberg where it knows that the majority of the Russian provisioning is. Bennigsen, after two combat of Rear-guard to Hof and Heilsberg the February 6th, driven back, chooses the village of Preussisch-Eylau to try to stop it.

Unfolding

The February 7th

Arrived around 2 p.m., Soult and Joachim Murat tackle the Russian avant-garde ordered by Bagration, located at the west on the road of Lansberg and in the village even. First attacks conducted by the brigades Schiner and Vivies, on the line through wood, and the brigades Levasseur and Essards, in the center, through the cold lake, are curtly made push back. But the arrival of the division Leval and the body of Augereau which threaten to wrap by the left, constrained the Russians to be folded up on the village and at the beginning of evening, division Legrand supported by those of Saint-Hilaire and of Leval tears off the village with the Russians at the time of a body with body where the brigade Essards was distinguished. Bagration, beaten, moved back on the left of the positions which its general-in-chief occupied, on the heights in the east of the village. Napoleon, made at 23 hours with Eylau, has only 46  000 men and 300 guns, the body of Davout, and that of Ney being still respectively, to 18 km with the south and 30km in north while that of Bernadotte is even more distant. Vis-a-vis him, Bennigsen has 80  000 men supported by 400 parts; it decides nevertheless to fight battle the following day to avoid a new Russian evasion.

The February 8th

As of seven hours, the Russian artillery, divided into three large batteries, rams the positions of Soult and the village. Quickly, the French artillery answers, causing a gigantic duel that the troops of the two camps which did not eat and slept without fire, undergo during two hours. At nine hours, Davout arrives, and attacks immediately by the south, but its numerical inferiority, in spite of initial successes, the met in difficulty; the Emperor, thus pushes the body of Augereau and the division of Saint-Hilaire, to support it. But, plugged by snow, the columns of those present side against the Russian central battery and are made decimate; the major generals Desjardins and Heudelet are killed and the marshal of Augerau is wounded. The 14 {{E}} regiment of infantry, encircled, is destroyed, under eye-same Napoleon (which orders in Augereau to try a rescue operation, which will give place to a famous passage in the Memories of the Général Marbot with its Lisette mare), by the general counter-attack launched with the Russian imperial guard, the cavalry and the division of the Général Somov which aims at dividing the French in two on the level of the village while benefitting from the breach created. Napoleon, then in the Cemetery of Eylau, does not move back and makes give the Garde. Electrified by the presence of their Emperor, the pomegranate S of Dorsenne and the Hunters with horse of Dahlman, stop Net the Russian pomegranate column which aims the cemetery in a titanic body at body with the knife and it is one of the rare battles where the infantry of the imperial Guard intervenes. It causes then Murat: “will you let to Us devour by these people-there? ” , which removes an enormous load of all the cavalry available, 12  000 men, the greatest load of all times. This one sabers, with the outward journey and the return, two divisions that Bennigsen had engaged in the exploitation of the destruction of the troops of Augerau, restoring the situation.

The combat remains undecided all the afternoon, in spite of the appearance of the Prussian Lestocq and of its 10  000 men attacking the right Davout, which is counterbalanced by the arrival of Ney and its 8  000 men. The fallen night, Bennigsen, with court of ammunition, without reserves and against the opinion of Knorring, Osterman and Lestocq, decides to be folded up towards Königsberg.

Epilog

The victory is French, but it cost extremely expensive:
  • the body of Augerau is almost destroyed, the other bodies are very started.
  • Several general of great value is lost:

Napoleon, very affected by the undergone losses, contrary to his practice, will remain eight days on the battle field to activate the help with the casualties. Moreover, it is not decisive because Bennigsen, though very started, withdrew itself in good order and was not really continued because of state of exhaustion of the French Army. One will need another great battle to force the Russians with peace, decisive that one, it will be Friedland.

Fiction: Colonel Chabert (hero of the Romance of Balzac) famous died in the battle of Eylau at the time of the great load of Murat, reappears in Paris under the Restauration, to the great displeasure of his wife who inherited her fortune and remariée himself.

Battle orders

French

The French Army is strong of 75.000 men under the direct command of Napoleon.

  • IIIe army corps , under the orders of the marshal Louis Nicolas Davout. It arrives on the battle field towards 10:00

  • IVe army corps ordered by the marshal Nicolas-Jean-of-God Soult

    • Light cavalry

      • Guyot Brigade: 8th regiment of hussards (colonel Laborde), 16th regiment of hunters with horse (colonel Bonvalet) and 22e regiment of hunters with horse (colonel Bordessoulle)

  • Life army corps ordered by the marshal Michel Ney who arrives on the battle field in end of the afternoon.

  • VIIe army corps ordered by the marshal Augereau

  • Dragons

    • Division Grouchy, composed of the brigades Roget, Millet and Broussard with the following units:
    • Beaumont Division, made up of the brigades Boyé, Marizy and the Turn-Maubourg with the following units:
    • Sahuc Division, made up of the brigades Margaron, Laplanche and Anon with the following units:
      • 17th regiment of dragons
      • 18th regiment of dragons
      • 19th regiment of dragons
      • 27e regiment of dragons

    • Drunk Infantry

      • Brigade: 1st regiment of hunters to foot of the imperial Guard and 2nd regiment of hunters to foot of the imperial Guard
      • Dorsenne Brigade: 1st pomegranate regiment to foot of the imperial Guard
    • Cavalry
      • Walther Brigade: Regiment of pomegranates with horse of the imperial Guard
      • Dahlman Brigade: Regiment of hunters with horse of the imperial Guard and Mamelukes
      • Jacquin Brigade: Gendarmes of elite of the imperial Guard

Prussians

The Prussian army is strong of 5  500 men brought together under the command of the Lestocq general. The Prussian staff is composed of the divisional generals: Von Dierecke, Rembow and Auer. It is it should be noted that the Prussian army includes/understands Russian elements.
  • Before guard
    • 6 {{E}} regiment of dragons of Auer
    • Regiment of cavalry Towarczys

  • Division von Dierecke

    • 2 {{E}} regiment of infantry of Rüchel
    • 7 {{E}} regiment of dragons of Baczko
    • 4 {{E}} regiment of cuirassiers of Wagenfeld

  • Division Rembow

    • 11 {{E}} regiment of infantry of Schöning
    • Regiment of pomegranates Schlieffen

  • Division Auer

    • Regiment of cavalry Towarczys
    • Regiment of Wyburg infantry (Russian)
    • Regiment of fusiliers
    • 21 {{E}} regiment of hunters (Russian)

Russians

The army Russian is strong of 63  500 men under the orders of the general Bennigsen. The chief of staff is the count Steinheil. The commander the artillery is Rezvoi. The prince Pierre de Bagration is aide-de-camp

French regiments which were distinguished in Eylau

  • Infantry of line:

    • the 28e regiment of infantry of line,
    • the 44e regiment of infantry of line,
    • the 51e regiment of infantry of line,
    • the 55e regiment of infantry of line,
    • the 91e regiment of infantry of line,
    • the 105e regiment of infantry of line.
  • cuirassiers:
    • the 1st regiment of cuirassiers.
  • dragons:
    • the 4th regiment of dragons,
    • the 5th regiment of dragons,
    • the 9th regiment of dragons,
    • the 10th regiment of dragons,
    • the 14th regiment of dragons,
    • the 21e regiment of dragons,
    • the 22e regiment of dragons,
    • the 25e regiment of dragons,
    • the 26e regiment of dragons.
  • hunters with horse:
    • the 2nd regiment of hunters with horse,
    • the 7th regiment of hunters with horse,
    • the 16th regiment of hunters with horse.
  • hussards :
    • the 1st regiment of hussards,
    • the 3rd regiment of hussards.

See too

Related articles

External bonds and documents

  • very complete File on the Battle of Eylau (Napoleon Foundation)

  • Russian Battle order in Eylau

Sources of the article

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