Battle of Friedland

“ Friedland will be worth Austerlitz, Iéna or Marengo, of which I celebrate the birthday today”, lance Napoleon i at the evening of the great battle which it has just delivered, the evening of this June 14th 1807. Model of operation and judgment, comparable with Austerlitz in its design, the battles of Friedland mark a few months after the butchery of Eylau, a defeat without call for the Russian army .

Be a prelude to

After having beaten the Prussians with Iéna and Auerstaedt the October 14th 1806, leaving with the Prussia 40 000 soldiers at the pithead and taking 300 guns and 60 flags, Napoleon enters Berlin then springs in Poland where the Russians gather.

But the winter arrives, the Large army enlise in mud, the epidemics make devastations and the Russians being untraceable, Napoleon takes his winter quarters around Warsaw and counts over spring to finish of it with the Fourth coalition.

The Russian marshal Bennigsen takes the initiative in January 1807 what obliges Napoleon to engage terrible and undecided the Bataille of Eylau the February 8th. The enemy folds up himself in good order and Napoleon must withdraw himself towards the south.

The May 26th, the Large army walk on Königsberg (today Kaliningrad) that Bennigsen will do everything to keep. Indeed, this city shelters many deposits and stores, essential to the supply of its army but it accommodates also the king and the queen of Prussia, in exile since Napoleon invested Berlin, capital of Prussia. The Russians cross the Alle in Friedland (current Pravdinsk) to avoid the operation of Napoleon.

The June 10th 1807 took place the Bataille of Heilsberg which allowed confrontation Friedland

Course of the battle

June 10th

to see : Battle of Heilsberg

June 13rd

Thinking of having one day of walk in advance on the French Army, Bennigsen installs strong artillery batteries on Right Bank of the Alle and makes pass an avant-garde reduced on left bank.

In the evening, the marshal Lannes and his 10 000 men stop a few kilometres from Friedland. Bennigsen does not see, in the light fixing which follows, that a simple combat of outpost.

June 14th

The French forces progressing to forced march present a device enough stretched: they have only 25 000 men to be opposed to the 56 000 Russians at the first hours of the day. At the end of the combat, the French succeed in engaging 55 000 men.

Bennigsen has an enormous numerical superiority: 84 000 men, but its strategic errors cancel this immense advantage.

The conditions of the battle are quite different from the confrontation of Eylau: no snowstorms, but the heavy heat of an early summer.

Around 4 hours of the morning (that is to say at daybreak), Lannes (" the Roland of the army of Italie") reinforced by the 10 000 dragons of Grouchy, starts the combat and throws the disorder in the Russian columns which pass the bridge of the Alle. Bennigsen, which cannot think that the French Army traversed in twelve hours the way which it put three times more time to cover, reacts mollement so that it thinks of being a simple skirmish.

Around 7 a.m., Lannes, supported by the 8th body of Mortar, has 20 000 men while Bennigsen, learning that the enemy gains in power, makes pass its 50 000 men on left bank. Those arriving on a plain in the form of narrow part will fight back with the river, prohibiting to them to beat a retreat in good order.

Napoleon, on his side, arrives of Eylau with the imperial Garde at foot and the 1st body of Victor around 12 noon 30, the remainder of the Large army according to less than two hours.

The emperor, smiling and slackened, goes up on a height from where it can embrace all the battle field. Its staff surrounds it. As it is already late, some of its lieutenants propose to give the action to the following day. “Not, not, one twice does not surprise the enemy in similar fault” answers the " small Caporal" , and it prepares the general attack.

At the beginning of afternoon, the two armies are arranged face to face, ready to fight battle. Driven back with the river Ale and massed in front of Friedland, the Russians form a half-circle whose Large army occupies the circumference. It is one of the preferred operations of the Emperor: to break the center to beat the two wings separately. The city taken, the bridges destroyed to cut the retirement of the enemy and it will not have any more but to collapse the Russians with the river.

The attack starts later, around 5 p.m. Napoleon seizes the arm of the marshal Ney and by indicating the village of Friedland, he says to him:

“Here is your goal, go without looking around you, penetrate in this thick mass no matter what it can cost you, enter Friedland, take the bridges and you do not worry what will be able to do without on the right, on the left or with the back. The army and me sums to take care of it there. ”

Ney share at once with the gallop to organize its attack. Its forces advance in direction of Friedland under the fire of the infantry and the 100 enemy guns, vomitting thousands of balls and boxes to grapeshot. The marshal orders walk ahead, the weapon with the arm.

The smoke, caused by thousands of rifles and hundreds of guns, covers and masks the masses of the adversary. So that the 3rd division obliques too on the right. Ney orders with a colonel to support it on the left. But while he speaks to him this last is made remove by a ball. A commander puts on at once his hat at the end of his sword while shouting: “Lives the Emperor! Ahead! ” a second blow arrives and the commander falls on the knees, the two legs cut. A captain succeeds and makes carry out the same movement. Suddenly, the Ney marshal arrives in person and encourages his men with great blows of “Foutres names of God” . Walk towards the city begins again, the enemy is driven back in spite of the intervention of the Russian Imperial Guard. “This man, it is a lion” exclaims with Napoleon admiration with Mortier.

The result seems dubious, but the valiancy of the dragons of the general Latour-Maubourg makes it possible Ney to emerge. Moreover to support the action of the marshal, Napoleon places at the disposal of the general Sénarmont 36 pieces of artillery. This one carries out an exploit: tie 2 800 balls with 120 meters of the troops in progression, being unaware of their fire, the French artillery decimates with end carrying the Russian squares and makes turn back with a load of cavalry. It gives the victory, a bright and total victory with the French. Indeed, Ney sets out again with the attack then seizes Friedland and destroys the bridges.

The Russian right side is collapsed in the river by a last load with the bayonet of the troops of Lannes and Mortier.

The victory is total around 10 p.m. 30.

The cost

The French losses rise with 1 645 killed and 8 000 wounded.

The Russian losses are enormous: 12 000 died or wounded, 80 guns, 70 flags, 10 000 prisoners, because in the two days following the battle, the Russian soldiers, exténués, lay down in the fields and let themselves take.

Consequences

The Russian generals beg the Tsar to request a Armistice: the emissary which it sends to Napoleon, the June 16th, are well accommodated. The same day, Königsberg falls to the hands from the French and, three days later, the Large army reaches bank of the Niémen, but the Emperor does not feel the means of continuing the enemy beyond this river. It especially fears to see the Austria joining the coalition and so attacking the Large army far from its bases.

On its side, Alexandre fears a revolt of peasants in Ukraine and an offensive of the Othoman Turks on the the Danube.

The 25, the Tsar meets the Emperor of all the French on a raft placed in the middle of the Niémen, “the new border of the world” exclaims Napoleon.

Alexandre would have approached Napoleon by saying “ Lord, I hate the English as much as you ” and Napoleon to retort: “In this case peace is made” .

The July 7th, the two Heads of State sign, with Tilsit, the treated of the same name. The Russia becomes allied France, it gives up its territories in the Mediterranean, the islands Ioniennes in particular and it adheres to the continental Blocus. This treaty comprises also secret articles, like the cutting-up of the Ottoman Empire.

The treaty is catastrophic for the Prussia: it loses the whole of its territories in the west of the Elba which will form the future Royaume of Westphalia, with at its head the brother of the Emperor, Jerome. Moreover, the Prussia loses its possessions in Poland in order to constitute the Grand-Duchy of Warsaw and it must pour a heavy war indemnity.

Never, undoubtedly, the Emperor did not reach such a degree of power.

See too

Which occurred of Friedland

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