Battle of Golymin

The Bataille of Golymin took place the December 26th 1806 during the Napoleonean Guerres of the Fourth coalition with Golymin (Poland), between the Russian troops of the prince Dmitriy Vladimirovich Golitsyn and the French troops of the marshal Joachim Murat. In spite of their numerical inferiority, the Russians managed to disengage themselves.

Strategic situation

The battle field

The village of Golymin is in a flat sector surrounded by marsh and wood. Light rises in north and the North-East. Village, a road leads to Pultusk in south-east, another goes in Ciechanow to the North-West, and to the North-East another this directs towards Makow (towards where the Russian makes retirement). A way connects Golymin to the small village of Garnow in the south. The village of Ruskowo is in south-west, and that of Kaleczin a short distance in the west. Wadkowo extends further along the road from Ciechanow.

The battle

In the morning of the December 26th, elements of the 4th division of Golitsyn reach Golymin. They are exhausted too much to continue on Makow and decide to await the units of the 3rd division of Sacken. In the village they find Dokhturov, which sent the major part of its 5th division towards Makow, but remained in Golymin with a regiment of infantry and a regiment of dragons. Golitsyn would like that its men rests before continuing the retirement.

The body of reserve of the cavalry of Murat and the 7th body of Augereau discover the city with the first gleams of the day. Around 10 a.m., the division of cavalry of Lasalle arrives the first by south-west.

Golitsyn reinforced its rear-guard, composed of two squadrons of cavalry, with three squadrons of the cuirassiers, and the men of Lasalle must take refuge in wood. Around 2 p.m. the troops of Augereau appear in the east. Golitsyn gives up its idea of retirement, because its men are exhausted too much to advance. It sends a regiment of infantry under the ordering of the prince Shcherbatov in wood around Kaleczin and place the remainder of its division in front of Golymin, by keeping its cavalry and the troops of Dokhturov in reserve.

Two divisions of Augereau advance, that of coming Haudelet Ruskow, the left side and that of Desjardins coming from Wadkow of the right-sided. The latter pushes back initially Shcherbatov, before moving back when it receives the reinforcement of a battalion of infantry and the support of the Russian guns. The division of Heudelet progresses little.

While the attack of Augereau started, Murat arrived around Garnow with divisions of cavalry of Klein and Milhaud and the light cavalry of Davout. They push back the Russians in wood in the south of Golymin, but the ground not being appropriate for the cavalry, do not continue further.

The forces of Golitsyn are now reinforced by two regiments of cavalry of 7th and the 8th divisions, which passed after the cavalry of Augereau on the road of Ciechanow. However, the 1st division of Davout ordered by Morand arrives of south-east. Golitsyn sends three battalions of infantry in wood and the marshes to the south of Golymin, and two regiments of cavalry to cover the road of Pultusk.

With approximately 15:30, the first brigade of Morand attacks and pushes back the Russians. Davout saw that the latter try to be withdrawn towards Makow. It sends the second brigade of Morand on the road of Pultusk. A unit of dragons carried out by the general Rapp load the Russians, but fall on infantrymen in ambush in the marshes on each side from the road. Rapp is wounded, the dragons move back. After the catch of wood, to avoid useless losses, the division of Morand does not have more advanced.

The night now fell and the Russians start to withdraw themselves. The men of Dokhturov carry out walk on Makow. To approximately 21 hours, Golitsyn sends its guns, its cavalry, and its infantry.

Analyzes

Golitsyn profited from the advantage of the ground and the support of its guns, whereas the French did not have an artillery. The French attacks was not coordinated, and too late. When the twilight fell, the attackers was enlightened like targets by the villages set fire to behind them. The proud resistance of the Russians will make say to Murat with the address of Napoleon: We thought that the enemy had 50.000 men

One to little undoubtedly consider that the battle was a victory for the Russians. Golitsyn continued its retirement and Murat gave up the continuation.

Consequences

The resistance of the general Golitsyn, combined with the failure of Soult to circumvent the Russian right side, makes lose in Napoleon a chance to catch up with the Russian lines and to imprison them in front of the river Narew.

Sources

in its version of June 15th, 2007

See too

the same day, a few kilometres from there, Jean Lannes meets the Russian general Levin August von Bennigsen with the Bataille of Pułtusk.

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