Battle of Heilsberg
The battles of Heilsberg took place the June 10th 1807 between the French Army ordered by Napoleon and the Russian army ordered by Bennigsen, near the town of Heilsberg, currently Lidzbark Warmiński.
Course of the battle
Napoleon first of all will choose to leave the Russians, ordered by Benningsen to attack in the west, preferring to cross the Passarge and to sink towards Heilsberg in order to prevent the Russian junction of the armies and Prussians. Forts of only 50.000 men, whereas the Russians were 90.000, cut off around Heilsberg, Soult and Murat launch out to the attack, the June 10th. The losses are heavy (more than 10.000 men) but, thanks to the support of Lannes, they manage to overflow the line of Bennigsen which orders the abandonment of the fortified camp and the fold from Friedland where is delivered the decisive battle.
Battle order
French
- Commander-in-chief: Napoleon Bonaparte
- Head of State major: marshal Louis Alexandre Berthier, prince de Neuchatel
- Ordering Cavalry: marshal Joachim Murat
Imperial Guard
- 1st Brigade, known as Roussel: general Roussel
- regiment of Fusilier-Pomegranates of the Imperial Guard beat: colonel-major Jean-Perfect Friederichs
- regiment of Fusilier-Hunters of the Imperial Guard beat: colonel-major Joseph Boyer de Rebeval
- 2nd Brigade
- Regiment of Hunters with Horse of the Imperial Guard esc
- Artillery - colonel Grenier - 2 horse batteries
IV army corps
Commander: marshal Nicolas Jean-of-God Soult, Duke of Dalmatie- Body of artillery: 2 batteries including one with horse
- Body of the genius: colonel Cabeau - 2 companies of pontonniers
- Body of cavalry:
- Brigade of Light cavalry: colonel Soult
- 8th regiment of hussards (333 H)
- 16th regiment of hunters with horse (300 H)
- 26e regiment of hunters with horse (513 H)
- the 1st division of infantry: major general Holy Louis-Vincent Hilaire (9 908 H)
- 1st brigade: brigadier general Jacques-Lazare Savattier de Candras
- 10th regiment of light infantry btn: colonel Pierre Berthezene
- 14th regiment of infantry of line btn: colonel Jean-François Henriod
- 2nd brigade, known as Buget: brigadier general Claude-Joseph Buget
- 22e regiment of infantry of Line btn: colonel Claude-Joseph Armand
- 36e regiment of infantry of line btn: colonel Pierre-Andre-Hercules Berlier
- 3rd brigade: brigadier general Guillaume Latrille de Lorencez
- 43e regiment of infantry of line btn: colonel Jean-Claude Baussin
- 55e regiment of infantry of line btn: colonel Rene divisional Perier
- Artillery: 2 batteries with foot
- the 2nd Division of infantry, known as Saint-Cyr military school division: major general Claude Carra Saint-Cyr military school (9.275h)
- 1st Brigade: brigadier general Guillaume-Raymond-Lover Vivies
- 24e regiment of light infantry btn: colonel Bernard Pourailly
- 2nd Brigade: brigadier general François-Pierre-Joseph Amey
- 4th regiment of infantry of line btn: colonel Louis-Leger Boyeldieu
- 28e regiment of infantry of line btn: colonel Jean-François All Saints' day
- 3rd Brigade: brigadier general Claude-François Ferey
- 46e regiment of infantry of line btn: colonel Joseph-Pierre Richard
- 57e regiment of infantry of line btn, the Terrible : colonel Jean-Pierre-Antoine divisional Rey
- Artillery: 2 batteries with foot
- the 3rd Division of infantry, known as Legrand division: major general Legrand (8 964 H)
- 1st Brigade: brigadier general Ledru
- 26e regiment of light infantry btn: colonel François-Rene Pouget
- 18th regiment of infantry of line btn: colonel Jean-Baptist-Ambroise Ravier
- 2nd Brigade: brigadier general Thomas Mignot de Lamartiniere
- 75e regiment of infantry of line btn: colonel Charles-Joseph Buquet
- 105e regiment of infantry of line btn: colonel Pierre-Joseph Habert
- 3rd Brigade: brigadier general Pierre-Charles Pouzet (979 H)
- 1 Battalion of Corsican Riflemen
- 1 Battalion of Riflemen of divisional Po
- Artillery: 2 batteries with foot
Body of reserve
- Principal: Marshal of Empire Jean Lannes, Duke of Montebello
- Body of cavalry:
- Brigade of light cavalry: brigadier general von Besser
- 3 Saxon squadron of cuirassiers
- 2 squadron of light cavalry saxonne
- the 1st Division of infantry, known as Oudinot division: major general Nicolas Charles Oudinot (11.400h)
- 1st Brigade, known as Ruffin brigade: brigadier general François Amable Ruffin (3 398 h.)
- 1st provisional regiment (2 battalions)
- 2nd provisional regiment (2 battalions)
- 2nd Brigade: brigadier general Conroux (3 031 h.)
- 3rd provisional regiment (2 battalions)
- 4th provisional regiment (2 battalions)
- 3rd Brigade: brigadier general Louis-Jacques Baron de Coehorn (3 350 h.)
- 5th provisional regiment (2 battalions)
- 6th provisional regiment (2 battalions)
- 4th Brigade: brigadier general Albert (1 665 h.)
- 7th provisional regiment (2 battalions)
- 8th provisional regiment (2 battalions)
- divisional artillery: 1/2 battery with foot and a battery with horse
- body of the genius: 1 company of sappers
- body of cavalry: 9th regiment of hussards (659 h.)
- the 2nd Division of infantry: major general Jean Antoine Verdier (6 239 h.)
- 1st Brigade: brigadier general Jean Isidore Harispe
- 3rd regiment of infantry of line (2 battalions): colonel Laurent Schobert
- 72e regiment of infantry of line (2 battalions): colonel Florentin Ficatier
- 2nd Brigade: brigadier general Dominique-Honor-Antoine-Marie Vedel
- 2nd regiment of light infantry btn: woodland colonel Michel Truss
- 12th regiment of light infantry (2 battalions) - colonel Jean-Baptiste Jeanin
- Artillery divisional: 1 to 2 batteries with foot
3rd Division of Infantry - GdD von Polentz (Saxon) Brigade -
- Saxon 2 pomegranate btns.
- Saxon 4 fusilier btns.
Divisional artillery - 2 batteries
Reserve Cavalry - MdE Joachim Murat
Body artillery: nun
Body engineers: nun
Division of Light cavalry - GdD Antoine-Louis-Charles Lasalle (2 700 h.) Brigade - GdB Claude-Pierre Pajol
- 5th regiment of hussards (3 squadrons) - colonel Pierre-Cesar Dery
- 7th regiment of hussards (3 squadrons) - colonel Pierre-David Colbert
- 3rd regiment of hunters with horse (3 squadrons) - colonel Charpentier
- 7th regiment of hunters with horse (3 squadrons) - colonel Hippolyte-Marie-Guillaume pi Re
- 20th regiment of hunters with horse (3 squadrons) - colonel Bertrand Pierre Castex
- 22e regiment of hunters with horse (3 squadrons) - Etienne-Late colonel of Pommeroux Bordesoulle
- 11th regiment of hunters with horse (3 squadrons) - colonel Charles-Claude Jacquinot
- Bavarian 2nd Horse-light (260 h. in 3 sq.)
- Wirtembergian Horse-light (388 h. in 3 sq.)
Divisional artillery - nun
1st Division of Dragons - GdD Marie-Victor-Nicolas de Fay Latour-Maubourg (2 900 h.) Brigade - GdB Pereymond
- 1st regiment of dragons (3 squadrons) - colonel Paul-Ferdinet-Stanislas DER moncourt
- 2nd regiment of dragons (3 squadrons) - colonel Pierre Ismert (or does Sylvain Deprive?)
- 4th regiment of dragons (3 squadrons) - colonel Auguste-Etienne-Marie Lamotte
- 14th regiment of dragons (3 squadrons) - colonel Joseph Herdsman of Eclaz
- 20th regiment of dragons (3 squadrons) - colonel Jean-Baptiste Juvénal Corbineau
- 26e regiment of dragons (3 squadrons) - colonel Vital Joachim Chamorin (or Pierre Delorme?)
Divisional artillery - 1 horse battery
the 3rd division of Dragons - GdD Edouard-Jean-Baptist Milhaud (2 000 h.) Brigade - GdB Pierre-Honor-Anne Maupetit
- 5th regiment of dragons (3 squadrons) - colonel Jacques-Nicolas Lacour
- 8th regiment of dragons (3 squadrons) - colonel Alexetre-Louis-Robert Girardin d' Erme nonville
- 9th regiment of dragons (3 squadrons) - colonel Mathieu Queunot
- 12th regiment of dragons (3 squadrons) - colonel François Girault de Martigny
- 16th regiment of dragons (3 squadrons) - colonel Sebastien Vial
- 21e regiment of dragons (3 squadrons) - colonel Jean-Baptiste Charles Rene Joseph Farmhouse of Polart
the 3rd division of Large Cavalry - GdD Jean-Louis-Brigitte Spain (1 800 h.) Brigade - GdB Nicolas Reynaud
- 4th regiment of cuirassiers (4 squadrons) - colonel Fulgent Herbaut
- 6th regiment of cuirassiers (4 squadrons) - colonel Archangel-Louis Rioult d' Avenay
- 7th regiment of cuirassiers (4 squadrons) - colonel François-Joseph Offenstein
- 8th regiment of cuirassiers (4 squadrons) - colonel Jean-Baptiste Gabriel Merlin
Divisional artillery - 1 horse battery
the 2nd division of Large Cavalry - GdD Clement Saint Sulpice (1 800 h.) Brigade -
- 1st regiment of cuirassiers (4 squadrons) - colonel Guiton
- 5th regiment of cuirassiers (4 squadrons) - colonel Quinette
- 10th regiment of cuirassiers (4 squadrons) - colonel Lhéritier
- 11th regiment of cuirassiers (4 squadrons) - colonel Brancas
Divisional artillery - 1 horse battery
Note one 2nd Heavy Cavalry Division - GdD Saint Sulpice: " Newspapers of marche" (Historical Files) mentions this division ace present At Heilsberg. Goal I cuts also checked Tony Broughton' S article " French Cuirassier Regiments and the Colonels who Led Them: 1792 to 1815" for the battle record off the 1st, 5th, 10th and 11th Regiment. To my disappointment nun off them was present At Heilsberg. 1st - 1807: Hoff and Eylau 5th - 1807: Hoff, Eylau, Wittenberg, and Koenisberg 10th - 1807: Eylau and Hoff 11th - 1807: Eylau and Friedlet Source: Heilsberg 1807
See too
- French history
- Heilsberg 1807