Battle of Pułtusk

The battles of Pułtusk took place the December 26th 1806 during the Napoleonean Guerres close to Pułtusk, in Poland, between 35.000 Russian soldiers under the orders of the general Levin Bennigsen and 25.000 soldiers French under the orders of the marshal Jean Lannes. The Russians resisted the French attacks, before withdrawing themselves the next day.

Situation

After the conquest of Prussia in autumn 1806, Napoleon enters to Poland to face the Russian army, laid out to support the Prussians until their sudden defeat. Crossing the the Vistula, the French Army takes Warsaw the November 28th.

The Russian army is ordered by the marshal Mikhail Fedotovich Kamensky, old and almost disabled person. The first Russian army from approximately 55.000 to 68.000 men, ordered by the count Levin Bennigsen, awaits behind the Vistula along the river Ukra, in order to link itself with the second army, strong of approximately 37.000 men, under the command of Buxhowden, which comes from Russia and is still at 15 days of walk of the first army. At the beginning of December, carrying out that it thus leaves to the French the occasion cross the Vistula, Kamensky advances to try to regain banks of the river. The French cross the Bug to Modlin the December 10th, while the Prussians ordered by Lestocq fail to take again Toruń. the December 11th Bennigsen gives the order to hold the court of the Ukra.

Of the news, Napoleon thinks that the Russians are making retirement. It orders from Murat, which with under its orders the 3rd body of Davout, 7th of Augereau, 5th of Lannes and the 1st body of cavalry of reserve, to continue towards Pultusk while 6th bodies of cavalry of Ney, 1st of Bernadotte and 2nd of reserve of Bessières, will circumvent the Russians by the line and it that the 4th body of Soult will establish the link between the two wings.

Kamensky order to advance to support the troops on the river Ukra. That delays the French who test difficulties of crossing the river, until Davout does not find, on December 22nd, the means of crossing to the junction of Ukra and the Bug.

The December 23rd after an engagement with Soldau with the 1st body of Bernadotte, the Prussians of Lestocq are led to north towards Königsberg. Carrying out the danger Kamensky order the retirement on Ostrołęka. Bennigsen disobeys and starts the combat the December 26th in Pultusk. It has available 22e division of Ostermann-Tolstoy, the 6th division of Sedmaratzki, and part of the 4th division of Golitsyn and 3rd of Osten-Sacken.

In the North-West most of the division of the general Golitsyn and the 5th division of the general Dokhturov are stop with Golymin close to Ostrołęka.

Conditions weather

The conditions weather played a role very important and caused many difficulties on a side like other. The soft time of autumn had lasted longer than the other year. After muds of the autumn, successive freezing and the thaw had destroyed the roads. On December 17th a light rise in temperature, and the another December 26th and 27th ago. The two camps tested many difficulties of operating, in particular the French who advanced more quickly than their artillery. Davout put up to two hours to traverse 4 km.

There were also difficulties with the provisioning. the captain Marbot, who was useful with Augereau wrote:
It rained and snowed without delay. The provisions became very rare; more wine, hardly more beer, and what available is spoiled, not bread, for the rations we had to cut down the pigs and the cows.

The battle field

Pultusk is on banks of the Narew. The road of Strzegociz crosses the river by a bridge and moves to the North-West towards Golymin. A second road, coming from Warsaw enters the city to the south-west, and led along Western bank towards Rozan. Before it reaches Pultusk this road is joined by that of Nasilesk. A last road moves to the north of the city towards Markow.

The battle

Bennigsen arranges its forces along the road of Pultusk with Golymin, on three lines respectively made up of 21,18 and 5 battalions. The left rests on the city, the line on the wood of Mosin. The artillery is placed in front of the first line. With the extreme right-hand side, the general Barclay de Tolly occupies part of the wood of Mosin with three battalions, a regiment of cavalry and an artillery battery covering the road of Golymin. The Bagavout general covers the left of the line to the bridge which spans Narew, it holds a position located in front of the ravine with ten battalions, two squadrons of the dragons and an artillery battery. 28 squadrons of cavalry are deployed in edge of the edge, and the cavalry Cosaque is deployed in front of Barclay and Bagavout.

Lannes has order to cross Narew in Pultusk. He believes himself in safety until he discovers in front of him the Russian forces.

Analyzes

Consequences

Sources

in its version of May 25th, 2007.

It is necessary to be careful with the articles translated from English on Wikipedia, often directed in an unfavourable direction with Napoleon. In the case of is Pultusk, necessary for example to retain the number advanced by the Russians for the French losses? The retirement of the Russians, that Lannes could not exploit, watch which it is not a question of in no case of a Russian victory.

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