Battle of Friedland

The Battle of Friedland was a war between France and Russia that took place on June 14, 1807, and resulted in the victory of the French troops of Emperor Napoleon I of France over the Russian troops of General Bennigsen in the context of the campaigns of the Fourth Coalition, where the French troops sought to destroy the Russian military force that could still intervene to the aid of Prussia, which had been decisively defeated at Jena in October 1806. After occupying quickly Prussian and Russian Poland, the French troops had sought to destroy the Russian resistance in the Battle of Eylau but without success, so at the end of the northern winter it was necessary to restart the campaign against the Russians who were coming to the territory of East Prussia.

Background

Russian troops occupied a large part of East Prussia, having been expelled from Poland during the French offensive at the end of 1806, and the fighting at Eylau had not satisfied either side. However, General Bennigsen's Russian forces were still ready to fight and proceeded to advance against the French who also resumed their offensive led personally by Napoleon I.

The Russians had driven the French cavalry from Friedland westward throughout the day on June 13, and the main body of Bennigsen's forces began their occupation of the town during the night. The mass of French soldiers was on the move towards Friedland, but still widely dispersed along various routes, and the first stage of the engagement was, as usual, a spontaneous clash.

The battle

The army corps of French Marshal Jean Lannes, as an advance guard, were the first to enter combat against the Russians, in the Sortlack forest and in front of Posthenen (2:30 to 3:00 on the 14th). Both sides now used their cavalry to cover the formation of battle lines, and the race between rival squadrons for possession of Heinrichsdorf ended in favor of Grouchy's French.

Lannes' forces, at the same time, were fighting hard to contain Bennigsen's Russians, as Napoleon feared that the Russians might break out again. In reality, by 6:00, Bennigsen had about 50,000 Russians along the river and forming up in western Friedland, with his infantry formed in two lines, and his artillery stretching between the Heinrichsdorf-Friedland road and the meanders. upper part of the river. Beyond the right wing of the Russian infantry, cavalry and Cossack battalions spread along the line of the forest northeast of Heinrichsdorf, and small bodies of Cossacks penetrated as far as Schwonau. The Russian left wing also had some cavalry and, beyond the Alle, artillery batteries had been brought in to cover them. A strong but inconclusive fight then took place in the Sortlack forest between the Russian guerrilla forces and some French troops sent by Lannes.

The head of General Mortier's French and Polish troops appeared at Heinrichsdorf, and the Cossacks were expelled from Schwonau. Lannes supported his own troops, and when Napoleon arrived at noon, there were 40,000 French troops on the scene. His orders were brief: Ney's cavalry troops were to take the line between Postlienen and Sortlack Forest; Lannes' group was to approach from their left to form the center; Mortier's men would form the left wing at Heirichsdorf, and General Victor's First Corps and the Imperial Guard would be placed in reserve behind the town of Posthenen. The French cavalry was then regrouped at Heirichsdorf, and the main French attack was focused against the center of the Russian lines which Napoleon thought he could trap in the narrow strip of ground between the River Alle and the mill of Posthenen. Three cavalry divisions were also added to the French general reserve.

The course of previous operations had meant that both armies still had large amounts of elements delayed towards Königsberg. Bonaparte needed the entire afternoon to form the newly arrived troops, covering the deployment with artillery bombardment; At 17:00 everything was ready, and Ney, preceded by powerful artillery fire, quickly charged into the Sortlack forest. The attack pressed the Russians towards the Alle. One of Ney's divisions, commanded by Marchand, led part of the Russian left wing to the river at Sortlack. A furious Russian cavalry charge against the French corps on the left, commanded by Marchand, was repelled by Latour-Maubourg's dragoon division.

Very soon, Russian soldiers were massed in the meanders of the Alle, an easy target for Ney's and the reserve's guns. The attack by Ney's squads was finally stopped; Bennigsen's reserve cavalry then charged with great effect and drove them back in disorder. As in Eylau, the arrival of night seemed the prelude to a decisive victory, but in the summer of June, and with firm ground, French mobility reaffirmed its value. Dupont's infantry divisions advanced rapidly from Posthenen; The French cavalry divisions pushed the Russian squadrons into the now congested Russian ranks along the river, and finally, artillery general Sénarmont brought forward a large number of cannons to beat them.

This was the first example of the terrible effects of artillery in modern warfare, and the Russian defenses collapsed within minutes. Ney's exhausted infantry was able to pursue Bennigsen's shattered regiments through the streets of Friedland. Lannes and Mortier's troops held the Russian center and right flank on the ground during this time, and their artillery caused them severe losses. When Friedland herself was within range, the two marshals launched their infantry into the attack. Fresh French troops entered the battlefield. The Dupont division distinguished itself for the second time by fording the mill and invading the left flank of the center of the Russian army. They offered stubborn resistance, but the French gradually forced them to retreat, and the battle was soon decided.

Russian losses in the retreat across the river at Friedland were very heavy, and many soldiers drowned. The northern troops, still intact, retreated along the Allenburg road; The French cavalry on the left wing, although with orders to pursue them, for some reason remained inactive. The recognized losses of the victorious side were 12,100, 14% of the 86,000 available men, while the Russians had 10,000 dead of the 46,000 (21%).