Napoleon's Campaign in Poland, 1806-7

PREFACE.

THIS volume owes its inception to the difficulty experienced by its author in finding, in English, any satisfactory history of a campaign which he felt could not be less interesting than its predecessors of Austerlitz and Jena.

THE STATE OF EUROPE. 7

The ultimatum was presented on the 1st October, 1806 ; fourteen days later the Prussian army had been destroyed at the fatal double battle of Jena and Auerstadt. The broken remnants were pursued to the Baltic by Soult, Murat, Bernadotte, Ney, and Lannes. Bliicher was driven north- wards to the Danish frontier, where he surrendered with the last of his force. Magdeburg, with a large garrison, capitulated to Ney on the 8th November; Hanover was occupied by an army under Louis Buonaparte from Holland ;

TEE ARMIES AND THE LEADERS. 23

t The contributions varied from 25 millions of francs in the case of Saxony (which was subsequently modified by his alliance with that state) to 100,000 francs in the case of the smallest states (see Corr. 11,010, decree dated 15th October, 1806, the day after the battle of Jena). By the same decree, all English merchandise in the northern cities, in whatsoever hands it might be, was declared forfeit to the use of the French army.

THE ARMIES AND THE LEADERS. 4 1

Marshal Davout,J commanding the 3rd Corps, had dis- tinguished himself lately by his magnificent conduct of the battle of Auerstadt. It was he who had really ruined the

CHAPTER I.

The Movements up to the Battle of Eylau.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

( H apt KR II. The Battle of Eylau.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Assault on Eylau, eventually successful, though not intended

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

(c) Strategy and Tactic* of the Eylau Campaign.

CHAPTER III.

Bennigsen's mistake in fighting at Friedland ..... 321

PAGE

Sheet III. — Plans : (1) Illustrating the Passages of the Bug and the Ukra ; (2) Battle of Pultusk ; (3) Battle of Golymin ; (4) Battle of Eylau ; (5) Siege of Danzig ; (6) Battle of Heilsberg ; (7) Battle of Friedland.

THE ARMIES AND THE LEADERS. 35

What was good in the medical arrangements at Koenigs- berg was supplied by Prussia. At the battle of Friedland, for the first time, was any attempt made to succour the Eussian wounded on the field. What more pathetic picture can there be of the suffering of the Russian soldiery than these words of one of them who forced himself into the presence of the Czar ? " For nine months I and my comrades have endured, without a murmur, all the ills of the most severe campaign. We wished to serve our Emperor faith- fully, and not augment his difficulties. I call God to witness that, for seven days, these soldiers and myself had nothing to eat but a piece of hide, steeped in water that we might be enabled to chew it when softened ; and yet, for eighteen hours, we remained on the field of battle, until, at the same instant, we were struck by grape. Now that we have passed our frontiers, and are returned to our country, we know that the Emperor cannot profit by our ill treatment. Look at this arm • ?undressed for seventeen days, and a burrow for worms! Look at our bodies, worn down, and wasting for food. The Emperor may want us again. We are ready to serve him, but &i* shall know our condition that we may have his redress." *

CHAPTER III.

* The chief materials for this account of the battle of Friedland are the narratives of Dumas, Hcepfner, Savary, Victor {Arch. Higt.), Jomini, Wilson, Marbot, Kausler (atlas and text), etc.