Battle of Pułtusk (1806)

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For the battle in 1703, see Battle of Pułtusk (1703).

Battle of Pułtusk
Part of the War of the Fourth Coalition

Battle of Pułtusk 1806
Date26 December 1806[1]
Location
Pułtusk, New East Prussia
52°43′N 21°06′E / 52.717°N 21.100°E / 52.717; 21.100
Result French victory[1]
Belligerents
France French Empire
Kingdom of Bavaria Bavaria		 Russia Russian Empire
Kingdom of Prussia Kingdom of Prussia
Commanders and leaders
France Jean Lannes (WIA)
Levin A. von Bennigsen
Russia Barclay de Tolly
Strength
25,000-27,000 soldiers[2] 40,000-45,000 soldiers, 128 guns,[2] of which 35,000 engaged[3][4]
Casualties and losses
unclear, see below
unclear, see below
War of the Fourth Coalition
Map
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200km
125miles
Friedland
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Battle of Friedland on 14 June 1807
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Battle of Guttstadt-Deppen from 5 to 6 June 1807
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Great Sortie of Stralsund from 1 to 3 April 1807
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Siege of Graudenz from 22 January to 11 December 1807
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Capitulation of Stettin from 29 to 30 October 1806
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⬤ current battle
⬤ Napoleon not in command
⬤ Napoleon in command

The Battle of Pułtusk took place on 26 December 1806 during the War of the Fourth Coalition near Pułtusk, Poland. Despite their strong numerical superiority and artillery, the Russians suffered the French attacks, before retiring the next day having suffered greater losses than the French, disorganizing their army for the rest of the year.

Background

Strategic context

After defeating the

Emperor Napoleon entered partitioned Poland to confront the Russian army, which had been preparing to support the Prussians until their sudden defeat. Crossing the River Vistula, the French advance corps took Warsaw
on 28 November 1806.

Portrait of Bennigsen in highly decorated uniform with white-gloved hands resting on the hilt of his sword in front of him
Levin August Bennigsen

The Russian army was under the overall command of

General-Leutnant Anton Wilhelm von L'Estocq failed to retake Thorn (Toruń). This led Bennigsen on 11 December to issue orders to fall back and hold the line of the River Wkra.[9]

When this was reported to Napoleon, he assumed the Russians were in full retreat. He ordered the forces under Marshal

Nicolas Soult's 4th Corps linked the two wings of the French army.[10]

Kamensky reversed the Russian retreat, and he ordered an advance to support the troops on the River Wkra.

Battle of Gołymin on the same day.[15]

Weather

The weather caused severe difficulties for both sides. Mild autumn weather had lasted longer than normal.

Davout recorded it took two hours to cover 2+1⁄2 miles.[18]

There were also difficulties with supply. Captain Marcellin Marbot, who was serving with Augereau's Corps wrote:

It rained and snowed incessantly. Provisions became very scarce; no more wine, hardly any beer, and what there was exceedingly bad, no bread, and quarters for which we had to fight the pigs and the cows.[19]

Site

Pułtusk lies on the west bank of the River Narew with a suburb on the east bank. The road from Strzegociz crossed the river by a bridge and then ran north-west towards Gołymin. A second road from Warsaw entered the town from the south-west, and then ran along the west bank of the river towards Różan. Before it reached Pułtusk this road was joined by one from Nasielsk. Another longer route to Różan ran along the east bank. The final road was that to Markow, which ran northwards from the town. The town itself lay on low ground. To the north and west lay a plateau, narrowing to a wide ridge nearer the river. A ravine cut into the plateau near the river. A large wood lay on the north-west side of the plateau, towards the village of Mosin. Further out from the plateau more woods covered the approaches from Warsaw.[20]

Battle

Forces

Portrait of a light-haired Lannes in marshal's uniform with decorations
Jean Lannes

Lannes commanded two infantry divisions under

Chasseurs à Cheval Regiment. General of Brigade Louis Foucher de Careil commanded the corps artillery, 38 guns in four foot and two horse artillery batteries at full strength. Smith itemized Colbert-Chabanais' 6th Corps cavalry but repeated Trelliard's list of regiments, which was clearly a misprint.[21][22]

Portrait of a hatless Ostermann-Tolstoi
A. Ostermann-Tolstoi

Historian Francis Loraine Petre wrote that General of Division Nicolas Léonard Beker's 1,200-strong 5th Dragoon Division was also present, but did not note its composition. Petre mentioned Beker and Trelliard, but not Colbert-Chabanais.[23] Petre stated that Beker led the 5th Division.[24] Digby Smith placed Beker in charge of the 2nd Dragoon Division and listed the 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 13th, and 22nd Dragoon Regiments as part of this unit. These units are identical to Grouchy's division.[21] General of Brigade Joseph Augustin Fournier Marquis de D'Aultane was the acting commander of the 3rd Division of Davout's corps. This unit was made up of two brigades. General of Brigade Claude Petit led the 2-battalion 12th Line Infantry Regiment and the 3-battalion 21st Line Infantry Regiment. General of Brigade Nicolas Hyacinthe Gautier directed the 25th and 85th Line Infantry Regiments, two battalions each. General of Division Louis Michel Antoine Sahuc led the 4th Dragoon Division, which only had one brigade present. General of Brigade Jacques Léonard Laplanche commanded the 15th and 25th Dragoon Regiments.[21][25] Fournier had 70 chasseurs à cheval, 100 dragoons, and only one artillery piece attached to his command. The rest of the corps cavalry was at Gołymin.[26]

Bennigsen commanded Ostermann-Tolstoy's 2nd Division, Sedmoratski's 6th Division, and elements of the 3rd and 4th Divisions. The 2nd Division had three infantry and one cavalry brigades.

Major General Nikolai Mazovsky directed the Pavlovski Grenadier and Rostov Musketeer Regiments, Major General Alexander Yakovlevich Sukin led the Petersburg Grenadier and Jeletzsky Musketeer Regiments, and Major General Ivan Andreievich Lieven commanded the 1st and 20th Jager Regiments. Major General Koschin's cavalry brigade included the Life Cuirassier, Kargopol Dragoon, and Soum Hussar Regiments, plus two cossack units. There were a total of 60 artillery pieces in four foot batteries and one horse artillery batteries.[21][27]

The 6th Division also controlled three infantry and one cavalry brigades. Major General

Kiev Dragoon, and Alexandrov Hussar Regiments, plus one Tatar and one cossack unit. The 6th Division artillery numbered 72 guns in five foot and one horse artillery batteries. The units of the 3rd and 4th Divisions are not listed. Altogether, Bennigsen controlled 50,500 men in 66 battalions, 55 squadrons, and his artillery.[21][27]

Action

Battles of Czarnowo, Golymin, and Pułtusk, plus other minor actions
The Pułtusk Campaign Map shows the positions of the French, Russian, and Prussian forces at the end of December 1806. Actions were fought at Bieżuń and Czarnowo on the 23rd, Kołoząb on the 24th, Soldau on the 25th, and Pułtusk and Gołymin on the 26th.

Bennigsen arrayed his forces

Cossack cavalry was deployed in front of them.[31]

Marshal Lannes had orders to cross the Narew at Pułtusk with his corps. He was aware that there was a Russian force in front of him, but did not know its size. After struggling through the mud, his first troops reached the area at about 10:00 AM,[23] and drove the cossacks back onto the Russian main line. Because of the terrain, Lannes could only see the Russian advance positions on the extreme left and right with the cavalry between them.

Lannes deployed Suchet's division on his left, opposite the Mosin wood. Gazan's division covered the rest of the Russian line. The few guns were deployed on the left and in the centre.[2]

At about 11:00 AM the French right advanced against Baggovut. The Russian cossacks and cavalry were driven back and Baggovut sent forward a

Jäger
unit, which was driven back despite artillery support. The French centre had also advanced, to attack Baggovut from the flank. But this manoeuvre exposed them to the Russian cavalry line, seven squadrons of which suddenly attacked the French flank in a sudden snow storm while Baggovut's cavalry and the jägers attacked from the front. A French infantry battalion then took the Russian cavalry in their flank. After a confused melee the Russians fell back to their original position. Lannes's cavalry division, under Trelliard tried to advance but was driven off by artillery fire.

Battle of Pułtusk about noon
Battle of Pułtusk about noon

At the same time as the French right attacked, on the French left Suchet's division, led by Lannes in person, attacked the position held by Barclay. The initial attack drove the Russians out of the wood, and captured the battery stationed there, but Barclay's reserve drove the French back into the wood and recaptured the guns.

The French centre had also advanced. The Russian cavalry withdrew behind the main line, exposing the French to artillery fire from the Russian batteries.

By about 2 p.m.[32] the French position looked dangerous. The Russian left had held, the French centre was suffering from the artillery fire, and on the right increasing pressure was beginning to force Suchet's men out of the wood. A French retreat looked a distinct possibility when unexpected reinforcements arrived.

Battle of Pułtusk about 3 PM
Battle of Pułtusk about 3 PM

The 3rd Division of Davout's 3rd Corps, temporarily commanded by his

Chief of Staff Fournier, had been ordered to pursue a Russian column apparently retiring on Pułtusk. Concerned about the strength of the Russian cavalry force which was escorting guns and stores, Fournier had pursued but not engaged. He was preparing to stop for the night when he heard the sounds of combat to his right, and so marched his men towards Pułtusk. Due to the state of the roads he was only able to bring up one gun.[2]

Seeing this force approach, Bennigsen wheeled back his main line to face the wood, thus reducing the artillery fire directed at Lannes's units. Barclay, finding Fournier attacking his right flank, fell back to the right of the main Russian line. Bennigsen reinforced him with two infantry regiments and some cavalry, and directed an artillery battery to fire on the wood. Thus reinforced Barclay attacked the wood. The French were driven out, and Fournier's right flank exposed. This was attacked by twenty squadrons of Russian cavalry, but the 85th French Infantry Regiment formed squares and by a steady fire drove the cavalry off. At about 8:00 PM the combat died away, and Fournier retired to the edge of the woods.[33]

The arrival of Fournier's division also had an effect on the French right wing. With the switch of much of the Russian artillery to support Barclay de Tolly, the French were able to use their own guns to support a fresh attack at about 2:00 PM[34] on Baggovut by the brigades of Claparède and Vedel, supported by Gazan on their left. Baggovut's men were driven back over the ravine in their rear, and their guns captured. Ostermann-Tolstoy established a battery to Barclay's right and reinforced by five battalions he attacked. After a desperate fight the French were thrown back and the guns recaptured. The French right and centre fell back to their start positions as night fell.

During the night, Bennigsen decided to retire, and did so the next day, 27 December, using the longer road to Różan along the east bank of the Narew. From there he continued his retreat to Ostrołęka. Fournier's division also moved off to rejoin the 3rd Corps at Golymin. Lannes was in no position to pursue the Russians, and occupied Pułtusk on 28 December.

Analysis

Losses on both sides are disputed. Lannes claimed the Russians lost 2,000 killed, 3,000 wounded and 1,800 prisoners, a total of 6,800; Sir Robert Wilson, British liaison officer with the Russian army, claimed the Russians lost less than 5,000 men. Lannes undercounted and only admitted to 700 French killed and 1,500 wounded; Russian authorities said the French losses were 7,000 killed and wounded and 70 prisoners. Given that the French were attacking and exposed to artillery fire, a total for them of 7,000 killed, wounded and prisoners does not seem unreasonable, and a total of 5,000 casualties for the Russians seems a good estimate. Petre quotes the various authorities.[35] Another authority gives French losses as five generals and 140 officers killed or wounded, 3,200 soldiers dead or wounded, and 700 captured. Russian losses are stated as 3,500 total, including 1,500 men and 12 guns captured. On the French side, Lannes, Bonnard, Claparède and Vedel were all wounded.[21]

Bennigsen claimed a victory. The consensus seems to be[36] that having decided to fight, in defiance of his orders he could have better disposed his forces, taken the offensive and destroyed Lannes's corps before Fournier came up. Bennigsen said he thought he was facing 60,000 French under Napoleon in person, which may explain his defensive stance. Bennigsen also complained that Buxhoeveden did not support him, but that officer was obeying his orders to retire.

Lannes, on the other hand, was following his orders, and the result was to find himself facing a superior force in a good defensive position. Napoleon's orders had not allowed for this, and unaware of the odds against him, Lannes attacked. If Fournier had not used his initiative and marched to the sound of the guns, the result may have been very different.

Aftermath

At the

Battle of Gołymin
, Golitsyn successfully held off a superior French force. This, combined with the failure of Soult's corps to pass around the Russian right flank spoiled Napoleon's chances of cutting the Russian line of retreat and trapping them against the River Narew.

The Russian 5th and 7th Divisions retired towards the main body of the army at Różan. Bennigsen's forces fell back to Nowogród on the River Narew, uniting on 1 January 1807 with the forces under Buxhoeveden. On 28 December, Napoleon stopped his advance and, having lost contact with the Russian army, decided to go into winter quarters. His troops were exhausted and discontented, and the supply situation was in great disorder.[37]

The break in hostilities did not last long. Soon afterward, Bennigsen was appointed army commander and he launched an unexpected winter offensive into East Prussia. Aimed at the French strategic left flank, the Russian blow was blunted at the Battle of Mohrungen on 25 January 1807. Napoleon immediately counterattacked, trying to cut the Russian communications line that ran to the northeast. The French caught up with the Russians on 7 and 8 February 1807 and the dreadful Battle of Eylau was fought.

Popular culture

The battle is included in Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace.[38]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Bodart 1908, p. 377.
  2. ^ a b c d Petre 2001, p. 96.
  3. ^ Chandler 2009, p. 521.
  4. ^ Roberts 2016.
  5. ^ Petre 2001, p. 38.
  6. ^ Petre 2001, p. 70.
  7. ^ Petre 2001, p. 39.
  8. ^ a b Petre 2001, p. 40.
  9. ^ Petre 2001, p. 73.
  10. ^ Petre 2001, p. 76.
  11. ^ Petre 2001, p. 77.
  12. ^ Petre 2001, pp. 79–82.
  13. ^ Petre 2001, pp. 77–78.
  14. ^ Petre 2001, pp. 84–85.
  15. ^ Petre 2001, p. 89.
  16. ^ Petre 2001, p. 354.
  17. ^ Napoleon 1860.
  18. ^ Petre 2001, p. 93.
  19. ^ Marbot 2005, 1:xxvii.
  20. ^ Petre 2001, pp. 90–91.
  21. ^ a b c d e f Smith 1998, p. 235.
  22. ^ Chandler 2005, p. 36.
  23. ^ a b Petre 2001, p. 95.
  24. ^ Petre 2001, p. 177.
  25. ^ Chandler 2005, p. 35.
  26. ^ Petre 2001, p. 100.
  27. ^ a b Millar 2004.
  28. ^ Petre 2001, pp. 90–107.
  29. ^ Chandler 1995, p. 521.
  30. ^ Chandler 1999, p. 439.
  31. ^ Petre 2001, p. 91.
  32. ^ Petre 2001, p. 99.
  33. ^ Petre 2001, p. 101.
  34. ^ Petre 2001, p. 102.
  35. ^ Petre 2001, p. 103.
  36. ^ Petre 2001, pp. 104–105.
  37. ^ Petre 2001, p. 117.
  38. ^ Tolstoy 1949, p. 221.

References

Further reading

  • Stolarski, P. (1997). Elyau. Miniature Wargames Magazine 3/1997.

External links
Preceded by
Battle of Golymin 		Napoleonic Wars
Battle of Pułtusk (1806) 		Succeeded by
Battle of Mohrungen
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