Siege of Danzig (1807)
Siege of Danzig | |||||||
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Part of the War of the Fourth Coalition | |||||||
"Panoramic view of the siege of Danzig by French forces in 1807" painting by Jean-Antoine-Siméon Fort | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
French Empire Polish Legions Kingdom of Italy Kingdom of Saxony Duchy of Baden |
Kingdom of Prussia Russian Empire United Kingdom (naval) | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
François Joseph Lefebvre Jan Henryk Dąbrowski | |||||||
Strength | |||||||
39,000[1] 100 heavy guns & mortars[2] |
16,000 (siege)[1] 8,000 Russians[1] (reinforcements) | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
6,000[1] (siege)[3] 400[1] (relief attempt) |
10,000[1] (siege) 1,500[4][1] (relief attempt) |
The siege of Danzig (19 March – 24 May 1807) was the French encirclement and capture of
Importance of Danzig
Danzig held an important strategic position. As well as being an important heavily fortified port with 60,000 inhabitants at the mouth of the river Vistula, it was a direct threat to the French left, as it lay within Prussian lands but to the rear of the French army as it advanced eastward. It was also a potential dropping off point for allied troops which could threaten the French army by opening another front to their rear. Danzig was also difficult to attack, only being accessible from the west, while all other directions were covered either by the Vistula to the north or wetlands to the south and east. Furthermore, it had precious resources (such as powder, grain, eau de vie, etc.) of great interest to the Grande Armée, which was planning a substantial campaign in the east. In a letter dated 18 February 1807, Napoleon noted to Marshal Lefebvre:
Your glory is linked to the taking of Danzig: you must go there.[5]
Order of battle
The task of taking the city was in mid-February given to Marshal Lefebvre and his 10th corps. The marshal was aided by generals
Encirclement
On 20 March, following Napoleon's orders to encircle the city, French General Schramm led 2,000 troops to the north bank of the Vistula beyond the outlying Weichselmunde fort, occupying a position directly to the north of the city. On 2 April the ground had thawed enough to be able to begin digging siege trenches, a second trench was begun on 8 April and completed on 15 April and a third was finished on 25 April. With the fall of the Silesian fortress of Schweidnitz to Vandamme on 11 April, the large siege guns there were transferred to Danzig, arriving on 21 April.
Attempts to relieve the city
On the 23 March the French batteries opened fire. Russian forces made an attempt between 10–15 May to bring 7,000[7] reinforcements to the city, led by
Siege continues
After these failed attempts to relieve the city, the siege and mining continued. On 21 May
Surrender and aftermath
Danzig capitulated on 24 May 1807. Napoleon then ordered the siege of the nearby Weichselmünde fort, but Kamensky had fled with his troops, and the garrison capitulated shortly afterwards. The battle cost the French 6,000 killed and wounded,[3] while the Prussians lost 3,000 killed, wounded and sick, and the Russians 1,500.[4] In recompense for Lefebvre's services, Napoléon granted him the title "Duc de Dantzig" in a letter to the Senate dated 28 May,[9] but he did not inform him directly, merely noting to the marshal on 29 May,
I am […] very satisfied with your services, and I have already given proof of this, which you will discover when you read the latest news from Paris and which will leave you in no doubt as to my opinion of you.[10]
On 9 September 1807, Napoleon established the Free City of Danzig, as a semi-independent state. This territory was carved out from lands that made up part of the Kingdom of Prussia, consisting of the city of Danzig (now known as Gdańsk) along with its rural possessions on the mouth of Vistula, together with the Hel Peninsula and the southern half of the Vistula Spit. From late January to 29 November 1813, Russian forces laid siege to the city and the French occupying forces withdrew on 2 January 1814.
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g Clodfelter 2017, p. 152.
- ^ a b c d Rothenberg G. E. The Art of Warfare in the Age of Napoleon. Indiana University Press, 1978. P. 219
- ^ a b Summerville C. Napoleon's Polish Gamble: Eylau & Friedland 1807. Pen and Sword, 2005. P. 106
- ^ a b Summerville C. Napoleon's Polish Gamble: Eylau & Friedland 1807. Pen and Sword, 2005. P. 104
- ^ (Correspondence no. 11,826)
- ^ (Correspondence 12208).
- ^ a b Summerville C. Napoleon's Polish Gamble: Eylau & Friedland 1807. Pen and Sword, 2005. P. 102
- ^ Correspondence no. 12,629
- ^ Correspondence, no. 12,666
- ^ Correspondence, no. 12,683
Resources
- Clodfelter, M. (2017). Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492-2015 (4th ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-7470-7.
External links
- Media related to Siege of Gdańsk (1807) at Wikimedia Commons
Preceded by Siege of Kolberg (1807) |
Napoleonic Wars Siege of Danzig (1807) |
Succeeded by Great Sortie of Stralsund |