Battle of Eylau
Part of the War of the Fourth Coalition
Napoléon on the field of Eylau by Antoine-Jean Gros
Date February 7–8, 1807 Location Preußisch Eylau,[1] East Prussia Result Indecisive
Combatants
First French Empire	Russian Empire Kingdom of Prussia
Commanders
Napoleon I	General Bennigsen General L'Estocq
Strength
45,000 men, 200 cannons[2]	67,000 men, 460 cannons[2]
Casualties
Up to 25,000 (see text)	Up to 25,000 (see text)

The Battle of Eylau or Battle of Preussisch-Eylau (February 7-8, 1807) was a bloody and inconclusive contest between the forces of Napoléon and a mostly Russian army under General Bennigsen. It was fought near the town of Preußisch Eylau in East Prussia. Combatants Kingdom of Prussia Russian Empire United Kingdom Sweden Electorate of Saxony Kingdom of Sicily First French Empire: - Kingdom of Italy - Kingdom of Naples - Kingdom of Holland - Kingdom of Etruria - Confederation of the Rhine - Swiss Confederation - Polish insurgents Kingdom of Spain Commanders Duke of Brunswick Prince of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen Count... Napoléon on the field of Eylau by Antoine-Jean Gros The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... Napoléon I, Emperor of the French (born Napoleone di Buonaparte, changed his name to Napoléon Bonaparte)[1] (15 August 1769; Ajaccio, Corsica – 5 May 1821; Saint Helena) was a general during the French Revolution, the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from... Napoleon on the battlefield of Preussisch-Eylau (detail), 1808. ... is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1807 (MDCCCVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar). ... Bagrationovsk (Russian: Багратионовск, German: Preußisch Eylau before 1946, Lithuanian: Yluva/PrÅ«sų Ylava, Polish: Pruska IÅ‚awa / IÅ‚awka) is a small town in the Kaliningrad Oblast in Russia, located some 37 km south of Kaliningrad, at 54°23′ N 20°38′ E. Its population as of 2004 is 7... East Prussia (German: Ostpreu en; Polish: Prusy Wschodnie; Russian: Восточная Пруссия — Vostochnaya Prussiya) was a province of Kingdom of Prussia, situated on the territory of former Ducal Prussia. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Map of the First French Empire in 1811, with the Empire in dark blue and satellite states in light blue Capital Paris Language(s) French Government Monarchy Emperor  - 1804 - 1814/1815 Napoleon I  - 1814/1815 Napoleon II Legislature Parliament  - Upper house Senate  - Lower house Corps législatif Historical era Napoleonic... Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ... The subject of this article was previously also known as Russia. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Anthem Preußenlied, Heil dir im Siegerkranz (both unofficial) The Kingdom of Prussia at its greatest extent, at the time of the formation of the German Empire, 1871 Capital Berlin Government Monarchy King  - 1701 — 1713 Frederick I (first)  - 1888 — 1918 William II (last) Prime minister  - 1848 Adolf Heinrich von Arnim... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Napoléon I, Emperor of the French (born Napoleone di Buonaparte, changed his name to Napoléon Bonaparte)[1] (15 August 1769; Ajaccio, Corsica – 5 May 1821; Saint Helena) was a general during the French Revolution, the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from... Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ... Levin August Gottlieb Theophil (Russian: Leonty Leontyevich), count von Bennigsen (February 10, 1745 - December 3, 1826) was a Russian general. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Anton Wilhelm von LEstocq (16 August 1738 – 5 January 1815) was a Prussian cavalry general best known for his command of the Prussian troops at the Battle of Eylau. ... Combatants Kingdom of Prussia Russian Empire United Kingdom Sweden Electorate of Saxony Kingdom of Sicily First French Empire: - Kingdom of Italy - Kingdom of Naples - Kingdom of Holland - Kingdom of Etruria - Confederation of the Rhine - Swiss Confederation - Polish insurgents Kingdom of Spain Commanders Duke of Brunswick Prince of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen Count... Combatants French Empire Prussia Commanders Joachim Murat Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte dErlon Bogislav Friedrich Emanuel von Tauentzien Strength  ?  ? Casualties  ? around 400 killed The Battle of Schleiz took place on October 9, 1806 in Schleiz, Germany between the Prussians under Bogislav Friedrich Emanuel von Tauentzien and a part of Bernadotte... The Battle of Saafeld took place on October 10, 1806, between 7,000 Prussians under Prince Louis of Prussia and a division of Lannes corps under the Marshal himself. ... Combatants First French Empire Prussia Commanders Napoleon I Louis Nicolas Davout Duke of Brunswick Prince Hohenlohe Strength 90,000 (Jena); 27,000 (Auerstedt) 38,000 (Jena); 63,000 (Auerstedt) Casualties 5,000 dead and wounded (Jena); 7,000 killed, wounded, or missing (Auerstedt) 25,000 dead, wounded, or captured (Jena... Combatants French Empire Prussia Commanders Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher Strength  ?  ? Casualties  ?  ? The Battle of Lübeck took place on November 6, 1806 in Lübeck, Germany between French troops under Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte and Prussian forces under Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. ... Combatants First French Empire. ... Combatants France Russia Commanders Marshal Murat General Golitsyn Strength 38,000 soldiers [1] 16,000-18,000 soldiers, 28 guns[2] Casualties 700 750 The Battle of Golymin took place on 26 December 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars at Golymin, Poland, between around 17,000 Russian soldiers with 28 guns... The Battle of PuÅ‚tusk took place on December 26, 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars near PuÅ‚tusk, Poland, between 60,000 Russian soldiers with 120 guns under General Bennigsen and 35,000 French soldiers under Marshal Lannes. ... Combatants First French Empire Kingdom of Prussia Russian Empire Commanders Marshal Lefebvre Marshall Kalckreuth Nikolay Kamensky Strength c. ... The Battle of Heilsberg took place in 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars. ... Combatants First French Empire Russian Empire Commanders Napoléon Bonaparte General Bennigsen Strength 80,000 60,000 Casualties 8,000 killed and wounded[1] 20,000 killed and wounded[2] The Battle of Friedland, fought on June 14, 1807 about twenty-seven miles (43 km) southeast of the modern Russian... is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1807 (MDCCCVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar). ... Napoléon I, Emperor of the French (born Napoleone di Buonaparte, changed his name to Napoléon Bonaparte)[1] (15 August 1769; Ajaccio, Corsica – 5 May 1821; Saint Helena) was a general during the French Revolution, the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from... Levin August Gottlieb Theophil (Russian: Leonty Leontyevich), count von Bennigsen (February 10, 1745 - December 3, 1826) was a Russian general. ... Bagrationovsk (Russian: Багратионовск, German: Preußisch Eylau before 1946, Polish: Pruska IÅ‚awa / IÅ‚awka) is a small town in the Kaliningrad Oblast in Russia, located some 37 km south of Kaliningrad, at 54°23′ N 20°38′ E. Its population as of 2004 is 7,000. ... East Prussia (German: Ostpreu en; Polish: Prusy Wschodnie; Russian: Восточная Пруссия — Vostochnaya Prussiya) was a province of Kingdom of Prussia, situated on the territory of former Ducal Prussia. ...

Eylau was the first serious check to the French Grande Armée, which in the previous two campaigning seasons had carried all before it, demolishing the armies of the established great powers of Europe at Austerlitz in December 1805 (Austria assisted by Russia), and Jena-Auerstedt (Prussia) in October 1806. La Grande Armée (French for the Great Army or the Grand Army) first entered the annals of history when, in 1805, Napoleon I renamed the army that he had assembled on the French coast of the English Channel for the proposed invasion of Britain and re-deployed it East... Combatants French Empire Russian Empire Austrian Empire Commanders Napoleon I Alexander I Francis II Strength 65,000[1] 73,000[2] Casualties 1,305 dead, 6,940 wounded, 573 captured, 1 standard lost[3] 15,000 dead or wounded, 12,000 captured, 180 guns lost, 50 standards lost[3] The... Combatants First French Empire Prussia Commanders Napoleon I Louis Nicolas Davout Duke of Brunswick Prince Hohenlohe Strength 90,000 (Jena); 27,000 (Auerstedt) 38,000 (Jena); 63,000 (Auerstedt) Casualties 5,000 dead and wounded (Jena); 7,000 killed, wounded, or missing (Auerstedt) 25,000 dead, wounded, or captured (Jena... Anthem Preußenlied, Heil dir im Siegerkranz (both unofficial) The Kingdom of Prussia at its greatest extent, at the time of the formation of the German Empire, 1871 Capital Berlin Government Monarchy King  - 1701 — 1713 Frederick I (first)  - 1888 — 1918 William II (last) Prime minister  - 1848 Adolf Heinrich von Arnim...

Prelude

With the Prussian army reduced to a handful of harried fugitives after Jena-Auerstedt, Napoléon occupied the major cities of Germany and marched on east in pursuit of the remaining forces opposed to him: largely Russians under the command of the frail 75-year-old Marshal Mikhail Kamensky. Kamensky was unwilling to risk battle, and continued to retreat, leaving the Grande Armée free to enter Poland almost unopposed. After a series of inconclusive encounters, Napoléon's troops took up winter quarters in Poland to recuperate after a victorious but exhausting campaign. Count Mikhail Fedotovich Kamensky (Михаил Федотович Каменский in Russian) (1738-1809) was a Russian Field Marshal. ...

In January 1807 the Russian forces, now under the command of Bennigsen, attempted to surprise the isolated French I Corps under Marshal Bernadotte. With his customary inventiveness, Napoléon saw an opportunity to turn the situation to his own advantage, instructing Bernadotte to withdraw before Bennigsen's forces, and secretly maneuvering with the balance of the Grande Armée to cut off the Russian retreat. The French plans fell into Russian hands however, and Bennigsen was just able to retreat and avoid the trap. King Charles XIV of Sweden, Charles III of Norway, or domestically Karl XIV Johan and Carl III Johan respectively, Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte (January 26, 1763 – March 8, 1844) was born at Pau, France, the son of Henri Bernadotte (1711–1780), procurator at Pau, and Jeanne St. ...

By early February the two armies were once again in close proximity and the Russians turned at bay near Eylau. During the pursuit, perhaps influenced by the dreadful state of the Polish roads, the savage winter weather and the relative ease with which his forces had dealt with Prussia, Napoléon had allowed the Grande Armée to become more spread out than was his custom. In contrast, Bennigsen's forces were already concentrated.

First day

Marshal Soult's corps and Marshal Murat's cavalry were the first French formations to reach Eylau at about 14:00 on the 7th. During the afternoon they were reinforced by Marshal Augereau's corps and the Imperial Guard, making up about 45,000 soldiers in all. Bennigsen had 67,000 Russian troops with 460 guns already assembled (the French had only 200). The Russians could expect to be reinforced by Anton Wilhelm von L'Estocq's detachment of 9,000 Prussians; the French by Marshal Davout's depleted III Corps — proud victors of Auerstedt but now only 15,000 strong — and Marshal Ney's 14,000-strong VI Corps, which was shadowing the Prussians. Bernadotte's I Corps was too far distant to take part. Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, duc de Dalmatie (March 29, 1769 – November 26, 1851) was a French general and statesman, named Marshal of France in 1804. ... Joachim Murat, King of Naples, Marshal of France. ... Pierre François Charles Augereau, duc de Castiglione Pierre François Charles Augereau, duc de Castiglione (October 21, 1757 – June 12, 1816) was marshal of France, a hero of both the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. ... Grognard of the Old Guard in 1813 The Imperial Guard (French:Garde impériale) was originally a small group of elite soldiers of the French Army under the direct command of Napoleon I, but grew considerably over time. ... Anton Wilhelm von LEstocq (16 August 1738 – 5 January 1815) was a Prussian cavalry general best known for his command of the Prussian troops at the Battle of Eylau. ... Davout, Marshal of France Louis Nicolas dAvout (May 10, 1770 – June 1, 1823), better known as Davout, duc dAuerstädt, prince dEckmühl, and a marshal of France. ... The Battle of Auerstädt, was fought on 14 October 1806, and resulted in a French victory under marshall Davout against the Prussians under General Brunswick. ... Michel Ney, Marshal of France. ...

The battle began when French forces advanced to occupy the town of Eylau. Authorities^{[citation needed]} differ on the reasons. Napoléon later claimed that this was on his orders; that the advance had the dual aims of pinning the Russian force to prevent them retreating yet again, and providing his soldiers with at least some shelter against the terrible cold. Other surviving evidence however, strongly suggests that the advance was unplanned and occurred as the result of an undisciplined skirmish which Marshals Soult and Murat should have acted to quell but did not. Whether or not Napoléon and his generals had in advance the consideration of securing the town in order to provide the soldiers with a shelter for the freezing night, the soldiers may have taken action on their own initiative to secure such a shelter. According to Captain Marbot the Emperor told Marshal Augereau that he disliked night fighting, that he wanted to wait until the morning so that he could count on Davout's Corps to come up on the right wing and Ney's on the left, and that the high ground before Eylau was a good, easily defendable position on which to wait for reinforcements. Jean-Baptiste-Antoine-Marcelin, Baron de Marbot (August 18, 1782 -November 16, 1854), French soldier, son of General Jean Antoine de Marbot (1754-1800), who died in the defence of Genoa under Masséna, was born at La Riviere (Correze). ...

Whatever the cause of the fighting on the first day, it rapidly escalated into a large and bitterly fought engagement, continuing well after night had fallen and resulting in about 4,000 casualties to each side before Bennigsen ordered the Russians to retreat a short distance. Despite their possession of the town most of the French spent the night in the open, as did all of the Russians. Both sides did without food - the Russians because of their habitual disorganisation, the French because of problems with the roads, the weather, and the crush of troops hurrying towards the battle.

Second day

Battle of Eylau - positions about 10am 8th February

Dawn brought light but little warmth and no great improvement in visibility: the heavy snowstorms continued throughout the day. The opposing forces occupied two parallel ridges, and shortly after 08:00 an artillery duel commenced, the French having the best of it because of their more dispersed locations. Left without the manpower to develop any better plan, Napoléon opened the second day's infantry fighting with a frontal attack by Soult's IV Corps, supported by as much artillery as could be assembled. Though sure to be expensive, this was calculated to delay the Russian attack until Davout's corps had time to arrive on the right. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

In reply, Bennigsen launched a heavy attack on the French left, which soon forced the outnumbered Soult back, and a series of cavalry actions against the first of Davout's troops, who were beginning to arrive on the extreme right. With an early defeat distinctly possible, Napoléon had little choice but to employ his major reserve force, Augereau's VII Corps, adding St Hilaire's division to it and flinging it into the Russian left with the intention of allowing Davout to deploy, and relieving the pressure on the opposite wing.

Augereau was very ill, having had to be helped onto his horse, and perhaps for this reason employed a complex formation that soon became hopelessly lost in the snow. VII Corps veered off line and advanced straight into the Russian centre, coming under the fire of the blinded French artillery, and then directly in front of a massive 70-gun Russian battery. Meanwhile, St Hilaire's division, advancing in the proper direction, was unable to have much effect.

Augereau's corps was almost wiped out. Bennigsen took full advantage; falling on St Hilaire's division with more cavalry, and bringing up his reserve infantry to attack the devastated French centre. Augereau and the three or four thousand survivors fell back on Eylau, where they were attacked by about 5,000 Russian infantry. At one point Napoléon himself, using the church tower as a command post, was nearly captured but members of his personal staff held the Russians off for just long enough to allow the brigades of the Guard to come up.

With his centre almost broken, Napoléon resorted to ordering a frontal charge by Murat's 11,000-strong cavalry reserve — aside from the Guard, the last unbloodied body of troops remaining to the French.

One of the greatest cavalry charges in history. Painting by Simon Fort.

Thus began one of the greatest cavalry charges ever recorded. Somewhat obscured by the weather, Murat's squadrons advanced through the Russian infantry around Eylau and then divided into two wings. One charged into the flank of the Russian cavalry attacking St Hilaire's division, the other into the Russian infantry in the area where Augereau's corps had made its stand. Not content with these heavy blows, the cavalry reformed and charged straight through the Russian centre, reformed, wheeled, and charged back again, cutting down the gunners who had destroyed the VIIth Corps, before retiring under the protection of the Guard cavalry. Murat had lost 1,500 well-trained troopers, but relieved the pressure on Augereau, St Hilaire, and Soult and paralyzed Russian advances for long enough to allow Davout to take a part. Rarely had French cavalry played such a pivotal part in a battle. In part this was because, for the first time, Murat's men were now mounted on the best cavalry horses in Europe, freshly requisitioned in the aftermath of the conquest of Prussia. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Davout's corps was now in position and began to exert heavy pressure on the Russian left. Despite the disarray of the Russian centre, Napoléon declined to follow up Murat's charge by advancing with the Guard. Such a move may have won the battle, but Napoléon was well aware that 9,000 Prussians under L'Estocq were still unaccounted for, and judged it wise to retain the Guard in reserve. Through the afternoon, Soult, Augerau, and Murat managed to hold their ground while Davout, assisted by St Hilaire, gradually bent the Russian left back further and further. By 15:30 it seemed that the Russian cohesion would soon break.

Meanwhile L'Estocq's small Prussian force had approached and passed behind the Russian position, gathering strength in doing so by collecting Russian stragglers and adding them to the 9,000 Prussian troops. At 16:00 L'Estocq fell on Davout's exposed flank, and the heartened Russians soon launched a fresh attack on the opposite wing. Over the next three hours Davout was forced back towards his original position and once again it seemed that Napoléon would be defeated unless more help could arrive.

For unexplained reasons, the Emperor had failed to recall Marshal Ney the previous evening, and only sent a messenger at 08:00 on the morning of the 8th. Although within marching distance of the battle, the heavy snow had muffled the sound of gunfire and Ney was completely unaware of events until the messenger reached him around 14:00. The leading division of Ney's corps reached the battlefield around 19:00 and immediately swept forward into the Russian right. Bitter fighting continued until 22:00, at which point both sides drew off a little. At 23:00, Bennigsen decided to withdraw and, covered by the Cossacks, the Russians silently began to leave. The exhausted French did not even notice until 03:00 and were in no condition to consider a pursuit.

Result

After 14 hours of continuous battle, there was still no result but enormous loss of life. Authorities^{[attribution needed]} differ greatly, but a reasonable estimate of Russian casualties is about 15,000, the French somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 (some sources state as many as 25,000 casualties on both sides). The Russians left 3,000 prisoners for the French. The French had gained possession of the battlefield — nothing but a vast expanse of bloodstained snow and frozen corpses — but they had suffered enormous losses and failed to destroy the Russian army.

It was left to Marshal Ney to sum up. Riding over the fields of Eylau the following morning, Ney said, Quel massacre! Et sans résultat – "What a massacre! And for no outcome."

Eylau was not the decisive victory characteristic of Napoleon's earlier campaigns, prolonging the war with Russia until the Battle of Friedland forced Tsar Alexander I to the peace table. Combatants First French Empire Russian Empire Commanders Napoléon Bonaparte General Bennigsen Strength 80,000 60,000 Casualties 8,000 killed and wounded[1] 20,000 killed and wounded[2] The Battle of Friedland, fought on June 14, 1807 about twenty-seven miles (43 km) southeast of the modern Russian... Aleksandr I Pavlovich (Russian: Александр I Павлович) (December 23, 1777 – December 1, 1825?), was Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801-1 December 1825 and Ruler of Poland from 1815–1825, as well as the first Grand Duke of Finland. ...

In popular culture

The Battle of Eylau forms the early part of the novel The Schirmer Inheritance (1953) by Eric Ambler. The brutal battle and its immediate aftermath are depicted from the point of view of an ordinary soldier, a Prussian cavalry sergeant, who is severely wounded by a French sabre in the later part of the confused fighting and whose only chance of saving his life is to desert and find shelter with Polish peasants in the neighborhood. Eric Ambler (28 June 1909 - 22 October 1998) was an influential English writer of spy novels who brought a level of realism to the field that had generally been absent in earlier works. ...

In the novel Le Colonel Chabert of French author Honoré de Balzac, Eylau is the battle where the Colonel describes having been mistakenly reported as killed. Balzac redirects here. ...

The Battle of Eylau was reconstructed in the home computer strategy game Napoleon at War released by C.C.S. in 1986 and written by Ken Wright. Cases Computer Simulations (known as C.C.S.) was a software company which specialised in strategy and war games for the ZX Spectrum. ...

Footnotes