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FRIEDLAND

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Originally appearing in Volume V11, Page 216 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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FRIEDLAND , a See also:

town of See also:Prussia, on the Alle, 27 M. S.E. of See also:Konigsberg (pop. 3000), famous as the See also:scene of the See also:battle fought between the See also:French under See also:Napoleon and the Russians commanded by See also:General See also:Bennigsen, on the 14th of See also:June 1807 (see See also:NAPOLEONIC See also:CAMPAIGNS). The Russians had on the 13th driven the French See also:cavalry outposts from Friedland to the See also:west-See also:ward, and Bennigsen's See also:main See also:body began to occupy the town in the See also:night. The See also:army of Napoleon was set in See also:motion for Friedland, but it' was still dispersed on its various See also:march routes, and the first See also:stage of the engagement was thus, as usual, a pure " encounter-battle." The See also:corps of See also:Marshal See also:Lannes as " general advanced guard " was first engaged, in the Sortlack See also:Wood and in front of Posthenen (2.30-3 A.M. on the 14th). Both sides now used their cavalry freely to See also:cover the formation of lines of battle, and a See also:race between the See also:rival squadrons for the See also:possession of Heinrichsdorf resulted in favour of the French under See also:Grouchy. Lannes in the meantime was fighting hard to hold Bennigsen, for Napoleon feared that the Russians meant to evade him again. Actually, by 6 A.M. Bennigsen had nearly 5o,00o men across the See also:river and forming up west of Friedland. His See also:infantry, in two lines, with See also:artillery, extended between the Heinrichsdorf-Friedland road and the upper bends of the river. Beyond the right of the infantry, cavalry and See also:Cossacks extended the See also:line to the wood N.E. of Heinrichsdorf, and small bodies of Cossacks penetrated even to Schwonau. The See also:left wing also had some cavalry and, beyond the Alle, batteries were brought into See also:action to cover it.

A heavy and indecisive See also:

fire-fight raged in the Sortlack Wood between the See also:Russian skirmishers and some of Lannes's troops. The See also:head of See also:Mortier's (French and See also:Polish) corps appeared at Heinrichsdorf and the Cossacks were driven out of Schwonau. Lannes held his own, and by See also:noon, when Napoleon arrived, 40,000 French troops were on the scene of action. His orders were brief: See also:Ney's corps was to take the line between Posthenen and the Sortlack Wood, Lannes closing on his left, to See also:form the centre, Mortier at Heinrichsdorf the left wing. See also:Victor and the Guard were placed in reserve behind Posthenen. Cavalry masses were collected at Heinrichsdorf. The main attack was to be delivered against the Russian left, which Napoleon saw at once to be cramped in the narrow See also:tongue of See also:land between the river and the Posthenen mild-stream. Three cavalry divisions were added to the general reserve. The course of the previous operations had been such that both armies had still large detachments out towards Konigsberg. The afternoon was spent by the See also:emperor in forming up the newly arrived masses, the deployment being covered by an artillery See also:bombardment. At 5 o'See also:clock all was ready, and Ney, preceded by a heavy artillery. fire, rapidly carried the Sortlack Wood. The attack was pushed on toward the Alle.

One of Ney's divisions (Marchand) drove See also:

part of the Russian left into the river at Sortlack. A furious See also:charge of cavalry against Marchand's left was repulsed by the See also:dragoon See also:division of Latour-Maubourg. Soon the Russians were huddled together in the bends of the Alle, an easy See also:target for the guns of Ney and of the reserve. Ney's attack indeed came eventually to a standstill; Bennigsen's reserve cavalry charged with See also:great effect and drove him back in disorder. As at See also:Eylau, the approach of night seemed to preclude a decisive success, but in June and on See also:firm ground the old mobility of the French reasserted its value. The infantry division of See also:Dupont advanced rapidly from Posthenen, the cavalry divisions drove back the Russian squadrons into the now congested masses of See also:foot on the river See also:bank, and finally the artillery general See also:Senarmont advanced a See also:mass of guns to See also:case-shot range. It was the first example of the terrible artillery preparations of See also:modern warfare, and the Russian See also:defence collapsed in a few minutes. Ney's exhausted infantry were able to pursue the broken regiments of Bennigsen's left into the streets of Friedland. Lannes and Mortier had all this See also:time held the Russian centre and right on its ground, and their artillery had inflicted severe losses. When Friedland itself was seen to he on fire, the two marshals launched their infantry attack. Fresh French troops approached the battlefield. Dupont distinguished himself for the second time by fording the See also:mill-stream and assailing the left flank of the Russian centre.

This offered a stubborn resistance, but the French steadily forced the line backwards, and the battle was soon over. The losses incurred by the Russians in retreating over the river at Friedland were very heavy, many soldiers being drowned. Farther See also:

north the still unbroken troops of the right wing See also:drew off by the Allenburg road; the French cavalry of the left wing, though ordered to pursue, remaining, for some See also:reason, inactive. The losses of the victors were reckoned at 12,100 out of 86,000, or 14%, those of the Russians at 10,000 out of 46,000, or 21% (Berndt, Zahl ins Kriege).

End of Article: FRIEDLAND

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