Last week I already told you how you can break down large battles into their individual parts and then replay them on a much smaller scale with less space and less time.
Since you also wanted a second part of my report, here is the second part of the Battle of Prussian Eylau.
We had already discussed the first day and the first actions of the second day and had stopped just before my favourite part of the battle. I admit, of course, that this is a really bad cliffhanger, but I also wanted to get some feedback from you.
So, let's continue.
After Augereau's corps failed and the Russian counterattack threatened to break through the French lines, Napoleon was forced to throw his cavalry into the fray in order to perhaps save the day.
The French cavalry was considered the best in Europe at this time, well-trained soldiers on strong Prussian horses, but it had already suffered considerably in this campaign, because instead of going to winter quarters and giving people and animals the much-needed rest, it had to march through the expanses of East Prussia, always on the heels of the retreating Russians. Hardships that took a heavy toll on people and animals in the difficult weather conditions. Added to this was the weather of the day, severe frost and heavy snowfall, so that the attack could only be carried out at a slow walking pace, but it must have been an impressive sight. 4,000 cavalrymen of the 2nd Cuirassier Division under General of Division d'Hautpoul and the 2nd Dragoon Division under General of Division Grouchy moved in unison toward the enemy.
Thus began one of the greatest cavalry charges in history. Under cover of heavy snowfall, Murat's squadrons charged through the Russian infantry pursuing the remnants of Augereau's corps and then split into two groups. The group on the right, Grouchy's dragoons, charged into the flank of the Russian cavalry attacking Saint-Hilaire's division and completely scattered them. Now led by Murat himself, the dragoons swung left against the Russian cavalry in the center and, supported by d'Hautpoult's cuirassier division, drove the Russian cavalry back to their infantry lines.
The deployment of fresh Russian cavalry forced Murat and his dragoons to retreat, but d'Hautpoult's cuirassiers broke through the enemy lines and the defeated Russians were cut to pieces by the fresh cuirassier regiments.
D'Hautpoult managed to break through the positions of the Russian guns and chase away or knock down the crews and, with the momentum that was still there, break through the first line of the Russian infantry. The cuirassiers made their way through the second line of the Russians, and only after around 3 kilometers was the momentum of the French cavalry finally exhausted in front of the Russian reserves.
Now the French cavalry was in danger of being surrounded and destroyed and only the deployment of a second wave of cavalry, consisting of the Guard Cavalry under Marshal Bessières, made it possible to retreat to their own lines.
Murat had lost 1,000-1,500 well-trained cavalrymen in his attack, but he managed to relieve the pressure on Augereau, Saint-Hilaire and Soult and paralyze the Russians long enough for Davout to deploy his troops at full strength.
Rarely had the French cavalry played such a decisive role in a battle. This was partly because Murat's men were now riding the best cavalry horses in Europe for the first time, newly requisitioned after the conquest of Prussia.
If we want to replay this chapter now, we naturally need a lot of cavalry, the first wave is the 2nd Dragoon Division under General of Division Grouchy (3rd, 4th, 6th, 10th and 11th Dragoons) followed by the 2nd Cuirassier Division under the command of General of Division d’Hautpoul (1st, 5th and 10th Cuirassiers, one horse artillery battery) and the third wave consisting of the cavalry of the Imperial Guard under Marshal Bessières (Grenadiers à Cheval, Chasseurs à Cheval and Mamelukes). Opposing them is the Cavalry Brigade of the 2nd Russian Division under the command of Major General Kozhin (Leib Cuirassiers, Kargopol Dragoons, Isum Hussars, Ilowaiski №9 Cossacks, Efremov №3 Cossacks) and the 3rd Cavalry Bde of the 3rd Russian Division under Major General Count von der Pahlen (Little Russian Cuirassiers, Kurland Dragoons, Ilowaiski №10 Cossacks, Papuzin Cossacks), who are trying to destroy the 14th and 44th Line Infantry, the remnants of the 1st Division of Augereau's Corps. Behind the Russian cavalry are four Russian artillery batteries (two heavy and two light) and the 1st Infantry Brigade of the 3rd Russian Division under Major General Ushakov (Taurida Grenadiers, Lithuanian Musketeers).
The aim of the French cavalry is to protect the two French infantry regiments from destruction and, if possible, to eliminate the Russian artillery.
The aim of the Russian player is to destroy the two French infantry regiments or to wipe out at least one of the French cavalry divisions.
If the French succeed in breaking through the artillery position, the Russian commander can bring the 4th Division under Major General Somov with the two brigades Somov (Tula Musketeers, Tengisk Musketeers) and Arseniev II (Tobolsk Musketeers, Polotzk Musketeers) into play on his right flank to attack the flank of the French cavalry and try to block its retreat.
As soon as the Russian player brings his reserves into play, the French player can use the Guard Cavalry to cover the retreat of his own cavalry.
Historically, Murat's cavalry charge did not decide the battle, but it did buy the hard-pressed French forces the time they needed to regroup and prompted the Russian forces to throw their reserves, the 4th and 7th Divisions, into the fray.
The fate of the day now depended on Davout's further advance. After the capture of Serpallen, Davout ordered the divisions of Moran (13th Light, 17th, 30th, 51st and 61st Line Infantry, two foot artillery batteries) and Friant (33rd, 48th,108th and 111th Line Infantry, one foot artillery battery) together with the light cavalry brigade Marulaz (1st Chasseurs, 12th Chasseurs) to advance on Klein-Sausgarten and the Kreege Mountains, where they encountered the troops of the 14th Division under Major General Count Kamensky (Brigade Major General Alekseev: Belozersk Musketeers, Ryazan Musketeers; Brigade Major General Gersdorf: Uglits Musketeers, Sofia Musketeers; Artillery Brigade Colonel Papkov: one heavy and two light artillery batteries), and the infantry brigade of Major General Baggovut (Starooskol Musketeers, 4th Jaegers), who had taken up positions on the ridge. The Russian forces were supported by the cavalry of the 4th Russian Division under Major General Baron von Korff (St. George (Order) Cuirassiers, Pskov Dragoons, Polish Horse, Grekov 9 Cossacks, Grekov 18 Cossacks).
Davout's goal is to capture the Kreegeberg ridge and position his artillery on the ridge. The Russian commander's goal is to hold the ridge and thus stabilize the Russian front.
Map of the Battle of Eylau – Situation about 16: 00 8 February1807
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Historically, Davout managed to take the ridge after heavy fighting and, after bringing up his artillery, to open effective fire on the retreating Russian troops. By holding the ridge, the Gudin and Furiant divisions were able to advance further and take the towns of Klein-Sausgarten, Aukappen and Kutschitten, which put them in the rear of the Russian lines and forced the Russian forces into a very small space. A retreat was no longer possible for the Russians, as only the narrow road to Königsberg remained open, but this would not be sufficient for the mass of troops. The battle was therefore actually decided in favour of the French.
Actually. But then the Prussians appeared. Marshal Ney, who had been tasked with preventing the Prussians from approaching, had not succeeded in stopping the Prussian corps, as the latter had managed to bypass his troops and march to Eylau. Lieutenant General von L’Estocq and his chief of staff, Colonel von Scharnhorst, arrived on the battlefield with their 9,000 men after a hard march just in time to prevent the possible defeat and went straight to the attack on Davout’s overstretched flank at 4:00 p.m.
For this chapter we assume that the Friant Division (33rd, 48th, 108th and 111th Line Infantry, one foot artillery battery) is at a 90-degree angle to the Kreegeberg ridge. Gudin’s 3rd Division (12th, 21st, 25th and 85th Line Infantry, one foot battery) and Davout’s reserve artillery corps (three foot artillery batteries) have taken up positions on the ridge.
Schlacht bei Preussisch-Eylau." (7. und 8. Februar 1807)
The troops of L`Estocq's Corps, commanded by Scharnhorst, bring about the decision at the birch grove near Kutschitten. Illustration by Prof. Carl Röchling
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The Prussians attack the Friant Division in the flank with their three divisions (1st Division Major General von Diericke: Grenadier Battalion "Fabecky", Infantry Regiment №2 "Ruchel", Dragoon Regiment №7 "Baczko", Cuirassier Regiment №4 "Wagenfeld", Horse Artillery Battery №13 "Rentzel"; 2nd Division Major General Szabszinski von Rembow: Grenadier Battalion "Schlieffen", Infantry Regiment №11 "Schoning", 3rd Division Major General von Auer: Vyborg Musketeer Regiment (Russian), Towarczys Regiment, Horse Artillery Battery №10 "Decker") and try to force their retreat to the ridge. The heights must also be recaptured.
The French aim is to hold the ridge and withdraw the Friant Division to the ridge without it breaking.
Historically, Davout's troops were exhausted after a long day of fighting and marching the previous night, and his front stretched for several kilometres, so the attack of the newly arrived Prussians pushed back his front divisions and he was forced to hold the Kreegeberg ridge to prevent the front from collapsing. He succeeds in doing this, among other things, through the concentrated use of his artillery, and thus saves the day.
When night falls over the battlefield at 5:30 p.m., Benningsen orders the fighting to cease and retreats during the night. Napoleon has won again, but at what cost?
The Russian army has escaped along with the remnants of the Prussian army, the hoped-for decisive battle has failed to materialize, and it is not until March, at the Battle of Friedland, that he will succeed in what he failed to do on that cold winter day in Eylau: the destruction of the Russian army.
I hope you enjoyed my comments and that I was able to encourage one or two of you to try your hand at a large Napoleonic battle. It is often very easy to break a battle down into its components and play several individual battles. Personally, I always find it exciting to think about how each action can influence the overall picture of the battle and it often quickly becomes clear how many factors play a role in a battle. A delayed order, an attack that is triggered too early or too late and the battle can develop completely differently.
See you soon, Martin