the lion of the russian army - Florida State University

attempts to expand his sphere of influence into Poland. However, there was no unity of
command since the two commanders despised each other. 4
Hostilities resumed in November 1806, when Bennigsen maneuvered with his
70,000 men in central Poland. 5 He wanted to wait for reinforcements under Buxhöwden
and Peter Essen. However, the former refused to cooperate while the latter was still
marching through the western Russian provinces. Alexander I was exasperated by the
squabble among his generals and complained, “There is not a single [general] with the
talent of the commander-in-chief.” 6 Under public pressure, Alexander chose Field
Marshal Count Mikhail Kamensky to lead the united Russian armies. 7 Kamensky was
sixty-nine years old, in poor health and had not commanded an army since the death of
Catherine the Great. 8 The new commander-in-chief brought no changes to the army – he
kept Bennigsen and Buxhöwden in command and gave them complete freedom of action.
Meantime, Napoleon tried to destroy the Russian army in central Poland but the
bad weather and roads prevented both sides from achieving success. Battles at Pultusk
and Golymin also demonstrated that Napoleon could not hope for the swift and brilliant
strategy of the previous campaigns. In Poland, one of the poorest regions in Europe, there
were scarce supplies and both French and Russian armies starved. Bad roads and cold
weather further slowed the movement of supplies to the armies. With Bennigsen
Dniestr. Order of Battle of Bennigsen’s, Buxhöwden’s and Essen’s Corps, Ibid., 63n, 69n. Also
see, Army Rosters, RGVIA, f. 846, op. 16, d. 3164, ll. 25-33.
4 Ibid., 70-71.
5 Ibid., 66-69.
6 Alexander to Tolstoy, date not indicated, in Ibid., 72-73. General Mikhail Kutuzov, one of a
few able Russian commanders, was disgraced after the defeat at Austerlitz.
7 Alexander to Kamensky, 22 November 1806, Ibid., 75.
8 Kamensky was in such bad health, that after reaching Vilna in late November, he wrote, “I
almost completely lost my vision. I am not able to find any locations on the map and had to ask
other to find them. I suffer from [excruciating] pains in the eyes and head and cannot ride the
horse… I am signing [orders] without even knowing what they prescribe.” Kamensky to
Alexander, 22 December 1807, Ibid., 76.
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