the lion of the russian army - Florida State University

forces in pursuit of the Russians. Ney reached Schlitt while Murat gathered his cavalry at
Deppen. Soult had his corps spread between Alt-Garschen and Ankendorf, while
Augereu was marching towards Pupkeim. Marshal Davout with one of his divisions and
light cavalry was at Rosengarten, while rest of his corps remained near Wartenberg. 76
Late evening on 4 February, Bagration moved his united rear guard to Wolfsdorf,
two miles from Warlak. 77 He deployed Elisavetgrad Hussars and two Cossack Regiments
(Malakov and Sysoev) with two horse artillery guns in front of the village; the 4 th Jager
Regiment occupied Wolfsdorf, while the main forces were located on the hills behind the
village. 78 Upon Murat’s approach, the hussars and Cossacks attacked and promptly
withdrew through the village. The French rushed into Wolfsdorf pursuing them, but
unexpectedly ran into the 4 th Jager Regiment; the jagers repulsed the initial attack and
then moved back towards main forces arranged on the heights behind the town. 79 Murat
attempted a flanking maneuver against Bagration’s right wing, where Prince Peter had
deployed the 5 th and 25 th Jager Regiments on the hill. The Russian battery, there,
effectively bombarded the French artillery and infantry. Nevertheless, the French reached
the Russian lines, where the 25 th Jagers made a bayonet counterattack supported by
Alexandria Hussars and Andreyanov Cossacks. 80 Murat then tried to attack Bagration’s
76 Höpfner, Der Krieg von 1806 und 1807, III, 203; Louis Nicholas Davout, Opérations du 3e
corps, 1806-1807; rapport du Maréchal Davout, duc d'Auerstaedt, (Paris, 1896), 151-52; Petre,
Napoleon’s Campaign in Poland, 154.
77 Bagration commanded Baggovut and Markov’s detachments. Barclay de Tolly was still
marching separately. Relation de la Bataille de Preussisch-Eylau les 7 et 9 Février 1807, RGVIA
f. 846, op. 16, d. 3197, l. 3; Höpfner, Der Krieg von 1806 und 1807, III, 212; Lettow-Vorbeck,
Der krieg von 1806 und 1807, IV, 82-83; Denis Davidov, “Materialy dlya sovremennoi voennoi
istorii (1806-1807)” [Materials for Modern Military History (1806-1807)] in Writtings, 197;
Colmar, From Jena to Eylau, 227.
78 Karpov, “Russian Operations in the 1806-1807 Campaigns,” RGVIA, f. 846, op. 16, d.
3161, ll.32b.
79 Bagration moved Elisavetgrad Hussars and Cossack regiments to the left flank, and the 4 th
Jagers to the right.
80 Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, Campaigns of 1806-1807, 171-72.
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