the lion of the russian army - Florida State University

Bennigsen’s plan to annihilate the 6 th Corps had failed. A contemporary noted,
“Thus, a good plan without an equally skilful execution [became] just a pipe dream.” 74
Marshal Ney with 16,000 men succeeded in escaping the superior Russian army because
of ineffectual leadership of many Russian generals. Exhilarated by this success, Ney even
claimed that “30,000 French can easily beat 60,000 Russians.” 75 However, the main
reasons for 6 th Corps to escape laid in Ney’s tactical ability and the quality of the French
troops as well as in the flawed campaign plan. Bennigsen had his army spread over vast
front and divided into six columns. Thus, instead of concentrating some 40,000 men
against Ney’s corps, he had only Bagration’s small advance guard fighting the French
marshal while other Russian commanders failed to arrive in time to support the
offensive. 76 Gorchakov and Platov crossed the Alle too late and reached Guttstadt long
after Ney had evacuated the town. 77 More crucial was the delay of Sacken’s column that
was to support Bagration’s initial attack. Some Russian officers claimed, General Sacken,
who had strained relations with Bennigsen, intentionally delayed the advance to
undermine entire operation and have Bennigsen removed from the army. 78 In a letter to
Alexander, Bennigsen accused Sacken of insubordination and held him responsible for
3,000 wounded, which is improbable since that would have meant loss of more than half of his
troops. Journal of Military Operations of the Russian Imperial Army, 148; Mikhailovsky-
Danilevsky, Campaigns of 1806-1807, 297-98; Petre, Napoleon’s Campaign in Poland, , 283;
Wilson, Brief Remarks, 138; Bataille de Friedland, RGVIA, f. 846, op. 16, d. 3167, l.7. Also, see
Martinien, Tableaux des Officiers Tués et Blessés, 592.
73 Ney to Berthier, 5 June 1807; Ney to Napoleon, 6 June 1807, Deppen, in Colbert,
Traditions, Souvenirs et Documents, III, 400- 406; Ney to Napoleon, 6 June 1807, Bonnal, Ney,
II, 460-62.
74 Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, Campaigns of 1806-1807, 301.
75 Bonnal, Ney, II, 463-65; Ney to Napoleon, 6 June 1807, in Colbert, Traditions, Souvenirs
et Documents, III, 405-407.
76 Rostunov, Bagration, 97.
77 Official Journal of Military Operations recorded 150 men and a supply depot captured in
Guttstadt. According to Wilson, Gorchakov seized a few magazines and 300 prisoners. Journal of
Military Operations of the Russian Imperial Army, 147; Wilson, Brief Remarks, 137.
78 Yermolov, Memoirs, 96-97.
384