the lion of the russian army - Florida State University

The advancing French came under murderous fire from Bagration’s troops and
the batteries on the opposite bank. General Alexandre Antoine Senarmont, chief of
artillery of Victor’s corps, recalled, “The Russian batteries, deployed on the opposite side
of the Alle, fired on our flanks; some of them were at very close range, including one
battery, on the hill near the river turn, which decimated our ranks.” 209 Bagration initially
counterattacked with Life Guard Horse Regiment and then moved Pavlobsk and St.
Petersburg Grenadier Regiments forward. 210 The Russians drove the French columns
back and captured one eagle of the 69 th Line in process. 211 Ney’s troops fell back in
confusion but were quickly rallied when General Pierre Dupont moved his division with
the cavalry of Generals Lahoussay and Durosnel closely behind. 212 The Russian cavalry
continued its attack but came under fire of Dupont’s batteries and was counterattacked by
Latour-Mauborg’s cavalry. As the Russians fell back, Dupont changed the direction of
his troops to the right and covered the gap on Ney’s left. 213
Simultaneously, General Senarmont moved his twelve guns forward and
requested permission to put another twenty-four gun into action. 214 He organized two
209 Mémoires biographiques du Général Sénarmon, in Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, Campaigns
of 1806-1807, 332.
210 79 th Bulletin claimed Bagration “endeavored to surround [Ney] with some regiments of
cavalry and a multitude of Cossacks.” Correspondance de Napoleon Ier, No. 12,767, XV, 425-27.
211 Petre, Napoleon’s Campaign in Poland, 323-24; Journal of Military Operations of the
Russian Imperial Army, 257-58; Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, Campaigns of 1806-1807, 332;
Wilson, Brief Remarks, 159-60; Andolenko, Aigles de Napoleon contre drapeaux du Tsar, 161-
63.
212 Dupont moved his division without orders from Victor. On 15 May, Dupont’s 1 st Division
included 9 th Légére, 24 th Line, 32 nd Line and 96 th Line for a total of 7,541 men. The 2 nd Division
had 8,406 men and the 3 rd Division was 7,600 men strong. The 4 th Dragoon Division had 2,260
men. Derode, Nouvelle relation de la bataille de Friedland, 56.
213 79 th Bulletin, 18 June 1807, Correspondance de Napoleon Ier, No. 12,767, XV, 425-27;
Höpfner, Der Krieg von 1806 und 1807, III, 665-666; Dupont lost 649 killed and wounded in this
action. Petre, Napoleon’s Campaign in Poland, 324.
214 Derode, Nouvelle relation de la bataille de Friedland, 60-61; Bonnal, Ney, II, 483.
417