Battle of Heilsberg
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Heilsberg took place on 10 June 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars
.
ended when Prussian General Friedrich Adolf, Count von Kalckreuth capitulated to French Marshal
Francois Joseph Lefebvre
. With Gdansk (Danzig)
secured, Napoleon was now free to turn against Bennigsen's army. Yet it was the Russian who struck first when he ordered his columns to converge on Marshal Michel Ney
's exposed VI Corps on 2 June. Outnumbered 63,000 to 17,000, Ney fought a brilliant rear guard action at the Battle of Guttstadt-Deppen
on 5 and 6 June. Though he lost his baggage train, two guns, and 2,042 men, Ney managed to escape to the southwest over the Pasłęka (Passarge) River with the bulk of his soldiers, leaving Bennigsen seething with rage over his missed opportunity.
Within two days, Napoleon ordered his 190,000-man army to close in on the 100,000 Russians and 15,000 Prussians. Detecting the approaching avalanche, Bennigsen ordered his troops to retreat on Lidzbark Warmiński (Heilsberg)
. The Russian army took up strong defensive positions around the town, which stood on the Łyna (Alle) River. The French army, under Marshals Murat and Lannes, attacked on 10 June. Bennigsen repelled several attacks, resulting in huge French casualties, but had to withdraw towards Friedland the following day. Four days later, the decisive Battle of Friedland
occurred, ending the War of the Fourth Coalition
with the passing of the Treaty of Tilsit.
The Battle of Heilsberg was fought on the Alle river, known today as the Lyna. The Teutonic Castle being the focal point of the battle was held by Russian control.
Terrain
Aside from geographical advantages, the Russians had also spent three to four months compiling tactics on how to defend against a French invasion, regardless of where they would attack the castlegrounds. Defensively, the castle was supported by its bridges and walls, both of which were built along the perimeter of the castle. The land surrounding the Teutonic Castle acted as an obstacle for the French army due to the increase of elevation from the base of the river to the castles foundation.
Climate
Although the terrain was punishment enough for the French, weather also took a toll on their abilities and health. During the day, on top of the weight being carried in regards to supplies and armory, temperatures reached dangerously hot and humid levels. The dampness and bitter cold of the night also played a significant role by providing little opportunity for rest.
The French had been outnumbered by the Russians, and knowing this, positioned themselves to cut off any opportunity for the Russians to obtain possible reinforcements that could make them stronger. In the beginning of the battle, French army men were separating amongst their own divisions. This tactic was thought to help block Russian sights in terms of all the French positioning and flanking. Although the woods surrounding the French had provided a perimeter of camouflage, the shrubbery did not extend to the barren field in front of the castle. It was because of the forest density, however, that dodging the Russian artillery and infantry fire was difficult to maneuver around.
Middle/End of the battle:
In the midst of war, French cavalry leaders Murat, Soult, and Lannes had segregated their troops from the greater unit, which would soon result in utter failure. After such separation, the smaller units within the reserves had refused orders to flank and attack stronger sides of the Russian armies. This was partly due to the fact that orders being issued by reserves of the secondary infantry, rather than Marshalls and Major Generals, were not given enough of credit of leadership in their absence. Despite both sides losing a significant number of men, each refused to withdrawal their armies. The realization of the large number of French soldiers who had already been a victim of death, and the success of the Russian defense gave Bennigsen and Napoleon little choice but to call an undocumented truce to end the war. This truce was signaled when both sides focused solely on the health of wounded soldiers rather than that of offensive tactics. By leaving behind weaponry as proof of their intent, medics and soldiers alike began helping those who were wounded, or retrieve the dead.
Outcome and post-war analysis:
This battle is recognized as having been tactically indecisive due to neither side having gained any significant ground, it is most notably discussed as a battle that yielded little change in the balance of strength between the Russians and the French.
The Battle of Heilsberg was fought four days before the decisive Battle of Friedland
.
French Army men Accountability:
1398 killed
10,359 wounded
864 captured
Russian Army men Accountability:
9000 killed/wounded/captured
Notable officers of the French Army present were:
Notable officers of the Russian Army present were:
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.
Overview
On 24 May 1807, the Siege of DanzigSiege of Danzig (1807)
The Siege of Danzig was the French encirclement and capture of Danzig during the War of the Fourth Coalition. On 19 March, 1807, around 27,000 French troops under Marshall Lefebvre besieged around 11,000 Prussian and Russian troops under Marshall Kalckreuth garrisoning the city of...
ended when Prussian General Friedrich Adolf, Count von Kalckreuth capitulated to French Marshal
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
Francois Joseph Lefebvre
François Joseph Lefebvre
François Joseph Lefebvre, First Duc de Dantzig was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and one of the original eighteen Marshals of the Empire created by Napoleon....
. With Gdansk (Danzig)
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
secured, Napoleon was now free to turn against Bennigsen's army. Yet it was the Russian who struck first when he ordered his columns to converge on Marshal Michel Ney
Michel Ney
Michel Ney , 1st Duc d'Elchingen, 1st Prince de la Moskowa was a French soldier and military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original 18 Marshals of France created by Napoleon I...
's exposed VI Corps on 2 June. Outnumbered 63,000 to 17,000, Ney fought a brilliant rear guard action at the Battle of Guttstadt-Deppen
Battle of Guttstadt-Deppen
In the Battle of Guttstadt-Deppen on 5 and 6 June 1807, troops of the Russian Empire led by General Levin August, Count von Bennigsen attacked the First French Empire corps of Marshal Michel Ney. The Russians pressed back their opponents in an action that saw Ney fight a brilliant rear guard action...
on 5 and 6 June. Though he lost his baggage train, two guns, and 2,042 men, Ney managed to escape to the southwest over the Pasłęka (Passarge) River with the bulk of his soldiers, leaving Bennigsen seething with rage over his missed opportunity.
Within two days, Napoleon ordered his 190,000-man army to close in on the 100,000 Russians and 15,000 Prussians. Detecting the approaching avalanche, Bennigsen ordered his troops to retreat on Lidzbark Warmiński (Heilsberg)
Lidzbark Warminski
Lidzbark Warmiński is a town in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the capital of Lidzbark County.- History :The town was originally an Old Prussian settlement known as Lecbarg until being conquered in 1240 by the Teutonic Knights, who called it Heilsberg...
. The Russian army took up strong defensive positions around the town, which stood on the Łyna (Alle) River. The French army, under Marshals Murat and Lannes, attacked on 10 June. Bennigsen repelled several attacks, resulting in huge French casualties, but had to withdraw towards Friedland the following day. Four days later, the decisive Battle of Friedland
Battle of Friedland
The Battle of Friedland saw Napoleon I's French army decisively defeat Count von Bennigsen's Russian army about twenty-seven miles southeast of Königsberg...
occurred, ending the War of the Fourth Coalition
War of the Fourth Coalition
The Fourth Coalition against Napoleon's French Empire was defeated in a war spanning 1806–1807. Coalition partners included Prussia, Russia, Saxony, Sweden, and the United Kingdom....
with the passing of the Treaty of Tilsit.
Influences on the battle
GeographyThe Battle of Heilsberg was fought on the Alle river, known today as the Lyna. The Teutonic Castle being the focal point of the battle was held by Russian control.
Terrain
Aside from geographical advantages, the Russians had also spent three to four months compiling tactics on how to defend against a French invasion, regardless of where they would attack the castlegrounds. Defensively, the castle was supported by its bridges and walls, both of which were built along the perimeter of the castle. The land surrounding the Teutonic Castle acted as an obstacle for the French army due to the increase of elevation from the base of the river to the castles foundation.
Climate
Although the terrain was punishment enough for the French, weather also took a toll on their abilities and health. During the day, on top of the weight being carried in regards to supplies and armory, temperatures reached dangerously hot and humid levels. The dampness and bitter cold of the night also played a significant role by providing little opportunity for rest.
Strategies and tactics
Beginnings of the battle:The French had been outnumbered by the Russians, and knowing this, positioned themselves to cut off any opportunity for the Russians to obtain possible reinforcements that could make them stronger. In the beginning of the battle, French army men were separating amongst their own divisions. This tactic was thought to help block Russian sights in terms of all the French positioning and flanking. Although the woods surrounding the French had provided a perimeter of camouflage, the shrubbery did not extend to the barren field in front of the castle. It was because of the forest density, however, that dodging the Russian artillery and infantry fire was difficult to maneuver around.
Middle/End of the battle:
In the midst of war, French cavalry leaders Murat, Soult, and Lannes had segregated their troops from the greater unit, which would soon result in utter failure. After such separation, the smaller units within the reserves had refused orders to flank and attack stronger sides of the Russian armies. This was partly due to the fact that orders being issued by reserves of the secondary infantry, rather than Marshalls and Major Generals, were not given enough of credit of leadership in their absence. Despite both sides losing a significant number of men, each refused to withdrawal their armies. The realization of the large number of French soldiers who had already been a victim of death, and the success of the Russian defense gave Bennigsen and Napoleon little choice but to call an undocumented truce to end the war. This truce was signaled when both sides focused solely on the health of wounded soldiers rather than that of offensive tactics. By leaving behind weaponry as proof of their intent, medics and soldiers alike began helping those who were wounded, or retrieve the dead.
Outcome and post-war analysis:
This battle is recognized as having been tactically indecisive due to neither side having gained any significant ground, it is most notably discussed as a battle that yielded little change in the balance of strength between the Russians and the French.
The Battle of Heilsberg was fought four days before the decisive Battle of Friedland
Battle of Friedland
The Battle of Friedland saw Napoleon I's French army decisively defeat Count von Bennigsen's Russian army about twenty-seven miles southeast of Königsberg...
.
French Army men Accountability:
1398 killed
10,359 wounded
864 captured
Russian Army men Accountability:
9000 killed/wounded/captured
| Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Battle Picture by Knötel |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
Notable officers of the French Army present were:
- Commandant in chief : Napoléon Bonaparte
- Marshall Louis Alexandre BerthierLouis Alexandre BerthierLouis Alexandre Berthier, 1st Prince de Wagram, 1st Duc de Valangin, 1st Sovereign Prince de Neuchâtel , was a Marshal of France, Vice-Constable of France beginning in 1808, and Chief of Staff under Napoleon.-Early life:Alexandre was born at Versailles to Lieutenant-Colonel Jean Baptiste Berthier ,...
, prince de Neuchatel - Marshall Joachim MuratJoachim MuratJoachim-Napoléon Murat , Marshal of France and Grand Admiral or Admiral of France, 1st Prince Murat, was Grand Duke of Berg from 1806 to 1808 and then King of Naples from 1808 to 1815...
- Marshall Nicolas Jean de Dieu SoultNicolas Jean de Dieu SoultNicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia , the Hand of Iron, was a French general and statesman, named Marshal of the Empire in 1804. He was one of only six officers in French history to receive the distinction of Marshal General of France...
- Marshall Jean LannesJean LannesJean Lannes, 1st Duc de Montebello, was a Marshal of France. He was one of Napoleon's most daring and talented generals. Napoleon once commented on Lannes: "I found him a pygmy and left him a giant"...
- Major General Nicolas Charles Oudinot
- Major General Jean-Antoine VerdierJean-Antoine VerdierJean-Antoine Verdier was a French General during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.Born in Toulouse, he enlisted into the Régiment de la Fère on 18 February 1785...
- Colonel François-Joseph d'OffensteinFrançois-Joseph d'OffensteinFrançois-Joseph d'Offenstein , Baron of the Ist Empire, was a French general and military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.-Biography:...
(made Brigadier general further to this battle)
- Colonel François-Joseph d'Offenstein
Notable officers of the Russian Army present were:
- Commandant in chief : BennigsenLevin August, Count von BennigsenLevin August Gottlieb Theophil , Count von Bennigsen was a German general in the service of the Russian Empire....
- Marshall Ataman Platov
- Marshall Prince Gorchakov
- Marshall Dohturov
- Marshall Prince Bagration
- Major General Faddei Fedorovich Steinheil
External links
- Heilsberg 1807 - one of the bloodiest battles of the Napoleonic Wars
- Battle of Heilsberg
- Battlefield Anomalies: The battle of Heilsberg
- French Order Of Battle
- Heilsberg and the battle
- La bataille de Heilsberg
- Heilsberg 1807—one of the bloodiest battles of the Napoleonic Wars
- 2007 г. Lidzbark Warminski—первая реконструкция сражения посвященная 200 летию.
- Napoleans Campaign in Poland
- Map Database of Heilsberg