The Battle of Eylau was a vicious military engagement that took place on February 7 and 8, 1807, near the town of Preussisch Eylau, East Prussia, during the Napoleonic Wars. It was fought between the French Army, under Napoleon, and a combined force of Russian and Prussian troops, led by General Bennigsen. The result of the Battle of Eylau was inconclusive as it was the first major deadlock suffered by Napoleon.
The Big Army of Napoleon (La Grande Armée) had defeated the Austrian Army during the Ulm Campaign and the combined Austrian and Russian forces at the Battle of Austerlitz on December 2, 1805. The result of the latter military engagement had forced the Austrians to sign the peace treaty of Pressburg, which took Austria out of the war, and their Russian allies to withdraw from the conflict. On October 14, 1806, Napoleon had beaten the Prussian forces at the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt. Then, Napoleon had marched in pursuit to destroy the broken pieces of the Prussian army, defeating them at the Battles of Prenzlau and Lübeck and in a series of capitulations at Erfurt, Pasewalk, Stettin, Magdeburg, and Hamelin.
Summary
In January 1807, the Russian Army, under the command of the Prussian General Levin August, Count of Bennigsen, launched an offensive against the French from East Prussia. To prevent the Russians withdrawal to the east, Napoleon launched a counteroffensive to the north. Nevertheless, a company of cossacks intercepted a copy of Napoleon’s orders, alerting Bennigsen, who quickly retreated to the northeast to avoid being cut off. The French went in pursuit for several days to find the Russian Army drawn up for battle at Eylau.
On the evening of February 7, 1807, Napoleon launched an assault on the Russians. After ferocious fighting, the French managed to capture the village with heavy losses on both sides. The following day brought even more vicious fighting. Early in the battle, a frontal attack by Napoleon failed with catastrophic losses. To retrieve the situation, the French General sent a massed cavalry charge against the Russians. This gave Napoleon enough time for the French right wing to attack. As a result, the Russian left wing fell back, with a lot of losses, as Bennigsen’s army was in danger of collapse. Then, a Prussian cavalry corps belatedly arrived and saved the day by pushing back the French right wing. As darkness fell, a French corps emerged on the French left flank. That night the battle situation was chaotic and Bennigsen decided to retreat, leaving Napoleon in possession of a snowy battlefield covered with thousands of corpses and many more wounded.
In this two-day battle, both armies suffered around 27,000 casualties. The stalemate at Eylau led to a continuation of the war, which did not end until the French victory at the Battle of Friedland later in June. Decisively defeating the Russians, Napoleon’s victory effectively ended the War of the Fourth Coalition.
Below, the French Imperial Guard Grenadiers charge at Prussian positions during the Battle of Eylau. Painting by Antoine Jean Gros.
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