injury. In fact, the French cavalry The grand duke on the heights of were repulsed; though an attempt Waterdorf, fell in with seven or eight was made to veil the discomfiture, by thousand of Russiat cavalry; which, ascribing their want of success to after sustainiog and repelling several the nature of the ground.

charges, were at last forced to re. In the mean time,generalVanEssen treat. harassed the French corps that was Ney came up at Deppen with the opposed to him by frequent detach- advanced guard of the column just ments; and though the country occu- mentioned, which, finding itself to pied by that corps, was defended he surrounded, adopted the bold by the natural fortresses of woods resolution of cutting their way and morasses, carried off, at diffe- through the French corps, but met tent times, numbers of prisoners. death on the points of their bayo. When he received intelligence that nets. The other part of the column, Buonaparte had set out from War- learning the fate of the advanced saw, and marched against general guard, retreated in confusion with Bennigsen, at the head of a foree the loss of their standards, carnon, greatly superior to that of the Rus. and baggage. sians, being desirous of making a On tbe morning of February 6, diversion in favourof the main army, the French army marched in pursuit be attacked the Frenoh, February of the enemy; the grand duke of 3, on-the whole extent of their line, Berg, with marshal Soult's corps, defeated them at all points, and in the direction to Landsberg, that drove the generals Savary, Suchet, of marshal Davoust towards Heilsand Becker, back on the Narew*. berg, and that of marshal Ney, to

On the night of the 4th of Febru. prevent the escape of the Russian ary, Buonaparte slept at Schlett, corps that had been cut off from the but his advanced guard pushed on main army at Deppen. to Deppen. On the 5th, the whole The grand duke of Berg came op French army was again in motion. with the rear guard of the Russians, While this advanced, the enemy con

commanded by general Barclay de stantly retreated, falling back by Tolly, between Glandau and Hoff, the way of Arensdorff and Lands. and immediately attacked it. For berg, in the direction of the Pregel; the support of this, several lines of except one column, .which had not cavalry were drawn up, with the passed the river Alla, and was thas heights of Landsberg in front; and cut off from the main body of the their right and their left were Russian, by the left of the French Hanked on the one side by a small army. The emperor therefore or- conical hill, and on the other by a dered the grand duke of Berg, with wood. After repeated attacks on the marshals Soult and Davoust, to these two wings had been repulsed, follow the main body of the enemy; the French dragoons and cuiras. and marshal Ney, with one division siers of general Hautpoult's division, of light cavalry, and another of dra. fiercely charged, overthrew, and de. goons, to attack the cut-off column. stroyed two regiments of Russian

* Relation officielle eles operations de l'armée Russe, depuis le 26 Decembre jusqu'au 18 Mars, 1807.

infantry.

iofantry. Their cannon and colours In pursuance of this plan, on were taken, with all their colonels, the morning of the 7th of Febru. and the greater part of their officers. ary, before break of day, the The main Russian army made a whole Russian army filed off to movement for the support of the take up a new and advantagerear guard. The French corps un. ous position at the little town of der marshal Soult and marshal å u. Eylau. Between this town and the gereau, took a position on the left wood near lloff, just mentioned, of the enemy, and occupied the vil. the rear-guard of the Russians was lage of Hoff. The Russian general attacked by the French, and a part perceiving the advantage of this po. of it made prisoners. The van-guard sition, sent ten battalions to retake of the French, pursuing their advanit. But the grand duke of Berg, tage, discovered that the Russians making a second charge with his had posted themselves behind the cuirassiers, attacked this party in town. Both sides prepared for bat. flank, and cut them to pieces. The tle. At the distance of a quarter of Russians filed off in the night. a leagae from this place, is a rising

This is the French account of the ground or flattish hill, which, in the affair. It is scarcely possible, how- military phrascology of the French, eter, that the advantages gained are is called a plateaui*, which commands not greatly exaggerated, for it is noti. the entrance into the plain or valley ced in the same bulletin, as a remark- in which it is situated. This emi. able circumstance, that part of the nence was defended by three Rus. two armies passed the night between sian regiments. These three regithe 6th and 7th in the presence of ments were attacked by an equal each other. It appears pretty evi- number of French. A column of dently, that this engagement of Russian cara'ry took the assailants Hoff was

á drawn battle, the in flank, and threw one of their bat. Russians never quitted the field talions into great confusion. Some the day on which they fought. squadrons of dragoons, commanded If the main army had filed off in by general Klein, came up in time the night, Jearing only a post quite for the relief of this disordered co. close to, and in the very presence lumn. The Russians however main. of the enemy, as a forlorn hope, tained their ground on the eminence. that post, separated from the rest But in Eylau, where the Russians of the army, must have fallen in. wished to maintain themselves, but to the hands of the enemy, which which the French were eager to pos... would have been announced as a sess, before the commencement of matter of great triumph. From the the general battle, the contest was moment that general Bennigsen as. most bloody. The Russians had certained the great numerical force placed sowe regiments in a church opposed to him, he prudently ad. and the yard around it, There they opted the plan of retreating on the made a most obstinate resistance, Pregel, which he did, fighting all and the post was not taken till after the way, though not without very a dreadful carnage on both sides, at great loss, yet with invincible va- ten o'clock at night. The night was lour and resolution.

spent by the two armies under the

• A platform.

rear.

bare 'ca'nopy of heaven, facing each to outfiank the French on their left other. One division of the French wing. But, in the same instant, army, under Le Grand, was posted marshal Davoast, with his sharpin front of the village ; and one un. shooters, appeared, and fell on their der Saint-Hilaire, on its right. The Upon this, A ugereau's corps corps of Augereau was placed on its filed off in columns to attack and left. That of Davoust had been de- ocenpy the centre of the Russian tached in the evening, to stretch be- army, which might otherwise have yond Eylau, and to come round and overwhelmed Davoust with superior fall on the left flank of the Russians, numbers. At the same time, the if they should not have changed their division under Saint Hilaire, filed position. Marshal Ney was like off to the right to support Davoust, wise in motion to outflank and fall and eventually to facilitate a juncon them on the right.

tion between Davoust. and AugeOn the following morning, (Fe. reau, should his assistance become bruary 8) the Russians commenced necessary. the attack with a brisk cannonade No sooner had these movements on the village of Eylau, and by the commenced, than' so thick a fall of division under Saint Hilaire. The snow covered the two armies, that emperor, with his guards, took post they could not see beyond the disin the church and burying-ground, tance of two feet. The point of di. which the Russians had so well de rection was lost, and the French fended the day before.

columns, inclining too much to the To the military eye of Buonaparte, Jest, wandered about in uncertainty. the hill commanding the entrance This darkness lasted half an hour. into the plain, which the French had When the weather cleared up, 20,000 failed to carry the da: before, pre- Russian infantry, supported by casented itself still as the most im- valry and artillery, by beginning to portant object of attack. Till turn, threatened the division of this should be carried the centre of Saint Hilaire with excision.--At his army could not act offensively this moment, when destruction hoagainst the enemy : for, in order vered over the French army, the to do this, it was necessary that it greater part of which was straggling should stretch into the plain. Mar- in columns, incapable of supporting shal Augereau was therefore ordered one another, the cavalry under to advance with his corps, and to open Murat, supported by the imperial a cannonade against this commanding guard under Bessieres, coming spot, with 40 pieces of artillery be- round about the division of Saint longing to the imperial guard. A Hilaire, extricated the French from terrible cannonade ensued on both their critical situation, by making a sides. The armies being within half desperate and successful charge on a gun-shot of each other, every shot the formidable mass of the Russian took effect, and the slaughter on infantry. The Russian cavalry, who both sides was dreadful.

endeavoured to oppose this maneutime it appeared, from the move- vre, were routed with great slaughments of the Russians, that, impa. ter. Two lines of infantry were tient of suffering so much without broken; the third falling back, any decisive result, they had a mind supported themselves on a wood.

The

At one

a

The issue of the battle, which had to them. It has cost the enemy been long doubtful, was decided from 12 to 15,000 prisoners, as ma. from the moment that Davoust, ny in killed and missing, 45 pieces whose progress was greatly impeded of artillery, and 18 standards." by the weather, was at last enabled Very different from this was the to fall upon the rear of the enemy, account given of the battle of Eylau, according to his orders, and drive by the Russian general, who, in a them from the hilly ground or plat- letter dated on the field of battle, at form. The Russians, after repeated Prussian Eylau, sth of February, attempts to repulse that general, re. 1807, assured the emperor, that the treated, leaving their wounded and enemy had been completely defeat16 pieces of cannon on the tield of ed ; that a thousand prisoners, and battle.

twelve standards, which he had the In a contest, maintained for twelve honour to send to his imperial majesty, hours, during the whole of which had fallen into the hands of the con. 300 pieces of cannon vomited death querors. He had been attacked, he from the opposite lines so near each said, that day, on his centre and other, the number of killed and both his wings, by Buonaparte in wounded on either side could not person, who, however, had been be otherwise than very great. The beaten back at all points, and every loss of the French, according to where defeated. His guards had their own accounts consisted exactly attacked the centre of the Russians in 1000 killed, and 5700 wounded, several times, and as often been reincluding 1090 so severely, as to be pulsed : several columns of French rendered for ever unfit for service;. infantry, and regiments of cuiras.. and that of the Russians. in 7000 siers had been destroyed. The loss left; dead on the field of battle*. of the Russians he believed might Among the wounded on the side of exceed 6,000 men; but that he might the French, were four colonels and estimate, without exaggeration, the five generals, one of whom was mar., loss of the enemy, at more than shal Augereau, and another, general 12,000 6.-The circumstance of the Hautpoult, who died of his wounds. 12 standards taken, appears incre. In the number of the killed, were dible; yet what shall be said of the four colonels. The eagle of one of clause in the general's letter, men. the French battalions, according to tioning that they had been sent to their own accounts, was lost; that the emperor ? Was it a kind of is, no doubt, it was taken by the patriotic fraud, on the part of the enemy. 66 Thus, (the bulletin pro general, or the gazette of St. Petersceeds,) the Russian expedition which burg? In either case, it is an instance set out on the 27th of January, and of the excessive exaggeration in gawhich had for its object to stretch zettes, now more than ever common out towards Thorn, and turn our left with both French and Russians, a. wing, has proved exceedingly fatal bove noted.

* Fifty-eighth bulletin of the grand French army, compared with the official narsative of general Bennigsen.

+ Traduction d'une lettre du général baron de Benniysen, à S. M. l'empereurile Russie, apportée par le lieutenant-colonel Havitzki, aide-de camp de S. M.J: sur le champ de battaille, &c.-See also, Relation officielle transmise par son excellence le baron de Bennigsen, général en chef. Conningsbers, 25 Mars, 1807.

The

Dated, Tilsit, ville du royaume de Prusse, près de Niemen, à 20 lieues nordste de Koningsberg, le 11 Fevrier 1807. + 64th bulletin of the grand French army.