a world, and the world against French retired into winter-quarters France. In a word, he set him. on the Vistula. The Russians fell self to work on all the passions back by Ostrołenka, on the Niemen. that usually determine the conduct The king and queen of Prussia, of men and nations,-avaricc, am with the ministry, the treasure, the bition, gratitude, resentment, hope, most valuable . property and but above all, by terror. This was guard of 1,500 troops, foot and his chief dependence; and to this horse, retreated to Memel. The alope he could, on the whole safely other troops remaining to the king trust. For he could neither sup. of Prussia, were as follows:poše, that the greater, or at least There were 5,000 under the the best, that is, the most formida. command of general Lestocq, the ble part of the French nation could greater part of which remained in be either duped by his cajoleries, or Koningsberg. There was a garrison SO blinded and stupified by the of 6,000 Prussians in Dantzig, of splendour of his arms, as to forget 2,000 at Colberg, and of 3,000 at all that was due to moral obligation, Graudenz. And from 15 to 20,000 to themselves, their offspring, and were dispersed in the different gartheir country; nor be quite certain risons of Silesia. A military officer that his vassal princes and kings from England, encouraged the king would be more sensible of the be. in this extremity, when he was litenefits conferred in new titles and rally cooped up in the most remote possessions, than mortified at the and smallest corner of his kingdom, degrading and precarious tenures by with the promise of assistance in which they held them. It was an both money and troops, and the ima astonishing as well as pitiful specta. mediate advance of 80,0001. for maincle, to behold one mind governing taining the garrisons in Silesia. The so great a. portion of mankind Russian army was computed by some against their dearest interests, and in- at 160,000; by others at not more deed, for the most part, against than 100,000. The imagination is their inclinations. apt to be imposed on by the inWhile Buonaparte advanced mense extent of the Russian einagainst the Russians and Prussians pire. If we reflect on the extreme in front, with Sweden assailing, and difficulty of collecting, with proper Great Britain menacing his left wing, equipments, and stores, a vast army there was reason for the apprehen- from the different regions of so sion of hostility in various shapes on widely extended an empire so bis right flank and in his rear. Above thinly inhabited, the lowest estimate all, an attack in case of any disas. will probably appear the nearest to ter was to be apprehended from the truth. Austria. For this reason he still re- The strength of the French army tained possession of the fortress of was estimated by some at above Brannau and an army of 40,000 men 200,000 ; by none at less than in Dalmatia, which might be 150,000. Reinforcements of troops strengthened by reinforcements from advanced from time to time during Italy, turned the flank of the de. the whole of the campaign, to both fence of Austria, and even mcna. armies. ced its capital. The grand Russian army, to. 6.fter the battle of Pultusk, the wards the end of January, was B 3 supported REGISTER , supported on one side, by a corps of the French in their winter-quar. of Russians and Prussians under the ters, one of the corps into which the generals Lestocq, Pahlen, and Gal. army was divided, under the comlitzin, flanked on their right by mand of Bernadotte, prince of Ponte , the Frisch-hafl* and the Pregel, Corvo, took possession of Elbing, and covered on its left flank by a where there were immense maga. corps under general Van Essen, zines filled with all manner of stores originally destined against Mol and provisions, and occupied the davia. The command of the army country around, on the shores of after the battle of Pultusk, was the Baltic. This corps, which was given to general Bennigsen, who to be supported by that of marshal had formed a junction with general Ney, posted on the right banks of Buxhoerden after his defeat at Goly- the Alla, was ordered to surprize min. Koningsberg, with its valuable ma. The plan of the Russian gene- gazines; which was attempted. But ral, was, to turn the left flank of the French marshals were discom. the French army, to extend his fited in the very outset of their enforce along the river, to Graudenz terprise, by the rapid advance of the and Thorn, to reduce the enemy to Russians under the counts Pahlen a necessity of evacuating Poland, to and Gallitzin, who on the 24th of straiten his quarters, and by all January compelled marshal Ney to mcans drive him into positions of abandon his posts on the Alla, and difficulty and disadvantage. to retire by the way of Allenstein, As the eye of the Russian gene- behind the Dribentz, a river which ral was fixed on the Vistula, so runs into the Vistula, six miles souththat of Buonaparte was directed east from Thorn ;, where he joined to the Pregel and the Niemen. the corps under the grand duke of Perceiving that it was the design Berg, Murat.' The Russian general of the Russians to give him no rest having for some time made a show of in his winter-quarters, he deter- following up his attack on the mined, according to his usual sys. troops under marshal Ney, bore tem, to take the advantage of an as. with all his force on the detachment sailant, and to anticipate an attack, under the prince of Ponte Corvo, by making one. In the distribution whom he met at Mohringent, where he * A bay or arm of the sea between Koningsberg and Elbing, separated from the Baltic by a narrow tongue of land, and communicating with that sea by a narrow passage near Pillau. + This account of the circumstances that led to the affair of Mohringen, is different from that given by the French bulletin ; according to which the movement of the prince of Ponte-Corvo, was provoked by the boldness of “a Russian column that had gone beyond the little river of the Passarge, and had carried off half a coupany of the voltigeurs of the 8th regiment of the line, who were at the advanced posts of the cantonment.” 54th Bulletin of the grand French army, Warsaw, January 27, 1807.-But, in the same bulletin we read, “Some battalions of Ney's corps had advanced tirenty leagues from their cantonments. The Russian army took the alarm, and made a movement on its right. The battalions have returned within the line of their cantonments.” It will be asked however, by, whose orders, and for what other object than that above stated, had they advanced so far beyond the line of their cantonments? The movement of Ney was plainly com he had established his head quarters, The Russian and French details of pushing his out.posts to the distance the battle of Mohringen, though dif. of a league, that is, about three En. ferent, were not very inconsistent in glish miles from the town on the any material point, except that both road to Liebstadt. parties claimed the victory. But jodgThe Russian general Markow,with ing from the immediate result of the a division of the corps under the action, we must conclude that it was command of the counts Pahlen and in favourof the Russians. The French Gallitzin, attacked the French at do not pretend that the Russians Mobringen, January 25. After a fell back beyond Liebstadt, which very sharp action in which the was only six or seven miles from the eagle of the 9th regiment of the field of action; whereas, Bernadotte, French infantry was taken, the according to their own accounts, re. Russians were repulsed. But being treated to Strasburg, on the Driafterwards reinforced by a division bentz, which is situated at the dis. of cavalry under general Anrep, the tance of 60 miles from Mohringen. battle was renewed. In these ac- The writer of the French bullea tions at Mohringen, the French, ac- tins, Maret, Buonaparte's military cording to the Russian accounts, lost secretary, in concert with the état. more than 1,000 men, in killed and major, or generals on the staff, acwounded; the Russians, according to counts for the retreat of Bernadotte the French accounts, left 12,000, in another manner: “ After the bat. dead on the field of battle, and tle of Mohringen, in which the Rus. among these, general Anrep, whose sian advanced guard was defeated, death was greatly deplored by the the enemy retreated upon Liebstadt. whole Russian army. But the corps of general Van Essen, During the action or actions near which was at first destined for Mol. Mobringen, prince Michael Dolgo. davia, and also a number of fresh rowki, with his regiment of dra. regiments from different parts of the . goons, went round to the rear of the Russian empire, having joined the enemy, made his way to head.quar- Russian army in Poland, the enemy ters without being perceived, and again, so early as the 27th of Jan. , carried off the French marshal's equi- advanced in great force, with the depage,, his plate, some ladies, and a sign of removing the theatre of the large sum of money, part of the war to the Lower Vistula. The ema pillage of Elbing. A great oumber peror, being informed of these e. of prisoners also fell into the hands vents, ordered the prince of Ponte- . of the Russians, among whom Corvo to retreat, and also to favour were three generals, including the offensive operations of the ene. general Victor, who was taken by my, in order to draw them towards a small party belonging to the the Lower Vistula*.” As it was alPrussian garrison of Colberg, as together unnecessary to make use of he was on his way to take the any feint to engage the Russians in command of the army besieging a design which they had already Dantzig. Sormed, and were indeed in the act of bined with that of Bernadotte ;, but Buonaparte was unwilling to acknowledge that any design of his had been frustrated; and therefore explains matters in his own way, as just stated, 56th bulletin of the grand French army. Arensdorf, Feb. 5. B4 accomplishing, accomplishing, the bulletin is plainly Buonaparte collected and concen. at variance with itself. The French trated upon one poi.it, the flower appear evidently to have received a of his forces, determined to attack check from the Russians at Mohrin the centre of the Russian army. The gen: and the design of surprizing corps thus concentrated, were those Koningsberg by the combined move- of the marshals Davoust, Ney, Soult, ments of the marshals Ney and Ber- and Augereau, computed to be aa nadotte, was frustrated. By the re- bout 80,000; the imperial guard treat of Ney and Bernadotte, general under marshal Bessieres, 15,000 Bennigsen was enabled to concen. strong, and the cavalry of reserve, trate his forces in the town and en. under Murat, or, as the bulletips virons of Mohringen. The right styled him, the grand duke of Berg ; wing of his army rested on the Vis- which, at the opening of the cam. tula between Elbing and Culm*. paign, consisted of 240 squadrons, The defeat of the plan, intended that is, 36,000, but which must to have been executed by a detach. have been greatly diminished, perment of the army under Bernadotte, haps by one third, during its proin concert with Ney, and the conse- gress. This force of about 120.000 quent advance of the Russians on horsemen and foot, exceeded the the Vistula, roused Buonaparte from army to which it was opposed, by a his temporary repose at Warsaw, and much greater number than what called into exertion all the energies might be supposed to be necessary to of his character. The corps under so consummate a leader of such gal. general Van Essen, that covered the lant and well-disciplined troops. But left flank of the Russian army, was Buonaparte was not more distin. posted at too great a distance from guished by any qualities than prú. its main body to answer the pur- dence and precaution. He was care. pose for which it was intended: ful to provide rather a redundance and Buonaparte, with his usual than a bare sufficiency of means for decision and promptitude, took ad. the accomplishment of his ends. He vantage of this circumstance. He provided against reverses, and though broke up his cantonments on Janu. he always boasted of the favour, ary 29th and 30th. A corps under he never, if he could help it, trust the command of general Savary, was ed to the caprice of fortune. ordered to watch the movements of It was a prevailing maxim with Van Essen, who was posted at Wi. Buonaparte, to out-flank, if possible, sochi Massawick on the heights of the army opposed to him, or by the Bug; and another under marshal any other means get into its rear, le Febvre at Thorn, to keep in check and cut it off from its resour. the Russians and Prussians at Culm, It was to this manœuve that and Marienwerder : thus to secure he owed his success at Marin. for Buonaparte a safe retreat across got, at Ulmț, and at Jenas. It the Vistula, in the case of a failure would appear that the same man@uin his attempt on the main body of vre was attempted against the Rus. the Russian army: sians on the present occasion. es. * Relation officielle faite par le général Bennigsen de ce qui l'est passé à l'are raće Russe, depuis son arrivée en Prusse, jusqu'au 31 Janvier, 1807. * See Vol. XLII. (1800.) p. 193. Vol. XLVII. (1805.) p. 150, The The Russian army was on its imperial guard as a body of reserve. march to the Vistula, by the way of He gave orders to marshal Soult to Wildenberg, a town 60 miles N. E. advance by the way of Gulstadt, and of Warsaw. At this place, the ren. make himself master of the bridge dezvous of the French, Murat had of Bergfried, that he might fall on assembled all his cavalry on the the rear of the enemy with the whole 29th; in the neighbourhood of force of the army. which the other corps were also Marshal Soult dispatched general concentrated, and where Buona.' Guyot with his light cavalry, to parte, in person, arrived from War. tako possession of Gulstadt, the saw, on the Sist. It was his object centre of the Russian magazines ; to penetrate between the centre and which he effected, though not withthe left of the Russians, and to take out an obstinate resistance on the such positions between them and part of the enemy. Os the Russians the Pregel, as should evable him to 1,600 were made prisoners. The cut off their retreat. Russian magazines at Liebstadt and The French army began its march Allenstein were also taken. In the on the 1st of February, taking its mean time marshal Soult, with the route from Wildenberg to Passen. other two divisions of his corps, heim, a town which is the key to the hastened to the bridge of Bergfried. great road that passes between the - The Russians who were sensible of extensive lakes which form the the importance of this place, for pro. sources of the river Alla, above- tecting the retreat of their left wing, mentioned, which falls into the Pre- defended the bridge with twelve gel five leagues above Koningsberg. of their best battalions. At three At Passenheim the French fell in in the afternoon, a cannonade was with the Russians, who had hitherto opened on both sides. The Russians passevered in the system of making, after a severe conflict, and a heavy instead of receiving the attack. But loss in killed and wounded, were the grand duke of Berg fell upon driven from the bridge. them with several columns of the retreated in good order. They were cavalry, and entered the town sword followed by marshal Ney, and some in hand. On February 3, in the skirmishing took place. But night , morning, the Russians were on the overtook the French and Russian Lower Vistuia, which they had de- detachments facing each other. termined to pass, but where they On the morning of the 4th of Fenow found that they had been turned bruary, Murat, at the head of his caon their left flank: their left wing valry, reconnoitered the position supported itself in the village of which the Russians had occupied the Moudtken, and their centre was preceding day, and found that they placed at Jowkowo on the great had employed the night in retreating, road to Liebstadt. and had left behind only the rearBuonaparte having repaired to guard, which followed, and which the village of Getkendorff, formed was fiercely pursned, fighting all a part of his forces in order of bat. the way for six hours. The difficulty tle, placi::g the corps of marshal of the ground, according to the Augereau in the centre, that of French accounts, prevented their marshal Soult on the right, and the cavalry from doing the enemy much injury. But they |