That the main body of the Russian army-not absolutely the whole as will presently appear, were forced to fall back eighty leagues from the Vistula, is true, but it is also true that Buonaparte did not find himself in a condition, at this time, again to attack them, and hazard another battle. The Russian army, without any material loss, effected its retreat to Koningsberg.

Buonaparte was now only a short distance from Koningsberg, a grand depository of the enemy. The steeples of this place, which had been held out as a rich prey to the French soldiers, were to be seen from the heights of Eylau. No thing could have been more desirable than to take a place which would at once have been a most advantageous military position, furnished abundance of provisions and stores, and gratified the army by pillage. And that the reduction of Koningsberg was accordingly, in fact, his object, appears from a letter addressed to the empress Josephine, by Berthier prince of Neuf-Chatel, the most confidential minister of Buonaparte, on the evening before the battle, dated at Great Glandau, 7th February. "At the approach of his imperial majesty, the Russian army fell back. On the evening of the 6th he had passed Landsberg with the intention of continuing his retreat during the night. The emperor, who commanded the advanced guard, order

ed an attack on the rear of the Russians, which had been lately re-inforced. It was unable to resist the vigour of an attack conducted by his majesty in person.---Tomorrow we shall be at Koningsberg." And an attempt on Koningsberg would, no doubt, have been made, if, after the battle of Eylau, Buonaparte had conceived that he possessed means for accomplishing his object. But this was, in truth, a drawn battle; and the severest check he had received since the commencement of his career, which was in Italy, in 1796.

It was not, however, without some degree of plausibility that both sides claimed the victory, or at least a discomfiture of the design of their opponents. It was the design of Buonaparte to take Koningsberg. He was forced to fall back on the Vistula. It was the design of the Russians to drive the French back beyond the Vistula, to re-take Elbing and Thorn, and to force them to raise the sieges of Colberg, Graudenz, and Dantzig. By a series of successive actions, they had been driven back by the French as far as Eylau, and on the day after the battle, beyond the Pregeí. The French had buried the Russian dead; collected and taken care of the greatest part of their wounded, taken a number of their cannon dismounted in the action; and, finally, remained seven or eight days on the field of battle.

CHAP.

for three leagues. The loss of the Russians was 1,300 killed, among whom were two generals, above 1,200 taken, seven pieces of cannon and two standards. The French, according to their accounts, had only 60 men killed, and among these, the general of brigade Campana, an officer of great merit, and it is observed, a native of the department of Marengo.* At Guttenfield, February 12th, 500 French soldiers were made prisoners by Platow, hetman of the Cossacks. On the same day a division of one of the French corps marched to Marienwerder, situated on a small river, called the Leibe, not far from its junction with the Vistula, thirtyfour miles south from Dantzig, and forty-four north-east of Thorn. Seven Prussian squadrons found at this place, were attacked and routed, and 300 men with 250 horses taken. The rest of the Prussians making their escape, took refuge in Dantzig.

On February 16th, the day be fore Buonaparte began to march from Eylau, for the disposition of his troops in winter quarters, he thought it proper to counteract any notion that might be entertained of this being a retreat, and to keep up the courage of his army, by assuming a very lofty air of triumph, which he did in the following proclamation, dated Prussian Eylau, February 16th. "Soldiers, we had begun to enjoy a little repose in our winter quarters, when the enemy attacked the first corps, and shew. ed themselves on the Lower Vistula. We broke up and marched against him; we have pursued him sword in hand, 80 leagues; he has fled to his strong holds, and retired beyond the

Pregel. In the battles of Bergfried, Deppen, Hoff, and Eylau, we have taken from him, 65 pieces of cannon, and 16 standards, besides the loss of more than 40,000 men, in killed, wounded, and taken pri. soners. The heroes, who, on our side, remain in the bed of honour, have died a glorious death. It is the death of a true soldier. Their relatives will always have a just claim to our care and beneficence. Having thus defeated all the enterprises of the enemy, we shall return towards the Vistula, and resume our winter quarters. Those who shall dare to disturb these quarters, shall have reason to repent: for whether beyond the Vistula, or on the other side of the Danube, whether in the middle of winter or the beginning of autumn, we will still be found French soldiers, and soldiers of the grand army."

The first and leading consideration in the choice of positions for winter quarters for the French ar my, was, to cover the line of the Vistula, and to favour the reduction of Colberg, Graudenz, and above all of Dantzig. It was therefore concentrated in cantonments, behind, that is, to the westward of the Passarge, a small river which, passing by the town of Braunsberg, discharges itself, a little below this place, into the Frisch-haaf. The prince of Ponte Corro, Bernadotte, with his corps, lay at Prussian Hol. land, and Braunsberg; marshal Soult, with his at Leibstadt and Mohrungen; marshal Ney, at Gutstadt; marshal Davoust, at Allenstein, Hohenstein, and Deppen; a Polonese corps of observation, commanded by general Zayoncheek, at Niedenbourg; marshal Le Febvre

before

before Dantzig; the 5th corps of the French army, was stationed at Omulew; and the 8th as a corps of observation, in Swedish Pomerania. There was a corps under Jerome, or prince Jerome Buonaparte, employed in the reduction of the fortres ses of Silesia. The Bavarian division, commanded by the heir apparent, or as the French style him, the crown-prince of Bavaria, serving under Jerome, lay at this time at Warsaw, and was on its route to join the French army. There was still a strong garrison at Thorn, where general Rapp, Buonaparte's aid-decamp, was appointed governor, in the room of marshal Le Febvre, now employed in the siege of Dantzig. The head quarters were at Osterode, nearly equidistant between Thorn, which formed as it were a bastion, on the right of the French, supposing their eye still directed to the east, and Marienwerder, and Elbing, with the Isle of Nogat, which supported the left. And, for maintaining a communication be tween the opposite banks of the Vistula, as well as for securing a retreat, in case of any disaster, in the course of future operations, the têtes-du-pont, or fortified bridges at Praga, Modlin, Dirchaw, in the palatinate of Ulia and Thorn, were put in a proper state of defence, and new ones constructed at Marienburg, and Marienwerder. From the country around Marienwerder, and Elbing, which, particularly the Isle of Nogat, is exceedingly fertile, the French army was abun dantly supplied with provisions.*

possession or command of the countries he had over-run, by reducing the Prussian fortresses that still held out on the Vistula, and the Oder. But the Russians, determined and resolute in their purpose to give him no rest, engaged the French in continued skirmishes, and in some very sharp actions, which attended, with considerable loss to both parties. The most serious of these it may be proper briefly to notice; but we shall hasten to the siege of the more important post and port of Dantzig, to which, after the battle of Eylau, every eye

was turned.

were

A Russian detachment marched, February 26th, against Braunsberg, the head, that is, the most advanced or easterly of the French cantonments. Buonaparte being informed of this, gave orders to the prince. of Ponte Corvo, that it should be attacked; the execution of which orders was committed to general Dupont, an officer of great merit, who on the same day, at two o'clock in the afternoon, attacked the Rus. sian detachment, which was 10,000. strong, overthrew it with fixed bayonets, drove it from the town, and across the Passarge, took 16 pieces of cannon, and two stands of colours, and made 2,000 prisoners.

On the side of Gutstadt general Leger Belair, on receiving advice that Russian column had arrived during the night at Peterswalde, repaired to that village at daybreak, on the 25th; overthrew it, took the general baron de Korff, who commanded it with his staff, several lieutenant colonels and other officers, and 400 men. †

and