Friedland - Napoleon´s Campaign 1807

From TS:

Friedland 1807

System: Napoleon

Complexity: medium

Scale: brigade-regiment

Boards: 3

Scenarios: 3

Description:

Russian forces under General Golitsyn drove the French cavalry posts out of Friedland on 13 June, and Bennigsen's main forces occupied the city at night. The following day, Marshal Lannes's Corps clashed with the Russians, first in the Sortlack forest and near Posthenen . General Grouche's cavalry captured Heinrichsdorf.

The head of Mortier's French-Polish corps (together with Dąbrowski's Polish division ) appeared at Heinrichsdorf and the Cossacks were driven out of Schwönau. Lannes held his ground, and when Napoleon arrived at noon, the French forces at Friedland numbered 80,000. The entire French cavalry was concentrated at Heinrichsdorf.

At 5:00 p.m. all preparations were completed and Ney, preceded by heavy artillery fire, carried out an attack on the Sortlack forest. The attack was directed along the Łyna. One of Ney's divisions (under Marchand's command) drove part of the Russian left wing into the water near the forest. Seeing what was happening, the Russians launched a violent cavalry attack against the left wing of Marchand's division, which was, however, repelled by Latour-Maubourg's dragoon division .

As the Russians were crowded into the bends of the Lyna, they were easy targets for Ney's guns and the reserve. Ney's attack was stopped here, however, when, pushing Bagration back to the Lyna, he came under heavy fire from the Russian artillery. Bennigsen took advantage of this and threw into the fight a reserve of cavalry, which attacked with great fury and threw Ney back, forcing him to retreat. As at Prussian Iława , it seemed that the coming of night would postpone a decisive success.

General Dupont's infantry division advanced rapidly from Posthenen, while the French cavalry divisions drove the Russian squadrons into the massed infantry on the river bank. Soon General of Artillery Sénarmont brought up a large number of guns to fire at close range. Ney thus made a counter-offensive, and at about 7 p.m. he broke into Friedland, then pursued the shattered regiments of Bennigsen's left wing. The operations against Gorchakov's forces were supported by an attack by Napoleon's Guard. Meanwhile, Lannes and Mortier held back the Russian center and right wing, their artillery inflicting heavy losses on the Russians.

By 11:00 p.m. the fighting had ceased and only the Russian battery on the opposite bank of the river continued to fire, covering the chaotic Russian retreat.

The game also includes:
– Heilsberg 1807
– Mohrungen 1807

Boxed Version