The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1807-04-28

readers fomething like a map Of the country-
the direction of its principal rivers and petitions
OF its roads, lakes, mountains aud erong places,
becaufe without fome idea of thefc and reference
I" them. he who fuppofes he poiTs1cs even a
tolerably correct notion of the movements of
armies OF the refult of battles, or the failure or
fuccefs of fratsgems of war-deceives himfelf.
1t is by the poflefion and uGe of excellent
maps and by fome little attention to the princi-
piles of tactics and the modern art of war, that
we are more frequently able to anticipate and
to appreciate events, than Others of our centem.
poraries ; any man with a judicious mind and
a determination to judge from the data with
fidelity to the truth, may do as we'll as We do.
But no man, not even the albeit military man,
svitboat maps, Can form an accurate or even a
rational view of the movements of armies and
the events OF actions-we pretend TO no more
merit, than thus applying our judgment by the
map and IaLe-to the variations which all par
ties give of the affairs Of war-!et others endea,
your TO de the fame as wei! rs they can, they
will improve in time, and certain American
news papers will be fomething LET'S defpicable
than their %contant inaccuracy and ignorance, or
worfe, now makes them.
The advices now received contain the details
given by both fides, and of which in the hulie-
tins OF the French TO the 5sth, we had before a
general account. The bulletins now received
are to the 62d incluive, the 5oth is from Ey-
lau, l4th February ; the 6oth is of date the nth
Feb. from the fame place (; the SLIT il from
Landlberg 18th Feb. the Sad is dated at Lieb-
itadt, 2lf Feb. wet of the Pafferaye, so miles
S. w. of Kouningfbsrg, aud SO from Eylau 1; is
a diff rent place.
The times and places from which the bulle-
tins are dated, thew the petition of head quar-
tiers, on thofe dates /; and 70 far as they go, de.
terminc the occupation of tEofe places by the
armies.
The Ru6ian accounts which reach us in A
Rate avewediy mutilated, are neither 70 regular
in their progrefhon, 70 preoife in their narr.ti-
ons, nor 70 connected aitogether.-However
although there are defects os this kind, they
are not fuch as to leave uG without fuficient
data to a%fcertain the petitions of the Rufians,
as well as of the French armies, and thereby in
a tuficicnt degree to form a tolerabiy accurate
opinion of events.
The bulletins down to the 5sth had put US
not only in pofef1ion of the movements Of both
armies, from the attempt to furprize the French
at Mohringen and along the line of the rive
Pafierage, but by the heads of the rivers Sar-
gine and Drebentz until the action of the 18th
of Feb. at Prufian Eylau.
or this action we have now very Imperfect
accounts, in ahftracts or parts of official dil-
patches from the Baron Budberg, the Ruiian
miniter of foreign affairs, and his a6araa fate.
ment of the Rufian general Benningfen's re-
port.
Thofe who read the RuGian accounts muh
keep in mind, that they retain the old fsyle and
that their date of the goth Jan. .orrefponds with
our 18th ofFeb.
In the early part OF this renewed Campaign,
we before obierved that the Rufians defgned
to cut off the French from the feaboard, by
turning the French right, at the fame time that
they attempted to furprife the French advance
guard under Bernadotte.-The ilIue of that
effort, and the effect, was feen in the fae that
the Ruiiians had been forced face cfively back
the full diitance of 100 miles. The direction
IN which the Ruflians retreated hewed that they
conidered K~cnsngAerg as their paint d'nesni,
becaufe their retreat would have been yery cafy
and their defence ia a retreat more efeetual by
crofing the ALA river at Gultat or Heilfbsrg,
than going north Gait to Eylau ; as the couH-
try in the rear of Eylau, or between that place
and Koningfberg, is not 70 fufceptibic of defence
and much more favorable for well disciplined
troops and an able general.
The account of Bennington himfelf corrobor-
ate the French bulletins No. So, ST, and So,
and tubftantiates the variations of the fucceed-
ing bulletins which have been received. The
RuHian account fays, that 4" Bennington after
:" falling back, for the purpofe of taking a po-
" iition better adapted for manoeuvefing his
" troops, pitched upon Prufian EyIau.-For
" four dayJ Geee0iveJ, Esd, 4th, sth, 9th Feb.)
u iCAT Sudiu ndu 10 WltDtanQ leyeral ViCOr-
" Gus attacks [made by the French and at
" three O'Clock in the afternoon Tof the 18th
" Feb. the action became general, and the
i" night came on without the enemy THE
4" French being able to gain ground. On the
" sth in the morning, the French renewed the
Z" attack"
The French had commenced their march in
advance on the frt of Feb. On the Cd, Murat s.
Souit were at HlszRein ; Davouft at Whar;z-
burg Augereau and Ney followed the route
of Murat and Soult, and were at AlIenitein on
the Sd /; and the Rui1ians found themfelyes here
outflanked, and made a precipitate retreat, by
the Pai1erage on the great road of Leibftadt {;
and thefe are the days of retreat adverted to by
Bennington ; on the 4th and 9Th the purfuit
was continued by frefh corps, thofe in advance
on the Sd, hating on the fourth I; and thofe in
the rear advancing, and 70 on in fuccefion.
1t was on the eth that the affair of the plat
form took place and on that night it wa that
both armies lay on their arms. On the morning
of the 18th, the French cavalry under Murat be-
gan the action he was oppofed by IL lines of
Rufian cavalry ; and the action appeared to
have been decided by the cuirdliers and dra-
goons of the gallant HautSomt we'll known as r
6ifinguifhed officer in the army of the Rhine
and MofeIIe, and under MORGAN, in the army of
Suabia. 1t was on this day too, that the heavy
fall of fnow took place during the action. On
the following morning, fays the 5sth bulletin,
the Rufians were purified acrofs the Fficklihg
- - H., xt..f - r It