The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-06-14
FOURTEENTH JUNE.

annivenaFy OF the great battle oil hafengo'
tlso0l and that upon giving sketch Of il last
year, We promised TO say something OF the bat
tie Of Friedland, which took place seven years
after, in 1907, between the French under the
Emperor Napoleon, and the Russians under
Beningsen.
After the battle of Eyiau, 18th Feb, loofJ
the French army again cautioned itseiiin sucn
a manner as to protect Warsaw. to cover the
sieee of Dan.zig, to threaten Konigsburg, and
10 face the Russian army. The rivers ALE
and Passage, it will be recollected, rise with.
in a few miles of each other, and run off,
the one towards the Pregel, into which it emp
ties, and the other to throw itselfinto the sea.
Upon the more Eastern Of these rivers, the
Allie, Beningsen had assembled, al HeilsJurg,
a force 100000 men. He had, besides, on
the Narew, and on his right, about 10000
more, not Including the Prussian corps OF Les
tocq and the garrison Of Konigsburg. to say
nothing Of 80 or AZ, 900 men on the march to
reinforce him.
The Russians occupying the ALE, the
French took possession Of the line OF the fas-
sarge opposite to them. The area between
the two rivers resembles triangle. To cover
Warsaw the corps of Massena was stationed
30 as TO have his right in that city, his centre
at 0stralenka, ON the Narew, and bis left at
Neidenburg, on the Omulew. A corps OF Po-
lish levies kept up the connection between his
forces, and the French on the Passage. Mas
sena had 10000 men, of whom $4,000 could
take the field, and the Polish troops numbered
5000. On the Passarge were cautioned the
corps of Marshals Davout, Ney, Soult and
Bernadotte. The corps of Marshals Mortier
and Launes were in the rear Of these, on the
two arms Of the lower Vistula, the first at
Drschau. the last at Marienberg. Napoleon,
with the guard, was at Finkenstein in the rear
of the positions on the Passarge, and in adj
vance of Lannes and Mortier. The cavalry,
under Murat, was in the neighborhood of Fin
kerstein. Marshal Ney occupied the most adj
vanced, and of course most exposed position,
near the points where the two rivers rise. He
held at once the ALE and Passarge, by Gut
stadt and Deepen. He could bring into the
field about II 600 Sighting men. On his right,
and little in his rear, was Davout, who could
bring 10000 men into battle. Davout, like
Ney, occupied both rivers, between Allenstein
and Hohenstein, and could readily lend his
assistance to Ney, and cover his flank if at
tackled. On the left of Ney, behind the Pas
sarge, was the corps of Soult, which guarded
the middle ofthe Passarge. Its head quarters
were at Liebstadt, and it had intrenched posts
at Comitten and Pettehnen, TO defend bridges
there constructed. He could bring 10000
men into the field. Bernadotte, with $4,000 men
fit for service, guarded the lower Passarge,
from Spanden to its mouth. Further on, the
sea shore was occupied by Dupont's division.
In rear of this line, as we have stated, were
the guard, about 5000 men, ready for service,
Murat's cavalry, about 10000, ready to take
the field, and still further on, in the same d.
rection, the corps Of Lannes, Q5,000,) and of
Mortier (10.000.) These forces, could they
all be brought to act in a mass, were sufficient
to overwhelm the Russians. But the difficult
ties Of concentration are SO great in an inva-
ding army surrounded by an inimical popula-
ton, and fifteen hundred miles from home, that
twas not to be expected that more than one
half could ever be brought into one battle. AT
every step that the invader advances, he be-
comes weaker, by stragglers,and by the neces-
sity Of leaving men to guard his rear. The
defending army, on the contrary, gathers
strength as its falls back.
Upon examining the map, the troops of Ma
poleon will appear to have been widely dis.
persed. But he had taken the most admirable
precautions to ensure their concentration upon
the first appearance of hostili,es. He left, in
fact, nothing to chance. In case they were at.
tackled by forces too great to be withstood, he
indicated to the Marshals the points to which
they were to retreat on the first day, and on
the second, by following the same road, they
would all find themselves united at Saalfsld,
where he would advance to join them with the
guard, and would bring up Murat with his
cavalry, and send orders for Lannes and Nor.
tier TO follow as fast as they could. In case
any Of those in advance stood their ground,
the other corps we're TO march forward to sup.
foAs sssSsss ssActS"o Va toitfus udChs prevent
surprises, from the first of Nay, he had made
oil the corps leave the villages, protect them
selves strongly with infrenchments, and sleep
in camp. Dantzig having surrendered on the
9th May, operations were expected to CON-
nence early in June. Napoleon intended to
have taken ihelfeld on the 10th; the Russians
anticipated him by Eve days.
From the advanced position of Marshal
Ney's corps, it had the appearance of being
entirely without support, and the Russian gen.
erai conceived the idea of surprising aud de-
stroying il, before il could be joined by any of
the others. Accordingly, having made his ar. |
engagements ION the morning Of the 5,h. abou, |
daybreak, Prince Bagfation, with the Russian
advanced guard, advanced upon one of n. II.
visions, stationed at Aitkirch, taking no notice
n several posts in the woods, which annoyed
him by severe FIRE. Ney was NOT The ma