page_title: Battle of Pułtusk
section_title: Action
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Pułtusk / Battle / Action
caption_attribution_description: Drawn by Andrew Hobley based on maps in "Napoleon's Campaign in Poland" F L Petre, 2001, and David Chandler, "Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars" 1993.
context_page_description: The Battle of Pułtusk took place on 26 December 1806 during the War of the Fourth Coalition near Pułtusk, Poland. Despite their strong numerical superiority and artillery, the Russians suffered the French attacks, before retiring the next day having suffered greater losses than the French, disorganizing their army for the rest of the year.
context_section_description: Bennigsen arrayed his forces along the Pułtusk-Gołymin road, with three lines composed respectively of 21, 18 and 5 battalions.  The left rested on the town, the right on the Mosin wood.  The artillery was positioned in front of the first line. On the extreme right Major General Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly occupied part of the Mosin wood with three battalions, a cavalry regiment and an artillery battery covering the road to Gołymin.  Baggovut covered the left of the line and the bridge over the Narew from a position in front of the ravine with ten battalions, two squadrons of dragoons and an artillery battery.  Deployed along the edge of the ridge were 28 squadrons of cavalry linking Barclay de Tolly and Baggovut. Cossack cavalry was deployed in front of them.
  Marshal Lannes had orders to cross the Narew at Pułtusk with his corps.  He was aware that there was a Russian force in front of him, but did not know its size.  After struggling through the mud, his first troops reached the area at about 10:00 AM, and drove the cossacks back onto the Russian main line.  Because of the terrain, Lannes could only see the Russian advance positions on the extreme left and right with the cavalry between them.
  Lannes deployed Suchet's division on his left, opposite the Mosin wood. Gazan's division covered the rest of the Russian line.  The few guns were deployed on the left and in the centre.
  At about 11:00 AM the French right advanced against Baggovut.  The Russian cossacks and cavalry were driven back and Baggovut sent forward a Jäger unit, which was driven back despite artillery support.  The French centre had also advanced, to attack Baggovut from the flank.  But this manoeuvre exposed them to the Russian cavalry line, seven squadrons of which suddenly attacked the French flank in a sudden snow storm while Baggovut's cavalry and the jägers attacked from the front.  A French infantry battalion then took the Russian cavalry in their flank.  After a confused melee the Russians fell back to their original position.  Lannes's cavalry division, under Trelliard tried to advance but was driven off by artillery fire.
  At the same time as the French right attacked, on the French left Suchet's division, led by Lannes in person, attacked the position held by Barclay.  The initial attack drove the Russians out of the wood, and captured the battery stationed there, but Barclay's reserve drove the French back into the wood and recaptured the guns.
  The French centre had also advanced.  The Russian cavalry withdrew behind the main line, exposing the French to artillery fire from the Russian batteries.
  By about 2 p.m. the French position looked dangerous.  The Russian left had held, the French centre was suffering from the artillery fire, and on the right increasing pressure was beginning to force Suchet's men out of the wood.  A French retreat looked a distinct possibility when unexpected reinforcements arrived.
  The 3rd Division of Davout's 3rd Corps, temporarily commanded by his Chief of Staff Fournier, had been ordered to pursue a Russian column apparently retiring on Pułtusk.  Concerned about the strength of the Russian cavalry force which was escorting guns and stores, Fournier had pursued but not engaged.  He was preparing to stop for the night when he heard the sounds of combat to his right, and so marched his men towards Pułtusk.  Due the state of the roads he was only able to bring up one gun.
  Seeing this force approach, Bennigsen wheeled back his main line to face the wood, thus reducing the artillery fire directed at Lannes's units.  Barclay, finding Fournier attacking his right flank, fell back to the right of the main Russian line.  Bennigsen reinforced him with two infantry regiments and some cavalry, and directed an artillery battery to fire on the wood.  Thus reinforced Barclay attacked the wood.  The French were driven out, and Fournier's right flank exposed.  This was attacked by twenty squadrons of Russian cavalry, but the 85th French Infantry Regiment formed squares and by a steady fire drove the cavalry off.  At about 8:00 PM
caption: Battle of Pułtusk about 3 PM
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