Battle of Mohrungen In the Battle of Mohrungen on 25 January 1807 , most of a First French Empire corps under the leadership of Marshal Jean - Baptiste Bernadotte fought a strong Russian Empire advance guard led by Major General Yevgeni Ivanovich Markov . The French pushed back the main Russian force , but a cavalry raid on the French supply train caused Bernadotte to call off his attacks . After driving off the cavalry , Bernadotte withdrew and the town was occupied by the army of General Levin August , Count von Bennigsen . The fighting took place in and around Morąg in northern Poland , which in 1807 was the East Prussia n town of Mohrungen . The action was part of the War of the Fourth Coalition in the Napoleonic Wars . After demolishing the army of the Kingdom of Prussia in a whirlwind campaign in October and November 1806 , Napoleon ' s Grande Armée seized Warsaw . After two bitterly - fought actions against the Russian army , the French emperor decided to place his troops into winter quarters . However , in wintry weather , the Russian commander moved north into East Prussia and then struck west at Napoleon ' s left flank . As one of Bennigsen ' s columns advanced west it encountered forces under Bernadotte . The Russian advance was nearly at an end as Napoleon gathered strength for a powerful counterstroke . Background . After the Battle of Czarnowo on 23 December 1806 and the bloody battles of Pułtusk and Gołymin on 26 December , the opposing Russian and French armies went into winter quarters . Emperor Napoleon wanted time to reorganize the Grande Armée ' s logistical arrangements after their long autumn campaign . In addition , his veteran French troops had expressed displeasure at having to fight in Poland during the harsh winter weather . In late 1806 , Field Marshal Mikhail Kamensky ' s Russian army in Poland constituted two major wings under Generals Bennigsen and Friedrich Wilhelm von Buxhoeveden ( Buxhöwden ) . Bennigsen commanded Lieutenant General Alexander Ivanovich Ostermann - Tolstoy ' s 2nd Division , Lieutenant General Fabian Gottlieb von Osten - Sacken ' s 3rd Division , Lieutenant General Dmitry Golitsyn ' s 4th Division , and Lieutenant General Alexander Karlovich Sedmoratsky ' s 6th Division . The initial strength of Bennigsen ' s force , before the December battles , was 49 , 000 infantry , 11 , 000 regular cavalry , 4 , 000 cossacks , 2 , 700 artillerymen , 900 pioneers , and 276 guns . Of these , from 55 , 000 to 60 , 000 were able to take the field . Buxhöwden led Lieutenant General Nikolay Tuchkov ' s 5th Division , Lieutenant General Dmitry Dokhturov ' s 7th Division , Lieutenant General Peter Kirillovich Essen ' s 8th Division , and Lieutenant General Heinrich Reinhold von Anrep ' s 14th Division . Buxhöwden ' s four divisions fought at the Battle of Austerlitz on 2 December 1805 and had not made up all the losses suffered at that engagement . Consequently , his troops numbered only 29 , 000 infantry , 7 , 000 cavalry , 1 , 200 gunners , and 216 artillery pieces in December 1806 . Not counting garrisons , the Prussians could put only 6 , 000 men into the field in that month . In 1806 , the Russian field army consisted of 18 divisions . Each division included six 3 - battalion infantry regiments , ten squadrons of heavy cavalry , ten squadrons of light cavalry , two heavy foot artillery batteries , three light foot artillery batteries , and one horse artillery battery . Since the foot batteries contained 14 guns apiece and the horse batteries 12 guns , each Russian division nominally controlled as many as 82 field pieces . Typically , the heavy batteries were made up of eight 12 - pound cannons , four heavy howitzers , and two light howitzers . The light batteries had the same establishment except that they substituted 6 - for 12 - pound cannons . Horse batteries were entirely formed from 6 - pound cannons . " Old and worn out in body and mind " , the 75 - year old Marshal Kamensky exhibited clear signs that he was no longer fit to command . Around the time Pułtusk was fought , Kamensky left the front . The next day , he appeared in the streets of Grodno without his shirt on and called for a surgeon . Pointing out his many wounds , he demanded that the doctor give him a written statement that we was no longer able to serve . During December , his two lieutanants , of whom Buxhöwden was senior , began to intrigue against one another for the army command . After Pułtusk and Gołymin , the 8th and 14th Divisions remained with Bennigsen , who was not anxious to return them to their rightful wing commander . On 1 January 1807 , Bennigsen ' s wing lay at Nowogród on the south bank of the ice - floe choked Narew River , while Buxhöwden ' s wing was to the northeast on the north bank . Around this time , Kamensky appeared at the front but his orders were ignored and he permanently withdrew from the campaign . His unstable and violent temperament eventually led to his murder at the hands of a peasant . Napoleon deployed his corps in a wide arc on the east side of the Vistula River covering Warsaw . He posted Bernadotte ' s I Corps on the left flank with headquarters at Osterode ( Ostróda ) . In order from left to right came Marshal Michel Ney ' s VI Corps at Mława , Marshal Nicolas Soult ' s IV Corps at Gołymin , Marshal Louis - Nicolas Davout ' s III Corps at Pułtusk , and Marshal Jean Lannes at Serock . Marshal Pierre Augereau ' s VII Corps stood in a reserve position behind the arc at Płońsk . Marshal Joachim Murat ' s Reserve Cavalry took up winter quarters in districts to the rear except for General of Division Louis Michel Antoine Sahuc ' s 4th Dragoon Division , which reported to Bernadotte , and General of Division Antoine Lasalle ' s Light Cavalry Division which patrolled Soult ' s front . Russian offensive . In a council of war on 2 January 1807 , Buxhöwden and Bennigsen determined to take the offensive against the French . They intended to move north into East Prussia with seven divisions before turning west to attack Napoleon ' s left flank . The plan called for one division to remain northeast of Warsaw to distract the French . This division would soon be joined by two more that were due to arrive from Moldavia under the command of Lieutenant General Ivan Essen . Lieutenant Generals Dmitri Mikhailovich Volkonski ( 9th Division ) and Petr Ivanovich Meller - Zakomelski ( 10th Division ) led the two units . The Russian leaders hoped to damage Napoleon ' s left wing and force the French army to fall back to the west bank of the Vistula . The positions gained would be used to launch a spring campaign that might drive the French back to the Oder River . Still jealous of his rival Buxhöwden , Bennigsen withdrew east to Tykocin with his six divisions rather than join his troops to the right wing of the army . He marched north for Goniądz where he found , to his delight , that Czar Alexander had appointed him army commander and recalled Buxhöwden . From there , he moved west to Biala Piska , arriving there on 14 January . Bennigsen left the 6th Division at Goniądz . Screened from Soult ' s cavalry screen by the Johannisburg Forest , Bennigsen ' s northward move into Masuria remained hidden from the French . The Prussian field force under General - Leutnant Anton Wilhelm von L ' Estocq withdrew northward to Rastenburg ( Kętrzyn ) . Meanwhile , Ney , finding his sector devoid of food and forage , disobeyed Napoleon ' s orders and advanced far northward in the direction of Königsberg . On the 11th his advance guard repulsed a Prussian attack on Schippenbeil ( Sępopol ) . Three days later , Ney estimated that L ' Estocq had 9 , 000 troops while General of Infantry Ernst von Rüchel garrisoned Königsberg with another 4 , 000 . Livid at Ney for his insubordination , Napoleon nevertheless began to take measures in case the Russians reacted to the VI Corps leader ' s advance . He alerted Augereau to concentrate the VII Corps in readiness to march . The emperor also ordered Marshal François Joseph Lefebvre and the X Corps to protect Thorn ( Toruń ) and the lower Vistula . On 19 January , the Russians finally appeared out of the forests , driving Ney ' s troops from Schippenbeil . After detaching 3 , 000 men to link with the 6th Division , Bennigsen commanded about 63 , 000 troops , while L ' Estocq had 13 , 000 in the area . On the 21st , Bennigsen ' s advance elements were in Heilsberg ( Lidzbark Warmiński ) with L ' Estocq on his right flank . The three Russian advance guards were led by Major Generals Markov , Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly , and Karl Gustav von Baggovut . Though his cavalry under General of Brigade Auguste Francois - Marie de Colbert - Chabanais was roughly handled , Ney managed to escape southward to Neidenburg ( Nidzica ) . Having brushed aside Ney , the Russians bore down on Bernadotte ' s corps . On 24 January , Markov mauled a French unit at Liebstadt ( Miłakowo ) , capturing 300 Frenchmen . Bernadotte quickly assembled General of Division Pierre Dupont ' s division and General of Brigade Jacques Léonard Laplanche ' s dragoons at Preussisch Holland ( Pasłęk ) on his left flank in the northwest . On his own initiative , Bernadotte ' s chief of staff General of Brigade Nicolas Joseph Maison alerted the I Corps center and right flank . Maison directed General of Division Olivier Rivaud to concentrate his division at Osterode on the right , while General of Division Jean - Baptiste Drouet gathered his troops at Saalfeld ( Zalewo ) in the center . Maison held General of Brigade Michel Marie Pacthod ' s 8th Light Infantry Regiment at Mohrungen , while calling Sahuc ' s other dragoon brigade from the right flank toward the center . Battle . At noon on 25 January , Markov approached Mohrungen with the right wing advance guard . From prisoners taken at Liebstadt , the Russian general knew that Bernadotte was concentrating at Mohrungen . In fact , the French marshal held the town with nine infantry battalions and 11 cavalry squadrons . This force comprised units of all three I Corps divisions , including the 8th Light Infantry of Rivaud ' s division plus elements of both Drouet ' s and Dupont ' s divisions . When Markov appeared , Bernadotte immediately advanced northward to engage his enemy . He ordered Dupont to march from Preussisch Holland to hit the Russian west flank with the bulk of his division . Markov ' s advance guard included the Ekaterinoslav Grenadier Regiment , the Pskov Musketeer Regiment , the 5th , 7th , and 25th Jäger Regiments , six squadrons of the Elisabethgrad Hussar Regiment , four foot artillery batteries , and one horse artillery battery . The Russian forces numbered anywhere from 9 , 000 to 16 , 000 men . Until Dupont arrived , Bernadotte had about 9 , 000 troops available . Bernadotte deployed Dupont ' s 7 - battalion 1st Division , which comprised the 9th Light , 32nd Line , and 96th Line Infantry Regiments . The 8th Light Infantry Regiment from Rivaud ' s 2nd Division was present , as was Drouet ' s 7 - battalion 3rd Division , consisting of the 27th Light , 94th Line , and 95th Line Infantry Regiments . General of Division Jean Baptiste Eblé led four foot and two horse artillery batteries , a total of 36 guns . General of Brigade Jacques Louis François Delaistre de Tilly led the corps cavalry , the 2nd and 4th Hussar and 5th Chasseurs à Cheval Regiments . Sahuc ' s attached division included General of Brigade Pierre Margaron ' s 17th and 27th Dragoon Regiments and Laplanche ' s 18th and 19th Dragoon Regiments . Markov sent one infantry regiment forward to the hamlet of Pfarrersfeldchen , with the Elisabethgrad Hussars out front . He placed his main line on some high ground south of Georgenthal ( Jurki ) , with two infantry regiments in the front line and one regiment in a second line . Three battalions of jägers held Georgenthal while two more battalions guarded the west flank . Bernadotte ' s cavalry attacked the Russian hussars about 1 : 00 PM . The hussars drove back their opponents and pursued them , but came upon the French artillery and were driven off . The French horsemen chased the Russians until , they were also stopped by enemy artillery fire . Posting four field pieces on a hill to provide fire support , Bernadotte sent one battalion of the 9th Light Infantry Regiment in a frontal assault on Pfarrersfeldchen , while the 1st battalion of the 27th Light Infantry Regiment attacked a forested area to the east . The 9th was repulsed , so Bernadotte threw in the 2nd battalion of the 27th and the 8th Light Infantry Regiment . The 94th Line Infantry Regiment and the dragoons waited in support . The 1st battalion of the 27th briefy lost its eagle before recapturing it . The attack succeeded in clearing the Russian regiment out of Pfarrersfeldchen . Markov was forced to deploy six battalions to cover his right flank against Dupont ' s threatening advance . Meanwhile , Bernadotte attacked in front as it began to get dark . Despite tough fighting , Dupont ' s flank attack began to made headway and Markov ordered a withdrawal . Around this time , General Anrep arrived and announced that cavalry reinforcements were coming . He was soon hit and carried off , fatally wounded . As they pulled back , the Russians resisted fiercely . Nevertheless , Dupont drove off the two regiments in his front and closed in on Georgenthal . Suddenly , Bernadotte heard firing in his rear at Mohrungen . He immediately called off the battle and retraced his steps toward the town . What had happened was that Russian cavalry reached the town from the east . Golitsyn , leading the cavalry of the left wing , reached the village of Alt Reichau ( Boguchwały ) , east of Mohrungen . Though he could not hear the battle because of an acoustical quirk , he wanted to scout the territory to the west . From Alt Reichau , he sent three squadrons of cavalry under Count Peter Dolgorukov , followed by six more squadrons under General Pahlen , through the gap between Lake Narie ( Narien ) and Lake Marąg ( Mahrung ) . The Russian horsemen entered Mohrungen as night fell , capturing the few defenders and pillaging the baggage trains that they found in the town . Trying to exploit their success , Dolgorukov and Pahlen moved north where they bumped into Bernadotte ' s returning troops and quickly retreated . Except for a body of cavalry which the French surrounded and captured , the Russian raiders got away with 360 French prisoners , 200 liberated Russian and Prussian prisoners , and some of their loot . Silver plate from petty German states and 12 , 500 ducats extorted from the town of Elbing ( Elbląg ) were supposedly found in Bernadotte ' s personal baggage . Results . According to a historian Digby Smith , the French suffered losses of 696 killed and wounded , while 400 were made prisoner . The Russian killed and wounded numbered 1 , 100 , with 300 more being captured . Russian General Anrep lost his life . He was replaced in command of the 14th Division by Lieutenant General Nikolay Kamensky , son of the former commander of the army . Francis Loraine Petre estimates losses as high as 2 , 000 on each side . Bernadotte reported losing 700 or 800 troops while inflicting 1 , 600 casualties on his enemies . The next day , Bernadotte retreated south to Liebemühl ( Miłomłyn ) , leaving Mohrungen to be occupied by Bennigsen ' s troops . Markov followed up the French toward Liebemühl , while Baggovut ' s left advance guard seized Allenstein ( Olsztyn ) . At Mohrungen on the 28th , Bennigsen called a halt to operations so that his tired troops could rest . Bernadotte continued withdrawing to the south until he reached Löbau ( Lubawa ) where he joined General of Division Jean - Joseph Ange d ' Hautpoul ' s 2nd Cuirassier Division . This gave him 17 , 000 infantry and over 5 , 000 cavalry . The 4 , 500 - man Prussian garrison of Graudenz ( Grudziądz ) , under General of Infantry Wilhelm René de l ' Homme de Courbière , had been besieged by General of Division Marie François Rouyer and a force of Hessians . At L ' Estocq ' s approach , Rouyer raised the siege , allowing the Prussians to restock the garrison ' s food supplies on 31 January . This timely intervention allowed the garrison to resist the enemy besiegers until the end of the war . A Russian advance guard under General Pyotr Bagration linked L ' Estocq and Bennigsen ' s main force , which was centered on Mohrungen , facing south . Pleased with his success so far , and expecting Napoleon to retreat to the west bank of the Vistula , Bennigsen was in for a surprise . Far from retreating , the French emperor launched a dangerous counterattack on 1 February . Napoleon saw that Bennigsen had advanced so far west that there was an opportunity to hit the Russian army in the left flank and rear . He ordered Bernadotte to continue retreating to tempt Bennigsen to move westward into the trap . Lannes with the V Corps and General of Division Nicolas Léonard Beker ' s dragoon division would keep an eye on Ivan Essen ' s detached force to the northeast of Warsaw . ( These forces clashed in the Battle of Ostrołęka on 16 February . ) Napoleon ordered the corps of Davout , Soult , Augereau , Murat , and the Imperial Guard northward to Allenstein , while Ney covered the gap between the main body and Bernadotte . On 1 February , the Russian commander enjoyed a great stroke of good luck . The orders to Bernadotte were given to an officer fresh from the military academy . This hapless individual , ignorant of the area , rode straight into a band of cossacks and was unable to destroy his dispatch . Soon , Bagration came into possession of the important document , which he forwarded to his army commander . As soon as he received the news , Bennigsen ordered the army to rapidly retreat on Jonkowo . As it happened , seven other couriers also fell into the hands of the cossacks , so Bernadotte remained in total ignorance of the plan until 3 February and missed the Battle of Eylau , which occurred on 7 and 8 February . In the meantime , the advancing French and the retreating Prussians and Russians fought a series of clashes at Bergfried ( Berkweda ) on 3 February , at Waltersdorf ( Wilczkowo ) on 5 February , and at Hof ( Dwórzno ) on 6 February . External references . " These sources provide the full names of Russian generals . "