Battle of Guttstadt - Deppen In the Battle of Guttstadt - Deppen on 5 and 6 June 1807 , troops of the Russian Empire led by General Levin August , Count von Bennigsen attacked the First French Empire corps of Marshal Michel Ney . The Russians pressed back their opponents in an action that saw Ney fight a brilliant rear guard action with his heavily outnumbered forces . During the 6th , Ney successfully disengaged his troops and pulled back to the west side of the Pasłęka ( Passarge ) River . The action occurred during the War of the Fourth Coalition , part of the Napoleonic Wars . Dobre Miasto ( Guttstadt ) is on Route 51 about southwest of Lidzbark Warmiński ( Heilsberg ) and north of Olsztyn ( Allenstein ) . The fighting occurred along Route 580 which runs southwest from Guttstadt to Kalisty ( Deppen ) on the Pasłęka . At the beginning of June , Bennigsen launched an offensive against the forces of Emperor Napoleon in East Prussia . The Russian commander planned to trap Ney ' s corps between several converging columns . To occupy the French troops on Ney ' s left , Bennigsen sent General - Leutnant Anton Wilhelm von L ' Estocq ' s Prussians to attack Marshal Jean - Baptiste Bernadotte ' s troops at Spędy ( Spanden ) and ordered Lieutenant General Dmitry Dokhturov ' s Russians to assault Marshal Nicolas Soult ' s men at Stolno ( Lomitten ) . Although all three French marshals saw sharp fighting , the Russian plan failed to put significant numbers of French troops out of action . Afraid of being cut off in his turn , Bennigsen ordered a retreat on the night of the 7th as Napoleon instructed his forces to counterattack the Russians . The decisive Battle of Friedland was fought a week later on 14 June . Background . After the bloody Battle of Eylau on 7 and 8 February 1807 , Napoleon ' s forces lingered in the vicinity so that the emperor could claim a victory . However , his soldiers clamored for an end to the fighting . Instead of the usual shouts of " Vive l ' Empereur " ( long live the emperor ) , cries of " Vive la paix " ( long live peace ) were heard in the bivouacs when the emperor passed by . On 17 February the French began their withdrawal westward into winter quarters . By the 23rd the French reached their cantonments , with Bernadotte ' s I Corps on the left , Soult ' s IV Corps in the center , and Marshal Louis - Nicolas Davout ' s III Corps on the right . Ney ' s VI Corps occupied an advanced position at Guttstadt , while the Imperial Guard and the Reserve Cavalry occupied the rear area around Ostróda ( Osterode ) . Napoleon stationed the V Corps in a position to cover Warsaw . Marshal Pierre Augereau ' s decimated VII Corps was broken up and its survivors were allotted to the other corps . L ' Estocq ' s attempt to pursue the French came to grief at Braniewo ( Braunsberg ) on 26 February when Bernadotte ' s corps drubbed his advance guard . In this action , the Russian - Prussian force lost 100 killed and wounded , with 700 soldiers and six guns captured . French losses were not reported but were probably light . Meanwhile , to the northeast of Warsaw , General of Division Anne Jean Marie René Savary ' s V Corps defeated Lieutenant General Ivan Essen at the Battle of Ostroleka on 16 February . The French lost 1 , 171 casualties including one general killed . Russian losses were 2 , 500 soldiers , seven guns , and two colors . At the end of March 1807 , Marshal Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier withdrew many of his troops from the Siege of Stralsund with the intention of using them for the Siege of Kolberg . His Swedish opponent , General - Leutnant Hans Henric von Essen immediately pushed back the outnumbered besiegers . Quickly returning with the bulk of his soldiers , Mortier drove the Swedes north of the Peene River and the two sides concluded an armistice on 29 April . This freed many of Mortier ' s troops for other duties and allowed Napoleon to concentrate on reducing Gdansk ( Danzig ) . Marshal François Joseph Lefebvre invested the fortress of Danzig on 10 March 1807 . After a prolonged defense in the Siege of Danzig , General of Infantry Friedrich Adolf , Count von Kalckreuth surrendered on 24 May . Of the 370 officers and 15 , 287 men of the garrison , 3 , 000 were killed , wounded , or died of disease . French losses numbered about 6 , 000 killed , wounded , or died of sickness . French officer casualties were 28 killed and 105 wounded . On the 27th , the garrison marched out with the honors of war and were escorted to Baltiysk ( Pillau ) . The paroled Prussians promised not to fight against France for one year . Battle . Plans . With Danzig secured in his rear , Napoleon planned to launch an offensive around 10 June . When he received intelligence that the Russians intended to attack him , the emperor thought the enemy move " ridiculous " since they had done little to trouble him while Danzig was under siege . By this time , Napoleon massed 220 , 000 troops in Poland against only 115 , 000 Russians and Prussians . Napoleon had 190 , 000 men under his direct command while Marshal André Masséna commanded the rest . Masséna ' s instructions were to cover Warsaw , guard the right wing , and threaten the Russian strategic left flank . On 2 June Bennigsen concentrated his army at Heilsberg and advanced on Napoleon ' s lines . The Russian commander planned to destroy Ney ' s exposed corps in an overly complex operation involving six advancing columns . He sent the 1st Column with 24 battalions and 4 batteries through Orneta ( Wormditt ) , then south , to drive the French troops from the east bank of the Pasłęka . The Russians would then move south and take position near Eldyty Wielkie ( Elditten ) , thus preventing Soult from supporting Ney . Dokhturov commanded the 1st Column , which included his own 4 , 653 - man 7th Division and Lieutenant General Peter Kirillovich Essen ' s 5 , 670 - strong 8th Division . Lieutenant General Fabian Gottlieb von Osten - Sacken led the 2nd Column , which consisted of 42 battalions , 140 squadrons , and nine batteries . Bennigsen desired the 2nd Column to strike Ney ' s left flank while supporting the adjacent 1st and 3rd Columns . Osten - Sacken commanded his own 6 , 432 - man 3rd Division , Lieutenant General Alexander Ivanovich Ostermann - Tolstoy ' s 9 , 615 - strong 2nd and 14th Divisions , the 3 , 836 troopers of Major General Fedor Petrovich Uvarov ' s right wing cavalry , and the 2 , 982 horsemen of Lieutenant General Dmitry Golitsyn ' s left wing cavalry . Lieutenant General Pyotr Bagration directed the 3rd Column of 42 battalions , 10 squadrons , and six regiments of cossacks . This column , which was composed of the army Advance Guard , would attack north of Guttstadt with the aim of cutting off some of Ney ' s troops . Bagration ' s 3rd Column numbered 12 , 537 troops . Lieutenant General Aleksey Gorchakov exercised authority over the 4th Column , a body made up of the 6th Division with 12 battalions , 20 squadrons , and three regiments of cossacks . Gorchakov was ordered to cross the Łyna ( Alle ) River south of Guttstadt and attack Ney ' s right flank . The 6th Division was 10 , 873 strong . The 6 , 347 - man 5th Column was entrusted to Major General Matvei Platov . Supported by Major General Bogdan von Knorring ' s 6th Division brigade , this column would cross the Łyna at Bergfried ( Barkweda ) and try to envelop Ney ' s right flank . Platov led three battalions , 10 squadrons , and nine regiments of cossacks . Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich of Russia directed the 6th Column , consisting of the 1st Imperial Guard Division . Constantine ' s force , which constituted the army reserve , included 28 battalions , 28 squadrons , and three batteries , a total of 17 , 000 soldiers . Bennigsen instructed L ' Estocq to move against the French I Corps , which deployed along the lower reaches of the Pasłęka . While guarding the road to Königsberg , the Prussian general would drive Bernadotte ' s men onto the west bank and pin them there . L ' Estocq commanded about 20 , 000 men and 78 guns , of whom 15 , 000 were Prussians . The Russian contingent was led by Lieutenant General Nikolay Kamensky . Finally , Lieutenant General Pyotr Aleksandrovich Tolstoy with 15 , 800 soldiers kept Masséna ' s right wing under observation northeast of Warsaw . Because Ney ' s front was screened by forests , Bennigsen had a reasonable hope that he could fall on the Frenchman ' s troops before his opponent could take effective countermeasures . In the event , French scouts picked up enough information for Ney to order a concentration between Guttstadt and Deppen . He also sent a message to Soult asking him to hold Elditten on his left and another to Davout requesting him to defend Bergfried on his right . Spanden . Bennigsen ' s original orders called for the attack to begin on 4 June . Accordingly , L ' Estocq assembled General - Major Michael Szabszinski von Rembow ' s division at Pieniężno ( Mehlsack ) . On the morning of the 4th , Rembow moved to southwest to Spanden where he began to attack Bernadotte ' s bridgehead . Unknown to the Prussian general , Bennigsen had postponed the offensive by one day and the new orders had not been properly transmitted . Dokhturov at Wormditt heard cannon fire and sent Rembow a note asking the reason . Appraised of his error , the Prussian withdrew his division , but Bernadotte was thoroughly alerted by the day ' s events . At 10 : 00 AM on 5 June , Rembow attacked General of Division Eugene - Casimir Villatte ' s division at Spanden . The Prussian general commanded as few as 3 , 000 infantry and 1 , 500 cavalry , or as many as 6 , 000 troops . He had three battalions each of the " Sievsk " and " Perm " Russian Infantry Regiments , ten squadrons of the " Ziethen " Dragoon Regiment Nr . 6 , five squadrons of the " Baczko " Dragoon Regiment Nr . 7 , 29 cannons , and two howitzers . Villatte directed General of Brigade Bernard - Georges - François Frère ' s brigade , two battalions each of the 27th Light and the 63rd Line Infantry Regiments , plus three squadrons each of the 17th and 19th Dragoon Regiments . The 63rd was one of the units transferred from the VII Corps . The French fortified a loop in the Pasłęka that formed a re - entrant toward the west bank of the stream . By closing off the east end of the loop with a central redoubt connected by earthworks to the river banks on each side , the French held a well - protected east bank bridgehead . A second redoubt near the bridge provided a back up position . Villatte deployed the 27th Light in the bridgehead , with the 63rd Line and 17th Dragoons in direct support on the west bank . His second brigade under General of Brigade Jean - Baptiste Girard held the line of the Pasłęka farther north with the 94th and 95th Line Infantry Regiments . The 18th , 19th , and 20th Dragoon Regiments were with Girard . L ' Estocq ' s instructions called for him to mount a demonstration against Bernadotte ' s position . However , his adjutant Major Saint - Paul convinced him to order a full - scale assault . After the Spanden bridgehead was pounded by artillery for two hours , Rembow ' s Russian infantry advanced to the attack . The 27th Light Infantry , supported by four cannons and one howitzer , waited until the Russians were within close range before blasting them with a series of volleys . Shattered by the deadly fire , the Russians ran away , chased by the 17th Dragoons . L ' Estocq admitted losing 500 killed and wounded , while the French claimed to have inflicted 700 to 800 casualties . The only French loss of consequence was Bernadotte , who was wounded in the head by a bullet and had to hand over command of the I Corps to General of Division Claude Perrin Victor . Also on the 5th , General of Division Pierre Dupont de l ' Étang repelled a Prussian probe near Braunsberg . Lomitten . At 6 : 00 AM on the 5th , Dokhturov began driving in Soult ' s outposts after marching southwest from Wormditt via Wojciechowo ( Albrechtsdorf ) . General of Division Claude Carra Saint - Cyr ' s division of the IV Corps defended the Lomitten bridgehead . Two redoubts which stood on the east bank of the Pasłęka were connected by a line of breastworks . These fieldworks were defended by the 1st Battalion of the 57th Line Infantry Regiment and four cannons . Off to the left , the 2nd Battalion of the 57th defended a wooded area surrounded by abatis . One battalion of the 24th Light Infantry Regiment held the west bank in direct support , while a second battalion of the 24th Light watched the river farther north at Podągi ( Sporthenen ) and Olkowo ( Alken ) . Carra Saint - Cyr posted the rest of his division to the rear near Miłakowo ( Liebstadt ) Dokhturov launched three attack columns at the French works at 8 : 00 AM on 5 June . At about the same time , a detachment of Russian cavalry crossed the Pasłęka near Sporthenen and a force of infantry and artillery probed at Alken . The battalion of the 24th Light charged the Russians at Sporthenen and drove them back to the east bank . Meanwhile at Lomitten , Dokhturov ' s troops fought their way through the abatis in their initial rush only to be thrown back . They charged again and nearly captured the wood when Carra Saint - Cyr ' s reinforcements arrived and restored the line . The 2nd / 57th reoccupied the wood and held it for four hours . By this time , single battalions of the 46th Line and 24th Light were committed to defend the Lomitten bridgehead . The action lasted eight hours , at the end of which , the Russians attempted to storm the position in one massive column . This assault came to naught when two French battalions counterattacked . Orders arrived from Soult permitting Carra Saint - Cyr to evacuate the bridgehead . Since the Russian artillery had nearly leveled the earthworks and set the village of Lomitten on fire , the division commander exercised his discretion and pulled back . Even so , the French still blocked the bridge and the Russians fell back toward Wormditt at 8 : 00 PM . The French reported losing 106 killed and 1 , 079 wounded , and claimed that they inflicted 800 killed and 2 , 000 wounded on the Russians . Historian Digby Smith called the action a Russian victory . While part of his command battered at Lomitten , Dokhturov took the rest south to the bridge near Elditten . The local French commander , General of Division Louis - Vincent - Joseph Le Blond de Saint - Hilaire defended the crossing in strength and the Russian leader did not try to attack . Guttstadt - Deppen . Ney deployed General of Division Jean Gabriel Marchand ' s division at Guttstadt and Praslity ( Altkirch ) to the north , with one infantry and one cavalry regiment in the woods near Smolajny ( Schmolainen ) . The French marshal posted General of Division Baptiste Pierre Bisson ' s division to the south and west in the villages of Głotowo ( Glottau ) , Knopin ( Knopen ) , Łęgno ( Lingnau ) , and Kwiecewo ( Queetz ) . Marchand commanded the 6th Light , 39th Line , 69th Line , and 76th Line Infantry Regiments . Bisson led the 25th Light , 27th Line , 50th Line , and 59th Line Infantry Regiments . All regiments were made up of two battalions . A powerful cavalry contingent supported VI Corps , including the 3rd , 5th , 7th , and 8th Hussar Regiments , the 14th and 24th Chasseurs a Cheval Regiments , and the 12th Dragoon Regiment . All cavalry regiments had three squadrons except the dragoons , which had four . Bennigsen ' s 63 , 000 troops massively outnumbered Ney , who counted only 17 , 000 men . At 6 : 00 AM on 5 June , Bagration advanced on Altkirch and quickly captured it . At Altkirch , the Advance Guard commander hesitated because the 2nd and 4th Columns were lagging behind schedule . Ney used the chance to pull back the troops at Schmolainen , while launching a powerful riposte on Bagration . The Russians lost 500 casualties in the encounter , while French losses are not stated . As Osten - Sacken ' s strong 2nd Column began to make itself felt on his left , Ney made a fighting withdrawal , making maximum use of skirmishers . Gorchakov seized Guttstadt after the French evacuated it . Platov got across the Łyna at Barkweda and joined the Russian left wing . By 3 : 00 PM , Ney took up a position facing northeast near Jankowo ( Ankendorf ) and Świątki ( Heiligenthal ) . The right flank was protected by the Queetz Lake , the center by a small watercourse , and the left flank by a small forest north of Deppen . The day ' s action ended along this line . The morning of 6 June found Ney still defiantly in position . The Russian attacks began at 5 : 00 AM with Golitsyn attacking the French left , hoping to seize the bridge at Deppen and cut off Ney ' s retreat . Osten - Sacken assaulted the French center while Gorchakov struck his opponents ' right flank . Bennigsen held Bagration ' s Advanced Guard and Constantine ' s Guard in reserve . Ney ' s defense completely baffled Gorchakov , but his left and center were relentlessly pressed back . Hoping to flank Ney out of position , Gorchakov moved south of Queetz Lake which is about south of Queetz . and took his soldiers out of the battle for a few hours . This blunder relieved the pressure on the French right and the marshal used the respite to shift troops to shore up his left and center . Neatly withdrawing his corps across the bridge at Deppen , Ney escaped with little further loss . Result . Digby Smith credited the Russians with a victory at Guttstadt and Deppen . However , Bennigsen became so enraged at his failure to crush Ney that he vented his anger on Osten - Sacken , who he claimed , had ignored repeated orders to attack . Smarting from his ill - treatment , Osten - Sacken left the army for a short time . The French lost 400 killed or wounded , along with two guns and the VI Corps baggage train . The Russians captured 73 officers and 1 , 568 men , including General of Brigade François Roguet . Bennigsen lost between 2 , 000 and 2 , 500 killed and wounded , including Ostermann - Tolstoy and Lieutenant General Andrei Andreievich Somov wounded . That evening , Bennigsen set up his headquarters at Heilingenthal with the bulk of his army nearby . Gorchakov took position at Guttstadt , while L ' Estocq and Kamensky hovered in the vicinity of Mehlsack . According to historian Francis Loraine Petre , the Russian " offensive had expended its force and come to a standstill " . Napoleon immediately began assembling his forces for a counteroffensive . Bennigsen ordered his army to retreat on the evening of 7 June . The Russian commander repulsed Napoleon at the Battle of Heilsberg on 10 June . But at Friedland the French emperor won the decisive battle of the war on 14 June 1807 , which lead to the Peace of Tilsit . External references . " The following websites are good sources for the full names of French , Russian , and Prussian generals . "