Battle of Czarnowo The Battle of Czarnowo on the night of 23 – 24 December 1806 saw troops of the First French Empire under the eye of Emperor Napoleon I launch an evening assault crossing of the Wkra River against Lieutenant General Alexander Ivanovich Ostermann - Tolstoy ' s defending Russian Empire forces . The attackers , part of Marshal Louis - Nicolas Davout ' s III Corps , succeeded in crossing the Wkra at its mouth and pressed eastward to the village of Czarnowo . After an all - night struggle , the Russian commander withdrew his troops to the east , ending this War of the Fourth Coalition action . Czarnowo is located on the north bank of the Narew River north - northwest of Warsaw . Several other actions occurred during the same week . On the 23rd , Marshal Jean - Baptiste Bessières defeated a probe by Prussian troops at Bieżuń . On 24 December , an action occurred at Kołoząb and Sochocin where Marshal Pierre Augereau ' s VII Corps attempted to cross the Wkra . The French managed to secure a foothold on the east bank , forcing Major General Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly ' s Russian defenders to retreat . On Christmas Day , part of Marshal Michel Ney ' s VI Corps drove the Prussians from Soldau ( Działdowo ) , forcing them to retreat north toward Königsberg . The Russians , however , were full of fight and two sharp battles occurred on 26 December . Background . At the Battle of Jena - Auerstedt on 14 October 1806 , Napoleon administered a terrible beating to the principal Prussian armies . On a single day , the French captured 25 , 000 Prussian soldiers , 200 guns , and 60 colors . In subsequent operations the French inflicted crippling defeats on their adversaries at Erfurt , Halle , Prenzlau , Pasewalk , Stettin , Lübeck , Magdeburg , and Hamelin . In early November , Davout sent General of Division Marc Antoine de Beaumont ' s 2 , 500 dragoons to scout east of the Oder River . Napoleon ordered his brother General of Division Jérôme Bonaparte to protect his southern flank by operating against Glogau ( Głogów ) in Prussian - held Silesia . Wishing to deny Warsaw to the approaching Russian army , Napoleon decided to secure a position on the east bank of the Vistula River before winter weather forced a stop to the campaigning season . In December , the Prussians were able to field only 6 , 000 , plus the garrisons of Danzig ( Gdańsk ) and Graudenz ( Grudziądz ) . Field Marshal Mikhail Kamensky led the Russian army in Poland , which numbered about 90 , 000 men in two wings led by Generals Levin August , Count von Bennigsen and Friedrich Wilhelm von Buxhoeveden ( Buxhöwden ) . By now , Kamensky was showing clear signs of his mental and physical unfitness to command . Buxhöwden , who outranked Bennigsen , led the 5th Division under Lieutenant General Nikolay Tuchkov ; the 7th Division , commanded by Lieutenant General Dmitry Dokhturov ; the 8th Division of Lieutenant General Peter Kirillovich Essen ; and the 14th Division led by Lieutenant General Heinrich Reinhold von Anrep . Buxhöwden ' s divisions were veterans of the Battle of Austerlitz on 2 December 1805 and were under strength . In total , therefore , his wing had 29 , 000 infantry , 7 , 000 cavalry , 1 , 200 gunners , and 216 artillery pieces . Bennigsen commanded the 2nd Division of Ostermann - Tolstoy , the 3rd Division led by Lieutenant General Fabian Gottlieb von Osten - Sacken , the 4th Division under Lieutenant General Dmitry Golitsyn , and the 6th Division commanded by Lieutenant General Alexander Karlovich Sedmoratski . The nominal strength of Bennigsen ' s force was 49 , 000 infantry , 11 , 000 regular cavalry , 4 , 000 Cossacks , 2 , 700 artillerymen , 900 pioneers , and 276 guns . Of these , between 55 , 000 and 60 , 000 were available for mobile operations . The Russians fielded an army of 18 divisions in 1806 . Each division consisted of 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 . With 14 - gun foot batteries and 12 - gun horse batteries , each Russian division theoretically controlled 82 field pieces . The heavy batteries were generally made up of eight 12 - pound cannons , four heavy howitzers , and two light howitzers . The light batteries were similarly mustered but with 6 - pound instead of 12 - pound cannons . Horse batteries were exclusively made up of 6 - pound cannons . Five divisions under General Johann Michelson faced the Ottoman Turks in Moldavia . The 1st Imperial Guard Division of Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich of Russia was stationed at Saint Petersburg , while four additional divisions formed a reserve army in the interior . Napoleon pressed forward with Davout , Augereau , Marshal Jean Lannes ' V Corps , and Marshal Joachim Murat ' s Cavalry Reserve . As the French advanced , Bennigsen withdrew his troops from the Vistula . Murat occupied Warsaw on 28 November and Napoleon began turning the city into a center of operations . Buxhöwden ' s wing was still several marches to the rear and Bennigsen desired to join his colleague before facing the full strength of the French army . As the French crossed the Vistula in early December , Bennigsen had a change of heart and tried to retake his former position on the east bank . By now , Napoleon ' s second wave of corps was arriving and , after a few clashes , Bennigsen decided to pull back behind the Wkra after all . After peaking during the whirlwind campaign west of the Oder , the morale of the French troops hit a new low point in Poland . The bad weather and approaching winter made Napoleon ' s troops very reluctant to continue the campaign . The Polish roads went from deep mud to frozen ruts as the weather grew colder . The emperor was forced to dispense a bonus in pay and extra shirts and shoes for his soldiers . Even so , French military discipline grew worse . At this time , Napoleon first used the term , " les grognards " ( the grumblers ) , to describe his troops . Napoleon determined to mount an offensive . Led by Murat ' s cavalry , Davout , Augereau , and Lannes would drive north from Warsaw . From Thorn ( Toruń ) , Ney , Marshal Jean - Baptiste Bernadotte ' s I Corps , and Bessières would push east to turn the Russian right flank and separate General - Leutnant Anton Wilhelm von L ' Estocq ' s Prussians from their allies . Marshal Nicolas Soult and the IV Corps would provide the connection between the two forces . Two major cavalry formations were in existence . Murat ' s I Cavalry Corps included Beaumont ' s 3rd Dragoon Division , General of Division Étienne Marie Antoine Champion de Nansouty ' s 1st Cuirassier Division , General of Division Louis Klein ' s 1st Dragoon Division , General of Division Nicolas Léonard Beker ' s 5th Dragoon Division , and General of Brigade Édouard Jean Baptiste Milhaud ' s light cavalry brigade . Bessières ' short - lived II Cavalry Corps comprised the 2nd Dragoon Division under General of Division Emmanuel Grouchy , 4th Dragoon Division led by General of Division Louis Michel Antoine Sahuc , 2nd Cuirassier Division commanded by General of Division Jean - Joseph Ange d ' Hautpoul , and the light cavalry division of General of Division Jacques Louis François Delaistre de Tilly . The II Cavalry Corps was established on 16 December and dissolved on 12 January 1807 . Battle . On the morning of 23 December , Napoleon personally observed the Russian position near the point where the Wkra emptied into the Bug - Narew . Near its mouth , the Wkra split into two branches , forming a low , swampy island . Davout ' s troops had occupied the island since the night of 20 December . Davout had three infantry divisions under Generals of Division Charles Antoine Morand , Louis Friant , and Charles - Étienne Gudin de La Sablonnière . Napoleon decided on a night attack and drafted very detailed orders . Because of the high quality of Davout ' s generals and officers , the emperor ' s orders were carefully carried out . Opposite the French , Ostermann - Tolstoy held the east bank of the Wkra with nine battalions , two squadrons , one regiment of Cossacks , 14 guns , and six light guns . The Russian 2nd Division included three infantry brigades . Major General Nikolai Mazovsky led the Pavlovski Grenadier and Rostov Musketeer Regiments , Major General Alexander Yakovlevich Sukin commanded the Petersburg Grenadier and Jeletzsky Musketeer Regiments , and Major General Ivan Andreievich Lieven directed the 1st and 20th Jager Regiments . The complement of 48 guns was made up of two 12 - pound foot batteries and two 6 - pound horse batteries . Major General Petr Petrovich Pahlen led the cavalry brigade which included the Little Russia Cuirassier , Courland Dragoon , and Soum Hussar Regiments , plus the Malakov and Sissoiev Cossacks . Morand ' s division assembled on the island , Friant ' s troops were slightly farther north at the village of Pomiechowo , and Gudin ' s soldiers held a bridgehead to the west near Modlin . At 7 : 00 PM Morand deployed his troops into three columns , each headed by one battalion . Supported by artillery firing grapeshot , the French " voltigeur " ( light ) companies boated across the Wkra . The voltigeurs took covering positions on the east bank while engineers quickly built three bridges . Once the bridges were completed , Morand ' s troops swarmed across . The 17th Light Infantry Regiment and three squadrons of cavalry were among the first units across . General of Brigade Claude Petit led a task force from Gudin ' s division across the bridge nearest the Bug - Narew and moved up the Wkra ' s east bank . Morand ' s attack was a success and the Russians were quickly hustled out of their positions on the east bank . The 17th Light rushed forward and drove the Russians out of Czarnowo . However , their opponents soon rallied and recaptured the village from the French . There was a lull in the action as Morand brought reinforcements up . He sent forward the 30th Line Infantry Regiment , one battalion along the banks of the Bug - Narew to attack on the right , a second battalion in a frontal attack , while the third battalion moved through a pine woods on the left . Ostermann - Tolstoy ' s troops also repelled this assault . Afraid of losing his heavy artillery , the Russian commander sent his to the rear . The French continued their attack and eventually seized Czarnowo , then deployed east of the village . Meanwhile , with the help of six guns on the west bank of the Wkra , Petit ' s 400 men cleared the Russian redoubts opposite Pomiechowo . They were first charged by Russian cavalry , which they drove off . Davout sent some of Gudin ' s troops to assist and Petit hung onto the redoubts , despite being attacked by Russian infantry . At 4 : 00 AM , Ostermann - Tolstoy issued orders for retreat while keeping up his attacks on Petit . With the help of three late - arriving Russian battalions and four squadrons , the Russians withdrew in good order to the east . Friant ' s troops were ordered forward at 4 : 00 AM . Arriving on the field soon after , they took over the pursuit from Morand ' s exhausted men . Together with Davout ' s light cavalry under General of Brigade Jacob François Marulaz and a dragoon regiment , Friant ' s soldiers hounded the Russian retreat . The French captured three enemy guns at Nasielsk and drove their opponents into some nearby woods . The Russians fought back hard , keeping Davout ' s troops from advancing farther than Nasielsk that day . Ostermann - Tolstoy admitted losing 500 men , but another report states that 1 , 392 Russians were killed and wounded , including three generals wounded . Davout reported losing 807 casualties . The French suffered particularly heavy losses in officers . Historian David G . Chandler estimates losses as 1 , 400 on both sides . Digby Smith states that French casualties were 16 officers and 830 men , while the Russians suffered 41 officers and 1 , 360 men casualties and five guns captured . Smith ' s total includes 500 prisoners . Bieżuń , Kołoząb , and Soldau actions . On 19 December Bessières advance guard , which consisted of Grouchy ' s dragoons , seized Bieżuń . Anxious to regain control of the town , L ' Estocq sent two infantry regiments , a regiment of dragoons , two regiments of hussars , and horse artillery battery to recapture it . This force arrived at Bieżuń on the 23rd to find that Grouchy had been heavily reinforced by Bessières ' II Cavalry Corps , plus infantry and artillery . Leading his division , Grouchy attacked the Prussians and drove them back toward Soldau . The 2nd Dragoon Division included the 3rd , 4th , 10th , 11th , 13th , and 22nd Dragoon Regiments plus three horse artillery pieces . Major Karl Anton Stephan de La Roche - Aymon led the Prussian units bearing the brunt of this action , which were half of the " Towarcys " Uhlan Regiment , the " Schleiffen " Grenadier Battalion , and a horse artillery battery . Trapped against a swampy forest , 500 of the Prussian infantry and five guns were captured . French losses were described as light , while the number of Prussians killed and wounded was not reported . As the main action at Czarnowo faded away at dawn on 24 December , Augereau attempted to force a passage of the Wkra to the northwest . Kołoząb is about northeast of Plonsk while Sochocin is northwest of Kołoząb . The VII Corps commander had two infantry divisions and two cavalry brigades on hand . Augereau ordered Jacques Desjardin ' s 1st Infantry Division and Milhaud ' s cavalry to seize the crossing at Kołoząb , while sending Étienne Heudelet de Bierre ' s 2nd Division and General of Brigade Pierre Watier ' s cavalry to take Sochocin . The Russian commander , Barclay de Tolly , deployed three battalions and three squadrons at Sochocin , three battalions and two squadrons at Kołoząb , and three battalions to hold the wooded area between the two villages . The bridges at both places were burnt and the Kołoząb crossing was defended by 12 artillery pieces . Heudelet ' s attack failed when his soldiers were unable to rebuild the bridge under heavy fire . Frustrated at the failure of his first attempt , he ordered a second attack which resulted in further losses . Desjardin ' s assault enjoyed better luck . He spread the 16th Light Infantry Regiment along the west bank opposite Kołoząb . Under the 16th ' s covering fire , the grenadiers of the 2nd Battalion of the 14th Line Infantry Regiment picked their way across the incompletely destroyed bridge to seize a foothold on the east bank . Though counterattacked by Russian infantry and hussars , the grenadiers held on until reinforced . The French forced back their opponents and captured six guns . Meanwhile , General of Brigade Pierre Belon Lapisse took a task force downstream ( south ) , surprised the bridge guard at Pruszkowo , and successfully crossed . After this success , Augereau marched Heudelet ' s division to the Kołoząb crossing . Milhaud aggressively pursued the Russians and captured the baggage train of the 2nd Division . Augereau reported losses of 66 killed and 452 wounded , almost equally divided between his two divisions . Russian losses are not reported . Also on the 24th , Ney bumped into a Prussian rear guard under Oberstleutnant Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bülow at Górzno and pushed it back . Bülow joined La Roche - Aymon ' s detachment and the two continued falling back . Ney sent General of Division Jean Gabriel Marchand ' s division ahead toward Soldau and Mława while holding the other division at Górzno . On 25 December , Marchand with two regiments attacked the single Prussian battalion at Soldau and drove it out of the town at 2 : 00 PM . The rest of his division , which had taken a roundabout path through Mława soon arrived . L ' Estocq attacked Soldau at about 5 : 00 PM , but was unable to break into the town despite hand - to - hand fighting . He retreated north to Neidenberg ( Nidzica ) , breaking contact with the Russian army . Marchand commanded the 27th , 39th , 69th , and 76th Line Infantry Regiments , eight battalions , and 12 guns in two foot artillery batteries . Out of a total of 6 , 000 troops , the French suffered 220 casualties , including General of Brigade François Pierre Felix Vonderweidt . L ' Estocq ' s troops , which belonged to General - Major Christoph Friedrich Otto Diericke ' s brigade , included 3 , 000 men in four battalions and eight 12 - pound guns . The units involved were the " Rüchel " Infantry Regiment # 2 and the " Schöning " Infantry Regiment # 11 . Prussian casualties were not reported , though Ney claimed to have inflicted 800 casualties on his enemies and captured two guns and one color . The French pressed eastward and encountered the Russians in two major actions on 26 December . At the Battle of Pułtusk , Bennigsen with 40 , 600 troops fought 26 , 000 French under Marshal Lannes . Golitsyn and 9 , 000 Russians fought off Augereau ' s 16 , 000 French at the Battle of Gołymin .