Battle of Pułtusk The Battle of Pułtusk took place on 26 December 1806 during the War of the Fourth Coalition near Pułtusk , Poland . Approximately 35 , 000 Russian soldiers with 128 guns under General Levin August , Count von Bennigsen resisted the attacks of 25 , 000 First French Empire soldiers under Marshal Jean Lannes . The Russians withdrew the day after this Napoleonic Wars action . Pułtusk is located on the west bank of the River Narew approximately north of Warsaw . Background . Strategic context . After defeating the Prussian army in the autumn of 1806 , Emperor Napoleon entered partitioned Poland to confront the Russian army , which had been preparing to support the Prussians until their sudden defeat . Crossing the River Vistula , the French advance corps took Warsaw on 28 November 1806 . The Russian army was under the overall command of Field Marshal Mikhail Kamensky , but he was old and becoming infirm . The Russian First Army of some 55 , 000 to 68 , 000 men , commanded by Count Bennigsen , had fallen back from the Vistula to the line of the River Wkra ( Ukra ) , in order to unite with the Second Army , about 37 , 000 strong , under General Friedrich Wilhelm von Buxhoeveden ( Buxhöwden ) , which was approaching from Russia and was still several days march from the First Army . However , realising his mistake in allowing the French to cross the Vistula , Kamensky advanced at the beginning of December to try to regain the line of the river . French forces crossed the Narew River at Modlin on 10 December , and the Prussian Corps commanded by General - Leutnant Anton Wilhelm von L ' Estocq failed to retake Thorn ( Toruń ) . This led Bennigsen on 11 December to issue orders to fall back and hold the line of the River Wkra . When this was reported to Napoleon , he assumed the Russians were in full retreat . He ordered the forces under Marshal Joachim Murat – the 3rd corps of Marshal Louis Nicolas Davout , 7th Corps of Marshal Pierre Augereau , 5th Corps under Lannes , and Murat ' s 1st Cavalry Reserve Corps – to pursue towards Pułtusk . Meanwhile , Marshal Michel Ney ' s 6th Corps , Marshal Jean - Baptiste Bernadotte ' s 1st Corps , and Marshal Jean - Baptiste Bessières ' s 2nd Cavalry Reserve Corps turned the Russian right . Marshal Nicolas Soult ' s 4th Corps linked the two wings of the French army . Kamensky reversed the Russian retreat , and he ordered an advance to support the troops on the River Wkra . On the night of 23 and 24 December , Davout ' s corps forced a crossing of the lower Wkra in the Battle of Czarnowo . After engagements at Bieżuń on 23 December with Bessières and Soldau ( Działdowo ) on 25 December with Ney , the Prussian corps under L ' Estocq was driven north towards Königsberg . Augereau ' s corps seized a second crossing of the Wkra on the 24th at Kołoząb . Realising the danger , Kamensky ordered a retreat on Ostrołęka . At this time the old field marshal appears to have had a mental breakdown and returned to Grodno . Bennigsen decided to disobey his superior ' s orders by standing and fighting on 26 December at Pułtusk . He had available the 2nd Division of Lieutenant General Alexander Ivanovich Ostermann - Tolstoy , the 6th Division of Lieutenant General Alexander Karlovich Sedmoratski , part of Lieutenant General Dmitry Golitsyn ' s 4th Division , and part of Lieutenant General Fabian Gottlieb von Osten - Sacken ’ s 3rd Division . To the north - west , most of the 4th Division commanded by Golitsyn and the 5th Division under Lieutenant General Dmitry Dokhturov fought the Battle of Gołymin on the same day . Weather . The weather caused severe difficulties for both sides . Mild autumn weather had lasted longer than normal . The usual frosts , which rendered the inadequate roads passable after the muddy conditions of autumn , were broken by thaws . There was a thaw on 17 December and a two - day thaw on 26 and 27 December . The result was that both sides found it very difficult to manoeuvre ; in particular the French ( as they were advancing ) had great difficulty bringing up their artillery . Davout recorded it took two hours to cover 2½ miles . There were also difficulties with supply . Captain Jean - Baptiste - Antoine - Marcelin , Baron de Marbot , who was serving with Augereau ' s Corps wrote : Site . Pułtusk lies on the west bank of the River Narew with a suburb on the east bank . The road from Strzegociz crossed the river by a bridge and then ran north - west towards Gołymin . A second road from Warsaw entered the town from the south - west , and then ran along the west bank of the river towards Rozan . Before it reached Pułtusk this road was joined by one from Nasielsk . Another longer route to Rozan ran along the east bank . The final road was that to Markow , which ran northwards from the town . The town itself lay on low ground . To the north and west lay a plateau , narrowing to a wide ridge nearer the river . A ravine cut into the plateau near the river . A large wood lay on the north - west side of the plateau , towards the village of Mosin . Further out from the plateau more woods covered the approaches from Warsaw . Battle . Forces . Lannes commanded two infantry divisions under Generals of Division Louis Gabriel Suchet and Honoré Théodore Maxime Gazan de la Peyrière . Suchet ' s 1st Division included General of Brigade Michel Marie Claparède ' s 3 - battalion 17th Light Infantry Regiment , General of Brigade Honoré Charles Reille ' s 4 - battalion 34th Line Infantry Regiment and 3 - battalion 40th Line Infantry Regiment , and General of Brigade Dominique Honoré Antoine Vedel ' s 64th and 88th Line Infantry Regiments , three battalions each . Gazan ' s 2nd Division comprised General of Brigade Jean François Graindorge ' s 3 - battalion 21st Light Infantry Regiment and 2 - battalion 28th Light Infantry Regiment and General of Brigade François Frédéric Campana ' s 100th and 103rd Line Infantry Regiments , three battalions each . General of Brigade Anne - François - Charles Trelliard led 12 squadrons of the corps cavalry , which consisted of the 9th and 10th Hussar Regiments and the 21st Chasseurs à Cheval Regiment . General of Brigade Louis Foucher de Careil commanded the corps artillery , 38 guns in four foot and two horse artillery batteries at full strength . Historian Francis Loraine Petre wrote that General of Division Nicolas Léonard Beker ' s 1 , 200 - strong 5th Dragoon Division was also present , but did not note its composition . Digby Smith placed Beker in charge of the 2nd Dragoon Division and listed the 3rd , 4th , 10th , 11th , 13th , and 22nd Dragoon Regiments as part of this unit . General of Brigade Joseph Augustin Fournier Marquis de D ' Aultane was the acting commander of the 3rd Division of Davout ' s corps . This unit was made up of two brigades . General of Brigade Claude Petit led the 2 - battalion 12th Line Infantry Regiment and the 3 - battalion 21st Line Infantry Regiment . General of Brigade Nicolas Hyacinthe Gautier directed the 25th and 85th Line Infantry Regiments , two battalions each . General of Division Louis Michel Antoine Sahuc led the 4th Dragoon Division , which only had one brigade present . General of Brigade Jacques Léonard Laplanche commanded the 15th and 25th Dragoon Regiments . Fournier had 70 chasseurs à cheval , 100 dragoons , and only one artillery piece attached to his command . Bennigsen commanded Ostermann - Tolstoy ' s 2nd Division , Sedmoratski ' s 6th Division , and elements of the 3rd and 4th Divisions . The 2nd Division had three infantry and one cavalry brigades . Major General Nikolai Mazovsky directed the " Pavlovski " Grenadier and " Rostov " Musketeer Regiments , Major General Alexander Yakovlevich Sukin led the " Petersburg " Grenadier and " Jeletzsky " Musketeer Regiments , and Major General Ivan Andreievich Lieven commanded the 1st and 20th Jager Regiments . Major General Koschin ' s cavalry brigade included the " Life " Cuirassier , " Kargopol " Dragoon , and " Soum " Hussar Regiments , plus two cossack units . There were a total of 60 artillery pieces in four foot batteries and one horse artillery batteries . The 6th Division also controlled three infantry and one cavalry brigades . Major General Karl Gustav von Baggovut led the " Starokolski " Musketeer and 4th Jäger Regiments , Major General Vasili Sergeievich Rachmanov commanded the " Vilnius " and " Nizov " Musketeer Regiments , and Major General Fedosei Mikhailovich Bikov directed the " Reval " and " Volhynia " Musketeer Regiments . Major General Karl Osipovich Lambert ' s cavalry brigade comprised the " Ekaterinoslav " Cuirassier , " Kiev " Dragoon , and " Alexandrov " Hussar Regiments , plus one Tatar and one cossack unit . The 6th Division artillery numbered 72 guns in five foot and one horse artillery batteries . The units of the 3rd and 4th Divisions are not listed . Altogether , Bennigsen controlled 40 , 500 men in 66 battalions , 55 squadrons , and his artillery . Action . 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 the combat died away , and Fournier retired to the edge of the woods . The arrival of Fournier ' s division also had an effect on the French right wing . With the switch of much of the Russian artillery to support Barclay de Tolly , the French were able to use their own guns to support a fresh attack at about 2 : 00 PM on Baggovut by the brigades of Claparède and Vedel , supported by Gazan on their left . Baggovut ' s men were driven back over the ravine in their rear , and their guns captured . Ostermann - Tolstoy established a battery to Barclay ' s right and reinforced by five battalions he attacked . After a desperate fight the French were thrown back and the guns recaptured . The French right and centre fell back to their start positions as night fell . During the night , Bennigsen decided to retire , and did so the next day , 27 December , using the longer road to Rozan along the east bank of the Narew . From there he continued his retreat to Ostrołęka . Fournier ' s division also moved off to rejoin the 3rd Corps at Golymin . Lannes was in no position to pursue the Russians , and occupied Pułtusk on 28 December . Analysis . Losses on both sides are disputed . Lannes claimed the Russians lost 2 , 000 killed , 3 , 000 wounded and 1 , 800 prisoners , a total of 6 , 800 ; Sir Robert Wilson , British liaison officer with the Russian army , claimed the Russians lost less than 5 , 000 men . Lannes admitted 700 French killed and 1 , 500 wounded ; Russian authorities said the French losses were 7 , 000 killed and wounded and 70 prisoners . Given that the French were attacking and exposed to artillery fire a total for them of 7 , 000 killed , wounded and prisoners does not seem unreasonable , and a total of 5 , 000 casualties for the Russians seems a good estimate . Another authority gives French losses as five generals and 140 officers killed or wounded , 3 , 200 soldiers dead or wounded , and 700 captured . Russian losses are stated as 3 , 500 total , including 1 , 500 men and 12 guns captured . On the French side , Lannes , Bonnard , Claparède , and Vedel were all wounded . Bennigsen claimed a victory . The consensus seems to be that having decided to fight , in defiance of his orders he could have better disposed his forces , taken the offensive and destroyed Lannes ' s corps before Fournier came up . Bennigsen said he thought he was facing 60 , 000 French under Napoleon in person , which may explain his defensive stance . Bennigsen also complained that Buxhoeveden did not support him , but that officer was obeying his orders to retire . Lannes , on the other hand , was following his orders , and the result was to find himself facing a superior force in a good defensive position . Napoleon ' s orders had not allowed for this , and unaware of the odds against him Lannes attacked . If Fournier had not used his initiative and marched to the sound of the guns the result may have been very different . Aftermath . At the Battle of Gołymin , Golitsyn successfully held off a superior French force . This , combined with the failure of Soult ' s corps to pass around the Russian right flank spoiled Napoleon ’ s chances of cutting the Russian line of retreat and trapping them against the River Narew . The Russian 5th and 7th Divisions retired towards the main body of the army at Rozan . Bennigsen ' s forces fell back to Nowogród on the River Narew , uniting on 1 January 1807 with the forces under Buxhoeveden . On 28 December , Napoleon stopped his advance and , having lost contact with the Russian army , decided to go into winter quarters . His troops were exhausted and discontented , and the supply situation was in great disorder . The break in hostilities did not last long . Soon afterward , Bennigsen was appointed army commander and he launched an unexpected winter offensive into East Prussia . Aimed at the French strategic left flank , the Russian blow was blunted at the Battle of Mohrungen on 25 January 1807 . Napoleon immediately counterattacked , trying to cut the Russian communications line that ran to the northeast . The French caught up with the Russians on 7 and 8 February 1807 and the dreadful Battle of Eylau was fought .