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The Battle of Ostrołęka was fought on 16 February 1807 between a French force under
General of Division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French Revolutionary System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...
Anne Jean Marie René Savary and a Russian force under
Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
Ivan Essen. The French defeated the Russians and forced them to retreat to the east to Wyoki Mazowiecki. Weather conditions caused both sides to go into winter quarters immediately after the battle, which occurred during the
War of the Fourth Coalition The War of the Fourth Coalition () was a war spanning 1806–1807 that saw a multinational coalition fight against Napoleon's First French Empire, French Empire, subsequently being defeated. The main coalition partners were Kingdom of Prussia, ...
, part of the
Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
.
Ostrołęka Ostrołęka (; ) is a small city in northeastern Poland on the Narew river, about northeast of Warsaw, with a population of 51,012 (2021) and an area of . It is the capital of both Ostrołęka County and Ostrołęka City County in the Masovian V ...
is located in the northeast part of modern Poland, but in 1807 it belonged to the
Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...
.


Background

Savary was in command of the V Corps on the extreme French right so as to guard the approaches to Warsaw by the
Narew The Narew (; ; or ) is a 499-kilometre (310 mi) river primarily in north-eastern Poland. It is a tributary of the river Vistula. The Narew is one of Europe's few braided rivers, the term relating to the twisted channels resembling braided h ...
and Bug, and to cover the right rear of the movement northwards. After the French were driven out of Ostrów on 3 February, Savary received orders to abandon Brok and retire upon Ostrolenka, so as to strengthen his communication with the Emperor's army. Essen was ordered by Bennigsen to drive back Savary, who, at the same time, had made up his mind to assume the offensive. Essen, with 25,000 men, advanced to Ostrolenka on the 15th, along the two banks of the Narew. Savary decided to hold Ostrolenka on the defensive, on 15 February, leaving 3 brigades on the low hills outside Ostrolenka flanked by batteries on the opposite bank, whilst he assumed the offensive on the morning of the 16th against the Russian force coming down the right bank.


Course

Early on 16 February, General of Division Honoré Théodore Maxime Gazan arrived at the vanguard with part of his division. At 9 a.m. he met the enemy on the road to
Nowogród Nowogród is a small town in northeastern Poland, located about away from the city of Łomża, Łomża County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, with 1,998 inhabitants (2004). It is centered on the area known as Skansen Kurpiowski which is an open-air m ...
and attacked and routed them, but at the very same moment the Russians attacked Ostrołęka by the left bank. General of Brigade François Frédéric Campana, with a brigade from Gazan's division, and General of Brigade
François Amable Ruffin François Amable Ruffin (; 31 August 1771 – 15 May 1811) was a general of division in Napoleon's First French Empire. He was mortally woundedJohn Fortescue (historian), Fortescue, John (1917)''A History of the British Army'', Vol. VIII, p. 67 ...
, with a brigade from General of Division
Nicolas Charles Oudinot Nicolas Charles Oudinot, duc de Reggio (; 25 April 1767 – 13 September 1847), was a French general of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He is known to have been wounded 34 times in battle, being hit by artillery shells, sa ...
's division, defended the town. Savary sent General of Division Honoré Charles Reille, his chief of staff. The Russian infantry, in many columns, wished to take the city but the French let them advance halfway up the streets before charging them, leaving the streets covered with the dead. The Russians abandoned the town and took up positions behind the sand hills that covered it. Oudinot and General of Division
Louis Gabriel Suchet Louis-Gabriel Suchet, duc d' Albuféra (; 2 March 1770 – 3 January 1826), was a French Marshal of the Empire and one of the most successful commanders of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He is regarded as one of the greatest ...
and their divisions advanced and by midday, the heads of their columns arrived at Ostrołęka. Oudinot commanded the left in two lines, whilst Suchet commanded the centre and Reille, commanding a brigade of Gazan's division, formed the right. He "covered himself with all his artillery and marched against the enemy." Oudinot put himself at the head of a successful cavalry charge, cutting the
cossacks The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic languages, East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borde ...
in the enemy's rearguard to pieces. The exchange of fire was brisk. The Russian army gave way on all sides, and was followed fighting for three leagues.


Aftermath

The next day the Russians were "pursued several leagues." Two Russian generals and several other Russian officers were killed and three generals wounded. According to the 63rd bulletin of the
Grande Armée The (; ) was the primary field army of the French Imperial Army (1804–1815), French Imperial Army during the Napoleonic Wars. Commanded by Napoleon, from 1804 to 1808 it won a series of military victories that allowed the First French Empi ...
(28 February 1807), the Russians left 1,200 wounded and 1,300 dead on the battlefield, with 7 cannon and two flags captured by the French. Only 60 French troops were killed, including Campana whose death was much grieved by
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
, with 400 to 500 wounded including Colonel Duhamel of the 21st Light Infantry Regiment and artillery Colonel Henri Marie Lenoury. On Napoleon's orders, the V Corps went into winter quarters along the right banks of the Omulew and the
Narew The Narew (; ; or ) is a 499-kilometre (310 mi) river primarily in north-eastern Poland. It is a tributary of the river Vistula. The Narew is one of Europe's few braided rivers, the term relating to the twisted channels resembling braided h ...
down to
Serock Serock is a town at the north bank of the Zegrze Lake, Zegrze lake in the Legionowo County, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, around north of Warsaw. It has 4,109 inhabitants (2013). History The stronghold was founded in the 10th century, shortly ...
, holding Ostrolenka with a detachment and repairing the bridge there. The thaw was "dreadful" and the season allowed for no more campaigning – the enemy had left their winter quarters first, and "repented it." Savary's action at Ostrolenka had revealed "that the Russians were in no great strength on this side, and that Napoleon had little to fear from any attempt to strike his communications with
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
." Oudinot was made a
Count of the Empire As Emperor of the French, Napoleon I created titles in a newly established ' (imperial nobility) to institute a stable elite in the First French Empire, after the instability resulting from the French Revolution. Like many others, both befo ...
and given a donation of a million francs. Savary received the
Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
. The Battle of Ostrołęka is mentioned at the
Galerie des Batailles The (; ) is a gallery occupying the first floor of the Aile du Midi of the Palace of Versailles, joining onto the '' grand'' and '' petit appartement de la reine''. long and wide, it is an epigone of the ''Grande Galerie'' of the Louvre and ...
at Versailles and on the
Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, often called simply the Arc de Triomphe, is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Plac ...
in Paris, and is a battle honour of several French regiments.


Citations


References

* * 62nd and 63rd bulletin of the
Grande Armée The (; ) was the primary field army of the French Imperial Army (1804–1815), French Imperial Army during the Napoleonic Wars. Commanded by Napoleon, from 1804 to 1808 it won a series of military victories that allowed the First French Empi ...
* *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ostrołęka 1807 Battles of the War of the Fourth Coalition involving Russia Cavalry charges of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars Poland in the Napoleonic Wars History of Masovian Voivodeship Ostrołęka Conflicts in 1807 1807 in Poland February 1807 Battles inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe