lucky date and he should give battle. More practically, he saw at once that
Bennigsen had made an egregious mistake by deploying the Russians
with their backs to the river. Furthermore, the Russian line was bisected
by a millstream and a lake, which would make it very difficult for the
Russian wings to support each other. By 4 p.m., with 8o,ooo men in
position, Napoleon was convinced he had a glorious opportunity which
would not present itself again.
His strategy was simplicity itself. He would attack the Russians in the
right angle formed by the river Alle, where the millstream bisected the
two wings. This would be done swiftly, immediately and without fu rther
artillery bombardment. Once at least two of the brid ges over the Alle
were destroyed, the remaining Russians could be driven north into the
arms of Davout and Murat. At 5 p.m. he ordered Ney's corps to lead the
onslaught. It was not a moment too soon. Napoleon's famous intuition
had been right again; there would not have been such a unique
opportunity on the morrow. By now Bennigsen had seen the danger and
was just in the process of ordering a retreat when Ney attacked; he had to
countermand his orders rapidly to deal with the sudden French
mcurs10n.
Bennigsen began by launching a cavalry counterattack, which was
beaten off in heavy fighting. Gambling that the French could not sustain
another massive cavalry attack, he ordered his elite horsemen in again,
but this time they were taken in the flank by Victor's corps. Chaos ensued
when the retreating Russian cavalry collided with their own infantry; the
twisting confusion of cursing and panicky men gave the French gunners
an unmissable target. Victor, as much the hero of Friedland as Davout
had been at Auerstadt, saw his opportunity and moved up thirty cannon.
Opening up successively from ranges of 6oo yards, 300 yards and rso
yards, French artillerymen tore gaping holes in the Russian ranks. At
point-blank range case-shot did terrible damage, and hundreds of
Russians fell dead within minutes.
Bennigsen tried to relieve the shambles on his left by sending his
reserve under Gortchakov against the key corps of Lannes, Mortier and
Grouchy. The Russians would have been at their most effective south of
the millstream, but superb work by the French cavalry kept them pinned
to the north of it. In desperation Bennigsen ordered a massed bayonet
charge on Ney's right flank, but this move too came to grief and
thousands of Russians drowned in the Alle without getting to grips with
the French. General Dupont then crossed to the north bank of the
millstream and attacked the flank and rear of the exhausted Russian
centre. With Ney already in the outskirts of Friedland, Bennigsen played
marcin
(Marcin)
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