ACHIEVEMENTS OE FIELD ARTILLERY. 
517 
exultating confidence. They were soon drawn up upon the cord of the 
arc formed by the river here, while a powerful artillery covered their 
retreat over the bridges from the opposite bank of the river. Lannes 
and Mortier, who had come to his support, had fallen back to the high 
ground between Posthenen and Heinrichsdorf, and in the woods behind 
Napoleon assembled his forces as they successively arrived. By 4 
o’clock about 70,000 infantry and 10,000 horse were assembled, accord¬ 
ing to Alison, while Beningsen had no more than 38,000 infantry, 
and 8000 cavalry on the left bank of the Alle to oppose them with. 1 
His dreams of destroying Lannes had long since vanished, and he 
realised with dismay that now he could only hope to hold his ground 
till nightfall, when he might perhaps slip away from his powerful 
opponent and gain the right bank of the Alle once more. 
But Napoleon had marked the importance of Friedland and was not 
going to let him escape. 
At 5 o’clock a salvo of artillery gave the signal for the French to 
assume the offensive, and Ney’s corps, consisting of the divisions of 
Bipon and Marchand, emerged from behind Posthenen, and swiftly 
moved to the attack between the mill stream and the river. Their 
impetuous leader hurried them on in two columns to outflank the 
Russian left, and at first he carried all before him, but the further he 
pressed forward the more his right column, formed from Marchand’s 
division, became exposed to a raking fire from the powerful Russian 
batteries on the opposite bank of the Alle. His left column, too, was 
soon heavily assailed, while the cramped nature of the ground and the 
small space available for manoeuvre further hampered his movements. 
Secure from attack, owing to their unique position, the Russian gunners 
across the river laid with cool precision, and every shot told. Soon 
Ney’s columns were seen to hesitate and waver, and Bragation, who com¬ 
manded the Russian left, promptly took advantage of their confusion, 
the Russian Guard charged the confused columns of their opponents 
resolutely, and in a few minutes not only had the French lost all the 
ground they had just gained, but the safety of their right wing appeared 
in jeopardy. 
Meanwhile, however, Victor’s corps which had been held in reserve 
was moved forward, and Dupont’s division hurried on to retrieve the 
disaster. General Senarmont accompanied the battery belonging to 
this division into action, but found the Russian fire overpoweringly 
strong, and the French infantry could make no headway against the 
tide of Russian success. The moment was a critical one, and some 
great effort must be made if the fortunes of the day were to be changed. 
Senarmont saw a great opportunity for his arm, and having obtained 
the consent of Victor to utilise all the guns of his corps as he pleased, 
he swiftly put his project into execution. 
In spite of the murmurs and remonstrances of the different Generals, 
who naturally did not wish to be deprived of all their artillery at such 
a moment, he formed the Divisional Artillery of the corps into two 
great batteries of fifteen guns each, with the remainder in reserve, and 
placed one on the right in front of the wood of Sortlack, and the other 
1 Taubert, however, places the Russian strength as high as 60,000 on the left bank of the river. 
