La Bataille de Friedland et Danzig 1809

commander of the Russian left wing, the Georgian Peter Bagration, would not able to support Bennigsen, since Bagration's command was isolated from the Russian main body due to its position on wrong side of the stream.” Lt. Marin was not near the opening of the battle early on the morning of the 14 th . But he could hear the pre-dawn cannonade rumbling to the east of where he was at not too far from the still-stench filled Eylau battlefield. Marshal Lannes was commanding the forces comprising what would be the French left during Friedland. His first troops on the field approaching Friedland included Oudinot’s elite Grenadiers. Cossaques Scavenging Through The Refuse of War Lannes and Oudinot were finally able to push eastward on the Eylau road by mid-morning. They took the key junctions and crossings approaching Friedland and seized the key positions on the upcoming battlefield. Marin had approached the battlefield near the Sortlack Wood with Berthier’s command. He could see roaming bands of Cossaques off in the distance, picking off stragglers or looting dead bodies. It was sight he saw many times in the past 9 months—whether the Russians won or lost, the Cossaques were always there, like human buzzards, scavenging through the refuse of war. Marin was not one of the aides sent off to advise General Emmanuel Grouchy on the extensive cavalry moves the French initiated on their right flank near Heinrichsdorf. That village covered the northwest road to Konigsberg and its possession by the French would not allow any reinforcements into the area from that city, and it would force the Russians to fight the French on Napoleon’s terms. Rather, Marin was used by Berthier’s staff several times as a conduit of information between the French headquarters and Marshal Michael Ney and General Alexandre Senarmont as they prepared their final assault against the Russian center. By late in the afternoon, Senarmont was able to deploy his guns in a grand battery at virtually canister shot range. Senarmont’s fire was deadly and Bennigsen saw his left destroyed with the remnants of that wing streaming into the streets of Friedland. Many Russians drowned while attempting to cross the impassable Allee, and the battle was soon over.

So where was Marin during the denouement of the battle? He had fought with Ney throughout the late afternoon and was carried into the Friedland as the Russians collapsed. Finally noting that the battle was over, he sought permission to return to Berthier’s headquarters. While on his way back to Berthier, who was then northeast of Friedland, Marin, then by himself, rode his mount quickly through an area with few troops. There he encountered a small troop of Cossaques who were stripping corpses—French and Russian alike—of whatever valuables might be there. Seeing a live person for a change, they gave chase to Marin, and with their light, quick horses were able to overtake Marin. While Marin put up a spirited fight, he could not

fend off four Cossaques armed with short lances, and his life ended in the furthest reaches of East Prussia at age 24. His body was recovered the same day that Napoleon met Alexander on the barge at Tilsit. For France, Friedland had been an expensive undertaking. There were thousands like Marin who would never return to their homeland. For that reason alone, Napoleon felt compelled to make a peace rather than continue on. Tilsit was a false peace and the next several years would prove it so.

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