A French corps under Bernadotte repulsed a Russian advance guard but withdrew after a cavalry raid threatened its supply train, halting Napoleon's left flank operations.
Key Facts
- Date
- 25 January 1807
- French commander
- Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte
- Russian commander
- Major General Yevgeni Ivanovich Markov
- Town occupied after battle
- Mohrungen (modern Morąg, northern Poland)
- Conflict
- War of the Fourth Coalition, Napoleonic Wars
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
After crushing Prussia in late 1806 and occupying Warsaw, Napoleon placed his army in winter quarters. Russian commander Bennigsen seized the initiative by marching north into East Prussia and turning west to strike Napoleon's exposed left flank, sending columns that advanced toward French positions.
On 25 January 1807, Bernadotte's First French Empire corps engaged a strong Russian advance guard under General Markov near Mohrungen in East Prussia. The French initially pushed back the main Russian force, but a Russian cavalry raid on the French supply train prompted Bernadotte to break off his attacks and withdraw, leaving the town to Bennigsen's army.
Bernadotte's withdrawal allowed Bennigsen's forces to occupy Mohrungen, though the Russian advance was already nearly exhausted. Napoleon used the interval to gather strength for a major counterstroke, and the engagement effectively checked further exploitation of his left flank without producing a decisive result for either side.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte.
Side B
1 belligerent
Major General Yevgeni Ivanovich Markov, General Levin August, Count von Bennigsen.