Eylau: Precis Des Travaux de la Grande Armée
Note on the Battle of Jena
Jena, October 15, 1806, 5 oclock in the morning.
The battle of Jena, which took place on the 14th, will be one of most famous of the history. The Prussians had 150,000 men. They lost 200 pieces of artillery, 50 flags, 28,000 prisoners; the duke of Brunswick, the Rüchel General were killed; Prince Henry of Prussia grievously wounded; a great number of Generals and officers of distinction were wounded. Comparatively, the loss of the French army was much less. However, with the ambulances at Jena under carry 1200 wounded and those of Naumbourg 1500. There is only one other General killed, brigadier general de Billy an excellent military man. The French cavalry was covered with glory.
Marshal Davoust, placed at the mouths of Koesen, in front of Naumbourg, prevented the enemy from emerging. He fought all day and put to rout more than 60 thousand men, commanded by Mollendorff, Kalkreuth and by the king in person. This army corps covered itself with great honor. As for the remainder, everyone fought with zeal and courage. The corps of the Marshals Lannes, Soult, Ney and Augereau shared in the action with an equal intrepidity.
The queen of Prussia was accompanied by a squadron of hussards; she was obliged to have return to Weimar, and had to set out again three hours before our pickets arrived there. She followed a road on which we have many troops: it is possible that she was taken.
The divisions of cuirassiers and dragons could arrive only at the end of the day. They broke into several battalions of Prussian infantry in squares, which they made captive, the Grand-Duke of Berg being always at their head.
Our troops entered in the evening to Weimar by following the enemy rear-guard on the left flank. While on right-hand flank, Marshal Davoust followed in general to Eckartsberg. It is believed that the enemy seeks to rally on the flank of Franckenhausen to try to gain Magdeburg.
The enemy must have realized an appalling loss that one will only know later. Six of their Generals are prisoners, with a great number of colonels.
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