Eylau

French Cavalry
Men & Horses
Myth & Glory
The Charge
Russian Army
The Weather
Bibliography
Photographs

The Weather

The cold had been intense for several days before the battle, and both the Russians, French and Prussian forces must have suffered terribly as a result. [Petre pp163ff] tells us that, 'So firmly were they (the lakes and streams) locked in the grasp of frost, and so completely concealed by the snow, that troops of all arms, horses, wagons, guns, passed over their frozen surface, without being aware that water lay beneath their feet', and again, 'The gunners knew not there was ice; had they known it, it is by no means certain that they could have broken it through the three feet or more of snow protecting it from all but a plunging fire'. This creates yet another problem during the charge, and with the battle as a whole. Just how did the artillery of both sides manage to swab-out their cannon if the water all around the area was frozen? Not only this but even if they were reduced to melting snow for the purpose, how did they manage to stop this from freezing solid again once in wooded buckets? We may be sure that it would have been almost impossible to have fires burning next to each cannon during the whole course of the battle to melt the snow, so just how did the artillery manage? Was this a possible cause for misfiring, and was the reason Marshal Ney later said that he could see the flashes of the cannon but not hear their report, due to the fact that the guns were unable to discharge properly [Lachouque pp165]? 

During the evening and night of the 7^th-8^th February the temperature dropped from -5c down to a numbing -16c. Under such conditions harness becomes inflexible, and clothing does not only double in weight but also freeze solid. Swords become frozen to scabbards, while muskets and cartridges are difficult if not impossible to use to best effect, to say nothing of the hands that are needed to perform the tasks of using them. That the frost was intense is verified by Baron Larrey who tells us that while performing operations on the battlefield, and inside a barn at that, the instruments fell from the attendant's hands with the cold [Petre pp165]. 

During a cold spell in December 1999, I left various articles of military and civilian equipment outside overnight in temperatures of between -4c-5c; there had been a light fall of snow, but no more than around 3-4 centimetres. Among the military articles were a Grenadier Guard officer's greatcoat and an old German Jager pack from the First World War. The straps on the pack although not new were nevertheless well treated with saddle soap and modern leather protection spray. The greatcoat was also in very good condition, and I had placed woollen material inside the arms and inside the body of the coat to facilitate some form of bulk and warmth. Nevertheless the straps on the pack became almost impossible to unfasten, and only several minuets of working at them made them yield to my efforts, which was performed with reasonably warm hands! The greatcoat had also become ridged, and considering that even with body heat being generated, which may have allowed more flexibility to the material, under the conditions that prevailed at Eylau, unless the soldiers moved around all night, then these items of clothing must have become unbelievably stiff and inflexible (see photographs). 

The other items left to the elements were a pair of modern leather riding boots, and an ancient 1850's ball and cap shotgun, which has the same basic actions as the musket. The boots were also stuffed with wool and other fibres to keep in some warmth but these, like the straps on the pack, became almost rock hard and painful to move in. The old shotgun had been well greased, and its firing mechanism was in working order; however even this did not prevent it form freezing around the trigger and firing plate, whilst the ramrod became almost welded into its bracket supports underneath the barrel (see photographs). Finally, our local stable confirmed that they do not exercise horses on fresh snow or frozen ground; the problems with falls and spills, coupled with broken or dislocated legs renders all but a gentle walk out of the question.