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More about Eylau.“The most difficult task that can be imposed upon an army is to enter on a second campaign, against fresh enemies, immediately after one in which its moral energies have been partially consumed. Fortunate as Napoleon’s operations against the Prussians and Saxons in the autumn of 1806 had been, they all the same came to a standstill when, in the winter, he encountered the Russians and the corps of General Lestocq, which had not previously been in action.” General Von der Goltz (The Nation in Arms).
Having just read Christopher Summerville’s book, Napoleon’s Polish Gamble, Campaign Chronicles, Pen & Sword Books Ltd, England, 2005 (ISBN 1- 84415 – 260 – X), I thought it about time to continue the quest of striving to find the “truth” about just what really occurred during this great Napoleonic battle. In this instance I will attempt to unravel the facts from the fiction when dealing with so – called eye witness accounts, and also try to piece together the various events that took place during the 4th - 7th February 1807, just prior to the commencement of the main engagement on the 8th February. From the mass of feedback that I have been receiving since I first put my article dealing with Murat’s cavalry charge at Eylau on this website in 2002, I hope that this fresh appraisal of “possible” alternatives to the excepted versions of the battle will also instil people with the urge to put finger to keyboard and open the way for more debate, and - dare I say it – argument!
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