Ney’s brilliant rearguard action saved his VI Corps from overwhelming odds.
5-6 June (May 24-25 OS) 1807 marks the Battle of Guttstadt-Deppen in the 4th Coalition War when Marshal Michel Ney’s 15,219 French infantry, 991 cavalry, 432 gunners & 24 guns fought Cavalry General Baron Levin August von Bennigsen’s 80,000 Russians & Cossacks & 168 guns. Ney’s brilliant rearguard action saved his VI Corps from overwhelming odds. Bennigsen launched a major offensive in June. He hoped to destroy Ney. He planned to fix Marshals Jean Bernadotte’s I Corps & Jean-de-Dieu Soult’s IV Corps (on either side of Ney) in place. His main force would converge on Ney’s position in several large attack columns. Ney would be isolated & wiped out. Lieutenant General Dmitry Dokhturov’s Column 1 (10,323 men) would isolate Soult. LG Baron Fabian von Osten-Sacken’s Column 2 (22,865: 42 bns, 140 sqns, 9 batteries) would circle Ney’s left. LG Prince Pyotr Bagration’s Column 3 (12,537: 42 bns, 10 sqns, 6 Cossack Regiments) would split Ney’s front. LG Aleksey Gorchakov’s Col...