Battle of Czarnowo

Overview

The Battle of Czarnowo on the night of 23–24 December 1806 saw troops of the First French Empire under the eye of Emperor Napoleon I launch an evening assault crossing of the Wkra River against Lieutenant General Alexander Ivanovich Ostermann-Tolstoy's defending Russian Empire forces. The attackers, part of Marshal Louis-Nicolas Davout's III Corps, succeeded in crossing the Wkra at its mouth and pressed eastward to the village of Czarnowo. After an all-night struggle, the Russian commander withdrew his troops to the east, ending this War of the Fourth Coalition action. Czarnowo is located on the north bank of the Narew River 33 kilometres (21 mi) north-northwest of Warsaw, Poland.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Czarnowo secured a French crossing of the Wkra River during the winter operations of the War of the Fourth Coalition. Davout's III Corps forced the passage at the river's mouth and drove eastward to the village of Czarnowo, compelling Ostermann-Tolstoy to withdraw his Russian forces to the east after an all-night engagement. The action extended French operational reach north-northwest of Warsaw along the Narew, maintaining pressure on Russian positions as the campaign continued into early 1807. Casualties on both sides were roughly equal despite the disparity in engaged strength, indicating the difficulty of the night river assault.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (9)