Russian Artillery strength at the start of the campaign is difficult to unravel. Petre's Napoleon's Campaign in Poland says they had 156 guns at Pultusk/Golymin 64 Regimental guns = 92 / 16 = 6 SPs. They had already lost 70 guns on the retreat to Pultusk/Golymin. Before the retreat they had 226 guns; less 48 Regimental guns = 176 / 16 = 11 SPs. 1. On November 13, Bennigsen's Corps had 276 guns in 11 Light Companies, 8 Position Companies and 4 Horse Companies. [1] Total: 23 Artillery Companies (Batteries). On December 1822, Bennigsen had lost guns but still maintained 23 Artillery Companies (Batteries). 2. Guns lost: 5 guns at Czarnowo from Osterman's corps. A fight have been position guns. 6 guns at Kolozomb: 1/2 Company of horse artillery assigned to Barclay. 52 guns lost in the mud retreating before Pultusk. [2] Total Confirmed losses: 63 guns 3. Russian artillery strength at Pultusk: 7 foot, 2 1/2 horse Companies. [3] The puzzle is why the number of artillery companies decreases from 23 to 9 1/2. Petre shows two 14-gun batteries with Barclay, one with Bagavout, one with Ostermann, and 5 batteries in front of Bennigsen's main position. [4] He gives their strength at 128 guns. Petre's figure appears to be his own calculation, assuming that the 9 1/2 batteries were at a full strength complement of 14 guns for the foot batteries and 12 guns for the horse batteries. The key question is where Hoepfner got the 9. 1/2 Companies figure. He doesn't say. It seems likely that the batteries were reorganized on the eve of battle. Hoepfner refers to the heavy artillery being sent back, and perhaps his figures were arrived at by subtracting the 8 Position Companies (276-96--180)and then deducting from the remaining total the gun losses leading up to Pultusk (18063=117). But Bennigsen indicates that he had his heavy artillery with him at Pultusk. [5] Light Companies were broken up and distributed among the infantry regiments. Hoepfner says the Light Companies consisted of eight 61b. guns, four "1/4 pud" Unicorns (Licornes), and perhaps two 3 lb. Unicorns; a total of 14 guns. Licornes were howitzers, but they had a longer barrel than the typical howitzer. Consequently they had a flatter trajectory and a longer range. The 3 lb. Licornes were withdrawn from. service in 1810. There is some question about the actual strength of the Russian artillery company. The November 13 OB gives a gun strength that works out to 12 guns per company. Hoepfner says that the 3 lb. Licornes were detached to the Jaeger Regiments. It seems that they are not included in the 276 gun total. Petre sometimes counts batteries as 14 guns, while Hoepfner counts them as 12 -apparently Petre includes the Licomes and Hoepfner does not. The employment of the regimental guns is a mystery. Likely the guns were at the disposal of the Regiment/Brigade commander and probably used in units of 2, 3, or 4 guns in the spaces between regiments, according to the terrain and mission. 4. Guns detached one horse Company with Pahlen (from Sacken's division). [6] Pablen lost 3 guns in the mud during his retreat-to Golymin. It!s not dear whether Bennigsen includes these guns in his 52 total. one and a half position Companies with Galitzin (18 guns) who was cut off fiom Bennigsen and forced to retreat on Golymin. [7] The French reported capturing 26 guns stuck in the mud. Presumably the captured guns included some regimental guns. Bennigsen acknowledges that Galitzin spiked the guns that he could no longer pull through the mud. [8] Again, it's not clear whether Bennigsen includes these losses in the 52 total given above. Total detached: one Horse Company, one and a half Position Companies. 5. Russian Artillery at Pultusk Position: 8, less 1 1/2 Companies with Galitzin leaves 6 1/2 Companies. Horse: 4, less 1 detached with Pahlen, less 1/2 lost at Kolozomb leaves 2 1/2 Companies. Light. Unknown. No mention of Light Companies after Dec 18. Hoepfner gives Russian artillery strength at Pultuak as 7 In "Foot" Companies and 2 1/2 Horse Companies. [9] The Horse Companies figure matches my calculations above. The Foot Companies figure is one Company higher than my Position figure given above. I am inclined to think that Foot Companies refers to Position Companies, not Light Companies. Probably the Light Companies are not kept track of because they are at the brigade level or may have been broken up and assigned to the individual regiments. For example at Pultusk, one battalion of Anrepp's division arrived with 2 guns. Prinz Eugen von Wurttemberg wrote in his diary that the Russian army had 150 guns. on hand (presumably at Pultusk alone). [10] Despite Hoepfner (who called Wurttemberg's number too high), the 150 gun figure may be the best estimate, including regimental guns. Here's why: Starting with 27611 captured in fighting -52 lost in the mud -12 with Pahlen 36 with Galitzin (18 position and 18 regimental guns) = 165 guns. All in all, I have to agree with Hoepfner. He says that the number of guns put into action by the Russians could not be ascertained. Taking all this into consideration, below are some possible changes to the Russian artillery strength. The changes occur in three places in the Scenario setups and two places on the Turn Record Chart. However, since these changes all add Russian Artillery Strength, they should be considered "historical interest only," and not "official." Battle Scenario 1, p. 16, and Campaign Scenario 1, p. 19 Change. Sacken add 1 SP with the Right Wing Artillery. Battle Scenario 2, p. 17 Change: Barclay- add 2 SPs with the Left Wing Artillery. Turn Record Chart, 5 Jan Change. Add 2 Russian artillery replacement points. Turn Record Chart, 1 May Change. Reduce Russian artillery replacements from 2 to 1. CHANGE IN BOMBARDMENT EFFECT The investigation may not help clarify the situation much, but the following rule is necessary to moderate the impact of the Russian artillery, and should be considered official, Artillery Bombardment, p. 13 Change. Artillery may fire only once per round, at the owning Player's choice. Steps 12-21: Counterattack or re-attack, p. 13 Add: Artillery may not fire now if it fired in Step 5. SUMMARY TABLE Date Leader Given Changes 12/6 Benn 11a add 1a at Golymin Lost -6a - 12/26 Benn 5a 6a including Golymin SP Buxh +5a - 1/5 Reinf. - add 2a reinf/Podlasia 1/25 - 15a becomes 13a 1/31 - +2a - Lost -2a - 2/6 - 13a add 2a to "Left." [11] Lost -7a change to -5a [12] 4/3 Const +3a - 5/1 - +1a change to zero 6/4 - 12a - Lost -1a - 6/14 - 11a [13] - SUMMARY TABLE KEY "Date" is either scenario set-up or date of replacement. "Leader" is the track on which the artillery is placed. "Given" is the number of SPs in the game as published. "Changes" specifies adjustments to the Given amount. To convert to number of guns, one SP = 16 guns. LIGHTGUNS Artillery SPs included in thegame are for Grand Batteries only, and do not include guns assigned directly to infantry regiments. Gun strengths were assigned to infantry on the arbitrary basis of 1 gun per 1,000 infantry. John Wladis, series expert on Napoleonic Armies, clarifies the Russian artillery situation at Pultusk. Footnotes [1] MD 63 [2] Bennigsen 88 says the various detachments of the Russian army lost during this retreat a total of 52 guns, stuck in the mud..." [3] Hoepfner. 109 [4] Petre, p. 99n. [5] Bennigsen 102, top [6] Bennigeen 105. [7] Bennigsen 107. [8] Bennigsen 109. [9] Hoepfner 109 n 2 [10] Hoepfner 109 n 2. [11] At Eylau, there were 460 guns - 220 Regimental guns = 240 / 16 = 15 SP9. [12] The Emperor claims to have captured 65 guns at Bergfried, Deppen, Hof, and Eylau. [13] At Friedland, there were 240 guns - 64 Regimental guns = 176 / 16 = 11 SPs. Etudes Militaries: Napoleon's First War Against the Tsar 1807 Roads Across Poland - A Survey The Battle of Heilsberg: History and Scenario Winter Quarters Artillery Strength in The Eagles Turn East Additions & Corrigendum Back to Art of War Issue # 26 Table of Contents Back to Art of War List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1997 by Clash of Arms Games. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com