Friedland 1807

Russian forces under the command of General Golicyn drove the French cavalry out of Frydland on June 13, and Bennigsen's main forces occupied the town overnight. The next day, Marshal Lannes' corps clashed with the Russians first in the Sortlack forest and then near Posthenen. General Grouchy's cavalry captured Heinrichsdorf.

The vanguard of the Franco-Polish corps led by Mortier (along with Dąbrowski's Polish division) appeared near Heinrichsdorf, and the Cossacks were driven out of Schwönau. Lannes held his position, and when Napoleon arrived at noon, the French forces near Frydland numbered 80,000 soldiers. All French cavalry was concentrated in Heinrichsdorf.

At 5:00 PM, all preparations were complete, and Ney led an assault on the Sortlack forest preceded by heavy artillery bombardment. The attack was directed along the Łyna River. One of Ney's divisions (under Marchand) drove part of the Russian left wing into the water near the forest. Seeing this, the Russians launched a violent cavalry attack against the left flank of Marchand's division, but it was repelled by Latour-Maubourg's dragoon division.

As the Russians crowded in the bends of the Łyna, they became easy targets for Ney's artillery and reserves. However, Ney's attack was halted when, while pushing Bagration towards the Łyna, he came under heavy Russian artillery fire. Bennigsen seized this opportunity and threw his cavalry reserve into the fray, which attacked with great fury and pushed Ney back, forcing him to retreat. Just like at Prussian Iława, it seemed that the arrival of night would delay the decisive success.

General Dupont's infantry division launched a fierce attack from Posthenen, while French cavalry divisions pushed Russian squadrons onto the packed masses of infantry on the riverbank. Soon, General Sénarmont brought up a large number of cannons to engage in short-range firing. This allowed Ney to counterattack, and around 7:00 PM, he broke into Frydland and then pursued the shattered regiments of Bennigsen's left wing. The assault against Gorczakov's forces was supported by the Napoleon's Guard's strike. At the same time, Lannes and Mortier held the Russian center and right wing, and their artillery inflicted significant casualties on the Russians.

By 11:00 PM, the fighting ceased, and only a Russian battery on the opposite bank of the river continued to shell, covering the chaotic retreat of the Russians.