Battle of Mesoten

Battle of Mesothen
Part of the French invasion of Russia
Theater of military operations
Date 26–30 September to 1 October 1812 Location Mežotne, Russian Empire 56°26′N 24°03′E Result Prussian victory
Belligerents
Russian Empire	Prussia
Commanders and leaders
Fabian Steinheil	Ludwig von Yorck
Strength
22,000	16,000
Casualties and losses
4,000	1,250

French invasion of Russia

330km
205miles

Mesoten

15

Pultusk

14

Gorodeczno

13

Drohiczyn

12

Tauroggen

11

Riga

10

Tilsit

9

Warsaw

8

Berezina

7

Maloyaro-
slavets

6

Moscow

5

Borodino

4

Smolensk

3

Vitebsk

2

Vilna

1

Kowno

   

  current battle

  Prussian corps

  Napoleon

  Austrian corps

The Battle of Mesothen took place from 26–30 September to 1 October 1812, between the Russian Corps of Finland and the French-allied Prussian Auxiliary Corps. It was fought near the Latvian town of Mežotne (German: Mesothen), then part of the Courland Governorate.

Background

In September 1812, Russian troops of General Steinheil entered Mitau, Gross Eckau and Bauska without a fight. However, they were spread out and vulnerable to enemy counterattacks. The Prussian command deployed its forces to defend the artillery stationed at the Bauska Castle and sent small squads to the ford across the river Lielupe.

Battle

Hans David Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg

On September 29, the Prussians launched a counterattack against the advancing Russian forces and attacked their vanguard at 5 pm. The struggle lasted until late at night and pushed the Russian troops back. On the same night, Ludwig von Yorck sent forces under the command of Friedrich Kleist against the troops of Alexander Belgard, which were chasing a retreating Prussian squad on the left bank of the Lielupe. The resulting battle was fought in darkness and involved only infantry units. Vastly outnumbering the enemy, the Prussians forced the Russian troops back and, after having received substantial reinforcements, went on the offensive.

Aftermath

Faddey Fyodorovich Steinheil

As a result of the battle, Steinheil called off the advance and returned to Riga. Although a defeat, the battle eased some of the pressure on the Russian army of Peter Wittgenstein, helping it to eventually capture the city of Polotsk on October 20.

See also

• List of battles of the French invasion of Russia

References

• Отечественная война 1812 года: Энциклопедия (Patriotic War of 1812: an Encyclopedia) (in Russian). Moscow: РОССПЭН. 2004.
• Bodart, Gaston (1908). Militär-historisches Kriegs-Lexikon (1618-1905). Retrieved 7 April 2021.

External links

• Media related to Battle of Mesoten at Wikimedia Commons

Preceded by Battle of Valutino

Napoleonic Wars Battle of Mesoten

Succeeded by Battle of Borodino