Siege of Danzig | |||||||
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Part of the War of the Fourth Coalition | |||||||
Panoramic view of the Siege of Gdańsk by French forces in 1807 |
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Belligerents | |||||||
France |
Prussia Russia United Kingdom (naval) |
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Marshal Lefebvre |
Marshall Kalckreuth Nikolay Kamensky |
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Strength | |||||||
45,000 100 heavy guns and mortars |
14,400 Prussians (garrison) 7,000 Russians (reinforcements) |
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Casualties and losses | |||||||
6,000 killed and wounded |
3,000 Prussians killed, wounded and sick 1,500 Russians killed and wounded |
14,400 Prussians (garrison)
3,000 Prussians killed, wounded and sick
The Siege of Danzig (19 March - 24 May 1807) was the French encirclement and capture of Danzig during the War of the Fourth Coalition. On 19 March 1807, around 27,000 French troops under Marshall Lefebvre besieged around 14,400 Prussian troops under Marshall Kalckreuth garrisoning the city of Danzig.
Danzig held an important strategic position. As well as being an important heavily fortified port with 60,000 inhabitants at the mouth of the river Vistula, it was a direct threat to the French left, as it lay within Prussian lands but to the rear of the French army as it advanced eastward. It was also a potential dropping off point for allied troops, that could threaten the French army by opening another front to their rear. Danzig was also difficult to attack, being only accessible from the west, while all other directions were covered either by the Vistula (N) or wetlands (S and E). Furthermore, it had precious resources (such as powder, grain, eau de vie, etc.) of great interest to the Grande Armée in planning a substantial campaign in the east. In a letter dated 18 February 1807, Napoleon noted to Marshal Lefebvre:
Your glory is linked to the taking of Danzig: you must go there.
The task of taking the city was in mid-February given to Marshal Lefebvre and his 10th corps. The marshal was aided by generals Chasseloup-Laubat, who commanded the engineering works, and Baston de Lariboisière, who commanded the artillery. Together they were the two best specialists in their respective fields in the French army. General Drouet was the chief of staff. The 10th corps comprised two Polish divisions under General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski, one Saxon corps, one contingent from Baden, two Italian divisions and about 10,000 French troops, in total about 45,000 men. Inside Danzig stood 14,400 men under the Prussian commander General Count Friedrich Adolf von Kalkreuth.Napoleon was however to describe these men as ‘canaille' (rabble)