The twin battles of Jena and Auerstedt, fought on 14 October 1806 during the War of the Fourth Coalition, marked one of Napoleon’s most decisive victories. The engagements were fought simultaneously on separate fields but are remembered together, as both crushed the main forces of the Kingdom of Prussia and reshaped the balance of power in Europe.
Napoleon’s Grande Armée demonstrated superior manoeuvre, discipline, and tactical innovation against an opponent that relied on outdated methods and rigid command structures. The collapse of the Prussian army after these battles effectively ended Prussia as a major military power for much of the Napoleonic period.
Forces
Leaders and Command Structure
| Side | Leaders | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| French Empire | Emperor Napoleon I, Marshal Louis-Nicolas Davout, Marshal Jean Lannes, Marshal Joachim Murat | Napoleon commanded at Jena. Davout fought independently at Auerstedt and achieved a stunning victory despite being heavily outnumbered. |
| Kingdom of Prussia and Allies (Saxony) | Duke of Brunswick, King Frederick William III, Prince Hohenlohe, General Blücher | Leadership was divided, with outdated coordination methods. Brunswick was mortally wounded at Auerstedt. |
Troop Numbers
| Battle | French Forces | Prussian-Saxon Forces |
|---|---|---|
| Jena | Approx. 96,000 men with 134 guns | Around 38,000 men with 120 guns |
| Auerstedt | Approx. 27,000 men with 46 guns (Davout’s III Corps) | Over 60,000 men with 230 guns |
Arms and Armour
- French Forces
- Infantry: Charleville musket with socket bayonet
- Cavalry: Light and heavy sabres (AN XI light cavalry sabre, cuirassier heavy sabre), pistols, lances for uhlan-style units
- Artillery: 6-pounder and 12-pounder guns from the Gribeauval system
- Officers and elite units carried ornate sabres, often with gilded hilts
- Prussian and Saxon Forces
- Infantry: Potzdam musket with bayonet
- Cavalry: Prussian heavy cavalry wielded the Pallasch (straight-bladed heavy sabre), hussars used curved light sabres
- Artillery: Mix of older Prussian models with limited mobility compared to French
- Many officers and guards carried decorative smallswords alongside service sabres
Armour had almost entirely disappeared from the battlefield by 1806, though some cuirassier units retained breastplates in the French army. The Prussians, by contrast, had not yet adopted significant armour revival.
Battle Timeline
14 October 1806
- 06:00 – French advance guard under Lannes makes contact with Hohenlohe’s Prussian troops near Jena.
- 07:00 – At Auerstedt, Marshal Davout’s III Corps unexpectedly encounters the main Prussian army led by the Duke of Brunswick.
- 09:00 – Fighting intensifies at both locations. At Jena, Napoleon deploys his full army. At Auerstedt, Davout holds firm despite being outnumbered more than two to one.
- 11:00 – Brunswick is mortally wounded at Auerstedt. Command confusion spreads among Prussian ranks.
- 12:00 – Murat’s cavalry at Jena delivers decisive charges, breaking the Prussian line.
- 14:00 – Davout launches a counteroffensive at Auerstedt, forcing the Prussians into retreat.
- 16:00 – Both battles end with French victories. Prussian forces begin a disorganised withdrawal.
Archaeology
Battlefield archaeology at Jena and Auerstedt has revealed:
- Musket balls and artillery shot scattered across the fields, demonstrating the heavy exchange of fire.
- Broken sabre blades and bayonet fragments, reflecting the close-quarter combat that occurred when cavalry clashed with infantry.
- Buttons, buckles, and regimental insignia recovered from burial pits, confirming the identities of Prussian and Saxon units present.
- Mass graves, uncovered in the 19th and 20th centuries, showing the scale of casualties.
The twin battlefields remain marked and commemorated, with memorials at both sites.
Contemporary Quotes
- Napoleon reportedly remarked after the battle: “It is the Prussian army that has vanished, not ours that has fought.”
- A Prussian officer wrote bitterly: “Our men were brave, but our leaders were lost in the fog of their own plans.”
- Marshal Davout, when congratulated for his victory at Auerstedt, replied: “I only did my duty, though Fortune favoured us against the greatest odds.”
Legacy
The defeat at Jena and Auerstedt shattered Prussia’s military reputation. The rapid collapse of its army forced the kingdom into submission, leading to the humiliating Treaty of Tilsit in 1807. The shock of the defeats, however, sparked sweeping reforms under leaders like Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, laying the foundation for the later resurgence of Prussia as a leading military power.
For Napoleon, these battles demonstrated the effectiveness of corps organisation, flexible manoeuvre, and the aggressive use of cavalry. They remain classic examples of the power of leadership and doctrine over sheer numbers.
Watch the documentary:
