e inclement
weather; but he had at least come to a decision, and forestalling
Napoleon's scheme, advanced on June sixth to the Passarge, against
Ney's corps, which was the French advance-guard. Ney retreated, and
the seventh was spent in manoeuvers which resulted in uniting his
corps with the main army. Bennigsen, having hoped to cut off and
destroy his division before attacking in force, felt compelled, in
consequence of failure, to retreat in turn, and this movement left
Lestocq at a dangerous distance to the right. At this juncture
Napoleon determined to assume the offensive himself. On the eighth he
began to concentrate his troops, and took measures to find the enemy
in order to force a battle. Bennigsen had withdrawn beyond the river
Alle; Soult and Lannes, with Murat in advance, were sent up its left
bank to Heilsberg; Davout and Mortier were to pass farther on, as part
of a general movement to surround; Ney and the guard were held in
reserve, while Victor was despatched to block Lestocq.

The first shock occurred on the morning of the tenth, in the
neighborhood of Heilsberg; for Bennigsen had sent a considerable
number of his troops back over the river to feel the enemy. The
Russians were slowly driven across the plain, fighting fiercely as
they went, until by six in the evening they reached the heights near
the town, which had been intrenched. Here they turned, and for five
hours hurled back one advancing French column after another until
eleven o'clock at night, when, fortunately for the attacking
troops,--so at least thought Savary, who was with them,--it grew too
dark, even near the summer solstice and in those high latitudes, to
fight longer. Next morning Napoleon woke after his bivouac and looked
to see his enemy gone, as at Pultusk and Eylau. But this time a
repetition of that pleasant experience was denied him. His losses had
been so serious the day before that he spent the eleventh in
manoeuvers, further concentrating his army before Heilsberg, and
despatching Davout to throw himself between Lestocq and Bennigsen,
thus turning the latter's right and checking the former, if all went
well. This movement determined the character of the whole campaign. It
had the desired effect, and on the morning of the twelfth the trenches
in front of him were empty. The Russians had stolen away, and for two
days they steadily retreated down the Alle in the general direction
of Koenigsberg, until on the evening of the thi