War of the Fourth Coalition

On the same day as Napoleon at Jena, Davout faced the bulk of the Prussian army. Despite numerical inferiority of roughly one to two, he held all day thanks to the exceptional discipline of his troops. General Brunswick was mortally wounded, the Prussian chain of command collapsed, and Davout turned a defensive position into a brilliant victory.

Three days after Jena, Bernadotte intercepted an important Prussian division in retreat at Halle. He launched a brutal attack against their entrenched positions, taking the city by storm, cutting bridges, and sowing chaos in enemy ranks.

On 14 October 1806 at Jena in Thuringia, Napoleon crushed the Prussian army of the Duke of Brunswick. Prussians, clinging to eighteenth-century tactics, were surprised by French speed and coordination. Brunswick was mortally wounded; about 25,000 Prussians were killed, wounded, or captured. The same day Davout won Auerstedt against the bulk of the Prussian army.

Seeking to escape encirclement, Blücher attempted to take refuge in Lübeck, a free and neutral city. The French forced entry into the city despite protests from authorities and fought in the streets. Fighting was intense and ended in Prussian capitulation.

Prince Hohenlohe's Prussian column, in retreat after Jena, was intercepted near Prenzlau by Murat's cavalry. A brief skirmish degenerated into encirclement, and Murat forced Hohenlohe to capitulate by exaggerating French strength. Ruse, speed, and tactical pressure triumphed.

The Battle of Saalfeld saw Lannes's French vanguard meet a Prussian corps commanded by the young Prince Louis Ferdinand. Despite his bravery, the latter died in combat and his troops were defeated by skillful French maneuvers.

After a short siege, the powerful fortress of Magdeburg, one of Prussia's most important, capitulated without offering real resistance. Ney, encircling the city and bombarding its outskirts, persuaded the Prussian commander to surrender.