Initially Gazan made rapid progress , but he quickly recognized that the opposing force was much stronger than the typical rear guard of a retreating army . Realizing he had been duped and that Gazan 's troops were tiring rapidly , Mortier sent orders to Dupont 's division to hurry forward . By mid @-@ morning the French momentum had stalled ; Mortier committed most of his remaining forces to driving Miloradovich back , leaving a single battalion--perhaps 300 troops--to cover his northern flank , and sent the rest to attack the Russian right . Within 30 minutes he achieved the superiority of numbers he sought . His 4 @,@ 500 French opposed 2 @,@ 600 Russians and forced them back toward Stein while pressing an attack along the river . Miloradovich had no option , for neither Strik 's nor Dokhtorov 's flanking columns were to be seen .