The Battle of Friedland has a special place in Polish history, despite being a relatively little-known episode of the Napoleonic Wars, for its derivation was the creation of the Duchy of Warsaw and the saying "Drunk as a Pole". The Battle of Friedland involved soldiers commanded by General Jan Henryk Dabrowski. After the battle, a rest was ordered. There was a relaxation of discipline. Drunkenness reportedly lasted for three days. Unexpectedly, the Russians launched a counterattack. It turned out then that only Polish troops were able to take part in the battle. They managed to hold off the enemy and shield the rest of the temporarily incapacitated army. Napoleon was to write in his daily order the next day: "If you already have to drink, then drink like the Poles." Napoleon was to write in the next day's daily order: "If you should already drink, then drink like Poles." A popular French saying - saoul comme un Polonais / soul comme un Polonais - denotes someone who, despite consuming more alcohol, retains physical fitness and sober thinking, that is, a person with a so-called "strong head", possibly someone who is characterized by above-average courage and bravado.
Significance of Battle of Friedland:"On the 14th June, the anniversary of the battle of Marengo, the fatal battle of Friedland was fought between the Russians and the French ... The carnage was dreadful: according to the French Bulletins, the Russians left from 15 to 18,000 dead on the field. In this disastrous battle and retreat, the Russians lost a great part of their artillery, and almost all their magazines and ammunition on a line of 120 miles in extent. And the battle of Friedland was not less decisive than those of Austerlitz and Jena, nor its consequences less fatal to the independence of Europe." Laskey p. 141-142
