On examining the plan of the first position of the Russians, it will be at once seen that they had no knowledge of the arrival of our corps. They supposed that they were acting against the corps of colonel Sierakowski alone, and they had conceived the design of out-flanking him. On the morning of the 29th, our whole corps, quitting the little town of Graiewo, met, at the distance of about a quarter of a league, the Russian flankers, against whom our own were immediately sent out. The Russian cavalry began to retire. Our columns continued their march slowly, having the forces of colonel Sierakowski in front, as an advanced guard,[66] and we thus arrived at the lake of Raygrod, the advanced guard meeting only small detachments of the Russian cavalry, which retired as we approached. On reaching the lake, our advanced guard were fired upon by the Russian skirmishers, concealed in the woods on the opposite side of the lake, which bordered upon the causeway. Colonel Sierakowski received orders to engage with them. He sent forward his own light troops, and placed two cannons upon the causeway, with which he commenced a fire upon the woods. The Russian infantry instantly evacuated the woods, and allowed our skirmishers to occupy them. By this manoeuvre, the Russians intended to lead on our forces with the view to attack them on their flank, and even to surround them, by sending detachments (_a_, _b_) to the right and left, as will be seen on the plan. In a short time our larger force, under general Gielgud, commenced debouching between the two lakes. A strong column (_c_) of our infantry took a direction towards the forest, to the left, and another column (_d_) to that on the right, to dislodge the enemy, if he should be found to have occupied either. At the same time our artillery (_e_), to the number of fourteen pieces, taking a position at the side of the causeway, opposite to that of the enemy (_f_), commenced firing. The whole of our cavalry, and the greater part of our infantry remained in the centre, and constituted a formidable front.