On September 8, Russia celebrates the Day of Military Glory of Russia - the Day of the Battle of Borodino. It was established in 1995 by the Federal Law of the Russian Federation "On the Days of Military Glory (Victory Days) in Russia". On August 26 (September 7), 1812, a general battle of the Russian army under the command of Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov with the French army under the command of Emperor Napoleon I took place. The error arose due to an incorrect conversion from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian. As a result, the Day of Military Glory falls on September 8, although the battle took place on September 7.
Background
Russia and France in the late 18th - early 19th centuries due to a number of strategic miscalculations, Petersburg and Paris became enemies and waged bloody wars. Russian armies fought the French in the Mediterranean (Ionian Islands), Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Prussia. In 1807, the Peace of Tilsit was concluded between the two great powers. Russia and France became allies. However, the intrigues of England, the ambitions of Napoleon and the erroneous course of Emperor Alexander I led to the fact that Russia and France fell out again.
Napoleon Bonaparte made the main mistake of his life - he decided to start an invasion of the Russian Empire. He planned to "punish Alexander", defeat the Russian armies in decisive border battles and dictate his will to Petersburg. However, the logic of the war forced him to go to Moscow, deep into Russia, which ultimately ruined the "Great Army" (in fact, the combined forces of all of Europe).
Barclay de Tolly chose the most correct strategy - the Russian troops avoided a decisive battle with the superior forces of the enemy under the leadership of the most brilliant commander of that time. As it deepened into Russia, Napoleon's army quickly lost its combat capability and striking power. The communications of the "Great Army" stretched out, significant forces were allocated to cover the flanks, scattered across vast Russia, soldiers (the war attracted adventurers, adventurers, all kinds of trash from all over Europe) marauded and deserted. The "Great Army" was not ready for a protracted war, a war of total annihilation. The Russian people responded to the invasion with a partisan (people's) war, which the military command skillfully supported with the help of flying cavalry and Cossack detachments. The enemy was not ready for such a war. With each passing day and week, Napoleon's strength dwindled. Even entering Moscow, the French soon fled from there. The Moscow campaign was completely lost and eventually led to the collapse of Napoleon's empire.
The invasion began on June 11 (23), 1812 (Napoleon's fatal mistake: the beginning of the campaign against Russia). Napoleon's army crossed the Niemen. On June 12 (24), Tsar Alexander I signed the Manifesto on the beginning of the war with France. The Russian emperor called on the people to defend their faith, Fatherland and freedom. Alexander declared: "… I will not lay down my arms until not a single enemy warrior remains in My Kingdom." From the very beginning of the war, it was shown that the war would be fought until the complete victory of one of the parties.
The commanders of the two Russian armies Mikhail Bogdanovich Barclay de Tolly and Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration, due to the overwhelming superiority of the enemy forces and the unfortunate location of Russian troops on the border, began to withdraw their armies along converging directions deep into Russian territory. The retreat was accompanied by rearguard battles. Napoleon tried to maintain the divided position of the Russian armies and destroy them one by one. In the process of persecution of the Russian armies, Napoleon's "Great Army" literally melted before our eyes. Rainier's corps and Schwarzenberg's Austrian troops were left on the right flank against Tormasov's 3rd Western Army. The corps of Oudinot and Saint-Cyr were left on the left flank (St. Petersburg direction) against the Russian corps of Wittgenstein. In addition, MacDonald's Prussian-French corps also operated on the northern wing of the "Great Army".
It is worth noting that the Prussians and Austrians, whom Napoleon dragged into the war with Russia, acted extremely cautiously, waiting for what the Russian campaign would turn out to be. Austria and Prussia were defeated by Napoleon, became his allies, but they still hated the French and waited for the hour when it would be possible to avenge their bitter defeats.
Russian troops on July 22 (August 3) united at Smolensk, keeping their main forces combat-ready. The first big battle took place here (the Battle of Smolensk on August 4-6 (16-18), 1812). The Battle of Smolensk lasted for three days: from 4 (16) to 6 (18) August. Russian soldiers repulsed all enemy attacks, and withdrew only on the orders of the command. The ancient Russian city, which always bosom met the enemy coming from the West, was almost completely burned out. Napoleon failed to destroy the main forces of the Russian army. In addition, the offensive in the north failed (Northern direction: victory at Klyastitsy). As a result of the battles at Klyastitsy and at Golovchitsa (July 18 (30) - July 20 (August 1), Wittgenstein's troops defeated the 2nd Army Corps, led by Marshal Oudinot. On July 15 (27), the Saxon Corps Rainier was defeated by Tormasov's army In the battle at Gorodechna on July 31 (August 12), Tormasov's troops repulsed all attacks of Schwarzenberg and Rainier's troops, although in the end they retreated (Victories at Kobrin and Gorodechno). This forced Schwarzenberg to abandon active actions for a long time.
The retreating strategy of Barclay de Tolly caused discontent in the society. This forced Tsar Alexander I to establish the post of commander-in-chief of all Russian armies. On August 8 (20), the Russian army was led by the 66-year-old General Kutuzov. The commander Kutuzov had vast combat experience and was very popular both among the Russian army and among the court circles. This one was a warrior and a diplomat. On August 17 (29) M. I. Kutuzov arrived at the headquarters of the Russian army. His arrival was greeted with great enthusiasm. The soldiers said: "Kutuzov came to beat the French." Everyone was waiting for a decisive battle with the enemy, who trampled on their native land.
I must say that the Russian army, brought up on the traditions of Rumyantsev and Suvorov, has lost the habit of losing and retreating. It was the victorious army. Everyone wanted to end the retreat and give battle to the enemy. One of the brightest supporters of the idea of a decisive battle was Bagration.
Kutuzov understood that Barclay de Tolly was right, but the will of the army and the people had to be carried out, to give the French a battle. On August 23 (September 4), the Russian commander informed the emperor that he had chosen a convenient position at the village of Borodino in the Mozhaisk region. The vast field near the village of Borodino allowed the Russian army to conveniently locate troops and close at the same time the Old and New Smolensk roads, which led to Moscow.
Ferry of Napoleon across the Niemen. Painted engraving. OK. 1816 g.
The location of the Russian army
The main Russian army (the combined forces of the 1st and 2nd armies of Barclay de Tolly and Bagration) numbered about 150 thousand people (almost a third of the army was left by militias, Cossacks and other irregular troops) with 624 guns. Napoleon's army numbered about 135 thousand people with 587 guns. It must be said that the size of the French and Russian army is still a controversial issue. Researchers cite various data on the size of the opposing armies.
The Russian positions were about 8 kilometers long. The position on the Borodino field in its southern part began near the village of Utitsa, in the north - near the village of Maslovo. The right wing ran along the high and steep bank of the river. Stab and closed the New Smolensk road. Here the position from the flank was covered by dense forests, which excluded a quick bypass of the Russian army. The area was hilly and crossed by rivers and streams. Here were equipped Maslovsky flashes, gun positions, notches. Semenovskiy (Bagrationovskiy) flushes were erected on the left flank. However, by the beginning of the battle, they were not completed. A little ahead of the positions of Bagration's army was the Shevardinsky redoubt (it was also not completed). In the center were the gun positions - the Kurgan battery (the Raevsky battery, the French called it the Great Redoubt). Russian troops were deployed in three lines: infantry, cavalry and reserves.
S. V. Gerasimov. Arrival of M. I. Kutuzov in Tsarevo-Zaymishche
Battle for the Shevardinsky Redoubt
On August 24 (September 5), the battle for the Shevardinsky redoubt took place. The fortification was located on the extreme left flank of the Russian position and was defended by the 27th Infantry Division of Major General Dmitry Neverovsky and the 5th Jaeger Regiment. In the second line was located the 4th Cavalry Corps of Major General Sievers. The general leadership of these forces was carried out by Prince Andrei Gorchakov (Russian troops numbered 12 thousand people with 36 guns).
A bloody battle broke out at the unfinished earthen redoubt. The infantry of Marshal Davout and the cavalry of Generals Nansouti and Montbrun tried to take the redoubt on the move. The Russian detachment was attacked by almost 40 thousand. the enemy army, which had 186 guns. However, the first attacks of the enemy were repelled. More and more troops got involved in the battle. The skirmish turned into violent hand-to-hand combat. After a fierce four-hour battle, by 8 o'clock in the evening, the French were still able to occupy the almost completely destroyed redoubt. At night, Russian troops (2nd grenadier and 2nd cuirassier divisions) under the command of Bagration recaptured the position. The French suffered heavy losses. Both sides lost about 5 thousand people in this battle.
However, the fortification was almost completely destroyed by artillery fire and could no longer interfere with the enemy's movement, so Kutuzov ordered Bagration to withdraw his troops to the Semyonov flushes.
Attack of the Shevardinsky redoubt. Battle painter N. Samokish
battle of Borodino
The battle began at about 6 am. The French army struck two blows - at Borodino and Semenovskie flushes. The Life Guards Jaeger Regiment, which defended Borodino, lost more than a third of its strength and, under pressure from two French line regiments, withdrew to the right bank of the Kolocha. The rangers from other regiments came to the aid of the guards regiment and in fierce hand-to-hand combat they knocked the enemy to the opposite bank, but the French held the village of Borodino. One French regiment almost completely lay down. The skirmish in this direction ended at about 8 hours.
On the Semyonov flushes, which were defended by the 2nd Combined Grenadier Division under the command of General Mikhail Vorontsov, the battle also took on the most stubborn character. The French attacks followed one another. Troops of the corps of Marshals Davout, Ney and General Junot, and the cavalry of Murat went on the offensive. Napoleon in this direction wanted to decide the outcome of the battle with one powerful blow. The attacks of the French divisions were supported by 130 guns. The power of the fire grew steadily. Counter-battery duels began, in which dozens of guns took part. The roar of gunfire accompanied the course of the entire grandiose battle.
The first attacks were successfully repulsed, then the flushes began to pass from hand to hand. The Russian grenadiers stood firm. However, soon about 300 people remained from the division. Vorontsov himself was wounded when he led his troops into a bayonet attack. Bagration reinforced Vorontsov with the 2nd Grenadier and 27th Infantry Divisions, the Novorossiysk Dragoon and Akhtyrka Hussar Regiments and other units. Soon the heavy cuirassier cavalry entered the battle in this direction from both sides. The French in cavalry battles could nowhere gain the upper hand. Cavalry battles on the left flank and in the center continued throughout the battle. The Russians never once conceded the battlefield to the enemy.
It should be noted that Napoleon lost more than half of his cavalry in the Battle of Borodino, and it could not recover until the end of the Russian campaign. The loss of efficient cavalry had a heavy impact on the position of the French army during the retreat from Moscow. Napoleon could not conduct long-range reconnaissance, set up sufficient rear and flank security. The French army lost mobility.
At about 9 o'clock, during the defense of a key position, which the French army was trying to take, the commander of the 2nd Western Army, General Bagration, was seriously wounded (the wound was fatal). The French captured two out of three flushes. However, the 3rd Infantry Division of General Pyotr Konovnitsyn, who arrived in time, threw back the enemy. In this battle, Brigadier General Alexander Tuchkov fell. Inspiring the soldiers trembling under the hurricane fire of the French, he rushed into the attack with the regimental banner in his hands and received a mortal wound.
The French emperor, in order to support the attack of his troops on the left flank, ordered an offensive to be launched in the center - at the Kurgan Heights. Here the defense was held by the 26th Infantry Division under the command of General Ivan Paskevich. The corps of Eugene de Beauharnais took the Great Redoubt. However, chance prevented the triumph of the French. At this time, Generals Aleksey Ermolov and Alexander Kutaisov were passing by. They led the 3rd Battalion of the Ufa Infantry Regiment, and at about 10 o'clock they recaptured the Kurgan battery with a fierce counterattack. The French 30th Line Regiment was defeated and fled. In the course of this fierce battle, the chief of artillery of the entire Kutais army died a heroic death.
At the southern end of the Borodino position, Poniatovsky's Polish corps got stuck in a battle near the village of Utitsa. As a result, the Poles were unable to support the attack of the Semenovski flushes. The Utitsky mound stopped the troops of Poniatovsky.
At about 12 noon, the two armies regrouped their forces. Barclay de Tolly's army reinforced the 2nd Western Army. Raevsky's battery was also strengthened. Semyonov's flushes, which were practically destroyed during the fierce battle, were abandoned. There was no point in protecting them. In this direction, the Russian soldiers retreated beyond the Semyonovsky ravine.
At about 13 o'clock in the afternoon, the troops of Beauharnais again attacked Kurgan Hill. At the same time, Uvarov's cavalry corps and Platov's Cossacks began a raid in the girth of the French left wing. This raid did not bring much success. But, Napoleon, worried about the position of his left flank, stopped the offensive for two hours and made some regrouping of forces. During this time, Kutuzov managed to strengthen the left flank and center of his army.
At 14 o'clock the battle resumed with the same ferocity. In front of the Kurgan Heights, the Russian hussars and dragoons of General Ivan Dorokhov overturned the French cuirassiers. Then both sides resumed the artillery duel, trying to inflict maximum damage to manpower and suppress the enemy's batteries. It must be said that during the Battle of Borodino, Russian troops (and the second lines and reserves were in dense columns behind the forward positions) suffered great damage from French artillery. The French suffered severe losses from artillery fire, storming the Russian positions. Artillery claimed thousands of lives in this battle.
After the situation with the Russian cavalry raid cleared up, Napoleon ordered the concentration of artillery fire at Kurgan Hill. She was fired at up to 150 guns. At the same time, Murat again threw his cavalry into battle. The cavalry of the Russian 1st Army came out to meet the French. French troops captured the Russian position about 4 hours, but at the cost of huge losses. Rayevsky's battery was named "the grave of the French cavalry" from the French. However, even 10 thousand. Raevsky's corps, according to him, could muster "barely 700 people." In the center, the French could not achieve more.
V. V. Vereshchagin. Napoleon I at the Borodino Heights
There were battles in other areas as well. Near the village of Semenovskaya, the French twice attacked the guards brigade of Colonel M. Ye. Khrapovitsky (the Izmailovsky and Lithuanian Life Guards regiments). However, the guards, supported by Russian cuirassiers, repulsed all attacks of the French cavalry. After 16 hours, the French cavalry again attacked near the village of Semyonovskaya, but its blow was repelled by a counterattack by the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky, Semenovsky and Finland regiments.
Ney's troops crossed the Semyonovsky ravine, but could not build on the success. At the southern end of the battlefield, the Poles were able to capture the Utitsky kurgan, but that was where their successes ended. North of the kurgan height, the French attacked with large forces, but could not overturn the Russian troops. After that, in most directions, only artillery continued to fight. The last bursts of activity occurred near Kurgannaya Heights and the Utitsky Kurgan. Russian troops withstood the enemy's attacks, they themselves more than once went over to counterattacks.
The French marshals implored Napoleon to throw the last reserve into the battle - the guard in order to achieve a decisive victory. The rest of the troops were drained of blood and extremely tired, having lost their offensive impulse. However, the French emperor decided that the next day the battle would be continued and saved his last trump card. By 18 o'clock in the evening, the battle had ceased along the entire line. The calm was broken only by artillery and rifle firefight. She died away already in the darkness.
Outcomes
French troops were able to force the Russian soldiers to retreat in the center and on the left flank from their original positions by 1-1.5 km. The French occupied the main strongholds of the Russian army at the Borodino position - Semenovskie flashes and Kurgan heights. However, the fortifications on them were completely destroyed, and they did not represent military value. Napoleon ordered the withdrawal of the troops to their former positions by nightfall. The battlefield was left behind the Russian Cossack patrols.
At the same time, the Russian army retained its combat effectiveness, the stability of the front, communications, and constantly went over to counterattacks. The fighting spirit of the Russian army was at an unprecedented height, the soldiers were ready to continue the battle. Both sides suffered heavy losses. The French cavalry was drained of blood. Napoleon had only one reserve left - the guard.
Kutuzov initially also wanted to continue the battle the next day. However, having familiarized himself with the data on the losses, he decided to withdraw the troops. At night, the troops began to retreat towards Mozhaisk. The retreat took place in an orderly manner, under the cover of strong rear detachments. The French noticed the enemy's departure only in the morning.
The issue of losses in this battle is still controversial. The Russian army lost about 40-50 thousand people in the battles on August 24-26. The French lost from 35 thousand to 45 thousand people. As a result, the armies lost up to a third of their composition. However, for the French army, these losses were more significant, since it was more difficult to make up for them. And it was generally impossible to restore the cavalry in a short time.
Napoleon won a tactical victory, was able to push back the Russian army again. Kutuzov had to leave Moscow. However, having met the Russian army in a general battle, as Napoleon had long dreamed of, he could not defeat it. Kutuzov's army won a strategic victory. The Russian army quickly recovered its strength, its morale did not decrease in the least. The desire to destroy the enemy only intensified. The French army lost its moral core (except for selected units, guards), began to rapidly degrade, lost its former maneuverability and striking power. Borodino became the prologue for the future death of Napoleon's "Great Army".
Battle of Borodino. Painter P. Hess, 1843
