In 1812, on the fields near Moscow, the armies of Russian troops and the French "Great Army" under the command of Kutuzov and Napoleon Bonaparte, respectively, clashed in a fierce battle.

Napoleon himself at the end of his life recalled this clash in this way: “Of all my battles, the most terrible is the one I fought near Moscow. The French in it showed themselves worthy of victory, and the Russians acquired the right to be invincible ... "

"A decisive step towards world domination"

What brought the French army to the distant latitudes near Moscow? In order to understand this, one must turn to European history of the end XVIII- start XIX centuries. After Great French Revolution 1789-1794 France rapidly began to slide into a military dictatorship. IN 1799 a military coup takes place in France - a young talented general seizes power Napoleon Bonaparte , which after 5 years, in 1804 year, proclaimed himself emperor.

Panorama Museum "Battle of Borodino" in Moscow

Napoleon immediately led an aggressive foreign policy. France sought complete economic hegemony in Europe. One by one, the European states fell at the feet of the conqueror. Austria, Prussia, Spain, numerous Italian and German principalities were defeated by the force of French arms. But the main economic opponent of the French merchants - Great Britain - remained invulnerable. Great Britain was located on the island, and the English fleet dominated the sea. Realizing that England could not be defeated by force of arms, Napoleon decided to strangle her with a total economic blockade. In all the countries of Europe subject to him, under pain of death, it was forbidden to conduct any trade and economic affairs with the British. This system of strangulation of the English economy was called the Continental Blockade. However, as long as independent Russia remained, there could be no question of any success of the blockade.

A plan matured in the head of the French emperor - it is necessary to invade Russia, defeat the Russian army and finally bring the "northern barbarians" to their knees. It was planned to tear away Lithuania, Belarus and most of Ukraine from Russia. A defeated Russia would not only have to obediently follow the French Continental blockade, but also provide its troops as auxiliary "cannon fodder" for the proposed French campaign in India.

In 1812, Napoleon decided to put his plan into action. For him, this was a decisive step towards world domination ...

Rescue retreat

On June 24, 1812, the Napoleonic "Great Army" (that was the official name of the French troops) invaded Russia. Napoleon led with him a huge horde of 600,000 men. There were not only the French, but also representatives of all the conquered peoples of Europe - Germans, Italians, Poles, Dutch, Spaniards.

Russian troops were three times inferior to the invaders! In addition, our forces were divided into two parts: the 1st Army under the command Barclay de Tolly and 2nd under Bagration. Under such conditions, the only reasonable way out was to retreat. It was necessary to play for time - until the Russian spaces, guerrilla warfare and disease weakened the army of invaders. It was these considerations that guided Barclay de Tolly, who led military operations in the first period of the war. Unfortunately, many in Russia did not understand this at the time. Russian society accused the "German Barclay" of treason, the general was loudly slinged mud, stigmatized.

After the retreat of Russian troops from Smolensk, the emperor Alexander I it became clear that the Russian army needed a new leader. Public opinion throughout Russia unanimously pointed to one figure - Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov . A participant in Catherine's wars, an associate of the great Suvorov, a favorite of soldiers - everything was in his favor. In August 1812, by decree of the emperor, Prince Mikhail Kutuzov was appointed commander-in-chief of all Russian armies. When Kutuzov arrived at the troops, he quickly raised the drooping morale of the Russian soldiers. In the army they began to sing such a ditty:

“Barclay de Tolly is no longer needed, Kutuzov has arrived to beat the French!”

Kutuzov decided to fight back with the French army. The place of the battle was chosen near the village of Borodino. But although the position for the battle was not very successful, there was no need to choose - Moscow was behind!

Battle of Moscow

By that time, the prudent tactics of a temporary retreat had paid off. The further the French army moved deep into Russia, the more soldiers it left both as garrisons in the captured settlements and in the form of dead, wounded, sick and stragglers. Napoleon brought with him only about 140 thousand people to Borodino. Russian forces did not exceed 120 thousand people.

Despite the approximately equal number of troops, the position of the Russian army was very difficult. First, the French had a clear advantage in artillery. And secondly, the position on which our troops were located was very inconvenient for defense. Leo Tolstoy rightly wrote in War and Peace that " in such a position it’s not something to win - and it was impossible to hold on for three hours«.

But, nevertheless, the Russian army accepted the battle. Early in the morning at 6 o'clock, on August 26, the French launched a massive attack on our positions. Napoleon directed the main blow to the left flank of the Russians, under the command of the legendary General Bagration. Positions here changed hands several times. For 6 hours, frantic attacks and counterattacks continued from both sides! Only around noon - after Bagration was seriously wounded by a fragment of the cannonball - the French managed to push our troops back on the left flank. Now the center of our troops became the target of the French onslaught, where the artillery battery of General Rayevsky . It was “real hell”, but the Russian soldiers did not think about death - they fiercely repelled the attacks of the French infantry and cavalry (Raevsky’s battery even received a sad nickname from the enemy - “ French cavalry grave «).

Only by 4 o'clock in the afternoon the French managed to capture the battery. After that, the intensity of the battle began to gradually subside. There were no other significant changes on the battlefield.

From Moscow to Paris

What was the outcome of the battle? The French troops never managed to achieve success in any of the directions. Napoleon could not crush the Russian army. He only succeeded in pushing the Russian troops from the center and on the left flank a couple of hundred meters from their original position. And this "success" cost the lives of more than 40 thousand Napoleonic soldiers. 47 of the best French generals were wounded or killed during the battle. And the Russians stood as they were - they just leaned back a little. And although the Russians lost almost half of the army (about 50 thousand people), they did not feel defeated at all. On the contrary, Russian soldiers dreamed of continuing the battle the next day. So great was their hatred for the invaders and unwillingness to give the enemy their ancient capital Moscow.

But Kutuzov understood that it was impossible to continue the fight. Losses are too great, and replenishment is not expected in the near future. At the military council in Fili, which took place after the battle, the Russian commander uttered his famous words:

“With the loss of Moscow, Russia is not lost yet. But with the loss of the army, both Moscow and Russia will be lost.

Moscow had to be abandoned. But this was the last success of the French. A month later, the Napoleonic army, weakened by losses in the Battle of Borodino and the constantly smoldering partisan war, rushed away from Moscow - to the western border, which it so bravely crossed in the summer of 1812. But not everyone was lucky enough to achieve it. Of the 600 thousand soldiers that Napoleon brought with him to Russia, only 30 thousand people were able to return to Europe. Napoleonic France received a mortal blow from which she could no longer recover. Less than two years after the battle of Borodino, the Russian army solemnly entered the defeated Paris. Napoleon Bonaparte's empire ceased to exist...

Mikhail Provotorov

Tell me, uncle, it's not for nothing that Moscow, burned down by fire, was given to the French?

Lermontov

The Battle of Borodino was the main battle in the War of 1812. For the first time, the legend of the invincibility of Napoleon's army was dispelled, and a decisive contribution was made to changing the size of the French army due to the fact that the latter, due to large-scale casualties, ceased to have a clear numerical advantage over the Russian army. In the framework of today's article, we will talk about the battle of Borodino on August 26, 1812, consider its course, the balance of forces and means, study the opinion of historians on this issue and analyze what consequences this battle had for the Patriotic War and for the fate of the two powers: Russia and France.

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History of the battle

The Patriotic War of 1812 at the initial stage developed extremely negatively for the Russian army, which constantly retreated, refusing to accept a general battle. This course of events was perceived by the army extremely negatively, since the soldiers wanted to take the battle as soon as possible to defeat the enemy army. Commander-in-Chief Barclay de Tolly was well aware that in an open general battle, the Napoleonic army, which was considered invincible in Europe, would have a colossal advantage. Therefore, he chose the tactics of retreat, in order to wear down the enemy troops, and only then accept the battle. This course of events did not inspire confidence among the soldiers, as a result of which Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov was appointed commander in chief. As a result, several significant events took place that predetermined the prerequisites for the Battle of Borodino:

• Napoleon's army advanced inland with great complications. The Russian generals refused a general battle, but actively got involved in small battles, and the partisans were also very active. Therefore, by the time Borodino began (late August - early September), Bonaparte's army was no longer so formidable and significantly exhausted.
• Reserves were brought up from the depths of the country. Therefore, Kutuzov's army was already comparable in number to the French army, which allowed the commander-in-chief to consider the possibility of practically entering the battle.

Alexander 1, who by that time, at the request of the army, had left the post of commander in chief, allowed Kutuzov to make his own decisions, insistently demanded that the general accept the battle as soon as possible and stop the advance of Napoleon's army inland. As a result, on August 22, 1812, the Russian army began to retreat from Smolensk in the direction of the village of Borodino, which is located 125 kilometers from Moscow. The place was ideal to take the fight, as excellent defense could be organized in the Borodino area. Kutuzov understood that Napoleon was only a few days away, so he threw all his strength into fortifying this area and taking the most advantageous positions.

The balance of forces and means

Surprisingly, most historians who study the Battle of Borodino are still arguing about the exact number of troops on the opposing sides. The general trends in this matter are such that the newer the study, the more data showing that the Russian army had a slight advantage. However, if we consider the Soviet encyclopedias, then the following data is presented there, in which the participants in the Battle of Borodino are presented:

• Russian army. Commander - Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov. At his disposal were up to 120 thousand people, of which 72 thousand were foot soldiers. The army had a large artillery corps with 640 guns.
• French army. Commander - Napoleon Bonaparte. The French emperor brought a corps of 138 thousand soldiers with 587 guns to Borodino. Some historians note that Napoleon had reserves of up to 18 thousand people, which the French emperor kept to the last and did not use them in the battle.

Very important is the opinion of one of the participants in the Battle of Borodino, the Marquis of Chambray, who provided data that France put up the best European army for this battle, which included soldiers with extensive experience in military operations. On the part of Russia, according to his observations, recruits and volunteers were at their core, who, in their entire appearance, indicated that military affairs were not the main thing for them. Chambray also pointed to the fact that Bonaparte had a large advantage in the field of heavy cavalry, which gave him some advantages during the battle.

Tasks of the parties before the battle

Since June 1812, Napoleon has been looking for opportunities for a general battle with the Russian army. A well-known catchphrase that Napoleon expressed as a simple general in revolutionary France: "The main thing is to impose battles on the enemy, and then we'll see." This simple phrase reflects the whole genius of Napoleon, who, in terms of making lightning-fast decisions, was perhaps the best strategist of his generation (especially after the death of Suvorov). It was this principle that the French commander in chief wanted to apply in Russia. The Battle of Borodino provided such an opportunity.

Kutuzov's tasks were simple - he needed active defense. With its help, the commander-in-chief wanted to inflict the maximum possible losses on the enemy and at the same time save his army for further battle. Kutuzov planned the Battle of Borodino as one of the stages of the Patriotic War, which was supposed to make a radical change in the course of the confrontation.

On the eve of the battle

Kutuzov took up a position, which is an arc passing through Shevardino on the left flank, Borodino in the center, the village of Maslovo on the right flank.

On August 24, 1812, 2 days before the decisive battle, the battle for the Shevardinsky redoubt took place. This redoubt was commanded by General Gorchakov, who had 11,000 men under his command. To the south, with a corps of 6,000 men, was General Karpov, who covered the old Smolensk road. Napoleon set the Shevardinsky redoubt as the initial target of his strike, since it was as far as possible from the main grouping of Russian troops. According to the plan of the French emperor, Shevardino should have been surrounded, thereby withdrawing the army of General Gorchakov from the battle. To do this, the French army in the attack consisted of three columns:

• Marshal Murat. Bonaparte's favorite led a cavalry corps to hit Shevardino's right flank.
• Generals Davout and Ney led the infantry in the center.
• Junot, also one of the best generals in France, was moving along the old Smolensk road with his guards.

The battle began on the afternoon of 5 September. Twice the French unsuccessfully tried to break through the defenses. Toward evening, when night began to fall on the Borodino field, the French attack was successful, but the reserves of the Russian army that came up made it possible to repel the enemy and defend the Shevardino redoubt. The resumption of the battle was not beneficial for the Russian army, and Kutuzov ordered a retreat to the Semyonovsky ravine.

The initial positions of the Russian and French troops

On August 25, 1812, both sides carried out general preparations for the battle. The troops were busy finishing the defensive positions, the generals were trying to learn something new about the plans of the enemy. Kutuzov's army took up defense in the form of an obtuse triangle. The right flank of the Russian troops passed along the Kolocha River. Barclay de Tolly was responsible for the defense of this section, whose army numbered 76 thousand people with 480 guns. The most dangerous position was on the left flank, where there was no natural barrier. This section of the front was commanded by General Bagration, who had 34,000 men and 156 guns at his disposal. The problem of the left flank acquired significant relevance after the loss of the village of Shevardino on September 5. The position of the Russian army met the following tasks:

• The right flank, where the main forces of the army were grouped, reliably covered the path to Moscow.
• The right flank made it possible to deliver active and powerful blows to the rear and flank of the enemy.
• The location of the Russian army was deep enough, which left ample room for maneuver.
• The first line of defense was occupied by infantry, the second line of defense was occupied by cavalry, and reserves were placed on the third line. The well-known phrase

reserves should be kept as long as possible. Whoever retains the most reserves by the end of the battle will be the winner.

Kutuzov

In fact, Kutuzov provoked Napoleon to attack on the left flank of his defense. Only as many troops were concentrated here as they could successfully defend against the French army. Kutuzov repeated that the French would not be able to resist the temptation to attack a weak redoubt, but as soon as they had problems and they resorted to the help of their reserves, it would be possible to put their army behind them and in the flank.

Napoleon, who conducted reconnaissance on August 25, also noted the weakness of the left flank of the defense of the Russian army. Therefore, it was decided to strike here the main blow. In order to divert the attention of the Russian generals from the left flank, simultaneously with the attack on Bagration's position, an attack on Borodino was to begin in order to further capture the left bank of the Kolocha River. After mastering these lines, it was planned to transfer the main forces of the French army to the right flank of the Russian defense, and deliver a massive blow to the army of Barclay De Tolly. Having solved this problem, by the evening of August 25, about 115 thousand people of the French army were concentrated in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe left flank of the defense of the Russian army. 20 thousand people lined up in front of the right flank.

The specifics of the defense used by Kutuzov was that the Battle of Borodino was supposed to force the French to go on a frontal attack, since the general front of the defense occupied by Kutuzov's army was very extensive. Therefore, it was almost impossible to get around him from the flank.

It is noted that on the night before the battle, Kutuzov reinforced the left flank of his defense with the infantry corps of General Tuchkov, and also transferred 168 artillery pieces to Bagration's army. This was due to the fact that Napoleon had already concentrated very large forces in this direction.

Day of the Battle of Borodino

The battle of Borodino began on August 26, 1812 in the early morning at 5:30. As planned, the main blow was inflicted by the French on the left flag of the defense of the Russian army.

Artillery shelling of Bagration's positions began, in which more than 100 guns took part. At the same time, the corps of General Delzon began a maneuver with a strike at the center of the Russian army, at the village of Borodino. The village was under the protection of the chasseur regiment, which could not resist the French army for a long time, the number of which in this sector of the front exceeded the Russian army by 4 times. The Jaeger regiment was forced to retreat and take up defensive positions on the right bank of the Kolocha River. The attacks of the French general, who wanted to move even further deep into the defense, were unsuccessful.

Bagration flushes

Bagration's flushes were located along the entire left flank of the defense, forming the first redoubt. After half an hour of artillery preparation, at 6 o'clock in the morning, Napoleon gave the order to launch an attack on Bagration's fleches. The French army was commanded by Generals Deshay and Compana. They planned to strike at the southernmost flush, going out to the Utitsky Forest for this. However, as soon as the French army began to line up in battle formation, Bagration's Jaeger regiment opened fire and went on the attack, disrupting the first stage of the offensive operation.

The next attack began at 8 o'clock in the morning. At this time, a second attack on the southern flush began. Both French generals increased the number of their troops and went on the offensive. Bagration, in order to defend his position, sent the army of General Neversky, as well as Novorossiysk dragoons, to his southern flank. The French were forced to retreat, having suffered serious losses. During this battle, both generals who led the army to storm were seriously wounded.

The third attack was carried out by the infantry units of Marshal Ney, as well as the cavalry of Marshal Murat. Bagration noticed this maneuver of the French in time, giving the order to Raevsky, who was in the central part of the flushes, to move from the front line to the second echelon of defense. This position was reinforced by the division of General Konovnitsyn. The attack of the French army began after a massive artillery preparation. The French infantry struck between flushes. This time the attack was successful, and by 10 o'clock in the morning the French managed to capture the southern line of defense. This was followed by a counterattack undertaken by the division of Konovnitsyn, as a result of which it was possible to recapture the lost positions. At the same time, the corps of General Junot managed to bypass the left flank of the defense through the Utitsky forest. As a result of this maneuver, the French general actually ended up in the rear of the Russian army. Captain Zakharov, who commanded the 1st cavalry battery, noticed the enemy and struck. At the same time, infantry regiments arrived at the scene of the battle and pushed General Junot back to their original position. More than a thousand people lost the French in this battle. In the future, historical information about Junot's corps is contradictory: Russian textbooks say that this corps was completely destroyed in the next attack of the Russian army, while French historians claim that the general participated in the Battle of Borodino until its very end.

4 assault on Bagration's flushes began at 11 o'clock. In the battle, Napoleon used 45 thousand troops, cavalry and more than 300 guns. At that time, Bagration had less than 20 thousand people at his disposal. At the very beginning of this assault, Bagration was wounded in the thigh and was forced to leave the army, which had a negative impact on morale. The Russian army began to retreat. General Konovnitsyn assumed command of the defense. He could not resist Napoleon, and decided to retreat. As a result, the flushes remained with the French. The retreat was carried out to the Semenovsky stream, where more than 300 guns were installed. The large number of the second echelon of defense, as well as a large number of artillery forced Napoleon to change the original plan and cancel the attack on the move. The direction of the main attack was shifted from the left flank of the defense of the Russian army to its central part, commanded by General Raevsky. The purpose of this strike was to capture the artillery. The attack of the left flank by the infantry did not stop. The fourth attack on the Bagrationovskaya flushes was also unsuccessful for the French army, which was forced to retreat behind the Semyonovsky stream. It should be noted that the position of the artillery was extremely important. Throughout the Battle of Borodino, Napoleon made attempts to capture the enemy's artillery. By the end of the battle, he managed to take these positions.

Battle for the Utitsky Forest

The Utitsky forest was of great strategic importance for the Russian army. On August 25, on the eve of the battle, Kutuzov noted the importance of this direction, which blocked the old Smolensk road. An infantry corps under the command of General Tuchkov was stationed here. The total number of troops in this area was about 12 thousand people. The army was located covertly in order to suddenly strike at the right moment on the enemy's flank. On September 7, the infantry corps of the French army, commanded by one of Napoleon's favorites, General Poniatowski, advanced in the direction of the Utitsky Kurgan in order to outflank the Russian army. Tuchkov took up defense on the Kurgan, and blocked the further course of the French. Only by 11 o'clock in the morning, when General Junot arrived to help Poniatowski, the French delivered a decisive blow to the mound and captured it. The Russian General Tuchkov launched a counterattack, and at the cost of his own life managed to return the barrow. The command of the corps was taken by General Baggovut, who held this position. As soon as the main forces of the Russian army withdrew to the Semenovsky ravine, the Utitsky Kurgan, it was decided to retreat.

Raid of Platov and Uvarov

At the moment of the onset of a critical moment on the left flank of the defense of the Russian army during the Battle of Borodino, Kutuzov decided to let the army of Generals Uvarov and Platov into battle. As part of the Cossack cavalry, they were supposed to go around the French positions on the right, striking in the rear. The cavalry consisted of 2.5 thousand people. At 12 noon, the army advanced. Having crossed the Kolocha River, the cavalry attacked the infantry regiments of the Italian army. This blow, which was led by General Uvarov, was intended to impose a fight on the French and divert their attention. At this moment, General Platov managed to go unnoticed along the flank and go behind enemy lines. This was followed by a simultaneous attack by two Russian armies, which brought panic into the actions of the French. As a result, Napoleon was forced to transfer part of the troops that stormed the Raevsky battery in order to repel the attack of the cavalry of the Russian generals, who went to the rear. The battle of the cavalry with the French troops lasted several hours, and by four o'clock in the afternoon Uvarov and Platov returned their troops to their original positions.

The practical significance of the Cossack raid led by Platov and Uvarov is almost impossible to overestimate. This raid gave the Russian army 2 hours to reinforce a reserve position for an artillery battery. Of course, this raid did not bring a military victory, but the French, who saw the enemy in their own rear, were no longer acting so decisively.

Raevsky battery

The specificity of the terrain of the Borodino field was due to the fact that in its very center a hill towered, which made it possible to control and shell the entire surrounding territory. It was an ideal place to place artillery, which Kutuzov took advantage of. In this place, the famous Raevsky battery was deployed, which consisted of 18 guns, and General Raevsky himself was supposed to protect this height with the help of an infantry regiment. The attack on the battery began at 9 o'clock in the morning. Having struck at the center of the Russian positions, Bonaparte pursued the goal of complicating the movement of the enemy army. During the first offensive of the French, the unit of General Raevsky was transferred to defend the Bagrationov flashes, but the first attack of the enemy on the battery was successfully repulsed without the participation of the infantry. Eugene Beauharnais, who was in command of the French offensive in this sector, saw the weakness of the artillery position and immediately delivered another blow to this corps. Kutuzov transferred here all the reserves of artillery and cavalry. Despite this, the French army managed to suppress the Russian defenses and penetrate into his stronghold. At this moment, a counterattack of the Russian troops was carried out, during which they managed to recapture the redoubt. General Beauharnais was taken prisoner. Of the 3,100 French who attacked the battery, only 300 survived.

The position of the battery was extremely dangerous, so Kutuzov gave the order to redeploy the guns to the second line of defense. General Barclay de Tolly sent an additional corps of General Likhachev to protect Raevsky's battery. Napoleon's original plan of attack has lost its relevance. The French emperor abandoned massive attacks on the left flank of the enemy, and directed his main attack on the central part of the defense, on the Raevsky battery. At this moment, the Russian cavalry went to the rear of the Napoleonic army, which slowed down the French advance by 2 hours. During this time, the defensive position of the battery was further strengthened.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, 150 guns of the French army opened fire on Raevsky's battery, and almost immediately the infantry went on the offensive. The battle lasted about an hour and, according to its results, Raevsky's battery fell. The original plan of Napoleon counted on the fact that the capture of the battery would lead to cardinal changes in the balance of forces near the central part of the defense of the Russian troops. This did not turn out, he had to abandon the idea of ​​\u200b\u200ba offensive in the center. By the evening of August 26, Napoleon's army had not been able to achieve a decisive advantage in at least one of the sectors of the front. Napoleon did not see the essential prerequisites for victory in the battle, so he did not dare to use his reserves in the battle. He hoped to the last to exhaust the Russian army with his main forces, to achieve a clear advantage in one of the sectors of the front, and then to bring fresh forces into battle.

End of the battle

After the fall of Raevsky's battery, Bonaparte abandoned further ideas of storming the central part of the enemy's defenses. There were no more significant events in this direction of the Borodino field. On the left flank, the French continued their attacks, which did not lead to anything. General Dokhturov, who replaced Bagration, repelled all enemy attacks. The right flank of the defense, commanded by Barclay de Tolly, had no significant events, only sluggish attempts at artillery shelling were made. These attempts continued until 7 pm, after which Bonaparte retreated to Gorki to give the army a rest. It was expected that this was a short pause before the decisive battle. The French were preparing to continue the battle in the morning. However, at 12 o'clock at night Kutuzov refused to continue the battle further, and sent his army beyond Mozhaisk. This was necessary in order to give the army a rest and replenish its human reserves.

Thus ended the Battle of Borodino. Until now, historians from different countries are arguing about which army won this battle. Domestic historians talk about the victory of Kutuzov, Western historians talk about the victory of Napoleon. The most correct thing to say is that during the Battle of Borodino there was a draw. Each army got what it wanted: Napoleon opened his way to Moscow, and Kutuzov inflicted significant losses on the French.

Results of the confrontation

The victims in the Kutuzov army during the Battle of Borodino are described differently by various historians. At its core, the researchers of this battle come to the conclusion that the Russian army lost about 45 thousand people on the battlefield. This figure takes into account not only the dead, but also the wounded, as well as those taken prisoner. Napoleon's army, as part of the battle on August 26, lost a little less than 51 thousand people killed, wounded and captured. Comparable losses of both countries are explained by many scholars by the fact that both armies regularly changed their roles. The course of the battle changed very often. At first, the French attacked, and Kutuzov gave the order to the troops to take up defense, after which the Russian army went on the counteroffensive. At certain stages of the battle, Napoleonic generals managed to achieve local victories and take the necessary lines. Now the French were on the defensive, and the Russian generals were on the offensive. And so the roles changed dozens of times in the course of one day.

The battle of Borodino did not produce a winner. However, the myth of the invincibility of the Napoleonic army was dispelled. Further continuation of the general battle for the Russian army was undesirable, since at the end of the day on August 26, Napoleon still had untouched reserves, totaling up to 12 thousand people. These reserves, against the backdrop of a tired Russian army, could have a significant impact on the result. Therefore, having retreated beyond Moscow, on September 1, 1812, a council was held in Fili, at which it was decided to allow Napoleon to occupy Moscow.

Military significance of the battle

The Battle of Borodino was the bloodiest battle in the history of the 19th century. Each side lost about 25 percent of its army. In one day, the opponents fired more than 130,000 shots. The totality of all these facts later led to the fact that Bonaparte in his memoirs called the Battle of Borodino the largest of his battles. However, Bonaparte failed to achieve the desired results. The illustrious commander, accustomed exclusively to victories, formally did not lose this battle, but did not win either.

Being on the island of St. Helena and drawing up a personal autobiography, Napoleon wrote the following lines about the Battle of Borodino:

The battle for Moscow is the most important battle in my life. The Russians had the upper hand in everything: they had 170 thousand people, an advantage in cavalry, artillery and terrain, which they knew very well. Despite this, we won. The heroes of France are Generals Ney, Murat and Poniatowski. They own the laurels of the winners of the Moscow battle.

Bonaparte

These lines clearly show that Napoleon himself considered the battle of Borodino as his own victory. But such lines should be studied exclusively in the light of the personality of Napoleon, who, while on the island of St. Helena, greatly exaggerated the events of the past days. For example, in 1817, the former emperor of France said that in the Battle of Borodino he had 80 thousand soldiers, and the enemy had a huge army of 250 thousand. Of course, these figures were dictated only by Napoleon's personal conceit, and have nothing to do with real history.

Kutuzov also assessed the Battle of Borodino as his own victory. In his note to Emperor Alexander 1, he wrote:

On the 26th, the world saw the bloodiest battle in its history. Never before has recent history seen so much blood. A perfectly matched battlefield, and an enemy that came to attack but was forced to defend.

Kutuzov

Alexander 1, under the influence of this note, and also trying to reassure his people, announced the Battle of Borodino as a victory for the Russian army. Largely because of this, in the future, domestic historians also always represented Borodino as a victory for Russian weapons.

The main result of the Battle of Borodino was that Napoleon, who was famous for having won all the general battles, managed to force the Russian army to accept the battle, but failed to defeat it. The absence of a significant victory in the general battle, taking into account the specifics of the Patriotic War of 1812, led to the fact that France did not receive any significant advantages from this battle.

Literature

• History of Russia in the 19th century. P.N. Zyryanov. Moscow, 1999.
• Napoleon Bonaparte. A.Z. Manfred. Sukhumi, 1989.
• Hike to Russia. F. Segur. 2003.
• Borodino: documents, letters, memoirs. Moscow, 1962.
• Alexander 1 and Napoleon. ON THE. Trotsky. Moscow, 1994.

Panorama of the Battle of Borodino

TASS-DOSIER. On September 8, every year since 1995, Russia has celebrated the Day of the Battle of Borodino between the Russian army and the French army.

Established by the federal law "On the days of military glory and memorable dates in Russia", signed by the President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin on March 13, 1995.

The battle near the village of Borodino between the Russian army under the command of commander Mikhail Kutuzov and the French army under the command of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte took place on September 7 (August 26 - old style) 1812 during the Patriotic War.

Before the battle

After Napoleon's invasion of Russia in June 1812, the Russian troops opposing him constantly retreated towards Moscow, avoiding a pitched battle. In August 1812, the Russian Emperor Alexander I removed Mikhail Barclay de Tolly from his post as commander-in-chief and appointed Mikhail Kutuzov in his place, demanding that the latter prevent the French from taking Moscow.

On September 3, the Russian army settled down near Borodino, 125 km from Moscow, and managed to build field fortifications. The French advance was delayed by the battle at the Shevardinsky redoubt on September 5.

The course of the battle

About 250,000 men and 1,200 artillery pieces took part in the Battle of Borodino on both sides. The forces of the French and Russians were approximately equal. The battle lasted about 12 hours: the French managed to push Kutuzov's army in the center and on the left flank, including after fierce resistance to take a high mound, on which the infantry corps of Lieutenant General Nikolai Raevsky was located.

At the same time, the French troops failed to achieve decisive success, because of which Napoleon did not dare to introduce his main reserve, the guard, and ordered a retreat to their original positions. After the end of the battle, Kutuzov ordered the troops to retreat towards Mozhaisk.

Results of the battle

The Russian army lost, according to various estimates, from 40 to 50 thousand people killed, wounded and missing; French losses, according to various estimates, ranged from 30 to 50 thousand soldiers and officers.

Kutuzov reported on the results of the battle of Borodino to the emperor: "The battle, which took place on the 26th, was the most bloody of all those that are known in modern times. We completely won the place of the battle, and the enemy then retreated to the position in which he came to attack us."

The battle of Borodino ended in a draw, but became a turning point in the campaign of 1812. Kutuzov allowed Napoleon to take Moscow without a fight on September 14, but at the same time he retained a combat-ready army and seized the strategic initiative. The French troops, forced to leave the devastated and burned capital on October 19, unsuccessfully tried to break into the food-rich southern provinces of Russia in order to wait out the winter there, but were rebuffed by Kutuzov's army.

After the battle of Maloyaroslavets, Napoleon decided to retreat through Smolensk. As a result of cold weather, food shortages, the actions of Russian partisan detachments and the fighting near Krasnoye and on the Berezina, Napoleon's "Great Army" was practically destroyed - out of half a million people who invaded Russia in June, only 10 thousand managed to leave its territory in December.

On December 21, 1812, Kutuzov, in an order to the army, congratulated the troops on the expulsion of the enemy from Russia and called on them to "complete the defeat of the enemy on his own fields."

perpetuation of memory

In 1820, at the site of the battle, the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands was consecrated, erected as a monument of military glory. In 1839, the Main Monument (destroyed in 1932, rebuilt in 1987) was solemnly opened at the Kurgan Height, at the base of which the ashes of General Pyotr Bagration, who died from a wound he received in the Battle of Borodino, were reburied.

In 1912, monuments to corps, divisions and regiments of the Russian army were erected on the field. Monuments and buildings on the field were badly damaged during the battles with German troops in October 1941. From the 1950s to the 1980s. restoration work was carried out on the territory; in 1961, the Borodino field received the status of a state military-historical reserve. Currently, there are more than 200 monuments and memorable places on the territory of the museum-reserve. Every year at the beginning of September, a large-scale historical reconstruction of battle episodes is held on the Borodino field.

The battle of Borodino was reflected in literature and art (poems by Denis Davydov, Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov, Pyotr Vyazemsky, Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace", paintings by Vasily Vereshchagin, Franz Roubaud, etc.), coins and postage stamps were printed in memory of the battle in the USSR and the Russian Federation.

battle of Borodino - the main battle of the Patriotic War of 1812, which took place on September 7 (August 26, old style) 1812.

Russian Imperial Army

Commander-in-Chief - Infantry General, Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov. The main forces of the Russian army were regular troops, consolidated into the 1st Western Army under the command of a general from infantry M. B. Barclay de Tolly and the 2nd Western Army under the command of Infantry General P.I. Bagration.

Grand Army

Commander-in-Chief - French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. In addition to the French troops, the Grand Army included contingents from the states of the Confederation of the Rhine, Westphalia, Bavaria, Württemberg, Cleve, Berg, Prussia, Saxony, the Netherlands, Nassau, the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, Spain, the Kingdom of Naples, the Swiss Confederation, Portugal, Neuchâtel and other European states that were dependent on the French Empire.

The number of warring parties

There are two main versions of the count of the number of French troops participating in the battle. According to the so-called "Gzhatsk account", the Great Army before the battle consisted of 135,000 people with 900 guns. However, according to the second version, the number of French troops was approaching 185,000 people. with 1200 guns, these data are indicated on the Central Monument on the Borodino field. Such a difference in numbers is explained by the fact that on the transition from Gzhatsk to the Kolotsk Monastery, the Great Army was overtaken by reserve units, which gradually joined the army and were not taken into account during the roll call in Gzhatsk.

The number of Russian troops who took part in the battle is less controversial and amounts to 118,000 people. with 600 guns, including 10,000 warriors of the Moscow and Smolensk militias. It is impossible to consider the militias as full-fledged fighters, since they were practically unarmed and untrained, and were used as auxiliary personnel in the construction of fortifications and to collect and carry out the wounded from the battlefield.

Reasons for the fight

During the campaign of 1812 Napoleon Bonaparte planned to draw the Russian army into a general battle, during which, using a significant superiority in numbers, defeat the enemy and force Emperor Alexander I to surrender. But the Russian army systematically retreated deep into its territory, avoiding a decisive battle. However, the lack of serious fighting had a detrimental effect on the morale of both soldiers and officers, so the infantry general Kutuzov, recently appointed commander in chief, decided to give Bonaparte a general battle. He took into account that the French troops were forced to disperse their forces, and therefore the Grand Army was seriously reduced in numbers. At the same time, he had no illusions about the enemy’s forces and his capabilities and understood that Bonaparte, as a commander, was extremely dangerous, and his soldiers had great combat experience and were eager to fight. However, he also could not avoid a general battle, since a further retreat to Moscow without a serious battle would undermine the morale of the troops and cause distrust in the army in society. Considering all these factors, Kutuzov had no right to make a mistake and could not lose the upcoming battle, and the choice of the battle site was predetermined by these conditions.

Battlefield

The place of the upcoming battle was not chosen by the Russian quartermasters by chance. Their task was to choose a position that would neutralize the superiority of the Great Army in numbers, especially in the amount of artillery, while allowing covert maneuvering of reserves. The flanks of the position were supposed to exclude the possibility of deep detours, it was also important, if possible, to cover all the most important roads leading to Moscow through Mozhaisk, that is, the Old and New Smolensk roads, as well as the Gzhatsky tract. The battlefield can be considered an area stretching from north to south from Novy Selo to the village of Artemki and from west to east from Fomkino to Novaya village. The area is distinguished by a large number of streams, rivers and ravines that cross the battlefield from south to north. The Russian position was located in such a way that the attacking enemy, before reaching the distance of a rifle shot, was forced to force the ravines of the Kamenka River and the Semenovsky Creek on the left flank and in the center, as well as the valley of the Koloch River on the right flank, which were under fire from Russian artillery. This allowed the Russian troops to prevent the enemy from conducting coordinated attacks and slowed down his advance to the key points of the position.

Engineering equipment positions. Fortification

The very nature of the area suggested the use of various fortifications to enhance its defensive potential. During August 23-25 ​​(September 4-6), 1812, Russian engineers carried out a huge amount of work. On a hill near the village of Shevardino, a redoubt for 5 guns was built, intended to cover the main Russian position and to divert the attention of the enemy from preparing the Russian army for a decisive battle. On August 24, French troops attempted to capture this fortification, this event went down in history as the Battle for the Shevardinsky Redoubt. The extreme right flank of the Russian position was covered by flashes near the village of Maslovo, the crossing over the Koloch River near the village of Borodino was covered by earth batteries near the village of Gorki. In the center of the position, at Kurgan height, a fortification was erected, known as the Rayevsky Battery. Further south, in the village of Semyonovskoye, an earthen fortification was also built. In the space between the Semenovsky ravine, the Utitsky forest and the ravine of the Kamenka river, several lunettes were erected, which became famous as Bagration's flushes. A system of notches was organized in the Utitsky forest, making it difficult for the enemy to move through the forest. Russian fortifications were distinguished by the use of the principle of crossfire, as well as the widespread use of wolf pits on the outskirts of them. Another feature of the Russian fortifications was the impossibility of using them by the enemy for their own purposes.

Side Plans

The battle of Borodino against the background of most other battles of that era is distinguished by the extreme bitterness of the combatants, largely due to the tasks of the warring parties. The defeat was unacceptable for both Kutuzov and Bonaparte. The defeat of the Russian army meant defeat in the war, since Kutuzov did not have any reserves capable of making up for losses and was not expected in the near future. Bonaparte also believed that in the event of a defeat, he had no chance of an early victory in the war, in order to fulfill his plan and capture Moscow, from which he intended to dictate peace terms, it was absolutely necessary for him to defeat the Russian army. Both commanders also understood that they were confronted by a strong, stubborn and dangerous enemy, and it would not be easy to achieve victory in the upcoming battle. The Russian commander-in-chief hoped to wear down the enemy, who was forced to attack a heavily fortified position, relying on a powerful system of fortifications. Drawn into the assault on the Russian fortifications, the enemy troops were vulnerable to counterattacks by both infantry and cavalry. An important condition for success was the preservation of the combat capability of the Russian army after the battle.

Bonaparte, on the contrary, intended to break through the Russian positions, capture its key points, and thereby, by disorganizing the Russian battle formations, achieve victory. Maintaining the combat capability of the Great Army was also a prerequisite for him, since it was almost impossible to count on replenishing losses and the ability to restore the combat capability of his troops in the depths of hostile territory. He also realized that without replenishment of provisions, fodder and ammunition, he would not be able to campaign for a long time. He did not know what reserves Kutuzov had, and how soon he would be able to make up for his losses, so that victory in the battle, and not just a victory, but the defeat of the Russian army, was the only possible way out of this situation for him.

Comparison of the warring parties

For more than a decade, Russian troops had periodically encountered the French on the battlefields, so that the Russian command was familiar with the tactics of the enemy, as well as with the fighting qualities of the French soldiers. The Russian infantry, hardened in wars with the Turks and the French, was a formidable force. Despite the fact that the Russian infantry battalions were inferior in number to the French, they were distinguished by greater mobility and maneuverability. The traditional qualities of a Russian soldier - steadfastness, perseverance and courage - were noted even by opponents. The Russian cavalry was distinguished by a good horse composition, well-trained horsemen, as well as a large number of courageous and enterprising commanders. Artillery, equipped with the latest technology of the time, had good tactical flexibility due to a convenient organizational structure and good training of commanders. The great advantage of the Russian troops was the high morale and moral unity of the personnel. The absence of language barriers and national contradictions, a single organizational structure simplified the leadership of the troops, which was also a considerable advantage compared to the enemy.

The Great Army, in contrast to the Russian Imperial Army, was a very mixed picture. In addition to the French units, it also included the troops of Bonaparte's satellite countries, often not at all burning with the desire to fight for completely alien interests, and often experiencing mutual hostility towards the French or their other allies. The French units were for the most part made up of veterans who had gone through many previous campaigns and had vast combat experience. The French soldiers, unlike their allies, idolized Bonaparte and were ready to carry out any of his orders. The French infantry traditionally operated in dense battle formations in large masses, which, coupled with the offensive impulse and high morale, made it an extremely dangerous enemy. However, the quality of the French cavalry left much to be desired, both in terms of the training of the cavalrymen themselves and the unsatisfactory condition of the horse composition, so Bonaparte relied more on the German and Polish cavalry. The national diversity of the Great Army could not but be reflected in the artillery, represented by many different systems and calibers. The great disadvantage of the Great Army was also the fact that the allied contingents were organized according to their own traditions and ideas about the military structure, which complicated their mixing into divisions and corps, as well as their management due to linguistic and national differences.

The course of the battle

The battle of Borodino began in the early morning of August 26 (September 7), 1812 at about 6 am. The French artillery opened fire on almost the entire front, shelling the Russian positions. Almost simultaneously with the opening of fire, the French columns began to move, advancing to the starting lines for the attack.

The first to be attacked by the Life Guards was the Jaeger Regiment, which occupied the village of Borodino. The division of General Delzon, consisting of the 84th, 92nd and 106th regiments of line infantry, taking advantage of the morning fog, made an attempt to dislodge the guards rangers from their positions, but ran into stubborn resistance. However, as a result of a flank attack by the 106th line regiment, the rangers were forced to leave Borodino and retreat across the Koloch River. The French tried to cross after them, but came under counterattack by the 1st, 19th and 40th Chasseurs and the Guards crew and, having suffered significant losses, were forced to retreat. The bridge across the Koloch was burned by the sailors of the Guards crew, and until the end of the battle, the French did not attempt to advance in this area.

Bagration's flashes on the left flank of the Russian position were occupied by the troops of the 2nd Combined Grenadier Division of Major General Vorontsov, as well as the artillery of the 32nd and 11th battery companies. In front of the flushes along the Kamenka River there were chains of Russian rangers. In the Utitsky forest, three regiments of chasseurs under the command of Prince I.A. covered the flush from the flank. Shakhovsky. Behind the fleches was Major General Neverovsky's 27th Infantry Division. The Semyonov heights were occupied by the 2nd Grenadier Division of Major General Duke Karl of Mecklenburg, as well as the 2nd Cuirassier Division of Major General Duka. They were opposed by the corps of Marshals Davout and Ney, General Junot, as well as the cavalry of Marshal Murat, supported by significant artillery forces. Thus, the number of enemy troops intended for operations against the Bagration Flushes reached 115,000 people.

At about 6 o'clock in the morning, the divisions of Generals Desse and Kompan from the corps of Marshal Davout began to advance to their original positions for the attack. However, the French infantry faced the devastating fire of Russian artillery and the counterattack of the rangers, and was forced to abandon the development of the attack.

Regrouping, around 7 am, the French launched a second attack. During this attack, the enemy again encountered fierce resistance from the defenders of the flushes. Despite considerable losses, the infantrymen from the Kompan division managed to break into one of the flushes, but as a result of a well-coordinated attack by Russian infantry and cavalry of the Akhtyrsky Hussar and Novorossiysk Dragoon regiments, the French were forced to roll back again. The intensity of the battle is evidenced by the fact that by this moment Generals Rapp, Desse, Kompan and others were wounded, Marshal Davout himself was shell-shocked.

Bagration, seeing that the enemy was concentrating forces for a third, even more powerful attack, pulled the 3rd Infantry Division of Major General Konovnitsyn to the flushes, and Kutuzov allocated several battalions from the army reserve of the 1st consolidated grenadier division, the Life Guards Lithuanian and Izmailovsky regiments, as well as the 3rd cavalry corps and the 1st cuirassier division. Meanwhile, Bonaparte had already concentrated more than 160 guns against the flushes, as well as three infantry divisions from the corps of Marshal Ney and several cavalry formations of Marshal Murat.

At about 8 o'clock in the morning, the third attack of the flushes began. Russian artillery, firing buckshot from short distances, despite enemy fire, inflicted huge losses on the French columns. Despite this, the French infantry from the divisions of Compan and Ledru managed to break through into the left flech and into the intervals between other fortifications. However, the counterattack of the 27th Infantry and 2nd Combined Grenadier Divisions, supported by the cavalry of the 4th Cavalry Corps, forced the French to hastily retreat to their original positions.

Around 9 o'clock in the morning, Bonaparte launched a fourth flush attack. By this moment, the space in front of the flashes, dug up by cannonballs and littered with dead and dying people and horses, was already a terrible sight. Thick columns of French infantry again rushed to attack the Russian fortifications. The battle for the flashes turned into hand-to-hand combat on parapets, Neverovsky's infantrymen and Vorontsov's grenadiers fought with amazing tenacity, noted even by the enemy. Any improvised means, bayonets, cleavers, artillery accessories, rifle ramrods were used. Nevertheless, despite all the efforts of the defenders, by 10 o'clock in the morning the enemy managed to capture the flushes. However, Bagration introduces the 2nd Grenadier Division of Major General, Duke Karl of Mecklenburg and the 2nd Cuirassier Division of Major General Duki into battle. The remnants of Vorontsov's grenadiers and Neverovsky's infantry also joined the counterattack. The French, who suffered severely from the fire of Russian artillery, unable to use the captured fortifications, could not withstand the organized strike of the Russian units and left the flashes. The attack of the Russian cuirassiers was so swift that Marshal Murat himself barely escaped capture, having managed to hide in a square of light infantry.

At about 11 o'clock in the morning, the next, fifth flush attack begins. With powerful artillery support, the French infantry again managed to occupy the flashes, but then the 3rd Infantry Division of Major General Konovnitsyn entered the battle. During this counterattack, Major General Tuchkov 4th heroically died, with a banner in his hands, who led the attack of the Revel and Murom infantry regiments. The French are once again forced to abandon the flushes.

Bonaparte, seeing that the next attack again ended in failure, brought into battle the corps of General Junot, which included Westphalian units. Poniatowski's corps, which, according to Napoleon's plan, was supposed to bypass the flashes from the rear, got bogged down in battles near the village of Utitsa on the Old Smolensk road, and did not complete its task, the infantry of Davout and Ney suffered heavy losses and was exhausted, just like Murat's cavalry supporting their actions, but their goal - Bagration's flashes - still remained in the hands of the Russians. The sixth attack of the flushes began with the advance of Junot's Westphalians through the Utitsky forest to the flank and rear of the Russian fortifications. Despite the fierce resistance of the Russian rangers, the German infantrymen, pushing their way through the notches, still managed to complete their task. However, as soon as they emerged from the forest, the Westphalians were met by fire from the horse artillery battery of Captain Zakharov. Not having time to reorganize for the attack, the Westphalian infantry suffered heavy losses from canister shots and was immediately subjected to a counterattack by the Russian cavalry. The approaching 2nd Corps of Lieutenant General Baggovut stabilized the situation. The infantry attack of Ney and Davout, which was developing in the meantime, was repulsed again.

The seventh attack of the flushes was carried out by Bonaparte according to the same plan. The attack of Ney and Davout from the front and Junot from the flank again ran into fierce resistance. At the edge of the Utitsky forest, the Brest and Ryazan infantry regiments switched to the bayonet, disrupting another Westphalian attack. The losses of the Grand Army became heavier, attacks followed attacks, but the flushes were never taken.

At 12 noon, the eighth flush attack begins. About 45,000 infantry and cavalry, supported by fire from up to 400 artillery pieces, take part in it from the French side, the Russian troops concentrated in this sector hardly reached half of this number. The French infantry rushed into the frontal attack of the Russian fortifications, the numerical superiority allows it to ignore the artillery fire. Then Bagration, seeing that the situation was becoming critical, personally led the counterattack of the Russian infantry, during which he was wounded in the thigh and dropped out of the battle. The 2nd Western Army was led by General Konovnitsyn. Realizing that further retention of the half-ruined and littered with the bodies of the killed flushes is inexpedient, Konovnitsyn withdraws the surviving troops behind the Semenovsky ravine. An attempt by the French on the shoulders of the retreating Russian troops to break into Semenovskoye was repelled by dagger fire from Russian artillery stationed on the hills near the village.

At about 9 o'clock in the morning, at a time when the battle for Bagration's flushes was already in full swing, Bonaparte launched an attack on the center of the Russian position - Kurgan Height, on which there was a fortification that went down in history as Raevsky's Battery. The battery had 18 guns, as well as infantry from Major General Paskevich's 26th Infantry Division. The remaining formations of the 7th Infantry Corps of Lieutenant General Raevsky covered the battery from the flanks. According to the plan of Bonaparte, the 4th (Italian) corps of his stepson, Prince Eugene Beauharnais, was supposed to act against the battery.

After a long artillery bombardment of the battery, the divisions of Generals Morand and Gerard moved on the attack, but their onslaught was repulsed by the hurricane fire of Russian guns. Around 10 am, Beauharnais brings Broussier's division into battle. During the attack, the 30th Line Regiment and the 2nd Baden Regiment managed to break into the battery. The Russian infantrymen began to roll back in confusion, but Major General Kutaisov, the chief of artillery of the 1st Western Army, who happened to be nearby, was able to inspire the soldiers by personally leading the counterattack of the Russian infantry. During a short but fierce bayonet battle, the fortification was cleared, and Brigadier General Bonami, who was at that moment on the battery, was captured. However, Kutaisov himself was killed in this battle.

To strengthen the defense of the battery, Barclay de Tolly sent the 24th Infantry Division of Major General Likhachev, to the right of the battery, the 7th Infantry Division of Major General Kaptsevich took up the defense. Beauharnais also regrouped his forces, but the planned third attack on Raevsky's battery was delayed for two hours due to Uvarov and Platov's cavalry suddenly appearing in the rear of the Great Army. Taking advantage of the moment, Kutuzov moves the 4th Infantry Corps of Lieutenant General Osterman-Tolstoy and the 2nd Cavalry Corps of Major General Korf, as well as the Life Guards Horse and Cavalier Guard regiments, to the battery area.

Convinced that the threat to his rear was over, Eugene de Beauharnais launched a third attack on the Raevsky Battery. The Italian Guard, supported by the cavalry of General Pear, takes part in it. At the same time, the cavalry of generals Caulaincourt and Latour-Maubourt rushed into the interval between the village of Semenovskoye and Kurgan height. Their task is to break through the Russian line, go to the flank of the battery and attack it from the rear. However, during this attack, General Caulaincourt dies, the attack of the French cuirassiers is repelled by Russian artillery fire. At the same moment, the Beauharnais infantry begins an assault on the fortification from the front. Infantrymen from the 24th Infantry Division of General Likhachev fought with unprecedented tenacity, however, by 4 pm the battery was taken, and Likhachev himself, wounded several times, was captured. A fierce cavalry battle broke out between the village of Semyonovskoye and Kurgan heights, the Saxon cuirassiers of Lorzh and the Polish uhlans of Rozhnetsky tried to break through the square of the Russian infantry. Cavalrymen from the 2nd and 3rd cavalry corps of the Russian army came to her aid. However, despite strong resistance, Lorge's cuirassiers managed to break through into the depths of the Russian troops. At that moment, the Life Guards Cavalry and Cavalier Guard regiments entered the battle. Despite the numerical superiority of the enemy, the Russian Horse Guards rushed into a decisive counterattack. After a bloody battle, the Russian guards forced the Saxons to retreat.

The 7th Infantry Division of General Kaptsevich at the same time withstood the attacks of French, Italian and German cavalrymen from the Pear corps. Surrounded on all sides, the Russian infantry fought back desperately until the cavalry guards and Horse Guards, as well as cavalrymen from the 2nd and 3rd cavalry corps, came to their aid. Unable to withstand a desperate counterattack, having suffered huge losses, the French light cavalry was forced to retire.

At the same time there was a battle for the Semenovsky ravine. Having captured the flushes, Bonaparte realized that he could not achieve anything by this - the Russian troops occupied a new line of defense along the steep and swampy Semenovsky ravine and were ready to continue the battle. To the right of the ruins of the village of Semenovskoye, the remnants of the 27th Infantry and 2nd Combined Grenadier Divisions were located, touching their right flank with the Tobolsk and Volynsky infantry regiments. On the site of the village, units of the 2nd Grenadier Division took up the defense, to the south of it the 3rd Infantry Division was located. Their left flank was covered by the still fresh Life Guards of the Lithuanian and Izmailovsky regiments. These forces were commanded by Lieutenant-General Dokhturov, who succeeded Konovnitsyn, who took command of the 2nd Western Army in place of the badly wounded Bagration

Marshals Ney, Davout and Murat were well aware that their exhausted troops were not able to overcome this line and turned to Napoleon with a request to bring the last reserve into battle - the Old Guard. However, Bonaparte, rightly believing that such a risk was too great, refused, but transferred the guards artillery to their disposal.

At about one o'clock in the afternoon, Friant's division unsuccessfully attacked the village of Semenovskoye. The French infantry rolled back with heavy losses. At the same time, the heavy cavalry of General Nansouty entered the battle - in the space between the Utitsky forest and the village of Semenovskoye. However, they were blocked by the square of the Life Guards of the Lithuanian and Izmailovsky regiments. Being under heavy fire from enemy artillery, the guards infantry withstood three attacks by French cuirassiers. The cuirassiers of General Duka came to the aid of the guards, with a decisive blow throwing off the French heavy cavalry. The breakthrough of Latour-Maubourg's cavalry in the center was also prevented, and the battle began to fade.

On the extreme left flank of the Russian position, on the Old Smolensk Road, a detachment under the command of Lieutenant General Tuchkov 1 operated as part of the 3 Infantry Corps, six Cossack regiments of Major General Karpov 2 and warriors of the Moscow and Smolensk militias. The task of the detachment was to cover the Old Smolensk road and prevent a possible deep bypass of the left flank of the Russian army. The detachment occupied positions on a hill near the village of Utitsy, later called the Utitsky mound.

At about 8 o'clock in the morning, the advanced detachments of the corps of Marshal Poniatovsky, consisting of Polish units and subunits, appeared on the Old Smolensk Road. Poniatowski's goal was a deep detour of the Russian left flank, and the Russian troops that unexpectedly appeared on his road prevented him from performing this maneuver. At that moment, Tuchkov 1st sent the 3rd Infantry Division of Major General Konovnitsyn to help the defenders of the fleches, weakening his forces. Poniatowski, with the support of artillery, tried to shoot down the detachment of Tuchkov 1st from his position on the move, but was unsuccessful. At about 11 o'clock in the morning, the Poles resumed their attacks, and achieved temporary success, capturing the Utitsky Kurgan. However, Tuchkov 1st, having led the attack of the Pavlovsk Grenadier and Belozersky and Wilmanstrand Infantry Regiments, forced the Poles to retreat to their original positions, while Tuchkov 1st himself was mortally wounded during this counterattack. Command over the troops of his detachment passed to Lieutenant General Baggovut.

Having regrouped, at about one o'clock in the afternoon, Poniatowski again tried to break the Russian detachment, bypassing it from the flank. However, the Tauride Grenadier and Minsk Infantry Regiments thwarted this maneuver with a desperate counterattack. The Poles did not leave attempts to defeat the enemy until dusk, but General Baggovut, Karl Fedorovich / Baggovut repelled all their attacks with bold and decisive actions, forcing them to retreat behind the village of Utitsy and go on the defensive.

On the extreme right flank of the Russian army, events developed less dramatically. At about 10 o'clock in the morning, when the onslaught of French troops along the entire line began to intensify, Kutuzov ordered Lieutenant General Uvarov and Ataman Platov to make a cavalry raid behind the lines of the Great Army in order to distract the enemy and ease his pressure on the Russian defenses. At about one o'clock in the afternoon, cavalrymen from Uvarov's 1st Cavalry Corps, much to the surprise of the French, suddenly appeared near the village of Bezzubovo. The cavalry division of General Ornano hastily withdrew across the Voina River, but the squares of the 84th line regiment, which was in the area after the morning battle for the village of Borodino, were in the way of the Russian cavalry. Having withstood several unsuccessful attacks, under the fire of Russian horse artillery, the French infantrymen were forced to retreat. Meanwhile, Platov's Cossacks went deep into the rear of the Great Army along the forest roads, appearing near the village of Valuevo, where the main rear services of the French were located. Their appearance caused great concern to Bonaparte, who was forced to temporarily suspend active operations in the center. In order to eliminate the threat on his left flank, Napoleon decided to remove about 20,000 people from the direction of the main attack, thereby giving the Russian troops such a necessary respite.

End of the battle. Results

Around 6 pm the battle gradually ended. By 9 o'clock, the French made their last attempt to bypass the Russian positions through the Utitsky forest, but were met with well-aimed fire from the riflemen of the Life Guards of the Finnish Regiment, and were forced to abandon their plans. Napoleon realized that even having captured the flushes and the Kurgan heights, he could not break the resistance of the Russian Imperial Army. The capture of these points did not change the situation in his favor, since the main line of Russian troops was not broken through, and the main forces of the Great Army were spent on their assault. Already at dusk, the French emperor gives the order to leave the captured Russian fortifications and retreat to their original positions. Costing such huge losses, Bagration's flushes and Raevsky's Battery turned out to be useless for the French. The losses of the Grand Army amounted to 58,000 soldiers, 1,600 officers and 47 generals killed, wounded and missing. The battle cost the Russian troops the loss of 38,000 soldiers, 1,500 officers and 29 generals killed, wounded and missing.

For Napoleon, the general battle ended in vain. He did not achieve any of his goals, the Russian army retained its combat capability, and Bonaparte could not call the battle a victory either. Most of the experienced, hardened soldiers were killed in the battle, and no reserves could make up for this loss. The future of the campaign was also in doubt. The morale of the army has fallen.

On the contrary, Kutuzov had every reason to consider the battle his success. Despite heavy losses, his army did not allow itself to be defeated and maintained a high morale until the end of the battle. The line of Russian troops was not broken, and the enemy was exhausted and bled. However, despite the general desire to continue the battle the next day, Kutuzov ordered a general retreat. He understood that without the approach of reserves and proper rest, the army was not able to continue the campaign and bring the war to a decisive victory, while Bonaparte's losses were irreparable, and every extra day of the war moved him more and more away from a successful outcome for him.

M.I. Kutuzov wrote about the results of the battle as follows: “The battle that took place on the 26th was the most bloody of all those that are known in modern times. The place of the battle was completely won by us, and the enemy then retreated to the position in which he came to attack us.

And here is Napoleon's assessment: “The Battle of the Moscow River was one of those battles where the greatest virtues were shown and the least results were achieved. The French in it showed themselves worthy of victory, and the Russians deserved the right to be invincible.

The Battle of Borodino or the Battle of Borodino is the largest battle of the Patriotic War between Russia and Napoleonic France, which took place on September 7, 1812 near the village of Borodino.
The army of the Russian Empire was commanded by General M. Kutuzov, and the French army was led by the Emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte. It is still not clear who won this battle. The battle of Borodino is rightfully considered the bloodiest one-day battle.

Causes of the Battle of Borodino

Emperor Napoleon with a huge French army invaded the territory of the Russian Empire. At the same time, the Russian army was constantly retreating, panic in the ranks and a hasty retreat could not allow organizing an army for a decisive defense. Then the emperor appoints the command of the Russian army to Kutuzov. He decided to retreat further, hoping to exhaust the French army and get reinforcements.
Having decided that there was nowhere to postpone the battle, Kutuzov decides to deploy his troops near Borodino. The emperor demanded that Napoleon be stopped in front of Moscow, and only this area allowed such a thing to be done. Before the approach of Napoleon's troops, the Russian army managed to build the necessary fortifications.

Number of opponents

The Russian army in total consisted of about 120 thousand soldiers and more than six hundred artillery pieces. Among them there were also about 7-8 thousand Cossacks.
The French slightly defeated the Russian army in the number of troops, they had about 130-140 thousand soldiers, but a slightly smaller number of artillery pieces, no more than 600.

The course of the battle of Borodino

The battle of Borodino began from the shelling of the positions of the Russian army by the French artillery at half past five in the morning. At the same time, Napoleon ordered General Delzon's division to go into battle under the cover of fog. They went to the very center of the Russian positions - the village of Borodino. This position was defended by the corps of rangers. The number of the French was much larger, but the huntsmen retreated only when there was a threat of encirclement. The huntsmen withdrew across the Kolocha River, followed by Delzon's division. Having crossed the river, he tried to take up positions, but having received reinforcements, the huntsmen were able to repel the attacks of the French.
Then Napoleon, following the flank, launched an attack on the Bagration flushes (flush - field fortifications, sometimes they can be long-term). First came the artillery bombardment, and then the attack began. The first attack was successful, and the Russian chasseurs retreated, but having come under fire from grapeshot, the French army was forced to retreat.
At eight o'clock in the morning the attack on the southern flush was repeated and ended in success for the French army. Then General Bagration decides to make an attempt to dislodge the French from their positions. Having gathered impressive forces for a counterattack, the Russian army manages to push the enemy back. The French retreated with heavy losses, many officers were wounded.
Napoleon decided to make the third attack more massive. The attacking force was reinforced by Marshal Ney's three infantry divisions, Murat's cavalry and a large number of artillery (about 160 guns).
Upon learning of Napoleon's intentions, General Bagration decided to further strengthen the flushes.
Napoleon launched the third attack from a powerful artillery preparation, after which the French successfully occupied the southern flush. A bayonet fight ensued, as a result of which two Russian generals were wounded. The Russian army launched a counterattack with three cuirassier regiments and practically pushed the French back, but the French cavalry, which arrived in time, repulsed the attack of the cuirassiers (heavy cavalry) and completely occupied the flush by ten o'clock in the morning.
Napoleon concentrated about 40 thousand soldiers and 400 guns in the flushes. Bagration was supposed to stop the French, but he could not do this, since he had only 20 thousand soldiers, then he decides to counterattack on the left wing. This attack was stopped, and hand-to-hand combat ensued, lasting about an hour. The Russian army gained an advantage, but when Bagration himself was wounded by a random fragment, the Russian army lost morale and began to retreat. Bagration's wound was light, he was hit by a fragment in the thigh and was carried away from the battlefield.
The flashes were abandoned, and the Russian army retreated behind the Semyonovsky stream. There were still untouched reserves, and the Russian artillery, numbering 300 guns, well controlled the approaches to the stream. The French, seeing such a defense, decided not to attack yet.
Napoleon continued to attack the left flank of the Russian troops, but he appointed the main blow to the center of the Russian positions. A bloody battle ensued, the result of which was the withdrawal of the French troops, they did not manage to dislodge the Russian army from the position of the Semenovsky stream. Here they remained until the very end of the Battle of Borodino.
At that moment, when the French army was fighting for the flushes, Napoleon ordered to bypass the Russian positions in the Utitsky forest area. The French managed to push the Russian army back from the Utitsa Heights, and deployed artillery there. Then the French opened a massive artillery strike. The Russian army was forced to retreat to the Utitsky Kurgan. But the massive fire of French artillery and a decisive assault allowed the French to push back the Russians and occupy the mound.
General Tuchkov attempted to recapture the mound and personally led the attack. In this battle, the mound was returned, but the general himself was mortally wounded. The kurgan was abandoned by the Russians when the main forces withdrew behind the Semyonovsky stream.
The battle of Borodino was not in favor of the Russian army, and then Kutuzov made an attempt to raid the rear of the French army with cavalry. At first, the raid was successful, the cavalry managed to push back the left flank of the French, but having received reinforcements, the cavalry was driven back. This raid was successful in one way, the decisive blow of the enemy was postponed for two hours, during which the Russian army was able to regroup.
In the center of the Russian positions stood a high mound, on which an artillery battery was located, defended by the forces of General Raevsky.
Napoleon's army continued to attack despite heavy artillery fire. The French managed to take the redoubt, but the Russian army soon recaptured it. The French suffered serious losses. By this time, Raevsky's detachments were exhausted, and Kutuzov ordered him to retreat to the second line. Instead of him, General Likhachev was ordered to defend the artillery battery.
Noticing that the situation in the center of the Russian army was developing badly for the Russians, he decided to focus on the Raevsky battery, defended by Likhachev.
At about three o'clock in the afternoon, Napoleon began a powerful artillery preparation with more than 100 guns and then went on the attack. The French cavalry successfully bypassed the mound and attacked Raevsky's battery. The cavalry was forced to retreat. But the Russian army, diverted to attack the cavalry, left the front and flank uncovered, it was there that the French dealt a crushing blow. The most bloody clash of the battle of Borodino ensued. General Likhachev, who was defending the battery, was seriously wounded and taken prisoner. An hour later, the battery was broken.
This success did not force Napoleon to continue the attack on the center of the Russian army, since he believed that his defense was still strong. And after the capture of the Raevsky battery, the battle of Borodino began to gradually slow down. The artillery skirmish continued, but Napoleon decided not to launch a new attack. The Russian army also decided to retreat to make up for its losses.

The results of the battle of Borodino

Losses
Sources say that the Russian army lost about 40 thousand soldiers, wounded and killed. More than fifty generals fell in this battle or were taken prisoner. This figure does not take into account the losses of the militia and the Cossacks, if these figures are taken into account, then the number of the fallen can be safely raised to 45 thousand soldiers, of which 15 thousand were killed.
The death toll on the French side is rather difficult to determine, since most of the documentation was lost during the retreat. But most historians, based on the surviving data, named the number - 30 thousand soldiers, of which about 10 thousand were killed. The number of dead French generals reaches fifty. The documents also say that many of the wounded died from their wounds, about 2/3. This means that the death toll can be increased to 20 thousand soldiers.

Grand total

The battle of Borodino went down in history as the bloodiest one-day battle until the end of the nineteenth century. Before that, in the history of the world, there was nothing like this that could happen in one day. The total number of those killed in battle, as well as those who died from wounds, reached approximately 50 thousand. The Russian army lost almost a third of its entire army, while Napoleon lost 1/5 of his entire army.
It is interesting that both commanders (Napoleon and Kutuzov) attribute the victory in the Battle of Borodino to their own account. Modern Russian historians evaluate the result of the Battle of Borodino as uncertain, but Western historians say that it was a decisive victory for Napoleon, because the entire Russian army was forced to retreat from the position near Borodino. Napoleon failed to completely break the Russian army, and it did not lose its fighting spirit.
The fact remains that Napoleon was not able to completely defeat the Russians, a decisive victory was not achieved, and later, due to the crisis of Napoleon's strategy, his defeat followed. If Napoleon had completely defeated the Russians near Borodino, this would have been a decisive and crushing defeat of the Russian Empire, on the basis of which Napoleon could have signed a peace favorable to France. The Russian army, having retained its strength, was able to prepare for subsequent battles.