R. Volkov "Portrait of M.I. Kutuzov"
You will never see such battles!..
Banners were worn like shadows,
The fire sparkled in the smoke,
Damask steel sounded, buckshot screamed,
The soldiers' hands are tired of stabbing,
And prevented the cannonballs from flying
A mountain of bloody bodies... (M.Yu. Lermontov “Borodino”)
Background
After the invasion of the French army under the command of Napoleon into the territory of the Russian Empire (June 1812), Russian troops regularly retreated. The numerical superiority of the French contributed to the rapid advance into the interior of Russia; this deprived the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, General of the Infantry Barclay de Tolly, of the opportunity to prepare troops for battle. The long retreat of the troops caused public outrage; therefore, Emperor Alexander I appointed Infantry General Kutuzov as commander-in-chief. However, Kutuzov continued his retreat. Kutuzov's strategy was aimed at 1) exhausting the enemy, 2) waiting for reinforcements for the decisive battle with the Napoleonic army.
On September 5, the battle took place at the Shevardin Redoubt, which delayed the French troops and gave the Russians the opportunity to build fortifications in the main positions.
V.V. Vereshchagin "Napoleon on the Borodino Heights"
The Battle of Borodino began on September 7, 1812 at 5:30 a.m. and ended at 6:00 p.m. Fighting throughout the day took place in different areas of the position of the Russian troops: from the village of Maloe in the north to the village of Utitsy in the south. The heaviest battles took place for Bagration's flushes and at Raevsky's battery.
On the morning of September 3, 1812, having begun to concentrate in the area of the village of Borodino, M.I. Kutuzov carefully examined the surrounding area and ordered the construction of fortifications to begin, because concluded that this area was most suitable for a decisive battle - it was impossible to postpone it further, since Alexander I demanded that Kutuzov stop the French advance towards Moscow.
The village of Borodino was located 12 kilometers west of Mozhaisk, the terrain here was hilly and crossed by small rivers and streams that formed deep ravines. The eastern part of the field is higher than the western part. The Koloch River, which flowed through the village, had a high, steep bank, which provided good cover for the right flank of the Russian army. The left flank, approaching a swampy forest, overgrown with bushes, was poorly accessible to cavalry and infantry. This position of the Russian army made it possible to cover the road to Moscow, and the wooded area made it possible to shelter reserves. It was impossible to find a better place for the decisive battle. Although Kutuzov himself realized that the left flank was a weak point, he hoped to “correct the situation with art.”
Start of the battle
Kutuzov’s idea was that, as a result of the active defense of Russian troops, French troops would suffer as many losses as possible in order to change the balance of forces and subsequently defeat the French army. In accordance with this, the battle formation of the Russian troops was built
In the village of Borodino there was one battalion of Russian guards rangers with four guns. To the west of the village there was a military guard of rangers from army regiments. East of Borodino, 30 sailors guarded the bridge over the Kolocha River. After the Russian troops retreated to the eastern bank, they were supposed to destroy it.
A corps under the command of E. Beauharnais, Viceroy of Spain, entered the battle near Borodino, who sent one division from the north and the other from the west.
The French, unnoticed, under the cover of the morning fog, approached Borodino at 5 am, and at 5-30 they were noticed by the Russians, who opened artillery fire. The guards moved towards the French with bayonets, but the forces were not equal - many of them died on the spot. Those who remained retreated beyond Kolocha, but the French broke through the bridge and approached the village of Gorki, where Kutuzov’s command post was located.
But Barclay de Tolly, having sent three regiments of rangers, drove off the French, and the bridge over Kolocha was dismantled.
The French who survived and retreated to Borodino established an artillery battery here, from which they fired at Raevsky’s battery and at the battery near the village of Gorki.
Battle for Bagration's flushes
J. Doe "Portrait of P.I. Bagration"
Bagration had at his disposal about 8 thousand soldiers and 50 guns (the 27th infantry division of General Neverovsky and the consolidated grenadier division of General Vorontsov) to protect the flushes.
Napoleon had 43 thousand people and more than 200 guns (seven infantry and eight cavalry divisions under the command of Marshals Davout, Murat, Ney and General Junot) to attack the flushes. But these troops were not enough, additional reinforcements came, as a result, Napoleonic army fought for Bagration’s flushes consisting of 50 thousand soldiers and 400 guns. During the battle, the Russians also brought up reinforcements - 30 thousand soldiers and 300 guns made up the number of Russian troops.
During the 6 hours of battle, the French launched eight attacks: the first two were repulsed, then the French managed to temporarily capture three flushes, but they were unable to gain a foothold there and were driven back by Bagration. This defeat worried Napoleon and his marshals, since the French had a clear numerical superiority. The French troops were losing confidence. And so the eighth attack of the flushes began, which ended with its capture by the French, then Bagration put forward all his available forces for a counterattack, but he himself was seriously wounded - Lieutenant General Konovnitsyn took command. He raised the spirit of the army, broken by Bagration's wound, withdrew the troops from the flushes to the eastern bank of the Semenovsky ravine, quickly installed artillery, built infantry and cavalry, and delayed the further advance of the French.
Semyonovskaya position
10 thousand soldiers and artillery were concentrated here. The task of the Russians in this position was to delay the further advance of the French army and close the breakthrough that formed after the French occupied the Bagration flushes. This was a difficult task, since the bulk of the Russian army were those who had already been fighting for Bagration's flushes for several hours, and only three guards regiments (Moscow, Izmailovsky and Finlyandsky) arrived from reserve. They lined up in a square.
But the French did not have reinforcements either, so Napoleonic marshals decided to attack in such a way as to hit the Russians on both sides with artillery crossfire. The French attacked fiercely, but were constantly repulsed, most of them dying from Russian bayonets. Still, the Russians were forced to retreat east of the village of Semenovskoye, but soon Kutuzov gave the order to attack the cavalry of the Cossack regiments of Platov and Uvarov, which diverted part of the French troops from the center. While Napoleon was regrouping his troops on the left wing, Kutuzov gained time and pulled his forces to the center of the position.
Battery Raevsky
J. Doe "Portrait of General Raevsky"
Lieutenant General Raevsky's battery had a strong position: it was located on a hill, where 18 guns were installed, there were 8 infantry battalions and three Jaeger regiments in reserve. The French tried to attack the battery twice, but were unsuccessful, but there were heavy losses on both sides. At three o'clock in the afternoon, the French again began to attack Raevsky's battery and two regiments managed to bypass it from the north side and break in. A fierce hand-to-hand fight began, Raevsky’s battery was finally taken by the French. Russian troops retreated in battle and organized a defense 1-1.5 kilometers east of Raevsky’s battery.
Fighting on the Old Smolensk Road
After a long break, the battle began again on the Old Smolensk Road. It was attended by regiments of the 17th division, the approaching Wilmanstrad and Minsk regiments of the 4th division and 500 people of the Moscow militia. The French could not withstand the attacking actions of the Russian troops and retreated, but then Poniatowski’s infantry and cavalry forces struck from the left flank and rear. Russian troops initially successfully resisted, but then retreated along the Old Smolensk Road and settled east of the Utitsky Kurgan, in the upper reaches of the Semenovsky Stream, joining the left flank of the 2nd Army.
The end of the Battle of Borodino
V.V. Vereshchagin "The end of the Battle of Borodino"
The French army fought with Russian forces for 15 hours, but could not achieve success. Its physical and moral resources were undermined, and with the onset of darkness, Napoleonic troops retreated to the starting line, leaving Bagration's flushes and Raevsky's battery, for which there was a stubborn struggle. Only the advanced detachments of the French remained on the right bank of the Kolocha, and the main forces retreated to the left bank of the river.
The Russian army was firmly in position. Despite significant losses, her morale did not drop. The soldiers were eager to fight and were eager to completely defeat the enemy. Kutuzov was also preparing for the upcoming battle, but the information collected at night showed that half of the Russian army was defeated - the battle could not be continued further. And he decides to retreat and surrender Moscow to the French.
The significance of the Battle of Borodino
Under Borodino, the Russian army under the command of Kutuzov dealt a severe blow to the French army. Its losses were enormous: 58 thousand soldiers, 1600 officers and 47 generals. Napoleon called the Battle of Borodino the bloodiest and most terrible of all the battles he fought (50 in total). His troops, who won brilliant victories in Europe, were forced to retreat under the pressure of Russian soldiers. The French officer Laugier wrote in his diary: “What a sad sight the battlefield presented. No disaster, no lost battle can compare in horror to the Borodino Field. . . Everyone is shocked and crushed."
The Russian army also suffered heavy losses: 38 thousand soldiers, 1500 officers and 29 generals.
The Battle of Borodino is an example of the military genius of M.I. Kutuzova. He took everything into account: he successfully chose positions, skillfully deployed troops, provided strong reserves, which gave him the opportunity to maneuver. The French army conducted a mainly frontal offensive with limited maneuvers. In addition, Kutuzov always relied on the courage and perseverance of Russian soldiers, soldiers and officers.
The Battle of Borodino was a turning point in the Patriotic War of 1812 and was of great international significance, influencing the fate of European countries. Defeated at Borodino, Napoleon was never able to recover from his defeat in Russia, and later suffered defeat in Europe.
V.V. Vereshchagin "On the high road - the retreat of the French"
Other assessments of the Battle of Borodino
Emperor Alexander I announced the Battle of Borodino as victory.
A number of Russian historians insist that the outcome of the Battle of Borodino was uncertain, but the Russian army won a “moral victory” in it.
F. Roubaud "Borodino. Attack on the Raevsky battery"
Foreign historians, as well as a number of Russian ones, consider Borodino as an undoubted Napoleon's victory.
However, everyone agrees that Napoleon failed defeat the Russian army. To the French failed destroy the Russian army, force Russia to capitulate and dictate peace terms.
Russian troops inflicted significant damage on Napoleon's army and were able to preserve their strength for future battles in Europe.
Each of us still remembers the lines of this wonderful poem by Lermontov, memorized at school: “It’s not for nothing that all of Russia remembers Borodin’s Day!” But what kind of day was it? What happened on this day near the village of Borodino, which is located 125 kilometers from Moscow? And most importantly, who ultimately won the Battle of Borodino? You will learn about this and more right now.
Prologue of the Battle of Borodino
Napoleon invaded Russia with large forces - 600 thousand troops. The commander-in-chief of our army, Barclay, avoided decisive battles because he believed that Russian forces were not yet enough. Under pressure from the patriotic mood in society, the tsar removed Barclay and installed Kutuzov, who, however, was forced to continue the strategy of his predecessor.
But social pressure increased, and Kutuzov finally decided to give the French battle. He himself determined the location of the battle with Napoleon - Borodino Field.
The location was strategically advantageous:
- The most important road to Moscow passed through the Borodino field.
- On the field there was Kurgan Height (Raevsky’s battery was located on it).
- Above the field rose a hill near the village of Shevardino (the Shevardinsky redoubt was located on it) and the Utitsky mound.
- The field was crossed by the Kolocha River.
Preparation for the Battle of Borodino
On August 24, 1812, Napoleon and his army approached the Russian troops and immediately identified the weak points of their position. There were no fortifications behind the Shevardinsky redoubt; this was fraught with the danger of a breakthrough to the left flank and general defeat. Two days later, this redoubt was attacked by 35 thousand French, and defended by 12 thousand Russian soldiers under the command of Gorchakov.
About 200 guns fired at the fortifications, the French constantly attacked, but were unable to take the redoubts. Napoleon chose the following battle plan: attack the left flank - the Semyonov flushes (built behind the Shevardinsky redoubts at the last moment), break through them, push the Russians back to the river and defeat them.
All this was to be accompanied by additional attacks on the Kurgan Heights and the offensive of Poniatowski’s troops on the Utitsa Heights.
The experienced Kutuzov foresaw this enemy plan. On the right he positioned Barclay's army. Raevsky's corps was placed on Kurgan Heights. The defense of the left flank was under the control of Bagration's army. Tuchkov's corps was stationed near the Utitsky mound to cover the road to Mozhaisk and Moscow. However, the most important thing: Kutuzov left a huge reserve in reserve in case of unexpected changes in the situation.
Beginning of the Battle of Borodino
On August 26, the battle began. First, the opponents spoke to each other in the language of guns. Later, the Beauharnais corps unexpectedly invaded Borodino and from its location organized a massive shelling of the right flank. But the Russians were able to set fire to the bridge over Kolocha, which prevented the French advance.
At the same time, Marshal Davout's troops attacked Bagration's flashes. However, here too the Russian artillery was accurate and stopped the enemy. Davout gathered his strength and attacked a second time. And this attack was repulsed by the infantrymen of General Neverovsky.
In this case, Napoleon, enraged by the failure, sent his main striking force to suppress Bagration’s flushes: the corps of Ney and Zhenya with the support of Murat’s cavalry. Such a force managed to push through Bagration’s flushes.
Concerned by this fact, Kutuzov sent reserves there and the original situation was restored. At the same time, Poniatowski’s French units set out and attacked the Russian troops near the Utitsky Kurgan with the goal of getting behind Kutuzov’s rear.
Poniatowski managed to complete this task. Kutuzov had to weaken the right flank by transferring Baggovut’s units from it to the Old Smolensk Road, which were stopped by Poniatovsky’s troops.
At the same time, Raevsky’s battery passed from hand to hand. At the cost of enormous efforts, the battery was saved. Around noon, seven French attacks were repulsed. Napoleon concentrated large forces at the flushes and threw them into the eighth attack. Suddenly Bagration was wounded, and his units began to retreat.
Kutuzov sent reinforcements to the flushes - the Platov Cossacks and Uvarov’s cavalry, which appeared on the French flank. The French attacks stopped due to the ensuing panic. Until the evening, the French attacked and captured all Russian positions, but the cost of losses was so high that Napoleon ordered to stop further offensive actions.
Who won the Battle of Borodino?
The question arises about the winner. Napoleon declared himself such. Yes, it seems he captured all the Russian fortifications on the Borodino field. But he did not achieve the main goal - he did not defeat the Russian army. Although she suffered heavy losses, she still remained very combat-ready. And Kutuzov’s reserve remained completely unused and intact. The cautious and experienced commander Kutuzov ordered a retreat.
Napoleonic troops suffered terrible losses - about 60,000 people. And there could be no talk of a further offensive. Napoleonic armies needed time to recover. In a report to Alexander I, Kutuzov noted the unparalleled courage of the Russian troops, who won a moral victory over the French that day.
Result of the Battle of Borodino
Reflections about who won and who lost that day - September 7, 1812 do not cease to this day. The main thing for us is that this day will forever go down in the history of our state as the Day of Military Glory of Russia. And literally in a week we will celebrate another anniversary - 204 years since the Battle of Borodino.
P.S. Friends, as you probably noticed, I did not set myself the task of describing this great battle of the Patriotic War of 1812 in as much detail as possible. On the contrary, I tried to condense it as much as possible in order to tell you briefly about that day, which, it seems to me, lasted an eternity for the participants in the battle itself. And now I need your help.
Please give me feedback in the comments to the article about in what format it is better to describe other Days of Military Glory of Russia from now on: briefly or in full, as I did with the battle of Cape Tendra? I look forward to your comments under the article.
Peaceful skies above everyone,
Reserve Sergeant Suvernev.
The Battle of Borodino is the largest battle of the Patriotic War of 1812. In France this battle is called the "Battle of the Moscow River".
Starting the war, Napoleon planned to fight a general battle near the border, but the retreating Russian army lured him far from the border. After the withdrawal of the Russian army from near Smolensk, the commander-in-chief general of infantry decided, relying on a pre-selected position (near the village of Borodino, located 124 kilometers west of Moscow), to give the French army a general battle in order to inflict as much damage on it as possible and stop the attack on Moscow. set the goal in the Battle of Borodino to defeat the Russian army, capture Moscow and force Russia to conclude peace on terms favorable to itself.
The position of the Russian army on the Borodino field occupied 8 kilometers along the front and up to 7 kilometers in depth. Its right flank adjoined the Moscow River, its left flank adjoined a difficult forest, its center rested on the Kurganaya heights, covered from the west by the Semenovsky stream. The forest and bushes in the rear of the position made it possible to secretly position troops and maneuver reserves.
(Military Encyclopedia. Chairman of the Main Editorial Commission S.B. Ivanov. Military Publishing House. Moscow. in 8 volumes -2004 ISBN 5 - 203 01875 - 8)
The position was strengthened by fortifications: at the tip of the right flank, near the forest, with the front to the Moscow River, three flushes were built (a field fortification in the form of an obtuse angle, with its apex facing the enemy); near the village of Gorki, on the new Smolensk road, there are two batteries, one higher than the other, one with three guns, the other with nine; in the center of the position, at a height, is a large lunette (a field fortification open from the rear, consisting of side ramparts and a ditch in front), armed with 18 guns (later called the Raevsky battery); in front and south of the village of Semenovskaya there are three flushes (Bagration flushes); the village of Borodino, on the left bank of the Kolocha, was put in a defensive position; (closed rectangular, polygonal or round field fortification with an external ditch and parapet) for 12 guns.
In the forest, abatis and blockages, “combat” clearings and clearings were built.
By the beginning of the battle, the Russian army had 120 thousand people (including 7 thousand Cossacks, about 10 thousand warriors and 15 thousand recruits), 624 guns. The French army consisted of about 130-135 thousand people and 587 guns.
The battle formation of the Russian troops was deep (in 3 lines), stable and ensured wide maneuver of forces and means on the battlefield. Its first line consisted of infantry, the second - Caucasian corps, the third - private and general reserves. The first line contained 334 guns, the second - 104, the third (deep artillery reserve) - 186. Chains of rangers were deployed in front of the infantry.
Napoleon, realizing that it was difficult to reach the Russian army from the flanks, decided to disrupt its left wing with a frontal attack, and then, striking the center, go to the rear of Kutuzov’s army, press it to the Moscow River and destroy it. Therefore, the main forces of the French army were concentrated in the main direction, in the area from the Semenovsky flushes to the Kurganaya heights.
The Battle of Borodino began between 5 and 6 o'clock on September 7 (August 26, old style) 1812 with artillery cannonade from both sides and an attack by the French corps on the village of Borodino, which was undertaken to divert Russian attention from the direction of the main attack. Under pressure from superior enemy forces, the rangers defending the village retreated across the Kolocha River, but did not allow the French to cross after them. At about 6 o'clock, two French divisions (more than 25 thousand people and 100 guns) began attacking the Semyonov flushes.
Despite the enemy's triple superiority in men and double in artillery, the Russians repelled the attack. At about 7 o'clock the French resumed their offensive, captured the left flush, but were knocked out and driven back by a Russian counterattack. Until 11 o'clock the French launched several more unsuccessful flush attacks. During the same period, two attacks by the French corps on Raevsky’s battery were also repulsed.
At about 12 o'clock the eighth flush attack began. Against 20 thousand people and 300 Russian guns, Napoleon moved 45 thousand people and 400 guns on an area of 1.5 kilometers. Fierce hand-to-hand fighting ensued. During the counterattack, the commander of the 2nd Western Army of the Russians was mortally wounded. At the cost of huge losses, the French troops captured the flushes and reached the Semenovsky heights. After this, Napoleon moved the direction of the main attack to the Kurganaya heights (Raevsky’s battery).
Kutuzov, hoping to seize the initiative in the battle, sent two corps around the enemy’s left flank with the goal of destroying his rear with a surprise attack. Although it was not possible to fully implement the plan, the counterattack of the corps forced Napoleon to suspend a new attack on the Kurganaya heights, which allowed Kutuzov to strengthen the center and left wing of the Russian troops. At approximately 2 p.m., Napoleon again launched an attack on the Kurganaya heights, which was captured by 4 p.m. The Russians, maintaining order, retreated 800 meters. All subsequent attempts by the French cavalry to overthrow the Russian troops in the center were unsuccessful. At the same time, part of the Russian troops retreated along the Old Smolensk Road to new positions and formed a common line with the retreating troops of the left flank. By 18 o'clock the Russian army stood in new positions as unshakably as before the start of the battle. The enemy failed to achieve decisive success. Napoleon did not dare to bring the last reserve - the guard - into the battle. Convinced of the futility of further attacks, at nightfall he abandoned the occupied Russian fortifications, destroyed by artillery fire, and withdrew his troops to their original positions. Kutuzov, realizing the impossibility of making up for losses, gave the order to retreat around midnight. Before dawn on September 8 (August 27, old style), the Russian army began to retreat to Moscow, which was later surrendered to the French for the sake of preserving the army and Russia.
During the Battle of Borodino, Napoleon's army lost over 50 thousand people killed and wounded (according to French data, about 30 thousand people), including 49 generals; Russian army - over 44 thousand people (including 29 generals).
Napoleon later wrote in his memoirs (the quote is given in Mikhnevich’s translation): “Of all my battles, the most terrible was the one I fought near Moscow. The French in it showed themselves worthy of winning, and the Russians acquired the right to be invincible... Of the fifty battles, According to me, in the battle of Moscow [the French] showed the most valor and achieved the least success."
Kutuzov in his memoirs assessed the Battle of Borodino as follows: “The battle of the 26th was the bloodiest of all those known in modern times. We completely won the battlefield, and the enemy then retreated to the position in which he came to attack us.”
He declared the Battle of Borodino as a victory. Prince Kutuzov was promoted to field marshal with an award of 100 thousand rubles. All lower ranks who were in the battle were granted 5 rubles each.
The Battle of Borodino did not lead to an immediate turning point in the course of the war, but it radically changed the course of the war. To successfully complete it, it took time to make up for losses and prepare a reserve. Only about 1.5 months passed when the Russian army, led by Kutuzov, was able to begin expelling enemy forces from Russia.
The material was prepared based on information from open sources
