Who won the Battle of Borodino in 1812. Battle of Borodino

September 7 is the 206th anniversary of the great battle. And, as always, the question arises: what was it? Victory or defeat? Should we celebrate success or mourn failure?

Among those who claim that Russia lost in the Battle of Borodino, for some reason, people who do not like Russia predominate - strange, isn’t it?
Their main (and actually only) argument is that the battlefield remained with Napoleon, the Russian troops retreated the next day. And whoever has the field wins. Well, of course, if the goal of Napoleon’s campaign at the head of the greatest European army of all time in Russia was to capture the Borodino field, then, of course, he achieved his goal). But there is some doubt that this was precisely the goal of the Emperor of France.
But what really was Napoleon's goal - the real goal that he did not achieve, largely as a result of his failure (and our success) in the Battle of Borodino?
Napoleon's goal was not to capture the Borodino field. And not even take Moscow. Napoleon's goal was... to destroy Russia.
206 years ago, Napoleon set out to accomplish what Charles XII failed 100 years earlier, and Adolf Hitler failed 100 years later.
Napoleon's plans were to “restore Poland.” If with these words you thought about the Poland that you see on the modern world map, then you somewhat underestimate Napoleonic plans. The “Poland” that he decided to restore from the ruins of the Russian Empire is the medieval Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, at least up to the Dnieper, and most likely further.
If Napoleon had managed to force Alexander I to sign a peace treaty, then this treaty would have been very reminiscent of the 1991 Belovezhskaya Accords. Russia would have lost Ukraine and Belarus - Poland would have been “restored” there. Finland and the Baltic states would go to Sweden. Turkey - Georgia, Moldova and Crimea.
But this would not be the end of the matter. The restored Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth would, at the first opportunity, attack the defeated Russia left without an army, and Napoleon's empire, Sweden, Turkey and even Napoleon's enemies, the British, would certainly provide all possible assistance in this holy cause of liberating Europe from the Russian barbarians. And that's it...
This is what was decided on September 7, 1812 on the Borodino field. And it’s not at all about who gets the field.
But in order to force Alexander I to sign the death warrant for his country, it was necessary to destroy the Russian army. And then Napoleon’s troops would be able to calmly occupy any city, seize any booty, and supply themselves with everything they need. And the Russian state would simply cease to function - with or without a treaty.
How to destroy the Russian army? To do this you need:
1) Create a stronger army - one that is guaranteed to defeat the Russians.
2) Achieve battle.
3) Destroy the Russian army.
Napoleon approached the solution of this problem extremely responsibly. It is enough to compare his campaign with the frivolous adventure of Charles XII - simply heaven and earth. Of course, Bonaparte knew history. He was confident that he would defeat the Russians, but he wanted to act with 200 percent reliability so as not to leave us the slightest chance.
To begin with, he created the Great Army. This was not the army of France (hardly half of them were French) - it was the army of Europe, NATO of that time: Germans, Austrians, Dutch, Italians, Poles... It was much stronger than all the Russian troops combined.
But that's not all. Napoleon had no intention of fighting the entire Russian army at once. He wanted to break our forces piece by piece without allowing them to unite. In addition, the Emperor of France, of course, took into account that Russia was at war with Turkey, and calculated that the Russian army, occupied in the south, would not be able to help the rest of the forces. The Russian-Turkish War ended shortly before Napoleon’s invasion, but he spent more than one day assembling his armada, and he began to prepare a plan even earlier, so this Kutuzov's quick and untimely (for Bonaparte) triumph in the south became an unpleasant surprise. But shouldn’t we cancel the invasion because of this, when everything is already ready?
Napoleon failed to defeat our armies individually - the Russian generals surpassed the Corsican genius and united. But still, even after this, the army of Europe was larger than the Russian one, better trained (we had many recruits straight from the plow) and was led by the greatest commander of his time. It was impossible to defeat her in battle. If you were Kutuzov at least three times.
This means that it was necessary to avoid a general battle by all means, which Mikhail Illarionovich did, continuing to retreat. From a military point of view, Moscow also had to be surrendered without a fight, in which we risked losing the country. The problem was that the matter was not limited to the military point of view.
History knows many examples when huge armies retreated without a fight, retreated until they fled. It’s not Napoleon and Kutuzov who are fighting - hundreds of thousands of people are fighting, who must understand what they are doing, for the sake of which they are suffering hardships and going to their death. If the Russian army had surrendered Moscow without a fight, the soldiers would simply have gone home. It was necessary to win the moral right to surrender the capital. Kutuzov understood this. And Napoleon understood this, so he went to where the Russian army would be obliged to meet him.
When Bonaparte realized at Borodino that the main Russian army was taking the battle, he probably breathed a sigh of relief. He practically achieved his goal: he managed to create an invincible army, preserved it until the decisive battle and forced the enemy to take the battle, the outcome of which was a foregone conclusion: the French were stronger in all respects. Tomorrow the Russians will be defeated: Napoleon knew how to do this and won in much more difficult situations. And then everything will be as always: the enemy fleeing in panic, corps surrendering, captured guns and banners, cities opening gates to the victors, rich booty, surrender agreements - and he, the ruler of everything, creating states and destroying them. And Russia - well, someday all empires perish...
And the next day none of this happened. There were no captured corps. There were no surrender agreements and no cities opening their gates. There was no defeated Russian army. All day long, the best French forces were smashed against Russian batteries in order, at the cost of enormous sacrifices, to conquer the field pitted with craters and empty Moscow, where they could loot a lot (after which Napoleon’s army finally turned into a gang of marauders, almost uncontrollable), but it was impossible to survive the winter... And The Russian army, having withstood the battle with honor, retreated in an orderly manner, still blocking the French from access to the rich areas of the state to food, fodder, and warm houses so necessary for this huge horde of conquerors. It was a disaster.
And every day of the next month, walking around the empty Kremlin and unsuccessfully waiting from Alexander I for at least some kind of answer to more and more ingratiating letters, Bonaparte understood better and better what a hopeless situation he found himself in. All attempts to move further were stopped by Russian troops, which grew stronger every day. There was nowhere to get food and fodder. Their own soldiers destroyed warehouses and convoys. And they had to flee to their lair along the Old Smolensk Road, which had been destroyed by their own troops. And behind, finishing off the remnants of the European conquerors, came the Russian army, which Napoleon never managed to destroy in the Battle of Borodino.
So who won then?

The great battle took place on August 26. According to the new style - September 7. The official Day of Military Glory is celebrated on the 8th due to an error in calculations. However, it makes sense to remember such a battle three or four times.

Lermontov’s “Borodino” is a miracle of Russian poetic heroism, we all remember its lines, but we often make mistakes in intonation, starting to recite: “Tell me, uncle, it’s not without reason...” After all, these are bitter lines! Lermontov and his hero mourn that they had to retreat, that they had to give up Moscow, that the heroic generation did not block the enemy’s road to the Mother See. Bitterness lived in Russian hearts throughout the summer of 1812.

Throughout the summer of 1812, Russia languished in anticipation of a general battle. proposed to lie down with bones on the banks of the Vistula, not allowing the enemy into central Russia. This is in the spirit of Peter the Great’s traditions of offensive war, in the spirit of the Suvorov school to which Bagration belonged. But the emperor approved a different tactic; the main task was to save the army during the loss of territories. Russia is not accustomed to defeats - and society poured out all the bitterness, reaching the point of hatred, on the Minister of War, who commanded the 1st Army - on Barclay.

The emperor, who did not have much confidence in the Russian commanders, was forced to nominate Kutuzov in order to restore the morale of the army and, no less important, the capital’s rear.

Not many people in all circles truly loved the cunning Mikhailo Illarionovich. But there was no more authoritative and politically astute commander in the Russian army at that time. It is generally accepted that he did not add anything to Barclay’s strategy, that he did not make the best use of the army’s capabilities under Borodin... But you cannot rewrite history. And the glory of 1812 is largely associated for us with the image of a cautious but brave old man.

With the dream of a decisive battle, the army retreated closer and closer to Moscow. The warriors were ready to defend Belokamennaya steadfastly and selflessly. The militia was ready to join the army. Kutuzov quietly pacified the impulses of the patriots: he counted on a long campaign and did not even treat the Battle of Borodino as “the last, decisive battle.”

So, by the beginning of the battle, Barclay de Tolly’s 1st Army, consisting of 3 infantry, 3 cavalry corps and reserves (76 thousand people, 480 guns), was located on the right flank; the front of its position was covered by the Kolocha River. The left flank was held by Bagration's smaller 2nd Army (34 thousand people, 156 guns). There the landscape was less suitable for defense. It is not surprising that Napoleon struck the main blow precisely on the left flank.

From the first artillery salvo in the early morning of September 7, the French pressed on the left flank. Who stood that morning on the Borodino field, on the hills, in the copses? Students of the invincible Suvorov - Mikhail Kutuzov, Pyotr Bagration, Mikhail Miloradovich, Matvey Platov, Alexey Ermolov, Ivan Dorokhov. Generals accustomed to victories, eagles of the empire.

Perhaps the best commentator on the Patriotic War of 1812 is Fyodor Glinka. Officer, poet, theologian. He wrote about the great Battle of Borodino in detail and at the same time artistically. Captured the elements of the battle. This is how Glinka described one of the key hours of the Battle of Borodino:

“Imagine a chemist’s working temple, imagine how he pours two hostile moistures from two vials into one vessel. Merged together, they hiss, bubble, swirl, until, both decomposed, they become numb, evaporate, leaving almost no traces behind them. Thus, two forces, two armies, Russian and French, merged into one cup of destruction, and, dare I use the expression: they decomposed chemically, destroying each other.”

We have become unaccustomed to such a writer's view. He has vigilance without posturing.

The Russian land has never known such an intense battle. The bloodiest battle ensued around the Semyonov flushes, which are more often called Bagrationovs. Three fortifications were hastily built shortly before the battle. Artillery batteries were stationed there, and Bagration’s troops took up defensive positions around them.

The battle near the fortifications lasted six hours; Napoleon sent his main forces here. A powerful blow from the troops of Marshals Davout and Ney made the defenders of the flushes tremble. The French captured the fortifications. But there followed a counterattack by Russian grenadiers and cavalry led by Bagration. Flushes are beaten! 35 thousand French on this piece of land advanced like a hurricane. Bagration had 20 thousand.

Here the cavalrymen of General Dorokhov carried out a fierce counterattack. Here General Bagration was mortally wounded. General Tuchkov died here, having picked up the banner from the hands of a wounded standard bearer.

« As Bagration's troops received reinforcements, they, over the corpses of the fallen, moved forward with the greatest determination to regain their lost positions. We saw how the Russian masses maneuvered like mobile redoubts, studded with iron and throwing down fire... While they had any strength left, these brave soldiers began their attacks again“,” recalled the French general, a participant in the battle.

In the battle for Bagration's flushes, Napoleon lost about 30 thousand. As a result, the enemy occupied the fortifications, but did not break through the defenses. The Russians retreated only 400 steps.

The Russian army retreated to Gorki and began to prepare for a new battle. It seemed that the stubborn battle would continue. But at 12 o'clock at night Kutuzov canceled preparations for a new battle. The commander-in-chief, who called the Battle of Borodino victorious, decided to withdraw the army beyond Mozhaisk in order to make up for human losses and better prepare for new battles. To wait, expecting mistakes from Napoleon, who had lost communications...

The French emperor did not feel like a winner: he understood that the Russian army was not defeated, there were very few prisoners, there was no disorderly retreat of the Russians...

Let us turn again to the notes of Fyodor Glinka:

“The hours were running out. The night came into its own more and more. The sun was setting as a red ball without rays. Some kind of sour, vinegary smell spread in the air, perhaps from the great decomposition of saltpeter and sulfur, perhaps from blood evaporation!

The smoke thickened and hung over the field. And in this night, half-artificial, half-natural, between the scattered French columns, still moving with the beating of drums and music, still unfurling their red banners, suddenly (and this was the last time) the earth rang under the hooves of the rushing cavalry. 20,000 sabers and broadswords crossed in different parts of the field. Sparks fell as if from a fire and faded away, like the lives of thousands who died in battle.

This slaughter, resumed for a minute, was the last outbreak of a dying fire, extinguished by blood. It was the King of Naples who rushed with his cavalry to the Russian line. But the day was gone, and the battle died down. The great question: “Who won?” remained unresolved."

In the next chapter of his narrative, Glinka will answer this question: by winter, the disgraced remnants of the Great Army were leaving Russia. They looked least like winners. History answered this question.

Throughout the summer of 1812, Russia languished in anticipation of a general battle. Prince Bagration proposed to lie down with bones on the banks of the Vistula, not allowing the enemy into central Russia. This is in the spirit of Peter the Great’s traditions of offensive war, in the spirit of the Suvorov school to which Bagration belonged. But the emperor approved a different tactic; the main task was to save the army during the loss of territories. Russia is not accustomed to defeats - and society poured out all the bitterness, reaching the point of hatred, on the Minister of War, who commanded the 1st Army - on Barclay.

The emperor, who did not have much confidence in the Russian commanders, was forced to nominate Kutuzov in order to restore the morale of the army and, no less important, the capital’s rear.

Not many people in all circles truly loved the cunning Mikhailo Illarionovich. But there was no more authoritative and politically astute commander in the Russian army at that time. It is generally accepted that he did not add anything to Barclay’s strategy, that he did not make the best use of the army’s capabilities under Borodin... But you can’t rewrite it. And the glory of 1812 is largely associated for us with the image of a cautious but brave old man.

Napoleon on the Borodino Heights. Artist Vereshchagin (1897)

“Imagine a chemist’s working temple, imagine how he pours two hostile moistures from two vials into one vessel. Merged together, they hiss, bubble, swirl, until, both decomposed, they become numb, evaporate, leaving almost no traces behind them. Thus, two forces, two armies, Russian and French, merged into one cup of destruction, and, dare I use the expression: they decomposed chemically, destroying each other.”

We have become unaccustomed to such a writer's view. He has vigilance without posturing.

“As Bagration’s troops received reinforcements, they, over the corpses of the fallen, moved forward with the greatest determination to regain their lost positions. We saw how the Russian masses maneuvered like mobile redoubts, studded with iron and pouring down fire... As long as they had any strength left, these brave soldiers began their attacks again,” recalled the French general, a participant in the battle.

Attack of the 1st Cavalry Corps of General Uvarov at Borodino. Artist Desarno

The French emperor did not feel like a winner: he understood that the Russian army was not defeated, there were very few prisoners, there was no disorderly retreat of the Russians...

Let us turn again to the notes of Fyodor Glinka:

“The hours were running out. The night came into its own more and more. The sun was setting as a red ball without rays. Some kind of sour, vinegary smell spread in the air, perhaps from the great decomposition of saltpeter and sulfur, perhaps from blood evaporation!

The smoke thickened and hung over the field. And in this night, half-artificial, half-natural, between the scattered French columns, still moving with the beating of drums and music, still unfurling their red banners, suddenly (and this was the last time) the earth rang under the hooves of the rushing cavalry. 20,000 sabers and broadswords crossed in different parts of the field. Sparks fell as if from a fire and faded away, like the lives of thousands who died in battle.

This slaughter, resumed for a minute, was the last outbreak of a dying fire, extinguished by blood. It was the King of Naples who rushed with his cavalry to the Russian line. But the day was gone, and the battle died down. The great question: “Who won?” remained unresolved."

Omsk Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Omsk regional branch of the All-Russian public organization

"Russian Geographical Society"

Children's regional public organization

"Scientific Society of Students "Search"

MKOU "Ingalinskaya Secondary School"

“Who won the Battle of Borodino in 1812”

Scientific and practical work

Section: history and local history

Completed:

10th grade students

Miller Maria Anatolyevna Sedelnikova Nadezhda Vladimirovna
Scientific supervisor:

history teacher

Nikitina Irina Yurievna

Table of contents
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………..…....3

1. Causes of the Patriotic War of 1812………………………………….5
2. Balance of forces at Borodino…………………………………………..8
3. Results of the Battle of Borodino…………………………………......11
4. Progress of the Battle of Borodino.................................................... ....................16
5. Who won the Battle of Borodino?…………………..……...18
6. Sociological survey of students of the MCOU “Ingalinskaya Secondary School”….20

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….. .22

References………………………………………………………......24

Introduction

The greatest monument of Russian history is the Borodino Field. It personifies the glory and valor of our people, shown by them in the days of severe trials, when the fate of the Fatherland was decided.

This year on August 26 the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino will take place. The events of 1812 have a special place in our history. More than once the Russian people rose up to defend their land from invaders coming from both the West and the East. But never before has the threat of enslavement given rise to such a unity of forces, such a spiritual awakening of the nation, as it did during the days of Napoleon's invasion.

The feat of the people who defended the independence of their homeland entailed not only the collapse of the “Idol”, which subjugated almost all of Europe, it awakened the desire to take a fresh look at what was happening inside Russia, the determination to fight autocratic oppression, the obscurantism and despotism of the St. Petersburg rulers.

Extensive literature is devoted to the historical day of August 26, 1812. Historians and writers, strategists and tacticians wrote about the Battle of Borodino. Until now, the Battle of Borodino presents a number of mysteries.

Victory or defeat? Many thousands of Russians and French asked themselves this question after the Battle of Borodino. So this question interested us.

The purpose of our work is to try to answer the question: who won on the Borodino field.

Tasks:

Find out the balance of forces.
Determine the outcome of the battle.
Answer the question: who won?
Conduct a sociological survey of students at the Ingalinskaya Secondary School.

The object of study is the Patriotic War of 1812.

Subject – Battle of Borodino.

Methods: comparison, analysis, survey.

1. Causes of the Patriotic War of 1812

The reasons for the Patriotic War lay in the love of power of Napoleon, who, striving for dominion over the world and convinced of the inadequacy of the continental blockade to destroy the power of England, dreamed of inflicting a mortal blow on her with a campaign in India, for which he first needed to make Russia obedient as his instrument. For his part, Emperor Alexander I understood the unreliability of peace with such an ally as Napoleon. The newest historian of that era, Vandal, who used unpublished documents, proves that Emperor Alexander I was imbued with a firm decision to break the alliance concluded in Tilsit, and even intended to suddenly start a war in 1811, but he failed due to circumstances beyond his control ; then, constantly avoiding final negotiations, he forced Napoleon to take the initiative to break and in this way managed to place full responsibility on the enemy not only in the eyes of his contemporaries, but also of posterity. The first reason for the cooling between the allies was the evasive response, tantamount to refusal, to Napoleon's matchmaking with one of the sisters of Alexander I (1809). Following this, Napoleon, through the Peace of Vienna or Schönbrunn, annexed part of Galicia to the Duchy of Warsaw, in which Emperor Alexander I saw a hint of the restoration of Poland. Emperor Alexander I demanded that Napoleon formally undertake not to restore Poland. A convention drawn up in this sense was signed by the French ambassador in St. Petersburg, Caulaincourt, on December 24, 1809, but was not accepted by Napoleon, who, after four months of silence, sent a draft of another convention, undertaking in it to never contribute to enterprises tending towards the restoration of Poland. In 1810, Napoleon annexed Holland, Vallis, the Hanseatic cities and the entire coast of the German Sea to the Elbe to the French Empire. Among the sovereigns who lost their possessions was a relative of Alexander I, the Duke of Oldenburg. Emperor Alexander I addressed both Napoleon and all European sovereigns on this occasion with a formal protest, which indicated that the Duchy of Oldenburg could not be destroyed without the consent of Russia, which created this duchy and has rights to it in the event of the suppression of the ruler in it. Houses. The protest was drawn up in very moderate terms and ended with assurances that Emperor Alexander I would “devote all his care” to preserving the alliance with the French emperor; however, Napoleon was very dissatisfied with the Russian note. Then painful negotiations began: Napoleon demanded that Emperor Alexander I indicate what the Duke of Oldenburg's reward could be, stipulating, for his part, that neither Danzig nor any part of the Duchy of Warsaw could serve for this purpose. Added to this were a number of misunderstandings about the continental system. Having pledged the Treaty of Tilsit to observe the continental system, Russia was soon driven to the extreme: for three years it was deprived of the opportunity to ship its bulky products abroad by sea. Colonial and manufactured goods had to be purchased at high prices, which resulted in a decline in the exchange rate of the assignation ruble, which in 1807 was worth 67 kopecks of silver, and in 1810 fell to 25 kopecks. Napoleon sought to ensure that the Russian government did not allow neutral ships into its harbors, arguing that there were no real neutral ships at all, and that they all traded in English goods. When these advances were rejected, Napoleon took a series of petty measures against Russian trade, raising duties on potash, fish oil and other items imported from Russia. The Russian government responded with a tariff on December 19, 1810, by which some luxury goods were completely prohibited from being imported into Russia, others were subject to high duties, and duties on colonial goods were lowered. This tariff was intended to reduce the export of specie to France for luxury goods, in exchange for which Russia could not sell its products by dry route. Napoleon saw this as a violation of the Tilsit Treaty, but the Russian government insisted that the publication of tariffs was a matter of internal governance and had nothing to do with the responsibilities of an international union. At the beginning of 1811, the hostile mood of both powers was already clearly evident. The Russian government strengthened Riga, began building a new fortress in Bobruisk, increased its army and pulled troops to the western borders. Napoleon concentrated troops in Prussia and the Duchy of Warsaw, and was especially concerned about the issue of food, in which he saw the main danger. He forced Prussia and Austria to enter into an alliance, by virtue of which the former, in addition to a huge amount of provisions, pledged to help the French with a 20,000-strong corps, and the latter also pledged to field an auxiliary corps.

- 2. Balance of forces at Borodino

What was the real balance of forces on the Borodino field? In fact, the data used in most cases gives a fairly small spread for the French and a slightly larger spread for the Russians. The number of Napoleon's troops is usually indicated as 130-135 thousand people and 587 guns, Kutuzov's troops as 120-130 thousand people and 623-640 guns. Some researchers and sources give figures for the Russian army at 112 thousand, 132 thousand and even 155 thousand people. At the same time, the breakdown of troops by branch is indicated. But what does this data tell us? Which ones are accurate?

Is it possible to compare the real capabilities of the parties in this battle using them? Who was stronger before the battle and how much?

This is what we will now try to find out. Let's start with the Russian army. Various data were indicated by war participants who already had access to real data, for example, the Quartermaster General of the Main Army, Major General K. F. Tol, named (in 1822) the figure of 112 thousand soldiers, of which 95 thousand were regular troops, 7 thousand Cossacks , 10 thousand - militia. Adjutant General of Alexander I D.P. Buturlin indicated in 1824 the figure of 132 thousand. Foreign historians cited similar figures, for example, K. Clausewitz gave 120 thousand, and T. Bernhardy gave 130 thousand people. The total number of the Russian army is determined by memoirists and historians in a wide range of 110-150 thousand people:

historian Bogdanovich: 103 thousand regular troops (72 thousand infantry, 17 thousand cavalry, 14 thousand artillerymen), 7 thousand Cossacks and 10 thousand militia warriors, 640 guns. Total 120 thousand people.

From the memoirs of General Tol: 95 thousand regular troops, 7 thousand Cossacks and 10 thousand militia warriors, 640 guns. Total 112 thousand people.

Calculation of Russian forces according to reports on August 24 (September 5), 1812: 114 thousand regular troops with 624 guns, 9,500 Cossacks and 31,700 militia warriors. Total: 155,200 people.

Emperor Napoleon, in his letter to his wife immediately after the battle, estimated the size of the Russian army at 120 thousand people. However, firstly, Napoleon could not know the exact number of Russians, but only an approximate one; secondly, he later claimed that near Borodino the Russians had 170 thousand people under arms.

The discrepancies are mainly related to the militia, so the exact number of participants in the battle is unknown. The militia were untrained, most armed only with pikes. Basically, they did not participate in the battle, but stood behind the troops, pretending to be a reserve. Those of them who took part in the battle performed mainly auxiliary functions, such as building fortifications and removing the wounded from the battlefield. The discrepancy in estimates of the number of regular troops is due to the fact that the accounting problem has not been resolved: whether all the recruits (about 10 thousand) brought by General Miloradovich were included in the regiments before the battle.

The size of the French army is estimated more definitely - about 135 thousand soldiers and 587 guns: According to the Marquis of Chambray, a roll call held on August 21 (September 2) showed the presence of 133,815 combat ranks in the French army. However, this number does not take into account the 1,500 sabers of the cavalry brigade of divisional general Pajol, who arrived later, and the 3 thousand combat ranks of the main apartment. Minus the losses incurred during the time between roll call and the start of the battle, the total strength of the French army can be determined at 135 thousand people. In addition, taking into account the militias in the Russian army implies adding to the regular French army numerous non-combatants who were present in the French camp and whose combat effectiveness corresponded to the Russian militias. That is, the size of the French army is also increasing. Like Russian militias, French non-combatants performed auxiliary functions - they carried out the wounded, carried water, and so on.

It is important for military history to distinguish between the total size of an army on the battlefield and the troops that were committed to battle. However, in terms of the balance of forces that took direct part in the battle of August 26 (September 7), 1812, the French army also had a numerical superiority. According to the encyclopedia “Patriotic War of 1812”, at the end of the battle Napoleon had 18 thousand in reserve, and Kutuzov had 8-9 thousand regular troops (in particular, the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky guards regiments). At the same time, Kutuzov said that the Russians brought into battle “every last reserve, even the guard by evening,” “all reserves are already in action.” However, it should be borne in mind that Kutuzov asserted this with the aim of justifying the retreat. Meanwhile, it is reliably known that a number of Russian units (for example, the 4th, 30th, 48th Jaeger Regiments) did not take part in the battle, and only in some cases suffered losses from enemy artillery fire. If we evaluate the qualitative composition of the two armies, we can turn to the opinion of the Marquis of Chambray, a participant in the events, who noted that the French army had superiority, since its infantry consisted mainly of experienced soldiers, while the Russians had many recruits. In addition, the French had a significant superiority in heavy cavalry.

Thus, we see that before the Battle of Borodino the balance of forces was approximately equal.

- 3. Results of the battle

The “Great Army” crashed against the indestructible army of Russia, and therefore Napoleon had the right to say: “The Battle of the Moscow River was one of those battles where the greatest merit was demonstrated and the least results were achieved.”

But Kutuzov assessed the Battle of Borodino differently: “This day will remain an eternal monument to the courage and excellent bravery of Russian soldiers, where all the infantry, cavalry and artillery fought desperately. Everyone’s desire was to die on the spot and not give in to the enemy.”

Who won the Battle of Borodino? On the one hand, Napoleon managed to capture all the fortifications of the Russian position: the Bagration flashes, the Raevsky battery, the Utitsky mound, and the village of Borodino. The battlefield remained with the French. Therefore, Napoleon declared that he had won.

On the other hand, Napoleon did not achieve his main goal. From the very beginning, the French emperor sought to force the Russian army into a general battle, defeat it and thereby decide the outcome of the entire war.

Napoleon's plan was not crowned with success. It was not possible to defeat the Russian army. She remained a formidable force. In addition, the Grand Army suffered heavy losses: about 58 thousand people were killed and wounded. The cavalry suffered huge losses - about 16 thousand people, or 57% of the force. The French losses among the commanding staff were also great: 263 people dropped out of the ranks, including 47 generals. “We have never lost so many officers and generals in a single battle,” one of Napoleon’s close associates later admitted. The damage was terrible and irreparable.

Of course, the attacking side usually suffers larger losses. But the losses of the Russian army were not much less - 44 thousand people. This was explained by the fact that during the battle the armies repeatedly changed roles - the Russians knocked the French out of the captured positions. Russian troops suffered heavy losses from enemy artillery. After the battle, both Russian armies were combined into one. In the Battle of Borodino, the Russian army had a slight advantage in the number of guns, but the French fired more concentrated fire.

The actions of the Russian artillery were affected by the death of its commander, General A.I., at the height of the battle. Kutaisova. The Russian army lost about a thousand officers and 23 generals. Among them were such prominent commanders as the commander of the 2nd Army, General Bagration, generals brothers Nikolai and Alexander Tuchkov and many others. In fact, the 2nd Army ceased to exist, the battle formations of the Russian troops were greatly upset.

Due to heavy losses and taking into account that Napoleon had an untouched reserve (the Old Guard), Kutuzov ordered on the morning of August 27 to withdraw from the battlefield. The Russian army did not have significant reserves at that moment. And the Napoleonic army, despite the losses it suffered, remained a dangerous and serious adversary. Fresh divisions were approaching it from the west. A new battle could lead to the defeat of the Russian troops.

In a report to the Emperor Kutuzov M.I. wrote: “This day will remain an eternal monument to the courage and excellent courage of the Russian soldiers, where all the infantry, cavalry and artillery fought desperately. Everyone’s desire was to die on the spot and not yield to the enemy. The French army, led by Napoleon himself, being in superior strength, did not overcome the fortitude of the Russian soldier who sacrificed his life for his fatherland.”

Scheme of the Battle of Borodino

But we must keep in mind that the Battle of Borodino did not give clear success to the Napoleonic army. Napoleon sought in this battle to destroy the Russian army, open a free path to Moscow, force Russia to capitulate and dictate the terms of a peace treaty to it. He achieved none of these goals. Kutuzov also failed to stop the enemy, block his path to Moscow and begin expelling him from Russian soil.

On the Borodino field, for the first time, the inconsistency of the Napoleonic theory of achieving victory in one general battle, which became a kind of “recipe for victory,” was revealed with particular force. Of course, in a general battle with small, mostly mercenary Western European armies, he often achieved major victories.

After Borodin, Napoleon was forced to admit that of the fifty battles he fought in the Battle of Moscow, his troops showed the greatest valor and achieved the least success. The Russians, according to Napoleon, have acquired the right to be invincible.

When assessing the Battle of Borodino, at least three main results should be emphasized. Firstly, Napoleonic army failed to break the resistance of the Russians, defeat them and open a free path to Moscow. Secondly, the Russian army disabled almost half of the enemy troops. And finally, thirdly, on the Borodino field, the French army suffered irreparable moral damage, while the Russian troops had increased confidence in victory.

- 4. Progress of the Battle of Borodino

The entire Borodino battle was a frontal attack by the French masses on the Russian center - Raevsky's battery and Bagration's flashes (which changed hands six times between 9 and 12 o'clock). The brutal massacre lasted six hours without any hint of any maneuver other than a frenzied onslaught on both sides.

By 12 o'clock Napoleon had knocked down the Russians from all points and was preparing to deliver a decisive blow to the Russian army with his reserves, when a sudden raid by Uvarov's cavalry brought unimaginable panic to the rear of the French army. Napoleon almost was captured and ordered the decisive attack to be postponed until the next day.

The hellish cannonade lasted until 5 o'clock in the evening - there was a moment when 700 guns thundered from both sides in a square space of a mile away!

On the Borodino field there was not only a battle between two armies, in which their fighting qualities were tested, but also a competition between two great commanders - Napoleon and Kutuzov. It should be noted that both commanders felt the “pulse of the battle” and quickly responded to its changes. During the battle, both Napoleon and Kutuzov showed colossal energy and skill in leading troops on the battlefield.

The Battle of Borodino was replete with examples of the tactical skill of Russian troops. First of all, it should be noted the use of wide maneuver on the battlefield, both from depth and along the front. Such events made the positions of the Russian army especially stable and deprived the French of the opportunity to achieve ultimate success. All their attacks were fruitless.

Troops led by Kutuzov M.I. and his illustrious companions, united by the consciousness of their duty and filled with ardent love for the Fatherland, showed remarkable examples of skillful maneuver on the battlefield, perseverance and activity. They provided a brilliant example of interaction between military branches and mutual assistance. Russian soldiers showed high moral and fighting qualities in the battle, showing unshakable fortitude and perseverance, courage and courage.

On the Borodino field, soldiers, officers and generals of the Russian army stood shoulder to shoulder, uniting in their ranks Russians and Ukrainians, Belarusians and Georgians, Tatars and Germans, united by the consciousness of a common duty. And therefore, officers and generals put an equal amount of blood and valor, courage and dedication on the scales of victory: Russian Denis Davydov, Georgian Pyotr Bagration, German Alexander Figner, Tatar Nikolai Kudashev and Turk Alexander Kutaisov, loyal sons of Russia.

History has also preserved for us the names of Borodin’s heroes, soldiers and non-commissioned officers - holders of the military order of Georgy Efrem Mityukhin, Jan Mats, Sidor Shilo, Pyotr Mileshko, Taras Kharchenko, Ignat Filonov and many others. This was the Russian people - many-faced, multilingual, diverse, united in a single state by a common destiny, as united as the state.

This was genuine patriotism of the highest standard and greatest purity. The patriotic people acted on the Borodin field as the true creators of history and convincingly proved to themselves and to the whole world that there is no greater force on earth than the masses of the people, united by the people's leaders to achieve a majestic, understandable and close to their hearts goal.

- 5. Who won?

Around the Battle of Borodino and its results - who won? - There are still heated debates among historians. French historiography from the time of Napoleon to the present day claims that this battle was imposed on Kutuzov, who allegedly did not want it. In fact, the same point of view was defended by Russian pre-revolutionary historiography, which argued that Borodino was supposedly a “purifying sacrifice for leaving Moscow,” since “giving up Moscow shrines without a fight was impossible.”

Soviet historians refuted all these speculations. M.I. Kutuzov arrived in the active army with the decisive intention of stopping the advance of the “great army” near Moscow, and he initially did not think about leaving the capital. Our history books say that Kutuzov won, and in Paris on the Arc de Triomphe you can still see a wreath in honor of Napoleon’s victory “in the Battle of Moscow.” So who won?

There were 154.8 thousand Russians with 640 guns, the French - 134 thousand and 587 guns. Being in the minority, the French constantly attacked and by the evening captured many Russian positions. Napoleon created a significant numerical superiority in all areas of the battle. Kutuzov had used up his reserves by the middle of the day, and Napoleon still had the “old guard” - about 20 thousand people. The losses of the defending Russians amounted to 55 thousand people, and those of the advancing French - 34 thousand. Finally, our army left the battlefield, which did not prevent Kutuzov from sending a report of victory to St. Petersburg. There was no rejoicing among the troops, however. It is impossible to talk about a moral victory, since after Borodin mass desertion and looting began among Russian soldiers.
Kutuzov was an intelligent, cunning and experienced military leader.

In the early 19th century, it was believed that the winner of a battle was the one who occupied the battlefield. That is, formally, they are French. But in essence - taking into account what happened later - Russians. But, despite the fact that Napoleon turned out to be the winner from a military point of view, the moral victory belonged to Kutuzov’s army. This was later indirectly recognized by Napoleon himself, who wrote about the Battle of Borodino: “Of all my battles, the most terrible was the one I fought near Moscow. The French showed themselves worthy of victory, and the Russians acquired the right to be invincible.” Borodino sowed in the French a sense of uncertainty and fear of the enemy’s unprecedented resilience.

- 6. Sociological survey of students of the MKOU "Ingalinskaya Secondary School"

We conducted a survey of students from grades 8 to 11 of the MKOU "Ingalinskaya Secondary School", a total of 39 people were surveyed.

To the first question: “Do you know the date of the Battle of Borodino? When?" - out of 39 people, only 6 did not know the answer.

Thus, we found that 82% of students know the date of the Battle of Borodino.

To the second question: “Who did the Russian Empire fight with?” - out of 39 people, 5 people did not know the answer.

That is, 85% of respondents know who the Russian Empire fought with.

To the third question: “Who was the emperor during this period in the Russian Empire? In France? - the answers were as follows: 31 people answered Alexander I and Napoleon, 2 people answered Alexander I, 4 people answered only Napoleon and 2 people did not know the answer at all.

We concluded that 94% know the names of the emperors who fought.

To the fourth question: “Which of the heroes of the Battle of Borodino do you know?” - 29 people answered Kutuzov, 2 people answered Barclay de Tolly, 1 person answered Alexander I, 5 people answered Napoleon, 9 people do not know the answer.

To the last fifth question: “Who do you think won at Borodino?” - 31 people answered Russian Empire, 8 people were undecided on the answer.

As a result, we determined that 76% of students in grades 8-11 believe that the Russian Empire won the Battle of Borodino.

Conclusion

The Russian army won a major victory on the Borodino field.

Borodino was a moral and political victory for the Russians: the combat potential of the Russian army was preserved, while Napoleonic’s was significantly weakened. Far from France, in the vast Russian expanses, it was difficult to restore it. “The French army crashed against the Russian,” one of Borodin’s heroes, General Ermolov, aptly said. The French army, moving away from its bases, could not quickly make up for its losses. Her strength was broken.

Napoleon, who sought to defeat the Russians in a general battle and thereby decide the fate of the war in his favor, did not achieve this goal. Russian army under

Kutuzova’s command fought extremely stubbornly for her position

at Borodino and dealt a heavy blow to the French troops. Enemy losses

reached 58 thousand soldiers, 1600 officers and 47 generals. Napoleon later

called the Battle of Borodino the bloodiest and most terrible of all

fifty battles given to him. His best troops are cavalry

the Neapolitan king - Murat, the infantry of Davout, Ney, Beauharnais, who more than once

won major victories over the armies of a number of European states,

repeatedly retreated with heavy losses under the blows of the heroic defenders of Bagration's flushes and Raevsky's battery.

The consciousness of the invincibility of the Russian army took possession of the French soldiers and their commanders. “What a sad sight the battlefield presented,” French army officer Laugier wrote in his diary. No disaster, no

a lost battle cannot be compared in horror to the Borodino field... All

shocked and crushed.”

In the battle of Borodino, Russian soldiers held back the onslaught of an army that had been considered invincible for over ten years, an army led by the largest commander of that time. In the successful outcome of the Battle of Borodino for the Russians, the high morale of the troops was decisive. Kutuzov wrote in his disposition that he believed in victory and placed all his hopes on the courage and fearlessness of Russian soldiers. The Battle of Borodino showed to what heroism, perseverance and selflessness an army can rise when defending its native land and waging a just war.

The Russian army lost 38 thousand soldiers, 1500 officers and 29

generals. They showed enormous resilience and massive heroism, covering themselves

unfading glory.

The Battle of Borodino is a striking example of high military leadership

M.I. Kutuzova. A successful choice of position, skillful deployment of troops, as well as the presence of strong reserves ensured the strength of the defense of the Russian army and enabled M. I. Kutuzov to skillfully maneuver his troops. At the same time, Napoleon's army was constrained in maneuver and found itself forced to conduct

frontal attack with heavy losses in infantry and cavalry.

The actions of M.I. Kutuzov as a commander were always based on firm

confidence in the fortitude and courage of Russian soldiers and officers.

The Battle of Borodino was a turning point in the Patriotic War of 1812. It had enormous international significance. It affected the future fate of all of Europe. Weakened at Borodino, Napoleon subsequently suffered a general defeat, first in Russia and then in Europe. His empire fell apart and

the peoples he enslaved regained their national independence.

On the Borodino field, for the first time, the inconsistency of the Napoleonic theory of achieving victory in one general battle was revealed with particular force.

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On September 7, 1812, one of the most brutal one-day battles took place. The French called it “Bataille de la Moskova”, the Russians called it the Battle of Borodino. Various names, unclear results - an ambiguous victory. 7 assessments of the “Russian victory” at Borodino.

Napoleon Bonaparte

“Of all my battles, the most terrible is the one I fought near Moscow. The French showed themselves worthy of victory, and the Russians acquired the right to be invincible. Of the fifty battles I gave, in the battle of Moscow the French showed the most valor and achieved the least success.”

J. Rapp (adjutant general to the emperor)

“The battle was won, but the fierce fire still continued. Napoleon's surgeon did the dressing for me. The Emperor himself visited me. “Again, so it’s your turn? How are you?” - “Your Majesty, I think you will have to use the guard.” - “I won’t do this; I don't want to risk it. I am confident that I will win the battle without her participation.” And indeed, the guard did not participate in the battle, with the exception of thirty guns, which performed miracles.”

A. De Caulaincourt (Emperor's Chief of Horse)

“At night it was clearly noticeable that the enemy had begun to retreat: the army was ordered to move after him. The next day, only the Cossacks could be found, and only two leagues from the battlefield. The enemy carried away the vast majority of his wounded, and we only had those prisoners of which I have already spoken, 12 guns from the redoubt taken by my unfortunate brother, and three or four others taken in the first attacks.”

L. De Bosse (palace prefect)

“Be that as it may, the victory was complete, so complete that the Russian army could not believe for a single minute in the possibility of defending its capital. But this did not stop them from serving prayer services there.”

M.I. Kutuzov (Field Marshal)

“This day will remain an eternal monument to the courage and excellent bravery of Russian soldiers, where all the infantry, cavalry and artillery fought desperately. Everyone’s desire was to die on the spot and not yield to the enemy. The French army, led by Napoleon himself, being in superior strength, did not overcome the fortitude of the Russian soldier who sacrificed his life for his Fatherland.”

D. N. Bolgovsky (duty staff officer)

“...We retreated the day after the battle, not defeated, but due to a lack of forces capable of fighting, while the enemy still had fresh troops at his disposal. But where is the reason for this obvious and inexplicable inaction of Napoleon? How can we understand that at the beginning of the battle he acted offensively and brought the matter to the end, and at three o’clock, at the moment when he managed to take possession of all the points that protected our front from the swiftness of his attacks, and, therefore, at the moment of achieving complete success he was more defensive than active."

A. B. Golitsyn (adjutant to M. I. Kutuzov)

“Kutuzov never intended to give battle the next day, but he said this out of pure policy. At night, I traveled with Tol around the position where our tired soldiers were fast asleep, and he reported that it was impossible to think of going forward, much less defending with 45 thousand those places that were occupied by 96 thousand, especially when Napoleon had an entire guards corps not took part in the battle. Kutuzov knew all this, but he was waiting for this report and, after listening to it, he ordered an immediate retreat, entrusting the rearguard to Platov. He retreated so quickly that at 2 o’clock he brought almost the entire French army to a position near Mozhaisk, where it was supposed to defend itself and not yield it to the French until another day, but this was not the case.”