"RUSSIAN GOT THE GLORY TO BE UNDEFEATED"

After the battle near Smolensk, the retreat of the Russian army continued. This caused open discontent in the country. Under pressure from public opinion, Alexander I appointed him commander-in-chief of the Russian army. Kutuzov's task was not only to stop Napoleon's further advance, but also to expel him from Russian borders. He also adhered to the tactics of retreat, but the army and the whole country expected a decisive battle from him. Therefore, he gave the order to look for a position for a general battle, which was found near the village. Borodino, 124 kilometers from Moscow.

The Russian army approached the village of Borodino on August 22, where, at the suggestion of Colonel K.F. Tolya, a flat position up to 8 km long was chosen. From the left flank, the Borodino field was covered by the impenetrable Utitsky forest, and on the right, passing along the bank of the river. Kolochi, Maslovsky flashes were erected - earthen arrow-shaped fortifications. Fortifications were also built in the center of the position, which received different names: Central, Kurgan height, or Raevsky battery. On the left flank, the Semyonov (Bagrationov) flushes were erected. Ahead of the entire position, from the left flank, near the village of Shevardino, a redoubt was also begun to be built, which was supposed to play the role of an advanced fortification. However, the approaching army of Napoleon, after a fierce battle on August 24, managed to capture it.

Location of Russian troops. The right flank was occupied by the battle formations of the 1st Western Army of General M.B. Barclay de Tolly, on the left flank were units of the 2nd Western Army under the command of P.I. Bagration, and the Old Smolensk Road near the village of Utitsa was covered by the 3rd Infantry Corps of Lieutenant General N.A. Tuchkov. Russian troops occupied a defensive position and were deployed in the shape of the letter "G". This situation was explained by the fact that the Russian command sought to control the Old and New Smolensk roads leading to Moscow, especially since there was a serious fear of the enemy's bypass movement on the right. That is why a significant part of the corps of the 1st Army turned out to be in this direction. Napoleon, on the other hand, decided to deliver his main blow to the left flank of the Russian army, for which on the night of August 26 (September 7), 1812, he transferred the main forces across the river. Kolochu, leaving only a few cavalry and infantry units to cover their own left flank.

The beginning of the battle. The battle began at five o'clock in the morning with an attack by parts of the corps of the Viceroy of Italy E. Beauharnais on the position of the Life Guards of the Jaeger Regiment near the village. Borodin. The French took possession of this point, but it was their red herring. Napoleon brought down his main blow against Bagration's army. Corps of Marshals L.N. Davout, M. Ney, I. Murat and General A. Junot attacked the Semenov flushes several times. Parts of the 2nd Army fought heroically against the enemy outnumbered. The French repeatedly broke into the flushes, but each time they left them after a counterattack. Only by nine o'clock did the Napoleonic armies finally capture the fortifications of the Russian left flank, and Bagration, who tried to organize another counterattack at that time, was mortally wounded. “The soul seemed to fly off from the entire left flank after the death of this man,” witnesses tell us. Furious fury, a thirst for revenge took possession of those soldiers who were directly in his entourage. When the general was already being carried away, the cuirassier Adrianov, who served him during the battle (handing out a telescope, etc.), ran up to the stretcher and said: “Your Excellency, you are being taken to be treated, you no longer need me!” Then, eyewitnesses report, “Adrianov, in the sight of thousands, launched like an arrow, instantly crashed into the ranks of the enemy and, having hit many, fell dead.”

The struggle for the Rayevsky battery. After the capture of the flashes, the main struggle unfolded for the center of the Russian position - the Raevsky battery, which at 9 and 11 o'clock in the morning was subjected to two strong enemy attacks. During the second attack, the troops of E. Beauharnais managed to capture the height, but soon the French were driven out of there as a result of a successful counterattack by several Russian battalions led by Major General A.P. Yermolov.

At noon, Kutuzov sent the Cossacks to the cavalry general M.I. Platov and the cavalry corps of Adjutant General F.P. Uvarov to the rear of Napoleon's left flank. The raid of the Russian cavalry made it possible to divert Napoleon's attention and delayed a new French assault on the weakened Russian center for several hours. Taking advantage of the respite, Barclay de Tolly regrouped his forces and put fresh troops on the front line. Only at two o'clock in the afternoon did the Napoleonic units make a third attempt to capture Raevsky's battery. The actions of the Napoleonic infantry and cavalry were successful, and soon the French finally captured this fortification. The wounded Major General P.G., who led the defense, was captured by them. Likhachev. The Russian troops withdrew, but the enemy could not break through the new front of their defense, despite the best efforts of two cavalry corps.

Results of the battle. The French were able to achieve tactical success in all major areas - the Russian armies were forced to leave their original positions and retreat about 1 km. But the Napoleonic units failed to break through the defense of the Russian troops. The thinned Russian regiments stood to the death, ready to repel new attacks. Napoleon, despite the insistent requests of his marshals, did not dare to throw his last reserve - the twenty thousandth Old Guard - for the final blow. Intense artillery fire continued until the evening, and then the French units were withdrawn to their original lines. It was not possible to defeat the Russian army. Here is what the Russian historian E.V. Tarle: “The feeling of victory was definitely not felt by anyone. The marshals talked among themselves and were dissatisfied. Murat said that he did not recognize the emperor all day, Ney said that the emperor forgot his craft. Artillery thundered from both sides until evening and bloodshed continued, but the Russians did not think not only to flee, but also to retreat. It was already very dark. There was a light rain. "What are the Russians?" asked Napoleon. "Stand still, Your Majesty." - “Intensify the fire, it means they still want it,” the emperor ordered. “Give them more!”

Gloomy, not talking to anyone, accompanied by his retinue and generals who did not dare to interrupt his silence, Napoleon drove around the battlefield in the evening, looking with inflamed eyes at the endless piles of corpses. The emperor did not yet know in the evening that the Russians had lost not 30 thousand, but about 58 thousand people out of their 112 thousand; he also did not know that he himself had lost more than 50,000 of the 130,000 that he had brought to the Borodino field. But that 47 (not 43, as they sometimes say, but 47) of his best generals were killed and seriously wounded, he learned this in the evening. French and Russian corpses littered the ground so thickly that the imperial horse had to look for places where to lower its hoof between the mountains of the bodies of people and horses. The groans and cries of the wounded came from all over the field. The Russian wounded struck the retinue: “They did not emit a single groan,” writes one of the retinue, Count Segur, “perhaps, far from their own, they counted less on mercy. But it is true that they seemed more firm in bearing pain than the French."

In the literature there are the most contradictory facts about the losses of the parties, the question of the winner is still controversial. In this regard, it should be noted that none of the opponents solved the tasks assigned to them: Napoleon failed to defeat the Russian army, Kutuzov - to defend Moscow. However, the great efforts made French army ended up being fruitless. Borodino brought Napoleon bitter disappointment - the outcome of this battle did not at all resemble either Austerlitz, or Jena, or Friedland. The bloodless French army was unable to pursue the enemy. The Russian army, fighting on its territory, was able to restore the number of its ranks in a short time. Therefore, in assessing this battle, Napoleon himself was most accurate, saying: “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 have gained the glory of being undefeated.”

RESCRIPT OF ALEXANDER I

“Mikhail Illarionovich! The current state of the military circumstances of our active armies, although preceded by initial successes, but the consequences of these do not reveal to me that rapid activity with which it would be necessary to act to defeat the enemy.

Considering these consequences and extracting the true reasons for this, I find it necessary to appoint one common commander-in-chief over all active armies, whose election, in addition to military talents, would be based on seniority itself.

Your well-known virtues, love for the fatherland and repeated experiences of excellent deeds acquire for you the true right to this power of attorney of mine.

Choosing you for this important cause, I ask the almighty God to bless your deeds to the glory of Russian weapons and may the happy hopes that the fatherland places on you be justified.

REPORT OF KUTUZOV

“The battle of the 26th, the former, was the most bloody of all those that modern times known. 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; but the extraordinary loss, and done on our part, especially by wounding the most necessary generals, forced me to retreat along the Moscow road. Today I am in the village of Nara and must retreat to meet the troops coming towards me from Moscow for reinforcements. The prisoners say that the enemy's loss is very great, and that the general opinion in the French army is that they lost 40,000 men killed and wounded. In addition to Divisional General Bonami, who was taken prisoner, there are others killed. By the way, Davoust is wounded. Rearguard action happens daily. Now, I learned that the corps of the Viceroy of Italy is located near Ruza, and for this, the detachment of Adjutanate General Vintsengerode went to Zvenigorod in order to close Moscow along that road.

FROM THE MEMOIRS OF CALENCOUR

“We have never lost so many generals and officers in one battle ... There were few prisoners. The Russians showed great courage; the fortifications and territory which they were forced to cede to us were evacuated in order. Their ranks did not fall into disorder ... they bravely met death and only slowly yielded to our valiant attacks. Never before has an enemy position been attacked so fiercely and so systematically, and defended with such stubbornness. The emperor repeated many times that he could not understand how the redoubts and positions, which were captured with such courage and which we so stubbornly defended, gave us only a small number of prisoners ... These successes without prisoners, without trophies did not satisfy him ... »

FROM THE REPORT OF GENERAL RAEVSKY

“The enemy, having arranged his entire army in our eyes, so to speak, in one column, went straight to our front; approaching it, strong columns separated from its left flank, went straight to the redoubt and, despite the strong grapeshot fire of my guns, without a shot, their heads climbed over the parapet. At the same time, from my right flank, Major General Paskevich with regiments attacked with bayonets on the left flank of the enemy, located behind the redoubt. Major General Vasilchikov did the same on their right flank, and Major General Yermolov, taking a battalion of rangers of regiments brought by Colonel Vuich, hit with bayonets right on the redoubt, where, having exterminated everyone in it, he took the general leading the columns prisoner . Major Generals Vasilchikov and Paskevich overturned the enemy columns in the blink of an eye and drove them to the bushes so hard that hardly any of them escaped. More than the action of my corps, it remains for me to describe in a nutshell that after the extermination of the enemy, returning again to his places, he stayed in them until repeated attacks of the enemy, until he was reduced to complete insignificance by the dead and wounded and my redoubt was already occupied by Mr. General Major Likhachev. Your Excellency himself knows that Major General Vasilchikov gathered the scattered remnants of the 12th and 27th divisions and with the Lithuanian Guards Regiment held an important height until the evening, located on the left limb of our entire line ... "

GOVERNMENT MESSAGE ON LEAVING MOSCOW

“With the extreme and contrite heart of every son of the Fatherland, this sadness is proclaimed that the enemy of September 3rd entered Moscow. But let the Russian people not lose heart. On the contrary, let each and every one swear to boil with a new spirit of courage, firmness and undoubted hope that all the evil and harm inflicted on us by enemies will finally turn on their head. The enemy occupied Moscow not because he overcame our forces or weakened them. The commander-in-chief, on the advice of the leading generals, found it useful and necessary to yield for the time of need, so that with the most reliable and the best then ways to turn the short-term triumph of the enemy into inevitable death for him. No matter how painful it is for every Russian to hear that the capital city of Moscow contains the enemies of his fatherland; but she contains them in herself empty, naked from all treasures and inhabitants. The proud conqueror hoped, having entered it, to become the master of everything Russian kingdom and prescribe to him such peace as he pleases; but he will be deceived in his hope and will not find in this capital not only ways to dominate, lower than ways to exist. Our forces gathered and sometimes more accumulating around Moscow will not cease to block all his paths, and the detachments sent from him for food were exterminated daily, until he sees that his hope of defeating the minds of the capture of Moscow was futile and that involuntarily he will have to open a way for himself from by force of arms…”

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, and study the opinion of historians about this issue and we will 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 newer research, the more data showing that the Russian army had a slight advantage. However, if we consider Soviet encyclopedias, then the following data is presented, in which the participants of the Battle of Borodino are represented:

• 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 all their appearance pointed out 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 is 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. battle of Borodino gave 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 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 France, with his guards, moved along the old Smolensk road.

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 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. Most danger 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 that Kutuzov used 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 flashes. 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 order, 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 Bagrationovskie fleches 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 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 Rayevsky battery in order to repel the attack of the cavalry. 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 Flesh, 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 was carried out Russian troops, during which it was possible 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. Napoleon's original plan 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. Until the very end, he hoped to exhaust Russian army with their main forces, achieve a clear advantage in one of the sectors of the front, and then 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 different countries 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. On the certain stages battles, Napoleonic generals managed to achieve local victories and take the necessary lines. Now the French were on the defensive, and Russian generals went 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, with a total number of 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 solely in the light of the personality of Napoleon, who, while on the island of St. Helena, greatly exaggerated the events 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 recent history I have never 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 presented 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

On August 26, according to the old style, on September 7, according to the new one, the largest battle of the Patriotic War of 1812 took place on the Borodino field between the Russian army under the command of General M. I. Kutuzov and the French army of Napoleon I Bonaparte. It happened near the village of Borodino, 125 kilometers from Moscow. The battle lasted 12 hours and played a big role in the War of 1812.

“The battle of Borodino was the most beautiful and most formidable, the French showed themselves worthy of victory, and the Russians deserved to be invincible” / Napoleon

The battle of Borodino was well described by Leo Tolstoy in the novel "War and Peace":

A direct consequence of the battle of Borodino was Napoleon's unreasonable flight from Moscow, the return along the old Smolensk road, the death of the five hundred thousandth invasion and the death of Napoleonic France, which for the first time near Borodino was laid down by the strongest enemy in spirit.

Many monuments and monuments remind of the tragic events and huge human losses. Spaso-Borodino Monastery in the center of the field. In 1838 it was founded by M.M. Tuchkova, widow of General A.A. Tuchkov, who died in the Battle of Borodino.

In 1839, a palace and park ensemble was created in the village of Borodino, which included the Church of the Nativity of Christ (1701), a wooden palace rebuilt from the master's house, outbuildings, a park and outbuildings. The outdoor exhibition also includes:

• Slides, with a monument to M.I. Kutuzov. Here on the day of the battle there was a Russian artillery fortification.
• Raevsky battery. The main monument to the heroes of Borodino. Grave of General P.I.Bagration.
• Roubaud height- a historical place where the artist F. A. Rubo made sketches for the panorama "Battle of Borodino".
• Shevardino- Shevardinsky redoubt, the advanced fortification of the Russian army.
• Monument to the French, fallen soldiers of Napoleon's army.
• Bagration flushes- the place of a bloody three-hour battle.

Famous battles took place here during the Great Patriotic War, on October 12 - 17, 1941, when the soldiers of the Soviet 5th Army under the command of Major General D.D. Lelyushenko was held back for six days by the powerful offensive of the Nazi troops, rushing towards Moscow. Bunkers, communication passages, trenches and other fortifications have been preserved on the field. Monuments were erected, including the T-34 tank, mass graves to fallen soldiers.

In 1961, the Borodino field was declared the State Borodino Military Historical Museum-Reserve. The territory of the museum-reserve occupies 110 square meters. kilometers. There are more than 200 monuments and memorable places, a museum with a permanent exhibition.

The opening hours of the museum's permanent exhibitions can be

Each of us still remembers the lines of this beautiful poem Lermontov, memorized at school: “It is not for nothing that all of Russia remembers the day of Borodin!” But what was that day? What happened that day near the village of Borodino, which is located 125 kilometers from Moscow? And most importantly, who ultimately won the Battle of Borodino? Find out about this and more right now.

Prologue of the Battle of Borodino

Napoleon invaded Russia with large forces - 600,000 troops. The commander-in-chief of our army, Barclay, avoided decisive battles, since he believed that the Russian forces were still not enough. Under the pressure of the patriotic mood in society, the tsar removed Barclay and installed Kutuzov, who, however, was forced to continue the strategy of his predecessor.

But the pressure of society increased, and Kutuzov finally decided to give the French a battle. He himself determined the place of the battle with Napoleon - the Borodino field.

The location was strategically advantageous:

1. The most important road to Moscow passed through the Borodino field.
2. On the field was Kurgan height (Raevsky's battery was located on it).
3. A hill towered above the field near the village of Shevardino (the Shevardinsky redoubt was located on it) and the Utitsky barrow.
4. The field was crossed by the river Kolocha.

Preparation for the Battle of Borodino

On August 24, 1812, Napoleon approached the Russian troops with an army 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 35,000 French, and defended by 12,000 Russian soldiers under the command of Gorchakov.

About 200 guns fired at the fortifications, the French constantly attacked, but they could not take the redoubts. Napoleon chose the following battle plan: attack the left flank - the Semenov flushes (lined up behind the Shevardino redoubts at the last moment), break through them, push the Russians to the river and defeat them.

All this was to be accompanied by additional attacks on the Kurgan Height and the advance of Poniatowski's troops on the Utitskaya Height.

Experienced Kutuzov foresaw this enemy plan. On the right, he placed Barclay's army. At Kurgan Height he placed Raevsky's corps. The defense of the left flank was in charge of Bagration's army. Tuchkov's corps was placed near the Utitsky Kurgan 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.

The beginning of the battle of Borodino

On August 26, the battle began. At first, the opponents spoke to each other in the language of cannons. Later, the Beauharnais corps invaded Borodino with an unexpected blow and from its location organized a massive shelling of the right flank. But the Russians were able to set fire to the bridge across the Kolocha, which prevented the French advance.

At the same time, the troops of Marshal Davout attacked the fleches of Bagration. However, even here 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, enraged by the failure, Napoleon threw the main striking power into the suppression of the Bagration flushes: the corps of Ney and Zhenya with the support of Murat's cavalry. Such a force managed to push through the Bagration flushes.

Concerned about this fact, Kutuzov sent reserves there and the original situation was restored. At the same time, the French units of Poniatovsky came out and hit the Russian troops near the Utitsky Kurgan in order to go behind Kutuzov.

Poniatowski succeeded in accomplishing this task. Kutuzov had to weaken the right flank, transferring parts of Baggovut from it to the Old Smolensk road, which stopped Poniatowski's troops.

At the same time, Raevsky's battery changed hands. At the cost of enormous efforts, the battery was defended. Around noon, seven French attacks were repulsed. Napoleon concentrated large forces at the flushes and threw them into the eighth attack. Unexpectedly, Bagration was wounded, and his units began to retreat.

Kutuzov sent reinforcements to the flashes - Platov's Cossacks and Uvarov's cavalry, which appeared on the French flank. The French attacks stopped because of the beginning of the panic. Until the evening, the French attacked, captured all Russian positions, but the cost of losses was so high that Napoleon ordered to stop further offensive operations.

Who won the Battle of Borodino?

There is a question with the winner. Napoleon declared himself as such. Yes, he seems to have captured all the Russian fortifications on the Borodino field. But he did not achieve his main goal - he did not defeat the Russian army. Although she suffered heavy losses, she still remained very combat-ready. And Kutuzov's reserve generally remained unused and intact. Cautious and experienced commander Kutuzov ordered to 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 on that day won a moral victory over the French.

Outcome of the Battle of Borodino

Reflections on who won and who lost that day - September 7, 1812 do not stop to this day. For us, the main thing is that this day has entered the history of our state forever as the Day of Russia's Military Glory. 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 painting this great battle The Patriotic War of 1812 is maximally deployed. On the contrary, I tried to compress 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 the format in which it is better to describe other Days of Russian Military Glory in the future: briefly or in full, as I did with the battle at Cape Tendra? I look forward to your comments under the article.

All the peaceful sky above your head,

reserve sergeant Suvernev.

Type locality: village.
Subject of the federation: Moscow and region, Mozhaysky district.
Location coordinates. Latitude: 55.495 Longitude: 35.857
Distance to Moscow in a straight line: 113 km.
How can I get to: Minsk highway. E30, M1.
Car code: Moscow: 77, 97, 99, 177, 197, 199, 777. Region: 50, 90, 150.
Description

Borodino field - a vast open space in Mozhaisk. district (124 km from Moscow). Here, on August 26, 1812, the famous battle took place between the army of Napoleon and the Russian troops, led by the commander-in-chief M. I. Kutuzov. It occupies an area of ​​about 50 km2. On it are located with. Utitsy, Shevardino, Semenovskoe, Borodino, Bezzubovo, Doronino. The relief is basically a heavily rugged hilly plain, in the middle of which there is a natural height - the Kurgan battery. A more leveled surface in the south. parts where Kutuzov ordered the construction of the so-called Semenov flushes - artificial earthen fortifications - to strengthen positions. A narrow river Kolocha and several small streams flow through the Borodino field - War, Kamenka, Stonets, Ognik, etc. Rights. coast of Kolocha from the station. Borodino and downstream it is steep, has a height of 10-12 m. At present, almost the entire Borodino field is occupied by arable land and meadows, in some places small woods have appeared.

In the autumn of 1941, during the Great Patriotic War, fierce battles again took place on the Borodino field between Soviet troops and the German fascist hordes. The events on the field were unforgettable heroic pages of our Motherland.