The Napoleonic Wars became the most important stage in the history of the development of the entire European continent. Russia also did not remain aloof from these battles, taking part in the Third, Fourth and Fifth military campaigns in Prussia and the Baltics. And later becoming the first country that managed to oppose the powerful enemy army the spirit and courage of a simple soldier and the military genius of Russian commanders. Actually, the first successful one for Russian forces episode Napoleonic wars and became Patriotic War 1812. Probably every one of our compatriots knows briefly about it. Well, who hasn’t heard about the battle of Borodino or Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow? Let's take a closer look at this page of our history.

Patriotic War of 1812: briefly about the background

The course of the Napoleonic wars in their first decade was extremely unsuccessful for the opponents of the French emperor. Trafalgar Friedland and a number of others significant victories made Napoleon the ruler of all Europe. In 1807, as a result of military defeats, the emperor was forced to sign the Treaty of Tilsit, which was humiliating for Russia. Its main condition was the Russians' promise to join the continental blockade of Great Britain. However, for Russia this was unprofitable both politically and economically. Alexander I used the treaty only for respite and recuperation, after which Russia violated the terms in 1810 continental blockade. This, as well as Alexander I’s desire for revenge and the return of territorial possessions lost during previous battles, are the main reasons for the Patriotic War of 1812. Both sides understood the inevitability of a clash already in 1810. Napoleon actively transferred his armies to Poland, creating a bridgehead there. In turn, the Russian emperor concentrated the main military forces in the western provinces.

Patriotic War of 1812: briefly about the main events

Napoleon's invasion began on June 12, 1812, when he crossed the Neman River with his 600,000-strong army. Russian troops numbering 240 thousand people were forced to retreat before superior enemy forces. Only small battles took place, such as near Polotsk. The first serious battle took place on August 3 in the Smolensk region. The French won, but the Russians managed to save part of their army. The next battle took place when the Russian armies were controlled by the talented strategist M. Kutuzov. It's about about the famous Battle of Borodino, which took place at the end of August. Choosing wisely geographical area and positional disposition of troops, domestic commander managed to inflict huge losses on the enemy army. The Battle of Borodino ended late in the evening of August 12 with a nominal victory for Napoleon. However heavy losses the French army, coupled with the lack of support in foreign lands, contributed greatly to its retreat from Russia in the future. On September 2, Kutuzov made what turned out to be a far-sighted decision to leave the capital, which Napoleon entered a day later. The latter stayed there until October 7, awaiting capitulation or at least the start of negotiations with Russian side. However, a fire in the city, depletion of supplies in the Napoleonic army and guerrilla warfare local peasants forced him to leave the capital. From mid-November the war took a different turn. Now hungry and exhausted french army leaves Russia along a devastated path, and mobile Russian units are actively destroying it in skirmishes. The final defeat occurred on November 14-16 near the Berezina River. Only 30 thousand Napoleonic soldiers left Russia.

Patriotic War of 1812: briefly about the results

The war had a major impact on Russian history. The results of the Patriotic War of 1812 are contradictory. On the one hand, it caused colossal damage to the domestic economy, infrastructure and human potential. On the other hand, it allowed the Russian troops to begin a foreign campaign already in January 1813, which ended with the destruction and restoration of the Bourbons in it. This actually leads to the restoration of reactionary regimes throughout the continent. Important influence It also had an impact on internal socio-economic and cultural processes in Russia. Thus, the officers who visited Europe formed the backbone of the democratic movements in the country that led to 1825.

The Patriotic War of 1812 began on June 12 - on this day Napoleon's troops crossed the Neman River, unleashing wars between the two crowns of France and Russia. This war lasted until December 14, 1812, ending with the complete and unconditional victory of the Russian and allied forces. This is a glorious page of Russian history, which we will consider with reference to the official history textbooks of Russia and France, as well as to the books of bibliographers Napoleon, Alexander 1 and Kutuzov, who describe in great detail the events taking place at that moment.

➤ ➤ ➤ ➤ ➤ ➤ ➤

Beginning of the war

Causes of the War of 1812

The causes of the Patriotic War of 1812, like all other wars in the history of mankind, must be considered in two aspects - the causes on the part of France and the causes on the part of Russia.

Reasons from France

In just a few years, Napoleon radically changed his own ideas about Russia. If, upon coming to power, he wrote that Russia was his only ally, then by 1812 Russia had become a threat to France (consider the emperor) a threat. In many ways, this was provoked by Alexander 1 himself. So, this is why France attacked Russia in June 1812:

1. Violation of the Tilsit agreements: easing of the continental blockade. As you know, the main enemy of France at that time was England, against which the blockade was organized. Russia also participated in this, but in 1810 the government passed a law allowing trade with England through intermediaries. This effectively rendered the entire blockade ineffective, which completely undermined France's plans.
2. Refusals in dynastic marriage. Napoleon sought to marry imperial court Russia, to become “God’s anointed.” However, in 1808 he was denied marriage to Princess Catherine. In 1810 he was denied marriage to Princess Anna. As a result, in 1811 the French emperor married an Austrian princess.
3. Transfer of Russian troops to the border with Poland in 1811. In the first half of 1811, Alexander 1 ordered the transfer of 3 divisions to Polish borders, fearing a Polish uprising that could spread to Russian lands. This step was regarded by Napoleon as aggression and preparation for a war for Polish territories, which by that time were already subordinate to France.

Soldiers! A new one begins, the second in a row, Polish war! The first ended in Tilsit. There, Russia promised to be an eternal ally for France in the war with England, but broke its promise. The Russian emperor does not want to give explanations for his actions until the French eagles cross the Rhine. Do they really think that we have become different? Are we really not the winners of Austerlitz? Russia presented France with a choice - shame or war. The choice is obvious! Let's go ahead, let's cross the Neman! The second Polish howl will be glorious for French arms. She will bring a messenger to the destructive influence of Russia on European affairs.

Thus began a war of conquest for France.

Reasons from Russia

Russia also had compelling reasons for participating in the war, which turned out to be a liberation war for the state. The main reasons include the following:

1. Large losses for all segments of the population from the break in trade with England. The opinions of historians on this point differ, since it is believed that the blockade did not affect the state as a whole, but exclusively its elite, who, as a result of the lack of opportunity to trade with England, lost money.
2. France's intention to recreate the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1807, Napoleon created the Duchy of Warsaw and sought to recreate ancient state V true size. Perhaps this was only in the event of the seizure of its western lands from Russia.
3. Napoleon's violation of the Peace of Tilsit. One of the main criteria for signing this agreement was that Prussia should be cleared of French troops, but this was never done, although Alexander 1 constantly reminded about this.

WITH for a long time France is trying to encroach on Russia's independence. We always tried to be meek, hoping to deflect her attempts to seize us. With all our desire to maintain peace, we are forced to gather troops to defend our Motherland. There are no possibilities for a peaceful resolution of the conflict with France, which means there is only one thing left - to defend the truth, to defend Russia from invaders. I don't need to remind commanders and soldiers about courage, it's in our hearts. The blood of the victors, the blood of the Slavs, flows in our veins. Soldiers! You defend the country, defend the religion, defend the fatherland. I'm with you. God is with us.

Balance of forces and means at the beginning of the war

Napoleon's crossing of the Neman occurred on June 12, with 450 thousand people at his disposal. Around the end of the month, another 200 thousand people joined him. Considering that by that time there were no large losses on both sides, then total number the French army at the beginning of hostilities in 1812 - 650 thousand soldiers. It is impossible to say that the French made up 100% of the army, since the combined army of almost all European countries fought on the side of France (France, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Italy, Prussia, Spain, Holland). However, it was the French who formed the basis of the army. These were proven soldiers who had won many victories with their emperor.

Russia after mobilization had 590 thousand soldiers. Initially, the army numbered 227 thousand people, and they were divided on three fronts:

• Northern - First Army. Commander - Mikhail Bogdanovich Barclay de Toli. Number of people: 120 thousand people. They were located in the north of Lithuania and covered St. Petersburg.
• Central - Second Army. Commander - Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration. Number of people: 49 thousand people. They were located in the south of Lithuania, covering Moscow.
• Southern - Third Army. Commander - Alexander Petrovich Tormasov. Number of people: 58 thousand people. They were located in Volyn, covering the attack on Kyiv.

Also in Russia there were active partisan detachments, whose number reached 400 thousand people.

The first stage of the war - The offensive of Napoleon's troops (June-September)

At 6 o'clock in the morning on June 12, 1812, the Patriotic War with Napoleonic France began for Russia. Napoleon's troops crossed the Neman and headed inland. The main direction of the attack was supposed to be on Moscow. The commander himself said that “if I capture Kyiv, I will lift the Russians by the feet, if I capture St. Petersburg, I will take them by the throat, if I take Moscow, I will strike the heart of Russia.”

French army commanded brilliant commanders, was looking for a general battle, and the fact that Alexander 1 divided the army into 3 fronts was very beneficial to the aggressors. However, on initial stage crucial played by Barclay de Toly, who gave the order not to engage in battle with the enemy and to retreat deeper into the country. This was necessary to combine forces, as well as to strengthen reserves. Retreating, the Russians destroyed everything - they killed livestock, poisoned water, burned fields. In the literal sense of the word, the French moved forward through the ashes. Napoleon later complained that the Russian people were carrying out vile war and does not behave according to the rules.

Northern direction

Napoleon sent 32 thousand people led by General MacDonald to St. Petersburg. The first city on this route was Riga. According to the French plan, MacDonald was supposed to capture the city. Connect with General Oudinot (he had 28 thousand people at his disposal) and move on.

The defense of Riga was commanded by General Essen with 18 thousand soldiers. He burned everything around the city, and the city itself was very well fortified. By this time MacDonald had captured Dinaburg (the Russians left the city at the beginning of the war) and further active actions didn't drive. He understood the absurdity of the assault on Riga and waited for the arrival of artillery.

General Oudinot occupied Polotsk and from there tried to separate Wittenstein's corps from the army of Barclay de Toly. However, on July 18, Wittenstein launched an unexpected blow on Oudinot, who was saved from defeat only by Saint-Cyr's corps, which arrived in time. As a result, there was balance and more active offensive actions there were no operations in the northern direction.

South direction

General Ranier with an army of 22 thousand people was supposed to act in the young direction, blocking the army of General Tormasov, preventing it from connecting with the rest of the Russian army.

On July 27, Tormasov surrounded the city of Kobrin, where Ranier’s main forces gathered. The French suffered a terrible defeat - in 1 day 5 thousand people were killed in the battle, which forced the French to retreat. Napoleon realized that the southern direction in the Patriotic War of 1812 was in danger of failure. Therefore, he transferred General Schwarzenberg’s troops there, numbering 30 thousand people. As a result of this, on August 12, Tormasov was forced to retreat to Lutsk and take up defense there. Subsequently, the French did not undertake active offensive actions in the southern direction. The main events took place in the Moscow direction.

The course of events of the offensive company

On June 26, the army of General Bagration advanced from Vitebsk, whose task Alexander 1 set to engage in battle with the main forces of the enemy in order to wear them down. Everyone realized the absurdity of this idea, but only by July 17 was it possible to finally dissuade the emperor from this idea. The troops began to retreat to Smolensk.

On July 6 it became clear large number Napoleon's troops. To prevent the Patriotic War from dragging on for a long time, Alexander 1 signed a decree on the creation of a militia. Literally all residents of the country are enrolled in it - there are about 400 thousand volunteers in total.

On July 22, the armies of Bagration and Barclay de Tolly united near Smolensk. The command of the united army was taken over by Barclay de Tolly, who had 130 thousand soldiers at his disposal, while the front line of the French army numbered 150 thousand soldiers.

On July 25, a military council was held in Smolensk, at which the issue of accepting the battle was discussed in order to launch a counteroffensive and defeat Napoleon with one blow. But Barclay spoke out against this idea, realizing that an open battle with an enemy, a brilliant strategist and tactician, could lead to a monumental failure. As a result, the offensive idea was not implemented. It was decided to retreat further - to Moscow.

On July 26, the retreat of the troops began, which General Neverovsky was supposed to cover by occupying the village of Krasnoye, thereby closing the bypass of Smolensk for Napoleon.

On August 2, Murat with a cavalry corps tried to break through the defenses of Neverovsky, but to no avail. In total, more than 40 attacks were launched with the help of cavalry, but it was not possible to achieve the desired result.

August 5th is one of important dates pv Patriotic War of 1812. Napoleon began the assault on Smolensk, capturing the suburbs by evening. However, at night he was driven out of the city, and the Russian army continued its massive retreat from the city. This caused a storm of discontent among the soldiers. They believed that if they managed to drive the French out of Smolensk, then it was necessary to destroy it there. They accused Barclay of cowardice, but the general implemented only one plan - to wear down the enemy and take decisive battle when the balance of forces is on Russia's side. By this time, the French had all the advantage.

On August 17, Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov arrived in the army and took command. This candidacy did not raise any questions, since Kutuzov (a student of Suvorov) was highly respected and was considered the best Russian commander after the death of Suvorov. Having arrived in the army, the new commander-in-chief wrote that he had not yet decided what to do next: “The question has not yet been resolved - either lose the army, or give up Moscow.”

On August 26, the Battle of Borodino took place. Its outcome still raises many questions and disputes, but there were no losers then. Each commander solved his own problems: Napoleon opened his way to Moscow (the heart of Russia, as the Emperor of France himself wrote), and Kutuzov was able to inflict heavy damage on the enemy, thereby making the initial turning point in the battle of 1812.

September 1 is a significant day, which is described in all history textbooks. A military council was held in Fili, near Moscow. Kutuzov gathered his generals to decide what to do next. There were only two options: retreat and surrender Moscow, or organize a second general battle after Borodino. Most generals, on the wave of success, demanded a battle so that as soon as possible defeat Napoleon. Kutuzov himself and Barclay de Tolly opposed this development of events. The military council in Fili ended with Kutuzov’s phrase “As long as there is an army, there is hope. If we lose the army near Moscow, we will lose not only the ancient capital, but also all of Russia.”

September 2 - following the results of the military council of generals, which took place in Fili, it was decided that it was necessary to leave ancient capital. The Russian army retreated, and Moscow itself, before the arrival of Napoleon, according to many sources, was subjected to terrible looting. However, this is not even the main thing. Retreating, the Russian army set the city on fire. Wooden Moscow burned down almost three-quarters. The most important thing is that literally all food warehouses were destroyed. The reasons for the Moscow fire lie in the fact that the French would not get anything that could be used by the enemies for food, movement or in other aspects. As a result, the aggressor troops found themselves in a very precarious position.

The second stage of the war - Napoleon's retreat (October - December)

Having occupied Moscow, Napoleon considered the mission completed. The commander's bibliographers later wrote that he was faithful - a loss historical center Rus''s victorious spirit would be broken, and the country's leaders had to come to him asking for peace. But this did not happen. Kutuzov settled down with his army 80 kilometers from Moscow near Tarutin and waited until the enemy army, deprived of normal supplies, weakened and itself made a radical change in the Patriotic War. Without waiting for a peace offer from Russia, the French emperor himself took the initiative.

Napoleon's quest for peace

According to Napoleon's original plan, the capture of Moscow was to be decisive. Here it was possible to establish a convenient bridgehead, including for a campaign against St. Petersburg, the capital of Russia. However, the delay in moving around Russia and the heroism of the people, who fought for literally every piece of land, practically thwarted this plan. After all, a trip to the north of Russia in winter for the French army with irregular food supplies actually amounted to death. This became clearly clear towards the end of September, when it began to get colder. Subsequently, Napoleon wrote in his autobiography that he himself big mistake there was a campaign against Moscow and a month spent there.

Realizing the gravity of his situation, the French emperor and commander decided to end the Patriotic War of Russia by signing a peace treaty with it. Three such attempts were made:

1. September 18. A message was sent through General Tutolmin to Alexander 1, which stated that Napoleon revered the Russian emperor and offered him peace. All he demands from Russia is to give up the territory of Lithuania and return to the continental blockade again.
2. September 20. Alexander 1 received a second letter from Napoleon with a peace proposal. The conditions offered were the same as before. The Russian emperor did not respond to these messages.
3. The 4th of October. The hopelessness of the situation led to Napoleon literally begging for peace. This is what he writes to Alexander 1 (according to the major French historian F. Segur): “I need peace, I need it, at all costs, just save your honor.” This proposal was delivered to Kutuzov, but the Emperor of France never received a response.

Retreat of the French army in the autumn-winter of 1812

It became obvious to Napoleon that he would not be able to sign a peace treaty with Russia, and that staying for the winter in Moscow, which the Russians had burned while retreating, was reckless. Moreover, it was impossible to stay here, since constant raids by militias caused great damage to the army. So, during the month that the French army was in Moscow, its strength decreased by 30 thousand people. As a result, the decision was made to retreat.

On October 7, preparations began for the retreat of the French army. One of the orders on this occasion was to blow up the Kremlin. Fortunately, this idea did not work out for him. Russian historians attribute this to the fact that due to high humidity, the wicks got wet and failed.

On October 19, the retreat of Napoleon's army from Moscow began. The purpose of this retreat was to reach Smolensk, since it was the only major nearby city that had significant food supplies. The road went through Kaluga, but Kutuzov blocked this direction. Now the advantage was on the side of the Russian army, so Napoleon decided to bypass. However, Kutuzov foresaw this maneuver and met the enemy army at Maloyaroslavets.

On October 24, the battle of Maloyaroslavets took place. During the day, this small town passed from one side to the other 8 times. In the final stage of the battle, Kutuzov managed to take fortified positions, and Napoleon did not dare to storm them, since the numerical superiority was already on the side of the Russian army. As a result, the French plans were thwarted, and they had to retreat to Smolensk along the same road along which they went to Moscow. It was already a scorched land - without food and without water.

Napoleon's retreat was accompanied by heavy losses. Indeed, in addition to clashes with Kutuzov’s army, we also had to deal with partisan detachments that daily attacked the enemy, especially his rear units. Napoleon's losses were terrible. On November 9, he managed to capture Smolensk, but this did not bring a fundamental change in the course of the war. There was practically no food in the city, and it was not possible to organize a reliable defense. As a result, the army was subjected to almost continuous attacks by militias and local patriots. Therefore, Napoleon stayed in Smolensk for 4 days and decided to retreat further.

Crossing the Berezina River

The French were heading to the Berezina River (in modern Belarus) to cross the river and cross to the Neman. But on November 16, General Chichagov captured the city of Borisov, which is located on the Berezina. Napoleon's situation became catastrophic - for the first time, the possibility of being captured was actively looming for him, since he was surrounded.

On November 25, by order of Napoleon, the French army began to imitate a crossing south of Borisov. Chichagov bought into this maneuver and began transferring troops. At this point, the French built two bridges across the Berezina and began crossing on November 26-27. Only on November 28, Chichagov realized his mistake and tried to give battle to the French army, but it was too late - the crossing was completed, albeit with the loss of a huge number human lives. 21 thousand French died while crossing the Berezina! The "Grand Army" now consisted of only 9 thousand soldiers, most of which was no longer capable of combat.

It was during this crossing that an unusual occurrence occurred. very coldy, to which the French emperor referred, justifying the huge losses. The 29th bulletin, which was published in one of the newspapers in France, said that until November 10 the weather was normal, but after that there were very extreme cold, for which no one was ready.

Crossing the Neman (from Russia to France)

The crossing of the Berezina showed that Napoleon's Russian campaign was over - he lost the Patriotic War in Russia in 1812. Then the emperor decided that his further stay with the army did not make sense and on December 5 he left his troops and headed to Paris.

On December 16, in Kovno, the French army crossed the Neman and left Russian territory. Its strength was only 1,600 people. Invincible army, which terrified all of Europe, was almost completely destroyed by Kutuzov’s army in less than 6 months.

Below is a graphical representation of Napoleon's retreat on the map.

Results of the Patriotic War of 1812

The Patriotic War of Russia with Napoleon had great importance for all countries involved in the conflict. Largely thanks to these events, England's undivided dominance in Europe became possible. This development was foreseen by Kutuzov, who, after the flight of the French army in December, sent a report to Alexander 1, where he explained to the ruler that the war needed to be ended immediately, and the pursuit of the enemy and the liberation of Europe would be beneficial to strengthening the power of England. But Alexander did not listen to the advice of his commander and soon began a campaign abroad.

Reasons for Napoleon's defeat in the war

When determining the main reasons for the defeat of Napoleonic army, it is necessary to dwell on the most important ones, which are most often used by historians:

• A strategic mistake by the Emperor of France, who sat in Moscow for 30 days and waited for representatives of Alexander 1 with pleas for peace. As a result, it began to get colder and provisions ran out, and constant raids by partisan movements brought a turning point in the war.
• Unity of the Russian people. As usual, in the face of great danger, the Slavs unite. It was the same this time. For example, the historian Lieven writes that main reason France's defeat lies in the massive scale of the war. Everyone fought for the Russians - women and children. And all this was ideologically justified, which made the morale of the army very strong. The Emperor of France did not break him.
• The reluctance of Russian generals to accept decisive battle. Most historians forget about this, but what would have happened to Bagration’s army if he had accepted a general battle at the beginning of the war, as Alexander 1 really wanted? 60 thousand of Bagration’s army against 400 thousand of the aggressor army. It would have been an unconditional victory, and they would hardly have had time to recover from it. Therefore, the Russian people must express words of gratitude to Barclay de Tolly, who, by his decision, gave the order for the retreat and unification of the armies.
• The genius of Kutuzov. The Russian general, who received excellent training from Suvorov, did not make a single tactical miscalculation. It is noteworthy that Kutuzov never managed to defeat his enemy, but managed to tactically and strategically win the Patriotic War.
• General Frost is used as an excuse. To be fair, it must be said that there is no significant impact on final result the frost did not have any effect, since at the time the abnormal frosts began (mid-November), the outcome of the confrontation was decided - the great army was destroyed.

And invaded Russian lands. The French rushed to the offensive like a bull during a bullfight. Napoleon's army included a European hodgepodge: in addition to the French, there were also (forcedly recruited) Germans, Austrians, Spaniards, Italians, Dutch, Poles and many others, numbering total number up to 650 thousand people. Russia could field approximately the same number of soldiers, but some of them, along with Kutuzov was still in Moldova, in another part - in the Caucasus. During Napoleon's invasion, up to 20 thousand Lithuanians joined his army.

The Russian army was divided into two lines of defense, under the command of General Peter Bagration And Michael Barclay de Tolly. The French invasion fell on the latter's troops. Napoleon's calculation was simple - one or two victorious battles(maximum three), and Alexander I will be forced to sign peace on French terms. However, Barclay de Tolly gradually, with small skirmishes, retreated deeper into Russia, but did not enter the main battle. Near Smolensk, the Russian army almost fell into encirclement, but did not enter the battle and eluded the French, continuing to draw them deeper into its territory. Napoleon occupied the empty Smolensk and could have stopped there for now, but Kutuzov, who arrived from Moldova to replace Barclay de Tolly, knew that the French emperor would not do that, and continued his retreat to Moscow. Bagration was eager to attack, and he was supported by the majority of the country's population, but Alexander did not allow it, leaving Peter Bagration on the border in Austria in case of an attack by France's allies.

All along the way, Napoleon received only abandoned and scorched settlements - no people, no supplies. After the “demonstrative” battle for Smolensk on August 18, 1812, Napoleon’s troops began to get tired of Russian campaign of 1812, since the conquest was somehow negative: there were no large-scale battles or high-profile victories, there were no captured supplies and weapons, winter was approaching, during which the “Great Army” needed to winter somewhere, and nothing suitable for quartering was captured.

Battle of Borodino.

At the end of August, near Mozhaisk (125 kilometers from Moscow), Kutuzov stopped in a field near a village Borodino, where he decided to give a general battle. Mostly he was forced public opinion, since constant retreat did not correspond to the mood of either the people, the nobles, or the emperor.

On August 26, 1812, the famous battle of Borodino. Bagration approached Borodino, but still the Russians were able to field just over 110 thousand soldiers. Napoleon at that moment had up to 135 thousand people.

The course and result of the battle are known to many: the French repeatedly stormed Kutuzov’s defensive redoubts with active artillery support (“Horses and people mixed up in a heap…”). The Russians, hungry for a normal battle, heroically repelled the attacks of the French, despite the latter’s enormous superiority in weapons (from rifles to cannons). The French lost up to 35 thousand killed, and the Russians ten thousand more, but Napoleon only managed to slightly shift Kutuzov’s central positions, and in fact, Bonaparte’s attack was stopped. After a battle that lasted all day, the French emperor began to prepare for a new assault, but Kutuzov, by the morning of August 27, withdrew his troops to Mozhaisk, not wanting to lose even more people.

On September 1, 1812, a military incident took place in a nearby village. council in Fili, during which Mikhail Kutuzov with the support of Barclay de Tolly, he decided to leave Moscow to save the army. Contemporaries say that this decision was extremely difficult for the commander-in-chief.

On September 14, Napoleon entered the abandoned and devastated former capital of Russia. During his stay in Moscow, sabotage groups of the Moscow governor Rostopchin repeatedly attacked French officers and burned their occupied apartments. As a result, from September 14 to 18, Moscow burned, and Napoleon did not have enough resources to cope with the fire.

At the beginning of the invasion, before the Battle of Borodino, and also three times after the occupation of Moscow, Napoleon tried to come to an agreement with Alexander and sign peace. But Russian Emperor from the very beginning of the war, he adamantly prohibited any negotiations while enemy feet trampled Russian soil.

Realizing that it would not be possible to spend the winter in devastated Moscow, on October 19, 1812, the French left Moscow. Napoleon decided to return to Smolensk, but not along the scorched path, but through Kaluga, hoping to get at least some supplies along the way.

In the battle of Tarutino and a little later near Maly Yaroslavets on October 24, Kutuzov repelled the French, and they were forced to return to the devastated Smolensk road along which they had walked earlier.

On November 8, Bonaparte reached Smolensk, which was ruined (half of it by the French themselves). All the way to Smolensk, the emperor constantly lost person after person - up to hundreds of soldiers a day.

During the summer-autumn of 1812, a hitherto unprecedented partisan movement was formed in Russia, leading liberation war. Partisan detachments numbered up to several thousand people. They attacked Napoleon's army like Amazonian piranhas attacking a wounded jaguar, waited for convoys with supplies and weapons, and destroyed the vanguards and rearguards of the troops. The most famous leader of these detachments was Denis Davydov. Peasants, workers, and nobles joined the partisan detachments. It is believed that they destroyed more than half of Bonaparte's army. Of course, Kutuzov’s soldiers did not lag behind, they also followed Napoleon on his heels and constantly made forays.

On November 29, a major battle took place on the Berezina, when admirals Chichagov and Wittgenstein, without waiting for Kutuzov, attacked Napoleon’s army and destroyed 21 thousand of his soldiers. However, the emperor was able to escape, with only 9 thousand people left at his disposal. With them he reached Vilna (Vilnius), where his generals Ney and Murat were waiting for him.

On December 14, after Kutuzov’s attack on Vilna, the French lost 20 thousand soldiers and abandoned the city. Napoleon fled to Paris in a hurry, ahead of the remnants of his Great Army . Together with the remnants of the garrison of Vilna and other cities, a little more than 30 thousand Napoleonic warriors left Russia, while at least about 610 thousand invaded Russia.

After the defeat in Russia French Empire started to fall apart. Bonaparte continued to send envoys to Alexander, offering almost all of Poland in exchange for a peace treaty. Nevertheless, the Russian emperor decided to completely rid Europe of dictatorship and tyranny (and these are not big words, but reality) Napoleon Bonaparte.

2012 marks the 200th anniversary of the military-historical patriotic event - the Patriotic War of 1812, which has great value for the political, social, cultural and military development of Russia.

Beginning of the war

June 12, 1812 (old style) Napoleon's French army, having crossed the Neman near the city of Kovno (now Kaunas in Lithuania), invaded Russian Empire. This day is listed in history as the beginning of the war between Russia and France.

In this war, two forces collided. On the one hand, Napoleon’s army of half a million (about 640 thousand people), which consisted only half of the French and also included representatives of almost all of Europe. An army, intoxicated by numerous victories, led by famous marshals and generals led by Napoleon. Strengths The French army was large in number, good material and technical support, combat experience, and belief in the invincibility of the army.

She was opposed by the Russian army, which at the beginning of the war represented one-third of the French army. Before the start of the Patriotic War of 1812, it had just ended Russian-Turkish war 1806-1812. The Russian army was divided into three groups far apart from each other (under the command of generals M.B. Barclay de Tolly, P.I. Bagration and A.P. Tormasov). Alexander I was at the headquarters of Barclay's army.

The blow of Napoleon's army was taken upon the troops stationed on western border: 1st Army of Barclay de Tolly and 2nd Army of Bagration (total 153 thousand soldiers).

Knowing his numerical superiority, Napoleon pinned his hopes on a lightning war. One of his main mistakes was to underestimate the patriotic impulse of the army and people of Russia.

The start of the war was successful for Napoleon. At 6 o'clock in the morning on June 12 (24), 1812, the vanguard French troops entered Russian city Kovno. The crossing of 220 thousand soldiers of the Great Army near Kovno took 4 days. 5 days later, another group (79 thousand soldiers) under the command of the Viceroy of Italy Eugene Beauharnais crossed the Neman to the south of Kovno. At the same time, even further south, near Grodno, the Neman was crossed by 4 corps (78-79 thousand soldiers) under the overall command of the King of Westphalia, Jerome Bonaparte. In the northern direction near Tilsit, the Neman crossed the 10th Corps of Marshal MacDonald (32 thousand soldiers), which was aimed at St. Petersburg. In the southern direction, from Warsaw across the Bug, a separate Austrian corps of General Schwarzenberg (30-33 thousand soldiers) began to invade.

The rapid advance of the powerful French army forced Russian command retreat inland. The commander of the Russian troops, Barclay de Tolly, avoided a general battle, preserving the army and striving to unite with Bagration’s army. The numerical superiority of the enemy raised the question of urgent replenishment of the army. But in Russia there was no universal conscription. The army was recruited through conscription. And Alexander I decided to take an unusual step. On July 6, he issued a manifesto calling for the creation civil uprising. This is how the first partisan detachments began to appear. This war united all segments of the population. As now, so then, the Russian people are united only by misfortune, grief, and tragedy. It didn’t matter who you were in society, what your income was. The Russian people fought unitedly to defend the freedom of their homeland. All people became a single force, which is why the name “Patriotic War” was determined. The war became an example of the fact that the Russian people will never allow freedom and spirit to be enslaved; he will defend his honor and name to the end.

The armies of Barclay and Bagration met near Smolensk at the end of July, thus achieving their first strategic success.

Battle for Smolensk

By August 16 (new style), Napoleon approached Smolensk with 180 thousand soldiers. After the unification of the Russian armies, the generals began to persistently demand from the commander-in-chief Barclay de Tolly a general battle. At 6 am August 16 Napoleon began the assault on the city.

In the battles near Smolensk, the Russian army showed the greatest resilience. The battle for Smolensk marked the development of a nationwide war between the Russian people and the enemy. Napoleon's hope for lightning war collapsed.

Battle for Smolensk. Adam, around 1820

The stubborn battle for Smolensk lasted 2 days, until the morning of August 18, when Barclay de Tolly withdrew his troops from the burning city to avoid big battle no chance of winning. Barclay had 76 thousand, another 34 thousand (Bagration’s army).After the capture of Smolensk, Napoleon moved towards Moscow.

Meanwhile, the protracted retreat caused public discontent and protest among most of the army (especially after the surrender of Smolensk), so on August 20 (according to modern style) Emperor Alexander I signed a decree appointing M.I. as commander-in-chief of the Russian troops. Kutuzova. At that time, Kutuzov was 67 years old. A commander of the Suvorov school, with half a century of military experience, he enjoyed universal respect both in the army and among the people. However, he also had to retreat in order to gain time to gather all his forces.

Kutuzov could not avoid a general battle for political and moral reasons. By September 3 (new style), the Russian army retreated to the village of Borodino. Further retreat meant the surrender of Moscow. By that time, Napoleon's army had already suffered significant losses, and the difference in numbers between the two armies had narrowed. In this situation, Kutuzov decided to give a general battle.

West of Mozhaisk, 125 km from Moscow near the village of Borodina August 26 (September 7, new style) 1812 A battle took place that will forever go down in the history of our people. - the largest battle of the Patriotic War of 1812 between the Russian and French armies.

The Russian army numbered 132 thousand people (including 21 thousand poorly armed militias). The French army, hot on her heels, numbered 135 thousand. Kutuzov's headquarters, believing that there were about 190 thousand people in the enemy army, elected defensive plan. In fact, the battle was an assault by French troops on a line of Russian fortifications (flashes, redoubts and lunettes).

Napoleon hoped to defeat the Russian army. But the resilience of the Russian troops, where every soldier, officer, and general was a hero, upset all calculations French commander. The battle lasted all day. The losses were huge on both sides. The Battle of Borodino is one of the bloodiest battles of the 19th century. According to the most conservative estimates of total losses, 2,500 people died on the field every hour. Some divisions lost up to 80% of their strength. There were almost no prisoners on either side. French losses amounted to 58 thousand people, Russians - 45 thousand.

Emperor Napoleon later recalled: “Of all my battles, the most terrible was the one I fought near Moscow. The French showed themselves worthy of winning, and the Russians showed themselves worthy of being called invincible.”

Cavalry battle

On September 8 (21), Kutuzov ordered a retreat to Mozhaisk with the firm intention of preserving the army. The Russian army retreated, but retained its combat effectiveness. Napoleon failed to achieve the main thing - the defeat of the Russian army.

September 13 (26) in the village of Fili Kutuzov had a meeting about further plan actions. After the military council in Fili, the Russian army, by decision of Kutuzov, was withdrawn from Moscow. “With the loss of Moscow, Russia is not yet lost, but with the loss of the army, Russia is lost”. These words of the great commander, which went down in history, were confirmed by subsequent events.

A.K. Savrasov. The hut in which the famous council in Fili took place

Military Council in Fili (A. D. Kivshenko, 1880)

Capture of Moscow

In the evening September 14 (September 27, new style) Napoleon entered empty Moscow without a fight. In the war against Russia, all of Napoleon’s plans consistently collapsed. Expecting to receive the keys to Moscow, he stood in vain for several hours Poklonnaya Hill, and when he entered the city, he was greeted by deserted streets.

Fire in Moscow on September 15-18, 1812 after the capture of the city by Napoleon. Painting by A.F. Smirnova, 1813

Already on the night of September 14 (27) to September 15 (28), the city was engulfed in fire, which by the night of September 15 (28) to September 16 (29) intensified so much that Napoleon was forced to leave the Kremlin.

About 400 lower-class townspeople were shot on suspicion of arson. The fire raged until September 18 and destroyed most of Moscow. Of the 30 thousand houses that were in Moscow before the invasion, “hardly 5 thousand” remained after Napoleon left the city.

While Napoleon's army was inactive in Moscow, losing its combat effectiveness, Kutuzov retreated from Moscow, first to the southeast along the Ryazan road, but then, turning west, he flanked the French army, occupied the village of Tarutino, blocking the Kaluga road. gu. The foundation was laid in the Tarutino camp final defeat"great army".

When Moscow burned, bitterness against the occupiers reached its highest intensity. The main forms of war of the Russian people against Napoleon's invasion were passive resistance (refusal of trade with the enemy, leaving grain unharvested in the fields, destruction of food and fodder, going into the forests), guerrilla warfare and mass participation in the militias. The course of the war was most influenced by the refusal of the Russian peasantry to supply the enemy with provisions and fodder. The French army was on the verge of starvation.

From June to August 1812, Napoleon's army, pursuing the retreating Russian armies, covered about 1,200 kilometers from the Neman to Moscow. As a result, its communication lines were greatly stretched. Taking this fact into account, the command of the Russian army decided to create flying partisan detachments to operate in the rear and on the enemy’s communication lines, with the goal of impeding his supply and destroying his small detachments. The most famous, but far from the only commander flying squads was Denis Davydov. Army partisan units received comprehensive support from the spontaneously arising peasant partisan movement. As the French army advanced deeper into Russia, as violence on the part of the Napoleonic army grew, after the fires in Smolensk and Moscow, after a decrease in discipline in Napoleon’s army and the transformation of a significant part of it into a gang of marauders and robbers, the population of Russia began to move from passive to active resistance to the enemy. During its stay in Moscow alone, the French army lost more than 25 thousand people from partisan actions.

The partisans formed, as it were, the first ring of encirclement around Moscow, occupied by the French. The second ring consisted of militias. Partisans and militias surrounded Moscow in a tight ring, threatening to turn Napoleon's strategic encirclement into a tactical one.

Tarutino fight

After the surrender of Moscow, Kutuzov apparently avoided major battle, the army was gathering strength. During this time in Russian provinces(Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Tula, Kaluga, Tver and others) a militia of 205 thousand was recruited, in Ukraine - 75 thousand. By October 2, Kutuzov took the army south to the village of Tarutino closer to Kaluga.

In Moscow, Napoleon found himself in a trap; it was not possible to spend the winter in a city devastated by fire: foraging outside the city was not going well, the extended communications of the French were very vulnerable, and the army was beginning to disintegrate. Napoleon began to prepare to retreat to winter quarters somewhere between the Dnieper and Dvina.

When the “great army” retreated from Moscow, its fate was decided.

Battle of Tarutino, October 6th (P. Hess)

October 18(new style) Russian troops attacked and defeated near Tarutino French corps of Murat. Having lost up to 4 thousand soldiers, the French retreated. The Tarutino battle became significant event, which marked the transition of the initiative in the war to the Russian army.

Napoleon's retreat

October 19(in modern style) the French army (110 thousand) with a huge convoy began to leave Moscow along the Old Kaluga Road. But Napoleon’s road to Kaluga was blocked by Kutuzov’s army, located near the village of Tarutino on the Old Kaluga Road. Due to the lack of horses, the French artillery fleet was reduced, and large cavalry formations practically disappeared. Not wanting to break through a fortified position with a weakened army, Napoleon turned around the village of Troitsky (modern Troitsk) onto the New Kaluga Road (modern Kiev Highway) to bypass Tarutino. However, Kutuzov transferred the army to Maloyaroslavets, cutting off the French retreat along the New Kaluga Road.

By October 22, Kutuzov's army consisted of 97 thousand regular troops, 20 thousand Cossacks, 622 guns and more than 10 thousand militia warriors. Napoleon had up to 70 thousand combat-ready soldiers at hand, the cavalry had practically disappeared, and the artillery was much weaker than the Russian one.

October 12 (24) took place battle of Maloyaroslavets. The city changed hands eight times. In the end, the French managed to capture Maloyaroslavets, but Kutuzov took a fortified position outside the city, which Napoleon did not dare to storm.On October 26, Napoleon ordered a retreat north to Borovsk-Vereya-Mozhaisk.

A.Averyanov. Battle of Maloyaroslavets October 12 (24), 1812

In the battles for Maloyaroslavets, the Russian army solved a major strategic problem - it thwarted the plan for the French troops to break through to Ukraine and forced the enemy to retreat along the Old Smolensk Road, which they had destroyed.

From Mozhaisk the French army resumed its movement towards Smolensk along the road along which it advanced on Moscow

The final defeat of the French troops took place when crossing the Berezina. The battles of November 26-29 between French corps and the Russian armies of Chichagov and Wittgenstein on both banks of the Berezina River during Napoleon's crossing went down in history as battle on the Berezina.

The French retreat through the Berezina on November 17 (29), 1812. Peter von Hess (1844)

When crossing the Berezina, Napoleon lost 21 thousand people. In total, up to 60 thousand people managed to cross the Berezina, most of them civilians and non-combat-ready remnants of the “Great Army”. Unusually severe frosts, which struck during the crossing of the Berezina and continued in the following days, finally exterminated the French, already weakened by hunger. On December 6, Napoleon left his army and went to Paris to recruit new soldiers to replace those killed in Russia.

The main result of the battle on the Berezina was that Napoleon escaped complete defeat in conditions of significant superiority of Russian forces. In the memories of the French, the crossing of the Berezina occupies no less place than the largest Battle of Borodino.

By the end of December, the remnants of Napoleon's army were expelled from Russia.

The "Russian campaign of 1812" was over December 14, 1812.

Results of the war

The main result of the Patriotic War of 1812 was practically complete destruction Grand Army of Napoleon.Napoleon lost about 580 thousand soldiers in Russia. These losses include 200 thousand killed, from 150 to 190 thousand prisoners, about 130 thousand deserters who fled to their homeland. The losses of the Russian army, according to some estimates, amounted to 210 thousand soldiers and militias.

In January 1813 began " Foreign trip Russian army" - fighting moved to the territory of Germany and France. In October 1813, Napoleon was defeated in the Battle of Leipzig, and in April 1814 he abdicated the throne of France.

The victory over Napoleon raised the international prestige of Russia as never before, which played a decisive role in Congress of Vienna and in subsequent decades exerted a decisive influence on European affairs.

Key dates

12 June 1812- invasion of Napoleon's army into Russia across the Neman River. 3 Russian armies were at a great distance from each other. Tormasov's army, being in Ukraine, could not participate in the war. It turned out that only 2 armies took the blow. But they had to retreat to connect.

August 3rd- a connection between the armies of Bagration and Barclay de Tolly near Smolensk. The enemies lost about 20 thousand, and ours about 6 thousand, but Smolensk had to be abandoned. Even the united armies were 4 times smaller than the enemy!

8 August- Kutuzov was appointed commander-in-chief. An experienced strategist, wounded many times in battles, Suvorov's student was liked by the people.

August, 26th- The Battle of Borodino lasted more than 12 hours. It is considered a general battle. On the approaches to Moscow, the Russians showed massive heroism. The enemy's losses were greater, but our army could not go on the offensive. The numerical superiority of the enemies was still great. Reluctantly, they decided to surrender Moscow in order to save the army.

September October- seat of Napoleon's army in Moscow. His expectations were not met. It was not possible to win. Kutuzov rejected requests for peace. The attempt to escape to the south failed.

October December- expulsion of Napoleon's army from Russia along the destroyed Smolensk road. From 600 thousand enemies there are about 30 thousand left!

December 25, 1812- Emperor Alexander I issued a manifesto on the victory of Russia. But the war had to be continued. Napoleon still had armies in Europe. If they are not defeated, he will attack Russia again. The foreign campaign of the Russian army lasted until victory in 1814.

Prepared by Sergey Shulyak

INVASION (animated film)

The agreement between Russia and France, concluded in Tilsit in 1807, was temporary. The continental blockade of Great Britain, to which Russia was forced to join in accordance with the terms of the Peace of Tilsit, undermined the country's economy, which was focused on export trade. Export turnover decreased from 120 million to 83 million rubles, import supplies exceeded exports and created conditions for an outburst of inflationary processes. In addition, exporters suffered from high duties imposed by France, which made foreign trade unprofitable. The economic decline and the precariousness of the peace with Napoleon forced Alexander I to prepare for war. For Bonaparte, Russia was an obstacle that stood in his way to world domination.

Thus, the causes of the Patriotic War of 1812 were:

1. the desire of Napoleon Bonaparte and the French bourgeoisie supporting him to establish world hegemony, which was impossible without the defeat and subjugation of Russia and Great Britain;

2. aggravation of contradictions between Russia and France, intensified both as a result of Russia’s non-compliance with the conditions of the continental blockade, and Napoleon’s support of anti-Russian sentiments in Poland, supporting local magnates in their aspirations to recreate the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth within its former borders;

3. the loss by Russia as a result of the conquests of France of its former influence in Central Europe, as well as Napoleon’s actions aimed at undermining its international authority;

4. the increase in personal hostility between Alexander I and Napoleon I, caused both by the refusal of the Russian side to marry the Grand Duchesses Catherine, then Anna, to the French Emperor, as well as Napoleon’s hints about Alexander’s involvement in the murder of his father, Emperor Paul I.

The course of military operations (the retreat of the Russian army).

Napoleon's army, which he himself called the "Great Army", numbered over 600,000 people and 1,420 guns. In addition to the French, it included the national corps of European countries conquered by Napoleon, as well as the Polish corps of Prince Jozef Anton Poniatowski.

Napoleon's main forces were deployed in two echelons. The first (444,000 people and 940 guns) consisted of three groups: the right wing, led by Jerome Bonaparte (78,000 people, 159 guns) was supposed to move to Grodno, diverting as many Russian forces as possible; the central group under the command of Eugene Beauharnais (82,000 people, 208 guns) was supposed to prevent the connection of the 1st and 2nd Russian armies; The left wing, led by Napoleon himself (218,000 people, 527 guns), moved to Vilna - it was assigned the main role in the entire campaign. In the rear, between the Vistula and Oder, there remained a second echelon - 170,000 people, 432 guns and a reserve (Marshal Augereau's corps and other troops).

The “Great Army” was opposed by 220 - 240 thousand Russian soldiers with 942 guns. In addition, as noted above, the Russian troops were divided: the 1st Western Army under the command of the Minister of War, Infantry General M.B. Barclay de Tolly (110 - 127 thousand people with 558 guns) stretched over 200 km from Lithuania to Grodno in Belarus; 2nd Western Army led by Infantry General P.I. Bagration (45 - 48 thousand people with 216 guns) occupied a line up to 100 km east of Bialystok; 3rd Western Army of Cavalry General A.P. Tormasova (46,000 people with 168 guns) stood in Volyn near Lutsk. On the right flank of the Russian troops (in Finland) was the corps of Lieutenant General F.F. Steingel (19 thousand people with 102 guns), on the left flank - the Danube Army of Admiral P.V. Chichagov (57 thousand people with 202 guns).

Given the enormous size and power of Russia, Napoleon planned to complete the campaign in three years: in 1812, to capture the western provinces from Riga to Lutsk, in 1813 - Moscow, in 1814 - St. Petersburg. Such gradualism would allow him to dismember Russia, providing rear support and communications for the army operating over vast areas. The conqueror of Europe did not count on a blitzkrieg, although he intended to one by one quickly defeat the main forces of the Russian army in the border areas.

On the evening of June 24 (11), 1812, a patrol of the Life Guards Cossack Regiment under the command of the cornet Alexander Nikolayevich Rubashkin noticed a suspicious movement on the Neman River. When it became completely dark, a company of French sappers crossed the river from the elevated and wooded Polish bank to the Russian bank on boats and ferries, with whom a shootout took place. This happened three miles up the river from Kovno (Kaunas, Lithuania).

At 6 o'clock in the morning on June 25 (12), the vanguard of the French troops had already entered Kovno. The crossing of 220 thousand soldiers of the Great Army near Kovno took 4 days. The river was crossed by the 1st, 2nd, 3rd infantry corps, guards and cavalry. Emperor Alexander I was at a ball hosted by Leonty Leontyevich Bennigsen in Vilna, where he was informed about Napoleon's invasion.

June 30 (17) - July 1 (June 18) near Prena south of Kovno, another group crossed the Neman (79 thousand soldiers: 6th and 4th infantry corps, cavalry) under the command of the Viceroy of Italy, Napoleon's stepson, Eugene Beauharnais. Almost simultaneously, on July 1 (June 18), even further south, near Grodno, the Neman crossed 4 corps (78-79 thousand soldiers: 5th, 7th, 8th infantry and 4th cavalry corps) under the overall command of the King of Westphalia, brother Napoleon, Jerome Bonaparte.

In the northern direction near Tilsit, the Niemen crossed the 10th Corps of Marshal Etienne Jacques Macdonald. In the southern direction, from Warsaw through Bugn, a separate Austrian corps of General Karl Philipp Schwarzenberg (30-33 thousand soldiers) began to invade.

On June 29 (16), Vilna was occupied. Napoleon, having arranged state affairs in occupied Lithuania, left the city following his troops only on July 17 (4).

The French emperor targeted the 10th corps (32 thousand people) of Marshal E.Zh. MacDonald to St. Petersburg. First, the corps had to occupy Riga, and then, connecting with the 2nd Corps of Marshal Charles Nicolas Oudinot (28 thousand people), move on. The basis of MacDonald's corps were 20 thousand Prussian soldiers under the command of General Yu.A. Graverta.

Marshal MacDonald approached the fortifications of Riga, however, lacking siege artillery, he stopped at the distant approaches to the city. The military governor of Riga, General Ivan Nikolaevich Essen, burned the outskirts and prepared for defense. Trying to support Oudinot, Macdonald captured the abandoned city of Dinaburg (now Daugavpils in Latvia) on the Western Dvina River and stopped active operations, waiting for siege artillery from East Prussia. The Prussian military from MacDonald's corps avoided active combat clashes in a war that was foreign to them, however, they offered active resistance and repeatedly repulsed the attacks of the defenders of Riga with heavy losses.

Marshal Oudinot, having occupied the city of Polotsk, decided to bypass from the north the separate corps of General Pyotr Christianovich Wittgenstein (17 thousand people with 84 guns), allocated by the commander-in-chief of the 1st Army M.B. Barclay de Tolly during the retreat through Polotsk to defend the St. Petersburg direction.

Fearing a connection between Oudinot and MacDonald, P.H. Wittgenstein, unexpectedly for the enemy, attacked Oudinot's corps near Klyastitsy.

On July 29 (16), near the town of Vilkomir, 3 French cavalry regiments (12 squadrons) were unexpectedly attacked by 4 squadrons of the Grodno Hussar Regiment under the command of Major General Yakov Petrovich Kulnev and the Don Cossacks of Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Ivanovich Platov 4th (nephew of M.I. Platov) , Major Ivan Andreevich Selivanov 2nd, Colonel Mark Ivanovich Rodionov 2nd. Despite their numerical superiority, the French were overthrown and their advance stopped for several hours. Then, while on reconnaissance, near the village of Chernevo, the hussars and Cossacks Ya.P. Kulneva attacked units of the cavalry division of General Sebastiani. The enemy suffered heavy losses.

At the same time, Marshal Oudinot occupied the village of Klyastitsy, having 28 thousand soldiers and 114 guns against the Russians 17 thousand. However, General P.Kh. Wittgenstein decided to attack, taking advantage of the stretched French forces. The vanguard of Ya.P. moved ahead. Kulneva (3,700 horsemen, 12 guns), followed by the main forces of P.Kh. Wittgenstein (13 thousand soldiers, 72 guns).

July 31 (18) at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the Russian vanguard under the command of Ya.P. Kulneva collided with the French vanguard near the village of Yakubovo. The encounter battle continued until the end of the day. Ya.P. Kulnev tried to oust the French from the village, but after a series of fierce battles the French held this settlement.

On August 1 (July 19), the main Russian forces entered the battle, and after several attacks and counterattacks, Yakubovo was captured. Oudinot was forced to retreat to Klyastitsy.

To continue the attack on Klyastitsy, it was necessary to cross the Nishcha River. Oudinot ordered the construction of a powerful battery and ordered the destruction of the only bridge. While the detachment of Ya.P. Kulneva was crossed by a ford to bypass the French positions, the 2nd battalion of the Pavlovsk Grenadier Regiment attacked directly across the burning bridge. The French were forced to retreat.

General Ya.P. Kulnev continued the pursuit with 2 cavalry regiments together with the Cossacks I.I. Platov 4th, I.A. Selivanov 2nd, M.I. Rodionov 2nd, infantry battalion and artillery battery. After crossing the Drissa River on August 2 (July 20), he was ambushed near the village of Boyarshchino. The French artillery shot at Y.P.’s detachment. Kulneva from the commanding heights. He himself was mortally wounded.

Pursuing the Russian vanguard, the division of French General Jean Antoine Verdier, in turn, came across the main forces of General P.Kh. Wittgenstein and was completely destroyed. P.H. Wittgenstein was slightly wounded.

Marshal Oudinot retreated beyond the Dvina, leaving behind fortified Polotsk. Thus, the French offensive on St. Petersburg failed. Moreover, fearing the actions of General P.Kh. Wittgenstein on the supply routes of the Great Army, the French emperor was forced to weaken the main group of troops by sending the corps of General Gouvillon Saint-Cyr to help Oudinot.

In the main direction, the Moscow direction, the Russian troops, retreating, fought rearguard battles, inflicting significant losses on the enemy. The main task was to unite the forces of the 1st and 2nd Western armies. The position of Bagration's 2nd Army, which was threatened by encirclement, was especially difficult. It was not possible to get through to Minsk and connect with Barclay de Tolly’s army there, because. the path was cut off. Bagration changed the direction of movement, but the troops of Jerome Bonaparte overtook him. On July 9 (June 27), near the town of Mir, a rearguard battle of Russian troops took place, the basis of which was the Cossack cavalry of Ataman M.I. Platova with the best part Napoleonic cavalry - Polish cavalry regiments. The Polish lancers, who fell into the Cossack front, were defeated and hastily retreated. The next day a new battle took place, and again the Don people won.

July 14 (2) - July 15 (3) near the town of Romanovo, Cossacks M.I. Platov held back the French for 2 days to allow army convoys to cross Pripyat. Platov's successful rearguard battles allowed the 2nd Army to freely reach Bobruisk and concentrate its forces. All attempts to surround Bagration failed. Napoleon was furious that the Cossacks M.I. Platov destroyed the 1st Cavalry Regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Pshependovsky and the squadron of the 12th Uhlan Regiment, and also thoroughly “battered” other units of General Latour-Maubourg’s corps. And his officers and soldiers were surprised and delighted that their wounded comrades who were captured (there were 360 ​​prisoners in total, including 17 officers) received medical care and care and were left in Romanov.

Bagration decided to advance to Mogilev. And in order to occupy the city before the French approached, he sent there the 7th Infantry Corps of Lieutenant General N.N. Raevsky and the brigade of Colonel V.A. Sysoev, which consisted of 5 Don Cossack regiments. But Marshal Davout's corps entered Mogilev much earlier. As a result, on July 23 (11), the corps N.N. Raevsky had to repel the advance of superior enemy forces between the villages of Saltanovka and Dashkovka. N.N. Raevsky personally led soldiers into battle. Both sides suffered heavy casualties; The enemy was driven back in fierce bayonet attacks, but the plan to break through Mogilev had to be abandoned. There was only one way left - to Smolensk. The fierce resistance of the Russians misled Davout. He decided that he was fighting the main forces of Bagration. The Napoleonic commander began to strengthen himself near the village of Saltanovka, expecting a second Russian offensive. Thanks to this, Bagration gained time, managed to cross the Dnieper and break away from the French on the way to Smolensk.

At this time, the 3rd Western Army of Alexander Petrovich Tormasov operated very successfully. Already on July 25 (13), the Russians liberated the city of Brest-Litovsk, captured by French units. On July 28 (16), the Tormasov captured Kobrin, capturing a 5,000-strong detachment of the Saxon Major General Klengel, led by himself.

On August 11 (July 30) in the battle of Gorodechno, Lieutenant General E.I. Markov repelled an attack by superior French forces. After these successes, the Southwestern Front stabilized. And here significant enemy forces were pinned down for a long time.

Meanwhile, important changes took place in the leadership of the Russian troops. On July 19 (7), Emperor Alexander I, who was in the 1st Western Army with his entire retinue, which greatly hampered the normal staff and operational work of the army, he left for St. Petersburg. Barclay de Tolly got the opportunity to fully implement his plan for waging war against Napoleon, developed by him in 1810 - 1812. In general terms, it boiled down to the following: firstly, to avoid a general battle and retreat deeper into the country so as not to expose the army to the danger of defeat; secondly, to weaken the superior enemy forces and gain time to prepare fresh troops and militia.

Barclay de Tolly led the 1st Army to Vitebsk, where he hoped to wait for Bagration. Vanguard of the army under the command of A.I. Osterman-Tolstoy was sent to the village of Ostrovno to delay the French advance.

On July 24 (12), the battle with the advancing enemy began. The cavalry corps of Lieutenant General F.P. was sent to help Osterman-Tolstoy. Uvarov and the 3rd Infantry Division of Lieutenant General P.P. Konovnitsyn, which replaced the Osterman-Tolstoy building. After 3 days of stubborn fighting with the superior forces of Marshal Murat, Konovnitsyn began to slowly, with battles, retreat to the Luchesa River, where all of Barclay’s forces had already concentrated.

The fierce resistance of the Russians prompted Napoleon to think that they were ready to give the general battle that he so wanted. The French emperor brought his entire 150,000-strong group here (against 75,000 Russians). But Barclay de Tolly, having deployed the corps of Major General P.P. as cover. Palena broke away from the French and moved towards Smolensk. The troops of Marshals Ney and Murat were thrown onto the flank and rear of the Russian army. In their vanguard was the division of General Horace Francois Sebastiniani, consisting of 9 cavalry and 1 infantry regiments. On July 27 (15), near the village of Molevo Boloto, they clashed in a fierce battle with 7 Cossack regiments and 12 guns of the Don horse artillery under the overall command of Ataman M.I. Platova. The French were defeated and fled, pursued by the Don, and the hussars of P.P., who joined them at the end of the battle. Palena. About 300 privates and 12 officers were captured. In addition, the Cossacks seized O.F.’s personal documents. Sebastiniani, the content of which indicated that the French command knew the plans of the leadership of the Russian army, i.e. Napoleonic spy settled in the headquarters of Barclay de Tolly.

On August 2 (July 21) near the city of Krasny, the troops of Marshals Ney and Murat fought with the 27th Infantry Division of Lieutenant General D.P. Neverovsky, consisting of 7 thousand unfired recruits.

All day long, forming in a square and slowly moving towards Smolensk, this small detachment fought heroically, repelling 45 attacks by Murat’s cavalry and numerous attacks by Ney’s infantry.

The delay of the enemy near Krasnoye allowed Barclay de Tolly to bring the 1st Army to Smolensk. And on August 3 (July 22), Bagration’s 2nd Army approached Smolensk. As a result of all these efforts, Napoleon's plan to defeat the two Russian armies one by one collapsed.

For two days, August 4 and 5 (July 23–24), stubborn battles took place under the walls of Smolensk. On August 6 and 7 (July 25–26), the battle continued for the city itself.

But there was no general battle here either. Inspired by the heroism of Russian soldiers and officers and private successes, many military leaders insisted on going on the offensive. However, Barclay de Tolly, having weighed everything, decided to continue the retreat. On August 7 (July 26) Russian troops left Smolensk.

Napoleon sent his best forces after them - two infantry and two cavalry corps - about 35 thousand people. They were opposed by the rearguard of General Pavel Alekseevich Tuchkov, numbering 3 thousand people, half of which were Don Cossacks under the command of Major General A.A. Karpov and a company (12 guns) of the Don horse artillery.

Already on the morning of August 7 (July 26), Marshal Ney attacked P.A. Tuchkov’s corps at Valutina Gora (Battle of Lubinsk), but was repulsed. However, the enemy pressure increased. Our rearguard retreated a little and gained a foothold on the line of the Stragan River. Chief of Staff of the 1st Army A.P. Ermolov strengthened P.A. Tuchkov's first cavalry corps, which included the Life Guards Cossack regiment and 4 hussar regiments. Now the forces of the Russian corps have grown to 10 thousand people. As enemy attacks intensified, Barclay de Tolly strengthened Tuchkov's corps with new units. The 3rd Infantry Corps of General P.P. approached the village of Dubino. Konovnitsyna. After this, 15 thousand Russians confronted the corps of Ney, Murat and Junot, who joined them. Cossacks and hussars under the command of Count V.V. Orlov-Denisov, using the “venter”, was lured into an ambush near the village of Zabolotye and inflicted great damage on Murat’s cavalry.

In total, the enemy lost about 9 thousand people that day, and the Russians lost more than 5 thousand people. During the night attack, General P.A. was seriously wounded and captured. Tuchkov.

But his troops held out and gave the 1st and 2nd armies the opportunity to break away from the pursuit of the French troops.

Russian units retreated in three columns. They were covered by rearguard detachments: Southern - under the command of General K.K. Siversa, Central - under the command of General M.I. Platov, Northern - under the command of General K.A. Kreutz. But the brunt of the fighting fell on the M.I. unit. Platova. It consisted of 8 incomplete Don Cossack regiments: Atamansky, Balabin S.F., Vlasov M.G., Grekov T.D., Denisov V.T., Zhirov I.I., Ilovaisky N.V., Kharitonova K.I. and one Simferopol equestrian Tatar.

On August 9 (July 28), Platov’s fighters held back the onslaught of the French at the Solovyova crossing of the Dnieper. On August 10 (July 29) they detained the enemy at Pnevaya Sloboda, and in the meantime, 7 infantry battalions, 18 squadrons of hussars and lancers and 22 guns, including Don horse artillery, arrived to reinforce them, under the command of Major General G.V. Rosen, took a convenient position near the village of Mikhailovka. Where they repulsed enemy attacks on August 11 and 12 (July 30 and 31). On August 13 (1), Napoleonic troops were detained for a whole day near the city of Dorogobuzh at the turn of the Osma River. On August 14 (2), the Cossacks and Tatars of Platov fettered the advance of the French vanguard, remaining in their positions, giving the opportunity to the detachment of G.V. Rosen, retreat and gain a foothold near the village of Belomirskoye. On August 15 (3), the battle here lasted from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. On this day, the Cossacks rushed to attack the enemy 6 times and lost more killed and wounded than in the entire time since the beginning of the war.

On the evening of August 16 (4), M.I. Platov handed over command of the rearguard to General P.P. Konovnitsin and went to Moscow to resolve the accumulated issues: about the formation and dispatch of the Don militia to the theater of operations - 26 regiments, supplies for the regiments already fighting against the French army, and many others. The rearguard continued to carry out its assigned tasks. Thanks to this, the main forces of the Russian army retreated without major losses.