Day of military glory 8 September. Day of the Battle of Borodino

01.04.2020

Battle of Borodino / Image: fragment of the panorama of the Battle of Borodino

September 8 is celebrated in Russia Day military glory Russia - Day of the Battle of Borodino Russian army under the command of M.I. Kutuzov with the French army (1812). It is established federal law No. 32-FZ of March 13, 1995 "On the days of military glory and anniversaries Russia".

The battle of Borodino (in the French version - "battle on the Moscow River", French Bataille de la Moskowa) - the largest battle Patriotic War 1812 between the Russian and French armies. The battle took place (August 26) on September 7, 1812 near the village of Borodino, located 125 kilometers west of Moscow, writes Calend.ru.

Battle of Borodino 1812

The main battle of the Patriotic War of 1812 between the Russian army under the command of General M. I. Kutuzov and the French army of Napoleon I Bonaparte took place on August 26 (September 7) near the village of Borodino near Mozhaisk, 125 km west of Moscow.

It is considered the bloodiest one-day battle in history.

About 300 thousand people participated in this grandiose battle on both sides with 1200 artillery pieces. At the same time, the French army had a significant numerical superiority - 130-135 thousand people against 103 thousand people in the Russian regular troops.

Prehistory

“In five years I will be master of the world. There is only Russia left, but I will crush it.”- with these words, Napoleon and his 600,000th army crossed the Russian border.

Since the beginning of the invasion of the French army into the territory Russian Empire in June 1812, the Russian troops were constantly retreating. The rapid advance and the overwhelming numerical superiority of the French made it impossible for the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Infantry General Barclay de Tolly, to prepare the troops for battle. The protracted retreat caused public discontent, so Emperor Alexander I removed Barclay de Tolly and appointed General of Infantry Kutuzov as commander-in-chief.

However, the new commander-in-chief chose the path of retreat. The strategy chosen by Kutuzov was based, on the one hand, on exhausting the enemy, on the other hand, on waiting for reinforcements sufficient for a decisive battle with Napoleon's army.

On August 22 (September 3), the Russian army, retreating from Smolensk, settled down near the village of Borodino, 125 km from Moscow, where Kutuzov decided to give a general battle; it was impossible to postpone it further, since Emperor Alexander demanded that Kutuzov stop the advance of Emperor Napoleon towards Moscow.

The idea of the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Kutuzov, was to inflict on the French troops as much as possible through active defense. big losses, change the balance of power, save Russian troops for further battles and for the complete defeat of the French army. In accordance with this plan, the battle formation of the Russian troops was built.

The order of battle of the Russian army was composed of three lines: the first was for the infantry corps, the second for the cavalry, and the third for the reserves. The artillery of the army was evenly distributed throughout the position.

The position of the Russian army on the Borodino field was about 8 km long and looked like a straight line running from the Shevardinsky redoubt on the left flank through a large battery on Red Hill, later called the Raevsky battery, the village of Borodino in the center, to the village of Maslovo on the right flank.

The right flank formed 1st Army of General Barclay de Tolly consisting of 3 infantry, 3 cavalry corps and reserves (76 thousand people, 480 guns), the front of his position was covered by the Kolocha River. The left flank was formed by the smaller 2nd Army of General Bagration (34 thousand people, 156 guns). In addition, the left flank did not have such strong natural obstacles in front of the front as the right. The center (the height near the village of Gorki and the space up to the Rayevsky battery) was occupied by the VI Infantry and III Cavalry Corps under the general command Dokhturova. A total of 13,600 men and 86 guns.

Shevardino fight

The prologue of the Battle of Borodino was battle for the Shevardinsky redoubt on August 24 (September 5).

Here, the day before, a pentagonal redoubt was erected, which at first served as part of the position of the Russian left flank, and after the left flank was pushed back, became a separate advanced position. Napoleon ordered to attack the Shevardinsky position - the redoubt prevented the French army from turning around.

To gain time for engineering work, Kutuzov ordered the enemy to be detained near the village of Shevardino.

The redoubt and the approaches to it were defended by the legendary 27th division of Neverovsky. Shevardino was defended by Russian troops consisting of 8,000 infantry, 4,000 cavalry with 36 guns.

The French infantry and cavalry, totaling over 40,000 men, attacked the defenders of Shevardin.

On the morning of August 24, when the Russian position on the left was not yet equipped, the French approached it. No sooner had the French forward units reached the village of Valuevo than the Russian chasseurs opened fire on them.

A fierce battle broke out near the village of Shevardino. During it, it became clear that the enemy was going to deliver the main blow to the left flank of the Russian troops, which was defended by the 2nd Army under the command of Bagration.

During the stubborn battle, the Shevardinsky redoubt was almost completely destroyed.

The great army of Napoleon lost about 5,000 people in the battle of Shevardino, the Russian army suffered approximately the same losses.

The battle at the Shevardino redoubt delayed the French troops and gave the Russian troops the opportunity to gain time to complete the defensive work and build fortifications on the main positions. The Shevardinsky battle also made it possible to clarify the grouping of French troops and the direction of their main attack.

It was established that the main enemy forces were concentrated in the Shevardin area against the center and left flank of the Russian army. On the same day, Kutuzov sent Tuchkov's 3rd Corps to the left flank, secretly placing it in the Utitsa area. And in the area of the Bagration Flushes, a reliable defense was created. The 2nd Free Grenadier Division of General M.S. Vorontsov occupied the fortifications directly, and the 27th Infantry Division of General D.P. Neverovsky stood in the second line behind the fortifications.

Battle of Borodino

Before the great battle

25-th of August in the area of the Borodino field, active hostilities were not conducted. Both armies were preparing for a decisive, general battle, conducting reconnaissance and erecting field fortifications. Three fortifications were built on a small hill to the south-west of the village of Semyonovskoye, which received the name "Bagration's flashes".

According to ancient tradition, the Russian army prepared for the decisive battle as if it were a holiday. The soldiers washed, shaved, put on clean linen, confessed, etc.

On August 25 (September 6), Emperor Napoleon Bonoparte personally conducted a reconnaissance of the area of the future battle and, having discovered the weakness of the left flank of the Russian army, decided to deliver the main blow to it. Accordingly, he developed a battle plan. First of all, the task was to capture the left bank of the Kolocha River, for which it was necessary to capture Borodino. This maneuver, according to Napoleon, was supposed to divert the attention of the Russians from the direction of the main attack. Then transfer the main forces of the French army to the right bank of the Kolocha and, relying on Borodino, which has become, as it were, the axis of entry, push the Kutuzov army with the right wing into the corner formed by the confluence of the Kolocha with the Moscow River, and destroy it.

To accomplish the task, Napoleon on the evening of August 25 (September 6) began to concentrate the main forces (up to 95 thousand) in the area of the Shevardinsky redoubt. The total number of French troops in front of the front of the 2nd Army reached 115 thousand.

Thus, Napoleon's plan pursued the decisive goal of destroying the entire Russian army in a pitched battle. Napoleon did not doubt the victory, the confidence in which, at sunrise on August 26, he expressed the words """This is the sun of Austerlitz""!".

On the eve of the battle French soldiers Napoleon's famous order was read out: "Warriors! Here is the battle you have been longing for. Victory is up to you. We need it; she will give us everything we need, comfortable apartments and a speedy return to the fatherland. Act as you did at Austerlitz, Friedland, Vitebsk and Smolensk. May later posterity proudly remember your exploits in this day. Let them say about each of you: he was in the great battle near Moscow!

The beginning of the great battle

M.I. Kutuzov on command post on the day of the Battle of Borodino

The battle of Borodino began at 5 o'clock in the morning, on the day of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, on the day when Russia celebrates the salvation of Moscow from the invasion of Tamerlane in 1395.

Decisive battles unfolded for Bagration's flashes and Raevsky's battery, which the French managed to capture at the cost of heavy losses.

Battle scheme

Bagration flushes

At 5:30 am August 26 (September 7), 1812 more than 100 French guns began to bombard the positions of the left flank. Napoleon unleashed the main blow on the left flank, trying from the very beginning of the battle to turn its course in his favor.

At 6 o'clock in the morning after a short cannonade, the French attack on Bagration's flushes began ( flushes called field fortifications, which consisted of two faces 20-30 m long each at an acute angle, the corner with the top facing the enemy). But they came under shotgun fire and were driven back by a flank attack by rangers.

Averyanov. Battle for Bagration's flashes

At 8 o'clock in the morning the French repeated the attack and captured the southern flush.
For the 3rd attack, Napoleon reinforced the attacking forces with 3 more infantry divisions, 3 cavalry corps (up to 35,000 people) and artillery, bringing its strength to 160 guns. They were opposed by about 20,000 Russian troops with 108 guns.

Evgeny Korneev. Cuirassiers of His Majesty. The battle of the brigade of Major General N. M. Borozdin

After heavy artillery preparation, the French managed to break into the southern flush and into the gaps between the flushes. Around 10 am the fleches were captured by the French.

Then Bagration led a general counterattack, as a result of which the flushes were repulsed, and the French were thrown back to the starting line.

By 10 o'clock in the morning, the entire field over Borodino was already covered with thick smoke.

V 11 o'clock in the morning Napoleon threw in a new 4th attack against the flushes about 45 thousand infantry and cavalry, and almost 400 guns. The Russian troops had about 300 guns, and were inferior in number to the enemy by 2 times. As a result of this attack, the 2nd combined-grenadier division of M.S. Vorontsov, which participated in the Shevardino battle and withstood the 3rd attack on flushes, retained about 300 people out of 4,000 in its composition.

Then, within an hour, 3 more attacks from the French troops followed, which were repulsed.

At 12 noon , during the 8th attack, Bagration, seeing that the artillery of the flashes could not stop the movement of the French columns, led a general counterattack of the left wing, the total number of troops of which was approximately only 20 thousand people against 40 thousand from the enemy. A fierce hand-to-hand fight ensued, which lasted for about an hour. During this time, the masses of French troops were driven back to the Utitsky forest and were on the verge of defeat. The advantage was inclined to the side of the Russian troops, but during the transition to the counterattack, Bagration, wounded by a fragment of the cannonball in the thigh, fell off his horse and was taken out of the battlefield. The news of the wounding of Bagration instantly swept through the ranks of the Russian troops and undermined the morale of the Russian soldiers. Russian troops began to retreat. ( Note. Bagration died of blood poisoning on September 12 (25), 1812)

After that, General D.S. took command of the left flank. Dokhturov. The French troops were bled dry and unable to attack. The Russian troops were greatly weakened, but they retained their combat effectiveness, which was revealed during the repulse of the attack of fresh French forces on Semyonovskoye.

In total, about 60,000 French troops took part in the battles for the flushes, of which about 30,000 were lost, about half in the 8th attack.

The French fought fiercely in the battles for the flushes, but all but the last of their attacks were repulsed by the much smaller Russian forces. By concentrating forces on the right flank, Napoleon ensured a 2-3-fold numerical superiority in the battles for flushes, thanks to which, as well as due to the wounding of Bagration, the French still managed to push the left wing of the Russian army to a distance of about 1 km. This success did not lead to the decisive result that Napoleon had hoped for.

Direction of the main attack great army"shifted from the left flank to the center of the Russian line, to the Kurgan battery.

Raevsky battery

The last skirmishes of the Battle of Borodino in the evening took place at the battery of Raevsky and Utitsky Kurgan.

A high mound, located in the center of the Russian position, dominated the surrounding area. A battery was installed on it, which had 18 guns by the beginning of the battle. The defense of the battery was assigned to the 7th Infantry Corps of Lieutenant General N.N. Raevsky, which consisted of 11 thousand bayonets.

At about 9 o'clock in the morning, in the midst of the battle for Bagration's fleches, the French launched the first attack on the Raevsky battery.A bloody battle took place on the battery.

Losses on both sides were huge. A number of parts on both sides lost most composition. The corps of General Raevsky lost more than 6 thousand people. And, for example, the French infantry regiment Bonami retained 300 out of 4100 people in its ranks after the battle for Raevsky’s battery. Raevsky’s battery received the nickname “grave of the French cavalry” from the French for these losses. At the cost of huge losses (the general commander of the French cavalry and his comrades-in-arms fell at Kurgan height), the French troops stormed Raevsky's battery at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

However, the capture of Kurgan height did not lead to a decrease in the stability of the Russian center. The same applies to the flushes, which were only defensive structures of the position of the left flank of the Russian army.

End of the battle

Vereshchagin. End of the Battle of Borodino

After the Raevsky battery was occupied by the French troops, the battle began to subside. On the left flank, the French carried out unsuccessful attacks against Dokhturov's 2nd Army. In the center and on the right flank, the matter was limited to artillery fire until 7 pm.

V. V. Vereshchagin. End of the Battle of Borodino

On the evening of August 26, by 18 o'clock, the battle of Borodino was over. Attacks stopped along the entire front. Until the very night, only artillery skirmishes and rifle fire continued in the advanced jaeger chains.

The results of the battle of Borodino

What were the results of this most bloody of battles? Very sad for Napoleon, because there was no victory here, which all those close to him had been waiting in vain for a whole day. Napoleon was disappointed with the results of the battle: the "Great Army" was able to force the Russian troops on the left flank and center to retreat only 1–1.5 km. The Russian army retained the integrity of the position and its communications, repelled many French attacks, while she counterattacked. The artillery duel, for all its duration and fierceness, did not give advantages to either the French or the Russians. French troops captured the main strongholds of the Russian army - the Rayevsky battery and the Semyonovsky flashes. But the fortifications on them were almost completely destroyed, and by the end of the battle, Napoleon ordered them to leave and withdraw the troops to their original positions. Few prisoners were captured (as well as guns), Russian soldiers took with them most of the wounded comrades. The general battle turned out not to be a new Austerlitz, but a bloody battle with unclear results.

Perhaps, in tactical terms, the Battle of Borodino was another victory for Napoleon - he forced the Russian army to retreat and give up Moscow. However, in strategic terms, it was a victory for Kutuzov and the Russian army. In the campaign of 1812 there was a radical change. The Russian army withstood the battle with the strongest enemy and its morale only got stronger. Soon its numbers and material resources will be restored. Napoleon's army lost heart, lost the ability to win, the halo of invincibility. Further events will only confirm the correctness of the words of the military theorist Karl Clausewitz, who noted that "victory lies not just in capturing the battlefield, but in the physical and moral defeat of the enemy forces."

Later, while in exile, the defeated French emperor Napoleon admitted: “Of all my battles, the most terrible is what I fought near Moscow. The French showed themselves worthy of victory in it, and the Russians - to be called invincible.

The number of losses of the Russian army in the Battle of Borodino amounted to 44-45 thousand people. The French, according to some estimates, lost about 40-60 thousand people. Especially heavy were the losses in command staff: in the Russian army 4 were killed and mortally wounded, 23 generals were wounded and shell-shocked; in the Grand Army, 12 generals were killed and died of wounds, one marshal and 38 generals were wounded.

The battle of Borodino is one of the bloodiest battles of the 19th century and the bloodiest of all that came before it. According to the most conservative estimates of cumulative losses, 2,500 people died on the field every hour. It is no coincidence that Napoleon called the battle of Borodino his greatest battle, although its results are more than modest for a great commander accustomed to victories.

The main achievement of the general battle at Borodino was that Napoleon failed to defeat the Russian army. But first of all, the Borodino field became the cemetery of the French dream, that selfless faith of the French people in the star of their emperor, in his personal genius, which underlay all the achievements of the French Empire.

On October 3, 1812, the English newspapers The Courier and The Times published a report from the English ambassador Katkar from St. Petersburg, in which he said that the armies of His Imperial Majesty Alexander I had won the most stubborn battle of Borodino. During October, The Times wrote about the Battle of Borodino 8 times, calling the day of the battle "a grandiose memorable day in Russian history" and "the fatal battle of Bonaparte." English ambassador and the press did not consider the retreat after the battle and the abandonment of Moscow as a result of the battle, understanding the impact on these events of a strategic situation unfavorable for Russia.

For Borodino, Kutuzov received the rank of Field Marshal and 100 thousand rubles. The tsar granted Bagration 50 thousand rubles. For participation in the Battle of Borodino, each soldier was given 5 silver rubles.

The meaning of the Battle of Borodino in the minds of the Russian people

The Battle of Borodino continues to occupy an important place in the historical consciousness of very broad sections of Russian society. Today it, along with similar great pages of Russian history, is being falsified by the camp of Russophobic-minded figures who position themselves as "historians". By distorting reality and forgery in custom publications, at any cost, regardless of reality, they are trying to bring to wide circles the idea of a tactical victory for the French with fewer losses and that the Battle of Borodino was not a triumph of Russian weapons.This is because the Battle of Borodino, as an event in which the strength of the spirit of the Russian people was manifested, is one of the cornerstones that build Russia in the minds modern society just like a great power. Loosening these bricks throughout recent history Russia is engaged in Russophobic propaganda.

Materials prepared by Sergei Shulyak, fragments of paintings by Russian artists and panoramas of the Battle of Borodino were used.

Battle of Borodino / Image: fragment of the panorama of the Battle of Borodino

September 8 is celebrated in Russia Day of military glory of Russia - Day of the Battle of Borodino Russian army under the command of M.I. Kutuzov with the French army (1812). It was established by Federal Law No. 32-FZ of March 13, 1995 "On the days of military glory and memorable dates in Russia."

The battle of Borodino (in the French version - “battle on the Moscow River”, French Bataille de la Moskowa) is the largest battle of the Patriotic War of 1812 between the Russian and French armies. The battle took place (August 26) on September 7, 1812 near the village of Borodino, located 125 kilometers west of Moscow, writes Calend.ru.

Battle of Borodino 1812

It is considered the bloodiest one-day battle in history.

Prehistory

“In five years I will be master of the world. There is only Russia left, but I will crush it.”- with these words, Napoleon and his 600,000th army crossed the Russian border.

Since the beginning of the invasion of the French army into the territory of the Russian Empire in June 1812, Russian troops have constantly retreated. The rapid advance and the overwhelming numerical superiority of the French made it impossible for the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Infantry General Barclay de Tolly, to prepare the troops for battle. The protracted retreat caused public discontent, so Emperor Alexander I removed Barclay de Tolly and appointed General of Infantry Kutuzov as commander-in-chief.

The idea of the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Kutuzov, was to inflict as many losses as possible on the French troops through active defense, change the balance of forces, save Russian troops for further battles and for the complete defeat of the French army. In accordance with this plan, the battle formation of the Russian troops was built.

Shevardino fight

The prologue of the Battle of Borodino was battle for the Shevardinsky redoubt on August 24 (September 5).

To gain time for engineering work, Kutuzov ordered the enemy to be detained near the village of Shevardino.

The redoubt and the approaches to it were defended by the legendary 27th division of Neverovsky. Shevardino was defended by Russian troops consisting of 8,000 infantry, 4,000 cavalry with 36 guns.

The French infantry and cavalry, totaling over 40,000 men, attacked the defenders of Shevardin.

During the stubborn battle, the Shevardinsky redoubt was almost completely destroyed.

The great army of Napoleon lost about 5,000 people in the battle of Shevardino, the Russian army suffered approximately the same losses.

Battle of Borodino

Before the great battle

According to ancient tradition, the Russian army prepared for the decisive battle as if it were a holiday. The soldiers washed, shaved, put on clean linen, confessed, etc.

On the eve of the battle, the famous order of Napoleon was read to the French soldiers: "Warriors! Here is the battle you have been longing for. Victory is up to you. We need it; she will give us everything we need, comfortable apartments and a speedy return to the fatherland. Act as you did at Austerlitz, Friedland, Vitebsk and Smolensk. May later posterity proudly remember your exploits in this day. Let them say about each of you: he was in the great battle near Moscow!

The beginning of the great battle

M.I. Kutuzov at the command post on the day of the Battle of Borodino

Decisive battles unfolded for Bagration's flashes and Raevsky's battery, which the French managed to capture at the cost of heavy losses.

Battle scheme

Bagration flushes

Averyanov. Battle for Bagration's flashes

Evgeny Korneev. Cuirassiers of His Majesty. The battle of the brigade of Major General N. M. Borozdin

After heavy artillery preparation, the French managed to break into the southern flush and into the gaps between the flushes. Around 10 am the fleches were captured by the French.

Then Bagration led a general counterattack, as a result of which the flushes were repulsed, and the French were thrown back to the starting line.

By 10 o'clock in the morning, the entire field over Borodino was already covered with thick smoke.

Then, within an hour, 3 more attacks from the French troops followed, which were repulsed.

In total, about 60,000 French troops took part in the battles for the flushes, of which about 30,000 were lost, about half in the 8th attack.

The direction of the main attack of the "Great Army" shifted from the left flank to the center of the Russian line, to the Kurgan Battery.

Raevsky battery

The last skirmishes of the Battle of Borodino in the evening took place at the battery of Raevsky and Utitsky Kurgan.

At about 9 o'clock in the morning, in the midst of the battle for Bagration's fleches, the French launched the first attack on the Raevsky battery.A bloody battle took place on the battery.

Losses on both sides were huge. A number of units on both sides lost most of their composition. The corps of General Raevsky lost more than 6 thousand people. And, for example, the French infantry regiment Bonami retained 300 out of 4100 people in its ranks after the battle for Raevsky’s battery. Raevsky’s battery received the nickname “grave of the French cavalry” from the French for these losses. At the cost of huge losses (the general commander of the French cavalry and his comrades-in-arms fell at Kurgan height), the French troops stormed Raevsky's battery at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

End of the battle

Vereshchagin. End of the Battle of Borodino

V. V. Vereshchagin. End of the Battle of Borodino

The results of the battle of Borodino

What were the results of this most bloody of battles? Very sad for Napoleon, because there was no victory here, which all those close to him had been waiting in vain for a whole day. Napoleon was disappointed with the results of the battle: the "Great Army" was able to force the Russian troops on the left flank and center to retreat only 1–1.5 km. The Russian army retained the integrity of the position and its communications, repelled many French attacks, while counterattacking itself. The artillery duel, for all its duration and fierceness, did not give advantages to either the French or the Russians. French troops captured the main strongholds of the Russian army - the Rayevsky battery and the Semyonovsky flashes. But the fortifications on them were almost completely destroyed, and by the end of the battle, Napoleon ordered them to leave and withdraw the troops to their original positions. Few prisoners were captured (as well as guns), Russian soldiers took with them most of the wounded comrades. The general battle turned out not to be a new Austerlitz, but a bloody battle with unclear results.

The number of losses of the Russian army in the Battle of Borodino amounted to 44-45 thousand people. The French, according to some estimates, lost about 40-60 thousand people. The losses in the command staff were especially heavy: in the Russian army 4 were killed and mortally wounded, 23 generals were wounded and shell-shocked; in the Grand Army, 12 generals were killed and died of wounds, one marshal and 38 generals were wounded.

The battle of Borodino is one of the bloodiest battles of the 19th century and the bloodiest of all that came before it. According to the most conservative estimates of cumulative losses, 2,500 people died on the field every hour. It is no coincidence that Napoleon called the battle of Borodino his greatest battle, although its results are more than modest for a great commander accustomed to victories.

On October 3, 1812, the English newspapers The Courier and The Times published a report from the English ambassador Katkar from St. Petersburg, in which he said that the armies of His Imperial Majesty Alexander I had won the most stubborn battle of Borodino. During October, The Times wrote about the Battle of Borodino 8 times, calling the day of the battle "a grandiose memorable day in Russian history" and "the fatal battle of Bonaparte." The British ambassador and the press did not consider the retreat after the battle and the abandonment of Moscow as a result of the battle, realizing the impact on these events of a strategic situation unfavorable for Russia.

The meaning of the Battle of Borodino in the minds of the Russian people

The Battle of Borodino continues to occupy an important place in the historical consciousness of very broad sections of Russian society. Today it, along with similar great pages of Russian history, is being falsified by the camp of Russophobic-minded figures who position themselves as "historians". By distorting reality and forgery in custom publications, at any cost, regardless of reality, they are trying to bring to wide circles the idea of a tactical victory for the French with fewer losses and that the Battle of Borodino was not a triumph of Russian weapons.This is because the Battle of Borodino, as an event in which the strength of the spirit of the Russian people was manifested, is one of the cornerstones that build Russia in the minds of modern society precisely as a great power. Throughout the entire modern history of Russia, Russophobic propaganda has been loosening these bricks.

Materials prepared by Sergei Shulyak, fragments of paintings by Russian artists and panoramas of the Battle of Borodino were used.

On September 8, Russia celebrates the Day of Military Glory of Russia - the Day of the Battle of Borodino of the Russian army under the command of M.I. Kutuzov with the French army (1812). It was established by Federal Law No. 32-FZ of March 13, 1995 "On the days of military glory and memorable dates in Russia."

Battle of Borodino 1812

It is considered the bloodiest one-day battle in history.

Prehistory

“In five years I will be master of the world. There is only Russia left, but I will crush it.” - With these words, Napoleon and his 600,000-strong army crossed the Russian border.

The right flank formed 1st Army of General Barclay de Tolly consisting of 3 infantry, 3 cavalry corps and reserves (76 thousand people, 480 guns), the front of his position was covered by the Kolocha River. The left flank was formed by the smaller 2nd Army of General Bagration (34 thousand people, 156 guns). In addition, the left flank did not have such strong natural obstacles in front of the front as the right. The center (the height near the village of Gorki and the space up to the Rayevsky battery) was occupied by the VI Infantry and III Cavalry Corps under the general command of Dokhturov. A total of 13,600 men and 86 guns.

Shevardino fight

Prologue of the Battle of Borodino began the battle for the Shevardinsky Redoubt on August 24 (September 5).

To gain time for engineering work, Kutuzov ordered the enemy to be detained near the village of Shevardino.

The redoubt and the approaches to it were defended by the legendary 27th division of Neverovsky. Shevardino was defended by Russian troops consisting of 8,000 infantry, 4,000 cavalry with 36 guns.

The French infantry and cavalry, totaling over 40,000 men, attacked the defenders of Shevardin.

During the stubborn battle, the Shevardinsky redoubt was almost completely destroyed.

The great army of Napoleon lost about 5,000 people in the battle of Shevardino, the Russian army suffered approximately the same losses.

Battle of Borodino

Before the great battle

On August 25, there were no active hostilities in the area of the Borodino field. Both armies were preparing for a decisive, general battle, conducting reconnaissance and erecting field fortifications. Three fortifications were built on a small hill to the south-west of the village of Semyonovskoye, which received the name "Bagration's flashes".

According to ancient tradition, the Russian army prepared for the decisive battle as if it were a holiday. The soldiers washed, shaved, put on clean linen, confessed, etc.

This maneuver, according to Napoleon, was supposed to divert the attention of the Russians from the direction of the main attack. Then transfer the main forces of the French army to the right bank of the Kolocha and, relying on Borodino, which has become, as it were, the axis of entry, push the Kutuzov army with the right wing into the corner formed by the confluence of the Kolocha with the Moscow River, and destroy it.

V.G. Shevchenko. The formation flashed behind the formation ....

The beginning of the great battle

The battle of Borodino began at 5 o'clock in the morning , on the day of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, on the day when Russia celebrates the salvation of Moscow from the invasion of Tamerlane in 1395.

Decisive battles unfolded for Bagration's flashes and Raevsky's battery, which the French managed to capture at the cost of heavy losses.

Bagration flushes

At 5:30 am August 26 (September 7), 1812 more than 100 French guns began to bombard the positions of the left flank. Napoleon unleashed the main blow on the left flank, trying from the very beginning of the battle to turn its course in his favor.

At 6 o'clock in the morning after a short cannonade, the French attacked Bagration's flushes (flashes were called field fortifications, which consisted of two faces 20-30 m long each at an acute angle, the corner with the top was facing the enemy). But they came under shotgun fire and were driven back by a flank attack by rangers.

At 8 o'clock in the morning the French repeated the attack and captured the southern flush.

For the 3rd attack, Napoleon reinforced the attacking forces with 3 more infantry divisions, 3 cavalry corps (up to 35,000 people) and artillery, bringing its strength to 160 guns. They were opposed by about 20,000 Russian troops with 108 guns.

After heavy artillery preparation, the French managed to break into the southern flush and into the gaps between the flushes. Around 10 am the fleches were captured by the French.

Then Bagration led a general counterattack, as a result of which the flushes were repulsed, and the French were thrown back to the starting line.

By 10 o'clock in the morning, the entire field over Borodino was already covered with thick smoke.

Then, within an hour, 3 more attacks from the French troops followed, which were repulsed.

At 12 noon , during the 8th attack, Bagration, seeing that the artillery of the flashes could not stop the movement of the French columns, led a general counterattack of the left wing, the total number of troops of which was approximately only 20 thousand people against 40 thousand from the enemy. A fierce hand-to-hand fight ensued, which lasted for about an hour.

During this time, the masses of French troops were driven back to the Utitsky forest and were on the verge of defeat. The advantage was inclined to the side of the Russian troops, but during the transition to the counterattack, Bagration, wounded by a fragment of the cannonball in the thigh, fell off his horse and was taken out of the battlefield. The news of the wounding of Bagration instantly swept through the ranks of the Russian troops and undermined the morale of the Russian soldiers. Russian troops began to retreat. (Note Bagration died of blood poisoning on September 12 (25), 1812)

In total, about 60,000 French troops took part in the battles for the flushes, of which about 30,000 were lost, about half in the 8th attack.

The direction of the main attack of the "Great Army" shifted from the left flank to the center of the Russian line, to the Kurgan Battery.

Raevsky battery

The last skirmishes of the Battle of Borodino in the evening took place at the battery of Raevsky and Utitsky Kurgan.

At about 9 o'clock in the morning, in the midst of the battle for Bagration's fleches, the French launched the first attack on the Raevsky battery. A bloody battle took place on the battery.

End of the battle

The results of the battle of Borodino

The artillery duel, for all its duration and fierceness, did not give advantages to either the French or the Russians. French troops captured the main strongholds of the Russian army - the Rayevsky battery and the Semyonovsky flashes. But the fortifications on them were almost completely destroyed, and by the end of the battle, Napoleon ordered them to leave and withdraw the troops to their original positions.

Few prisoners were captured (as well as guns), Russian soldiers took with them most of the wounded comrades. The general battle turned out not to be a new Austerlitz, but a bloody battle with unclear results.

Soon its numbers and material resources will be restored. Napoleon's army lost heart, lost the ability to win, the halo of invincibility. Further events will only confirm the correctness of the words of the military theorist Karl Clausewitz, who noted that "victory lies not just in capturing the battlefield, but in the physical and moral defeat of the enemy forces."

Later, while in exile, the defeated French emperor Napoleon admitted: “Of all my battles, the most terrible is what I gave near Moscow. The French showed themselves worthy of victory in it, and the Russians - to be called invincible.

The battle of Borodino is one of the bloodiest battles of the 19th century and the bloodiest of all that came before it. According to the most conservative estimates of cumulative losses, 2,500 people died on the field every hour. It is no coincidence that Napoleon called the battle of Borodino his greatest battle, although its results are more than modest for a great commander accustomed to victories.

On October 3, 1812, the English newspapers The Courier and The Times published a report from the English ambassador Katkar from St. Petersburg, in which he said that the armies of His Imperial Majesty Alexander I had won the most stubborn battle of Borodino. During October, The Times wrote about the Battle of Borodino 8 times, calling the day of the battle "a grandiose memorable day in Russian history" and "the fatal battle of Bonaparte." The British ambassador and the press did not consider the retreat after the battle and the abandonment of Moscow as a result of the battle, realizing the impact on these events of a strategic situation unfavorable for Russia.

The meaning of the Battle of Borodino in the minds of the Russian people

By distorting reality and forgery in custom publications, at any cost, regardless of reality, they are trying to bring to wide circles the idea of a tactical victory for the French with fewer losses and that the Battle of Borodino was not a triumph of Russian weapons.

This is because the Battle of Borodino, as an event in which the strength of the spirit of the Russian people was manifested, is one of the cornerstones that build Russia in the minds of modern society precisely as a great power. Throughout the entire modern history of Russia, Russophobic propaganda has been loosening these bricks.

Day of the Borodino battle of the Russian army under the command of M.I. Kutuzov with the French army (1812)

The battle of Borodino is the largest battle of the Patriotic War of 1812 between the Russian army under the command of General M. I. Kutuzov and the French army of Napoleon I Bonaparte. It took place on August 26 (September 7), 1812 near the village of Borodino, 125 km west of Moscow.

During the 12-hour battle, the French army managed to capture the positions of the Russian army in the center and on the left wing, but after the cessation of hostilities, the French army withdrew to its original positions. Thus, in Russian historiography, it is believed that the Russian troops won, but the next day, the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, M.I. army.

According to the memoirs of a participant in the Battle of Borodino French general Pele, Napoleon often repeated a similar phrase: “ 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».

It is considered the bloodiest in history among one-day battles.

Raid of the Cossacks Platov and Uvarov

At the critical moment of the battle, Kutuzov decided to raid the cavalry of the generals from the cavalry of Uvarov and Platov to the rear and flank of the enemy. By 12 noon, Uvarov's 1st Cavalry Corps (28 squadrons, 12 guns, a total of 2,500 horsemen) and Platov's Cossacks (8 regiments) crossed the Kolocha River near the village of Malaya. Uvarov's corps attacked the French infantry regiment and the Italian cavalry brigade of General Ornano in the area of the crossing over the Voina River near the village of Bezzubovo. Platov crossed the Voina River to the north and, going to the rear, forced the enemy to change position.

The simultaneous blow of Uvarov and Platov caused confusion in the enemy camp and forced the troops to be pulled to the left flank, which stormed the Raevsky battery at Kurgan height. The Viceroy of Italy, Eugene Beauharnais, with the Italian Guard and the Pear Corps, were sent by Napoleon against the new threat. Uvarov and Platov returned to the Russian army by 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

The raid of Uvarov and Platov delayed the decisive attack of the enemy for 2 hours, which made it possible to regroup the Russian troops. It was because of this raid that Napoleon did not dare to send his guards into battle. Cavalry sabotage, although it did not cause much damage to the French, caused Napoleon to feel insecure in his own rear.
« Those who were in the Battle of Borodino, of course, remember that moment when the stubbornness of attacks decreased along the entire line of the enemy, and we ... could breathe more freely", - wrote a military historian, General Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky.

The overall result of the battle

The battle of Borodino is one of the bloodiest battles of the 19th century and the bloodiest of all that came before it. According to the most conservative estimates of cumulative losses, about 6,000 people died or were injured on the field every hour, the French army lost about 25 percent of its composition, the Russian about 30 percent. From the French side, 60 thousand cannon shots were fired, from the Russian side - 50 thousand. It is no coincidence that Napoleon called the battle of Borodino his greatest battle, although its results are more than modest for a great commander accustomed to victories.

Emperor Alexander I was not deceived about the actual state of affairs, but in order to support the hopes of the people for a speedy end to the war, he announced the battle of Borodino as a victory. Prince Kutuzov was promoted to field marshal general with an award of 100 thousand rubles. Barclay de Tolly received the Order of St. George of the 2nd degree, Prince Bagration - 50 thousand rubles. Fourteen generals received the Order of St. George, 3rd class. All the lower ranks who were in the battle were granted 5 rubles each.

Since then, in Russian, and after it in Soviet (except for the period of 1920-1930s) historiography, an attitude has been established towards the Battle of Borodino as an actual victory for the Russian army. Nowadays a number Russian historians also traditionally insists that the outcome of the Battle of Borodino was uncertain, and the Russian army won a "moral victory" in it.

Based on materials wikipedia.org

Borodino

- Tell me, uncle, it's not without reason - Moscow, burned by fire, is given to the Frenchman? After all, there were combat fights, Yes, they say, some more! No wonder the whole of Russia remembers About the day of Borodin! - Yes, there were people in our time - Not like the current tribe: Bogatyrs - not you! They got a bad share: Few returned from the field ... If it weren't for the Lord's will, They wouldn't give up Moscow! We retreated in silence for a long time. It was annoying, they were waiting for the battle, The old people grumbled: “What are we? for winter quarters? Do not dare, perhaps, the commanders Aliens to tear off their uniforms O Russian bayonets? And then we found a large field: There is a roam where in the wild! They built a redoubt. Ours have ears on top! A little morning lit up the guns And forests blue tops - The French are right there. I hammered the charge into the cannon tightly And I thought: I will treat my friend! Wait a minute, brother Musyu! What is there to be cunning, perhaps for battle; Already we will go to break the wall, Already we will stand with our heads For our homeland! For two days we were in a skirmish. What's the use of such nonsense? We waited the third day. Speech began to be heard everywhere: "It's time to get to the buckshot!" And now a shadow fell on the field of the formidable Night Sich. I lay down to take a nap at the carriage, And it was heard until dawn, As the Frenchman rejoiced. But our open bivouac was quiet: Who cleaned the beaten shako, Who sharpened the bayonet, grumbling angrily, Biting his long mustache. And as soon as the sky lit up, Everything suddenly stirred noisily, The formation flashed behind the formation. Our colonel was born with a grip: Servant to the tsar, father to the soldiers... Yes, it's a pity for him: he was slain by damask steel, He sleeps in the damp ground. And he said, flashing his eyes: “Guys! Isn't Moscow behind us? Let us die near Moscow, as our brothers died!” And we promised to die, And we kept the oath of allegiance in the Battle of Borodino. Well, it was a day! Through the flying smoke the French moved like clouds, And all on our redoubt. Lancers with colorful badges, Dragoons with ponytails, All flashed before us, All have been here. You will not see such battles!.. Banners were worn like shadows, Fire shone in the smoke, Damask steel sounded, buckshot screeched, The hand of the fighters was tired of stabbing, And the mountain of bloody bodies prevented the cannonballs from flying. The enemy experienced a lot that day, What does a Russian battle mean, our hand-to-hand combat! .. The earth shook - like our breasts; Horses and people mingled in a heap, And the volleys of a thousand guns Merged into a drawn-out howl... Here it was getting dark. Everyone was ready To start a new fight in the morning And stand to the end... The drums crackled - And the busurmans retreated. Then we began to count wounds, Comrades to count. Yes, there were people in our time, Mighty, dashing tribe: Heroes - not you. They got a bad share: Few returned from the field. If it weren't for God's will, Moscow wouldn't be given away!

Mikhail Yurjevich Lermontov, 1837.

“In five years I will be master of the world. Only Russia remains, but I will crush it,” with these words Napoleon and his 600,000-strong army crossed the Russian border.

On September 3, the Russian army, retreating from Smolensk, settled down near the village of Borodino, 125 km from Moscow. Kutuzov decided to give a pitched battle; it was impossible to postpone it further, since Emperor Alexander demanded that Kutuzov stop the advance of Emperor Napoleon towards Moscow.

The great army of Napoleon lost about 5,000 people in the battle of Shevardino, the Russian army suffered approximately the same losses.

The Battle of Borodino began at 5 o'clock in the morning. Decisive battles unfolded for Bagration's flashes and Raevsky's battery, which the French managed to capture at the cost of heavy losses.

In total, about 60,000 French troops took part in the battles for the flushes, of which about 30,000 were lost, about half in the 8th attack.

The direction of the main attack of the "Great Army" shifted from the left flank to the center of the Russian line, to the Kurgan Battery.

The battle of Borodino is one of the bloodiest battles of the 19th century and the bloodiest of all that came before it. Every hour, 2,500 people died on the field. It is no coincidence that Napoleon called the battle of Borodino his greatest battle, although its results are more than modest for a great commander accustomed to victories.