Battle of Borodino (1812) One of the most fierce battles of the Napoleonic wars. Russian troops under the command of Kutuzov, showing unparalleled tenacity and courage, were not broken and overturned by Napoleon's no less courageous soldiers. The French Emperor

9. Battle of Borodino And so the quartermaster of the army, Colonel Toll, laid before Kutuzov a plan of the area, in the center of which, on the banks of the Kolocha River, was the village of Borodino, and he decided to give battle there. The place was chosen for the battle “one of the best,

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Tell me, uncle, is it not for nothing that Moscow, burned by fire, was given to the French?

Lermontov

The Battle of Borodino was the main battle in the War of 1812. For the first time, the legend of the invincibility of Napoleon's army was dispelled, and a decisive contribution was made to changing the size of the French army due to the fact that the latter, due to large-scale casualties, ceased to have a clear numerical advantage over the Russian army. In today's article we will talk about the Battle of Borodino on August 26, 1812, consider its course, the balance of forces and means, study the opinion of historians on this issue and analyze what consequences this battle had for the Patriotic War and for the fate of two powers: Russia and France.

Background of the battle

The Patriotic War of 1812 at the initial stage developed extremely negatively for the Russian army, which constantly retreated, refusing to accept a general battle. This course of events was perceived extremely negatively by the army, since the soldiers wanted to take the battle as quickly as possible and defeat the enemy army. Commander-in-Chief Barclay de Tolly understood perfectly well that in an open general battle the Napoleonic army, which was considered invincible in Europe, would have a colossal advantage. Therefore, he chose a retreat tactic in order to exhaust the enemy troops, and only then accept the battle. This course of events did not inspire confidence among the soldiers, as a result of which Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov was appointed commander-in-chief. As a result, several significant events occurred that predetermined the preconditions for the Battle of Borodino:

• Napoleon's army advanced deep into the country with great complications. Russian generals refused a general battle, but actively got involved in small battles, and partisans were also very active in fighting. Therefore, by the time Borodino began (late August - early September), Bonaparte’s army was no longer so formidable and significantly exhausted.
• Reserves were brought up from the depths of the country. Therefore, Kutuzov’s army was already comparable in size to the French army, which allowed the commander-in-chief to consider the possibility of actually entering the battle.

Alexander 1, who by that time, at the request of the army, had left the post of commander-in-chief, allowed Kutuzov to make his own decisions, insistently demanded that the general take the battle as soon as possible and stop the advance of Napoleon’s army deep into the country. As a result, on August 22, 1812, the Russian army began to retreat from Smolensk in the direction of the village of Borodino, which is located 125 kilometers from Moscow. The place was ideal to take the battle, since excellent defense could be organized in the Borodino area. Kutuzov understood that Napoleon was only a few days away, so she threw all her strength into strengthening the area and taking the most advantageous positions.

Balance of forces and means

Surprisingly, most historians who study the Battle of Borodino still argue about the exact number of troops on the warring sides. The general trends in this matter are such that the newer the research, the more data showing that the Russian army had a slight advantage. However, if we look at Soviet encyclopedias, they present the following data, which presents the participants in the Battle of Borodino:

• Russian army. Commander - Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov. He had at his disposal up to 120 thousand people, of which 72 thousand were infantrymen. The army had a large artillery corps, numbering 640 guns.
• French army. Commander - Napoleon Bonaparte. The French emperor brought a corps of 138 thousand soldiers with 587 guns to Borodino. Some historians note that Napoleon had reserves of up to 18 thousand people, which the French emperor retained until the last and did not use them in the battle.

Very important is the opinion of one of the participants in the Battle of Borodino, the Marquis of Chambray, who provided data that France fielded the best European army for this battle, which included soldiers with extensive experience in warfare. On the Russian side, according to his observations, they were basically recruits and volunteers, who, by their entire appearance, indicated that military affairs was not the main thing for them. Chambray also pointed to the fact that Bonaparte had a large superiority in heavy cavalry, which gave him some advantages during the battle.

Tasks of the parties before the battle

Since June 1812, Napoleon had been looking for opportunities for a general battle with the Russian army. The catchphrase that Napoleon expressed when he was a simple general in revolutionary France is widely known: “The main thing is to force battles on the enemy, and then we’ll see.” This simple phrase reflects the entire genius of Napoleon, who, in terms of making lightning-fast decisions, was perhaps the best strategist of his generation (especially after the death of Suvorov). It was this principle that the French commander-in-chief wanted to apply in Russia. The Battle of Borodino provided such an opportunity.

Kutuzov's tasks were simple - he needed active defense. With its help, the commander-in-chief wanted to inflict the maximum possible losses on the enemy and at the same time preserve his army for further battle. Kutuzov planned the Battle of Borodino as one of the stages of the Patriotic War, which was supposed to radically change the course of the confrontation.

On the eve of the battle

Kutuzov took a position that represents an arc passing through Shevardino on the left flank, Borodino in the center, and the village of Maslovo on the right flank.

On August 24, 1812, 2 days before the decisive battle, the battle for the Shevardinsky redoubt took place. This redoubt was commanded by General Gorchakov, who had 11 thousand people under his command. To the south, with a corps of 6 thousand people, General Karpov was located, who covered the old Smolensk road. Napoleon identified the Shevardin redoubt as the initial target of his attack, since it was as far as possible from the main group of Russian troops. According to the plan of the French emperor, Shevardino should have been surrounded, thereby withdrawing the army of General Gorchakov from the battle. To do this, the French army formed three columns in the attack:

• Marshal Murat. Bonaparte's favorite led a cavalry corps to strike Shevardino's right flank.
• Generals Davout and Ney led the infantry in the center.
• Junot, also one of the best generals in France, moved with his guard along the old Smolensk road.

The battle began on the afternoon of September 5th. Twice the French tried unsuccessfully to break through the defenses. Towards evening, when night began to fall on the Borodino field, the French attack was successful, but the approaching reserves of the Russian army made it possible to repel the enemy and defend the Shevardinsky redoubt. The resumption of the battle was not beneficial for the Russian army, and Kutuzov ordered a retreat to the Semenovsky ravine.

Initial positions of Russian and French troops

On August 25, 1812, both sides carried out general preparations for the battle. The troops were putting the finishing touches on defensive positions, and the generals were trying to learn something new about the enemy's plans. Kutuzov's army took up defense in the form of a blunt triangle. The right flank of the Russian troops passed along the Kolocha River. Barclay de Tolly was responsible for the defense of this area, whose army numbered 76 thousand people with 480 guns. The most dangerous position was on the left flank, where there was no natural barrier. This section of the front was commanded by General Bagration, who had 34 thousand people and 156 guns at his disposal. The problem of the left flank became significant after the loss of the village of Shevardino on September 5. The position of the Russian army met the following tasks:

• The right flank, where the main forces of the army were grouped, reliably covered the path to Moscow.
• The right flank allowed for active and powerful attacks on the enemy’s rear and flank.
• The location of the Russian army was quite deep, which left ample room for maneuver.
• The first line of defense was occupied by infantry, the second line of defense was occupied by cavalry, and the third line housed reserves. A widely known phrase

reserves must be maintained for as long as possible. Whoever retains the most reserves at the end of the battle will emerge victorious.

Kutuzov

In fact, Kutuzov provoked Napoleon to attack the left flank of his defense. Exactly as many troops were concentrated here as could successfully defend against the French army. Kutuzov repeated that the French would not be able to resist the temptation to attack a weak redoubt, but as soon as they had problems and resorted to the help of their reserves, it would be possible to send their army to their rear and flank.

Napoleon, who carried out reconnaissance on August 25, also noted the weakness of the left flank of the Russian army's defense. Therefore, it was decided to deliver the main blow here. In order to divert the attention of Russian generals from the left flank, simultaneously with the attack on Bagration’s position, an attack on Borodino was to begin in order to subsequently capture the left bank of the Kolocha River. After capturing these lines, it was planned to transfer the main forces of the French army to the right flank of the Russian defense and deliver a massive blow to the army of Barclay De Tolly. Having solved this problem, by the evening of August 25, about 115 thousand people of the French army were concentrated in the area of ​​​​the left flank of the defense of the Russian army. 20 thousand people lined up in front of the right flank.

The specificity of the defense that Kutuzov used was that the Battle of Borodino was supposed to force the French to launch a frontal attack, since the general front of the defense occupied by Kutuzov’s army was very extensive. Therefore, it was almost impossible to get around him from the flank.

It is noted that on the night before the battle, Kutuzov strengthened the left flank of his defense with the infantry corps of General Tuchkov, as well as transferring 168 artillery pieces to Bagration’s army. This was due to the fact that Napoleon had already concentrated very large forces in this direction.

Day of the Battle of Borodino

The Battle of Borodino began on August 26, 1812 in the early morning at 5:30 am. As planned, the main blow was delivered by the French to the left defense flag of the Russian army.

An artillery shelling of Bagration's positions began, in which more than 100 guns took part. At the same time, General Delzon’s corps began a maneuver with an attack on the center of the Russian army, on the village of Borodino. The village was under the protection of the Jaeger regiment, which could not resist the French army for long, the number of which on this section of the front was 4 times greater than the Russian army. The Jaeger Regiment was forced to retreat and take up defense on the right bank of the Kolocha River. The attacks of the French general, who wanted to move even further into the defense, were unsuccessful.

Bagration's flushes

Bagration's flushes were located along the entire left flank of the defense, forming the first redoubt. After half an hour of artillery preparation, at 6 o'clock in the morning Napoleon gave the order to launch an attack on Bagration's flushes. The French army was commanded by generals Desaix and Compana. They planned to strike at the southernmost flush, going to the Utitsky forest for this. However, as soon as the French army began to line up in battle formation, Bagration's chasseur regiment opened fire and went on the attack, disrupting the first stage of the offensive operation.

The next attack began at 8 o'clock in the morning. At this time, a repeated attack on the southern flush began. Both French generals increased the number of their troops and went on the offensive. To protect his position, Bagration transported the army of General Neversky, as well as the Novorossiysk dragoons, to his southern flank. The French were forced to retreat, suffering serious losses. During this battle, both generals who led the army in the assault were seriously wounded.

The third attack was carried out by the infantry units of Marshal Ney, as well as the cavalry of Marshal Murat. Bagration noticed this French maneuver in time, giving the order to Raevsky, who was in the central part of the flushes, to move from the front line to the second echelon of defense. This position was strengthened by the division of General Konovnitsyn. The attack of the French army began after a massive artillery preparation. The French infantry struck in the interval between the flushes. This time the attack was successful, and by 10 o'clock in the morning the French managed to capture the southern line of defense. This was followed by a counterattack launched by Konovnitsyn’s division, as a result of which they managed to recapture the lost positions. At the same time, General Junot's corps managed to bypass the left flank of the defense through the Utitsky forest. As a result of this maneuver, the French general actually found himself in the rear of the Russian army. Captain Zakharov, who commanded the 1st horse battery, noticed the enemy and struck. At the same time, infantry regiments arrived at the battlefield and pushed General Junot back to his original position. The French lost more than a thousand people in this battle. Subsequently, historical information about Junot's corps is contradictory: Russian textbooks say that this corps was completely destroyed in the next attack of the Russian army, while French historians claim that the general participated in the Battle of Borodino until its very end.

The 4th assault on Bagration's flushes began at 11 o'clock. In the battle, Napoleon used 45 thousand troops, cavalry and more than 300 guns. By that time Bagration had less than 20 thousand people at his disposal. At the very beginning of this assault, Bagration was wounded in the thigh and was forced to leave the army, which negatively affected morale. The Russian army began to retreat. General Konovnitsyn took over command of the defense. He could not resist Napoleon, and decided to retreat. As a result, the flushes remained with the French. The retreat was carried out to the Semenovsky stream, where more than 300 guns were installed. The large number of the second echelon of defense, as well as a large number of artillery, forced Napoleon to change the original plan and cancel the attack on the move. The direction of the main attack was moved from the left flank of the Russian army's defense to its central part, commanded by General Raevsky. The purpose of this attack was to capture artillery. The infantry attack on the left flank did not stop. The fourth attack on the Bagrationov flushes was also unsuccessful for the French army, which was forced to retreat across the Semenovsky Creek. It should be noted that the position of the artillery was extremely important. Throughout the Battle of Borodino, Napoleon made attempts to capture enemy artillery. By the end of the battle he managed to occupy these positions.

Battle for Utitsky Forest

The Utitsky forest was of great strategic importance for the Russian army. On August 25, on the eve of the battle, Kutuzov noted the importance of this direction, which blocked the old Smolensk road. An infantry corps under the command of General Tuchkov was stationed here. The total number of troops in this area was about 12 thousand people. The army was positioned secretly in order to suddenly strike the enemy’s flank at the right moment. On September 7, the infantry corps of the French army, commanded by one of Napoleon’s favorites, General Poniatowski, advanced in the direction of the Utitsky Kurgan to outflank the Russian army. Tuchkov took up defensive positions on Kurgan and blocked the French from further progress. Only at 11 o'clock in the morning, when General Junot arrived to help Poniatowski, the French launched a decisive blow on the mound and captured it. Russian general Tuchkov launched a counterattack, and at the cost of his own life managed to return the mound. Command of the corps was taken by General Baggovut, who held this position. As soon as the main forces of the Russian army retreated to the Semenovsky ravine, the Utitsky Kurgan, a decision was made to retreat.

Raid of Platov and Uvarov

At the moment of the critical moment on the left flank of the defense of the Russian army at the Battle of Borodino, Kutuzov decided to let the army of generals Uvarov and Platov into battle. As part of the Cossack cavalry, they were supposed to bypass the French positions on the right, striking in the rear. The cavalry consisted of 2.5 thousand people. At 12 noon the army moved out. Having crossed the Kolocha River, the cavalry attacked the infantry regiments of the Italian army. This strike, led by General Uvarov, was intended to force battle on the French and divert their attention. At this moment, General Platov managed to pass along the flank without being noticed and go behind enemy lines. This was followed by a simultaneous attack by two Russian armies, which brought panic to the actions of the French. As a result, Napoleon was forced to transfer part of the troops that stormed Raevsky’s battery in order to repel the attack of the cavalry of the Russian generals who went to the rear. The battle of the cavalry with the French troops lasted several hours, and by four o'clock in the afternoon Uvarov and Platov returned their troops to their original positions.

The practical significance of the Cossack raid led by Platov and Uvarov is almost impossible to overestimate. This raid gave the Russian army 2 hours to strengthen a reserve position for an artillery battery. Of course, this raid did not bring a military victory, but the French, who saw the enemy in their own rear, no longer acted so decisively.

Battery Raevsky

The specificity of the terrain of the Borodino field was determined by the fact that in its very center there was a hill, which made it possible to control and shell the entire adjacent territory. This was an ideal place to place artillery, which Kutuzov took advantage of. The famous Raevsky battery was deployed in this place, which consisted of 18 guns, and General Raevsky himself was supposed to protect this height with the help of an infantry regiment. The attack on the battery began at 9 am. By striking at the center of Russian positions, Bonaparte pursued the goal of complicating the movement of the enemy army. During the first French offensive, General Raevsky’s unit was deployed to defend Bagrationov’s flushes, but the first enemy attack on the battery was successfully repulsed without the participation of infantry. Eugene Beauharnais, who commanded the French troops in this sector of the offensive, saw the weakness of the artillery position and immediately launched another blow on this corps. Kutuzov transferred all the reserves of artillery and cavalry troops here. Despite this, the French army managed to suppress the Russian defenses and penetrate his stronghold. At this moment, a counterattack by Russian troops was carried out, during which they managed to recapture the redoubt. General Beauharnais was captured. Of the 3,100 French who attacked the battery, only 300 survived.

The position of the battery was extremely dangerous, so Kutuzov gave the order to redeploy the guns to the second line of defense. General Barclay de Tolly sent an additional corps of General Likhachev to protect Raevsky's battery. Napoleon's original plan of attack lost its relevance. The French emperor abandoned massive attacks on the enemy's left flank, and directed his main attack on the central part of the defense, on the Raevsky battery. At this moment, the Russian cavalry went to the rear of the Napoleonic army, which slowed down the French advance for 2 hours. During this time, the battery's defensive position was further strengthened.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, 150 guns of the French army opened fire on Raevsky's battery, and almost immediately the infantry went on the offensive. The battle lasted about an hour and, as a result, Raevsky’s battery fell. Napoleon's original plan hoped that the capture of the battery would lead to dramatic changes in the balance of forces near the central part of the Russian defense. This did not turn out to be the case; he had to abandon the idea of ​​attacking in the center. By the evening of August 26, Napoleon's army had failed to achieve a decisive advantage in at least one sector of the front. Napoleon did not see significant prerequisites for victory in the battle, so he did not dare to use his reserves in the battle. Until the last moment, he hoped to exhaust the Russian army with his main forces, achieve a clear advantage in one of the sectors of the front, and then bring fresh forces into battle.

End of the battle

After the fall of Raevsky's battery, Bonaparte abandoned further ideas of storming the central part of the enemy's defense. There were no more significant events in this direction of the Borodino field. On the left flank, the French continued their attacks, which led to nothing. General Dokhturov, who replaced Bagration, repelled all enemy attacks. The right flank of the defense, commanded by Barclay de Tolly, had no significant events, only sluggish attempts at artillery bombardment were made. These attempts continued until 7 pm, after which Bonaparte retreated to Gorki to give the army a rest. It was expected that this was a short pause before the decisive battle. The French were preparing to continue the battle in the morning. However, at 12 o'clock at night, Kutuzov refused to further continue the battle and sent his army beyond Mozhaisk. This was necessary in order to give the army a rest and replenish it with manpower.

This is how the Battle of Borodino ended. Until now, historians from different countries argue about which army won this battle. Domestic historians talk about the victory of Kutuzov, Western historians talk about the victory of Napoleon. It would be more correct to say that the Battle of Borodino was a draw. Each army got what it wanted: Napoleon opened his way to Moscow, and Kutuzov inflicted significant losses on the French.

Results of the confrontation

The casualties in Kutuzov's army during the Battle of Borodino are described differently by different historians. Basically, researchers of this battle come to the conclusion that the Russian army lost about 45 thousand people on the battlefield. This figure takes into account not only those killed, but also the wounded, as well as those captured. During the battle of August 26, Napoleon's army lost a little less than 51 thousand people killed, wounded and captured. The comparable losses of both countries are explained by many scholars by the fact that both armies regularly changed their roles. The course of the battle changed very often. First, the French attacked, and Kutuzov gave the order to the troops to take up defensive positions, after which the Russian army launched a counteroffensive. At certain stages of the battle, Napoleonic generals managed to achieve local victories and occupy the necessary positions. Now the French were on the defensive, and the Russian generals were on the offensive. And so the roles changed dozens of times during one day.

The Battle of Borodino did not produce a winner. However, the myth of the invincibility of Napoleonic army was dispelled. Further continuation of the general battle was undesirable for the Russian army, since at the end of the day on August 26, Napoleon still had untouched reserves at his disposal, totaling up to 12 thousand people. These reserves, against the backdrop of a tired Russian army, could have a significant impact on the result. Therefore, having retreated beyond Moscow, on September 1, 1812, a council was held in Fili, at which it was decided to allow Napoleon to occupy Moscow.

Military significance of the battle

The Battle of Borodino became the bloodiest battle in the history of the 19th century. Each side lost about 25 percent of its army. In one day, the opponents fired more than 130 thousand shots. The combination of all these facts later led to the fact that Bonaparte in his memoirs called the Battle of Borodino the largest of his battles. However, Bonaparte failed to achieve the desired results. The illustrious commander, accustomed exclusively to victories, formally did not lose this battle, but did not win either.

While on the island of St. Helena and writing out his personal autobiography, Napoleon wrote the following lines about the Battle of Borodino:

The Battle of Moscow is the most important battle in my life. The Russians had an advantage in everything: they had 170 thousand people, an advantage in cavalry, artillery and terrain, which they knew very well. Despite this we won. The heroes of France are generals Ney, Murat and Poniatowski. They own the laurels of the winners of the Moscow Battle.

Bonaparte

These lines clearly show that Napoleon himself viewed the Battle of Borodino as his own victory. But such lines should be studied exclusively in the light of the personality of Napoleon, who, while on the island of St. Helena, greatly exaggerated the events of past days. For example, in 1817, the former Emperor of France said that in the Battle of Borodino he had 80 thousand soldiers, and the enemy had a huge army of 250 thousand. Of course, these figures were dictated only by Napoleon’s personal conceit, and have nothing to do with real history.

Kutuzov also assessed the Battle of Borodino as his own victory. In his note to Emperor Alexander 1 he wrote:

On the 26th, the world saw the bloodiest battle in its history. Never before has recent history seen so much blood. A perfectly chosen battlefield, and an enemy who came to attack but was forced to defend.

Kutuzov

Alexander 1, under the influence of this note, and also trying to reassure his people, declared the Battle of Borodino as a victory for the Russian army. Largely because of this, in the future, domestic historians also always presented Borodino as a victory of Russian weapons.

The main result of the Battle of Borodino was that Napoleon, who was famous for winning all the general battles, managed to force the Russian army to take the fight, but failed to defeat it. The absence of a significant victory in the general battle, taking into account the specifics of the Patriotic War of 1812, led to the fact that France did not receive any significant advantages from this battle.

Literature

• History of Russia in the 19th century. P.N. Zyryanov. Moscow, 1999.
• Napoleon Bonaparte. A.Z. Manfred. Sukhumi, 1989.
• Trip to Russia. F. Segur. 2003.
• Borodino: documents, letters, memories. Moscow, 1962.
• Alexander 1 and Napoleon. ON THE. Trotsky. Moscow, 1994.

Panorama of the Battle of Borodino

We would be incomplete without a description of the greatest battle of the Patriotic War of 1812.

Napoleon on Borodino Heights

V.V. Vereshchagin, “Napoleon on the Borodino Heights”

This is the day of the Battle of Borodino - August 26, 1812. Napoleon passionately wanted a general battle; he was afraid that the Russians would deceive him here too and leave. He got up at three o'clock in the morning, after a short rest and, despite the cold that he had felt since the evening, he began vigorous activity. His first words were: “What are the Russians doing?”- Having received in response that our troops remained in place, he was very happy and, leaving the tent, said to the many officers who had gathered around him: “Today is a little cold, but clear: this is the sun of Austerlitz”.

Almost throughout the entire battle, Napoleon was at the height of the Shevardinsky redoubt, which was taken from us on August 24. He was not entirely healthy. The artist depicted him sitting on a folding chair. Behind him are the headquarters and retinue; behind them are the guards in full dress uniform.

For the Battle of Borodino, Napoleon was reproached for insufficient energy in leading the battle and insufficient decisiveness in conducting it. This is explained partly by his ill health, and partly by the fact that in 1812 he behaved more like an emperor than a general: he did not dare to expose himself to danger; in the newsletter * about the Battle of Borodino it is said that the Emperor never once exposed himself to danger in this battle; for the same reason, he did not dare to take risks and risk his last reserve - the guard, which, despite the insistence of his generals, he did not bring into battle. As we will see later, he had to retreat from this course of action in the later period of this war.

* During the War of 1812, Napoleon sent 29 bulletins to France, which were compiled on his instructions and with which he notified his country and all of Western Europe about the events of the war. These bulletins, by the way, were very far from the truth.

Can be considered the most important thing in the 1812 campaign. This is a general clash between both sides; their main armies took part in it entirely - the enemy army under the command of Napoleon himself, the Russian army under the command of Kutuzov himself. More than 225,000 soldiers fought to their death here; more than 80,000 of them fell. There was never such a mass of troops and such massive losses in any of the battles of the War of 1812; and indeed, in terms of bloodshed, this is one of the rarest battles in history.

Hess’s picture groups together several of the most important moments of the Battle of Borodino.

Of central interest is the retirement from the ranks of Prince Bagration, the commander-in-chief of our 2nd Army. This episode occupies a central place in the film. Bagration, wounded in the leg, sits on the ground with a bandaged leg and talks to General Konovnitsyn, who stands next to him on horseback. Konovnitsyn turned out to be the eldest of the generals in this section of the position, and Bagration transfers command to him. Physician Villiers runs to the wounded Bagration to provide medical assistance.

The wounded General Vorontsov is immediately brought up on a cart. He commanded a combined grenadier division; in hand-to-hand combat he was wounded with a bayonet, and his division was almost destroyed; in his notes he speaks about his participation in the Battle of Borodino as follows: “My resistance could not last long, but it did not end until the destruction of my division.”.

In the left corner of the picture - a square of regiments of the Izmailovsky Life Guards and the Lithuanian Life Guards, under the command of Colonel Khrapovitsky, repels the attack of the enemy cavalry (Nansouty and Montbrun).

Above the square of our guards regiments in the distance in the picture is the Shevardinsky redoubt, near which stands Napoleon and his retinue. From there, Murat's cavalry rushes to the attack and he is with it.

On the right side of the picture is a large fortification of our center (Raevsky’s battery). What was taken by the enemy is taken back by Ermolov. Even further to the right is a large battery of our right flank; here - Barclay de Tolly (on foot) and even further Kutuzov. The village of Borodino is visible ahead of them. Behind him, Uvarov’s 1st Cavalry Corps and Platov’s Cossacks bypass the left flank of the enemy’s position and unexpectedly appear on the flank and partly in the rear of the corps of the Italian Viceroy Eugene Beauharnais.

In fact, all of the listed episodes of the Battle of Borodino did not take place at the same time, but the artist wanted to capture its most important moments in one picture * . Another artist, an artist of words (M. Yu. Lermontov) sang the Battle of Borodino in verse; Here are some wonderful verses from there:

We retreated silently for a long time,

It was a shame, we were waiting for a fight,

The old people grumbled:

“What are we? for winter apartments?

Don't the commanders dare?

Aliens tear up their uniforms

About Russian bayonets?

And then we found a large field:

There is somewhere to go for a walk in the wild!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

And only the sky lit up,

Everything suddenly began to move noisily,

The formation flashed behind the formation.

Our colonel was born with a grip:

Servant to the king, father to the soldiers...

Yes, I feel sorry for him: he was struck down by damask steel,

He sleeps in damp ground.

And he said, his eyes sparkling:

"Guys! Isn't Moscow behind us?

We'll die near Moscow,

How our brothers died!

- And we promised to die,

And they kept the oath of allegiance

We are in the Borodino battle.

* It must be said that not all of the listed episodes of the Battle of Borodino are clearly visible in the picture; the last four are not entirely clear, but we name them based on the inscriptions on the frame of this picture hanging in the officers’ collection of the Life Guards of the Izmailovsky Regiment.

Life Guards Izmailovsky Regiment in the Battle of Borodino on August 26, 1812

At the beginning of the Battle of Borodino, the entire guard was in reserve, but when the enemy launched fierce attacks on Bagration’s fleshes, the Izmailovsky Life Guards, Lithuanian Life Guards and Finnish Life Guards regiments were moved out of the reserve and sent to reinforce the troops operating at these fleshes. Moving from reserves in dense columns (columns to attack), these regiments came under heavy enemy artillery fire, but, regardless of it, bravely rushed into the attack.

A participant in the Battle of Borodino, the French general Pele, vividly describes the attacks of our troops at the Bagration flushes and says: “As reinforcements approached Bagration’s troops, they walked forward over the corpses of the fallen with the greatest courage to take possession of the lost points. Before our eyes, the Russian columns moved like moving trenches, sparkling with steel and flame. Hit by our grapeshot, attacked first by cavalry, sometimes by infantry, these brave warriors suffered enormous losses, but, having gathered their last strength, they attacked us as before.”

The brigades from the regiments of the Izmailovsky Life Guards and the Lithuanian Life Guards were commanded by the commander of the first of them, Khrapovitsky. In the history of the first of these regiments (formed in 1882), its participation in the Battle of Borodino is outlined as follows:

“Colonel Khrapovitsky, having formed the brigade in columns for the attack, moved forward in perfect order at eight o’clock in the morning. On the way, the Izmailovites met a procession with the icon of the Smolensk Mother of God, returning from our left flank. Seeing this as a happy omen for themselves, the soldiers devoutly crossed themselves and moved forward with a strong spirit, despite the fact that enemy shells were already tearing apart their ranks.”

“Of the first victims of the Battle of Borodino, the regimental drummer, who was walking next to Colonel Khrapovitsky, fell. Both of his legs were crushed by the cannonball (this is shown in the picture). Shells fell more and more often into the ranks of the Izmailovites. The bullets were already beginning to whistle loudly and, every now and then, people dropped out of the ranks, but the regiment walked calmly. Here the horse under Colonel Khrapovitsky reared high and, capsizing on its back, remained in place as a victim of an enemy bullet that hit it. Khrapovitsky stood up, and the Izmailovites again saw him calmly riding in front of the regiment on a new horse.”

Then the Life Guards Izmailovsky Regiment, together with the Life Guards Lithuanian, had to repel a series of violent and furious attacks by numerous French cavalry. They silently allowed the enemy cavalry to come within 50 steps and only then fired at them with faithful, destructive fire, which upset them and put them to flight. According to the testimony of the commander of one of the battalions of the Life Guards of the Lithuanian Regiment, this battalion during one of the attacks on it by enemy cuirassiers did not even open fire, but silently waited for the galloping cavalry, holding their guns in their hands and turning their muzzles from side to side; the resulting flash of bayonets frightened the horses and held them back, and those who jumped up were stabbed in the muzzles with bayonets by the soldiers, then they themselves went on to attack the upset cavalrymen, put them to flight and opened heavy fire on them in pursuit.

The attacks of the enemy cavalry on our infantry were moments of respite for her, since at this time the enemy artillery stopped firing at her.

After repelling the cavalry attacks of the Life Guard. The Izmailovsky regiment was subjected to destructive enemy artillery fire; It was around noon when the enemy bombarded our positions with shells. The regiment stood unshakably, despising danger and numerous casualties.

A grapeshot bullet hit Colonel Khrapovitsky in the leg, but he remains in service. Having bandaged the wound, he cheerfully rides along the ranks of the brigade and thanks the heroes for their courage and perseverance. But, having toured his battalions, he loses strength and orders himself to be carried to the dressing station.

Soon after, Colonel Kozlyaninov was wounded and forced out of action, as well as many more staff and chief officers and lower ranks. After shelling our positions with artillery, the enemy launched new attacks on them with infantry and cavalry. But the Izmailovites, although they suffered terrible losses, fought back until the end of the battle with the same courage and steadfastness, without yielding to the enemy. They lost in this battle: 28 officers out of 51 and 1135 lower ranks out of 1920, i.e. more than a half.

Having temporarily replaced the wounded Bagration in the main command in the sector of the position where the Life Guard Izmailovsky Regiment was operating, General Konovnitsyn in his report about the battle says this:

“I cannot speak with satisfied praise about the exemplary fearlessness shown this day by the Lithuanian Life Guards and Izmailovsky Life Guards regiments. Arriving on the left flank, they unwaveringly withstood the strongest fire from enemy artillery, which showered their ranks with grapeshot. Despite the losses, they were in the best order, and all ranks, from the first to the last, one before the other, showed their eagerness to die before yielding to the enemy. Three large cavalry attacks by enemy cuirassiers and mounted grenadiers on both regiments were repulsed with incredible success; for despite the fact that the squares built by these regiments were completely surrounded, the enemy was driven away with extreme damage by fire and bayonets... In a word, the Izmailovsky and Litovsky regiments in the memorable Battle of Borodino on August 26 covered themselves with unfading glory in the sight of the entire army.”

The Life Guards Izmailovsky Regiment was awarded the Banners of St. George for the Battle of Borodino.

Battle of Borodino August 26, 1812

The picture reproduces an episode of an unexpected attack by our artillery corps under the command of Lieutenant General O.P. Uvarov on the left flank of Napoleon’s army. This action was of great importance in the Battle of Borodino, although it did not achieve the goal intended by Kutuzov.

When in the afternoon Napoleon was preparing a decisive attack on our center, Uvarov’s corps, which had previously stood behind our right flank, was moved forward and directed to bypass the left flank of the enemy’s position; Platov moved even further to the right with the Cossacks. The unexpected appearance of Uvarov’s corps on the flank of Napoleon’s army (the Italian Viceroy’s corps was located here), and Platov’s Cossacks in his rear, caused a commotion in the enemy troops and diverted Napoleon’s attention from our center, forcing him to take up his left flank; the attack on our center was suspended and this suspension lasted for two hours; We took advantage of this break to bring order to the troops of our center, upset by the battle, and to strengthen the weakened points of our position with reinforcements.

On the right side of the picture is the left flank of Napoleon's army, namely the viceroy's corps; Borodino is visible, occupied by the troops of his corps; In front of this village is a bridge over the Kolocha River.

Riding a bay horse is Adjutant General, Lieutenant General O.P. Uvarov, a young cavalry general (39 years old) with the Order of St. George, 2nd degree. Behind him, in a Life Cossack uniform, is another young cavalry lieutenant general, Adjutant General Count Orlov-Denisov (37 years old). Our cavalry attacks the enemy infantry and artillery. The enemy fights back, retreats and takes away the guns.

The end of the Battle of Borodino

V.V. Vereshchagin, “The End of the Battle of Borodino”

The battlefield is littered with a pile of bodies. There are more dead than living. Napoleon's soldiers, having occupied the fortifications we had ceded, exclaim: “Vive l"empereur!”

A French author, a participant in the battle (Labaume), describes the Borodino battlefield after the battle as follows: “The middle of the large redoubt presented a terrible picture: the corpses were piled one on top of the other in several rows. The Russians died, but did not give up. In the space of one square league there was no place not covered with dead bodies... Mountains of corpses could be seen, and where they were not, there were fragments of weapons, lances, helmets, armor, cannonballs, covering the ground like hail after a strong thunderstorm...”

After the battle, Napoleon's troops retreated to their previous bivouacs. Napoleon declared the Battle of Borodino his victory. But here is what the condition of the “winners” was like as described by French historians:

“After the Battle of Borodino, Napoleon’s troops spent a terrible night in bivouacs, without lights, among the dead, dying and wounded. Only at dawn did they learn about the Russian retreat. It has hardly ever happened that the winners experienced such an extraordinary feeling after a victory: they were in some kind of stupor. After so many disasters, hardships and labors endured in order to force the Russians to fight, after so many exploits and courage, what are the consequences! - A terrible massacre... and even greater uncertainty than before - how long the war will last and what its outcome will be.

In the evening after the battle, no songs or conversations were heard, sad and silent despondency prevailed. Napoleon himself could not sleep: his soul was not easy. His sleep was restless, or, better said, he did not sleep at all. He exclaimed many times, turning quickly in bed: “quelle journee!” (what a day!). His headquarters at Shevardin was surrounded by the old guard all night: despite the considerable distance from the battlefield, he considered this precaution necessary.

When the next morning he was informed about the retreat of the Russian troops, he said: “Let them retreat; and we will wait a few hours to attend to our unfortunate wounded.”

One French colonel (Fezenzak), appointed regiment commander after the Battle of Borodino, says in his memoirs, “that he did not find the same cheerfulness in the soldiers, did not hear songs and conversations - they were plunged into gloomy silence. Even the officers walked as if submerged in water. This despondency is strange after the victory, which seemed to open the gates to the enemy capital.”.

One of the French historians of the war of 1812 (Marshal Saint-Cyr) spoke about the Battle of Borodino as follows: “The Russians, despite the most stubborn resistance, can be considered defeated only because they retreated, but they were not defeated, they were not thrown back in complete disorder in any part of their position. The body was struck, but not the soul of the army. Their losses were great, even enormous, but they were almost balanced by the losses of Napoleon, and yet a great advantage remained on their side: their losses could be immediately compensated by the reinforcements that they received daily, while the loss in our troops remained irreparable.”.

Napoleon himself subsequently spoke about the Battle of Borodino as follows: “Of all my battles, the most terrible is the one I fought near Moscow. In it, the French showed themselves worthy of victory, and the Russians acquired the right to be invincible... Of the fifty battles I have given, in the battle of Moscow the most valor was shown and the least success was achieved.”.

When preparing the material, the book “The Patriotic War of 1812 in the Paintings of Russian Artists” was used, published by I. S. Lapin, Paris. Adaptation for the site: S. Nikolaev.