The history of the battle of Borodino for children. Battle of Borodino between Russia and France

The battle of Borodino in 1812 is a battle that lasted only one day, but has been preserved in the history of the planet among the most important world events. Napoleon took this blow, hoping to quickly conquer the Russian Empire, but his plans were not destined to come true. It is believed that it was the Battle of Borodino that became the first stage in the fall of the famous conqueror. What is known about the battle, which Lermontov glorified in his famous work?

Battle of Borodino 1812: prehistory

It was a time when Bonaparte's troops had already managed to subjugate almost all of continental Europe, the emperor's power even extended to Africa. He himself emphasized in conversations with those close to him that in order to gain world domination, he only had to acquire control over Russian lands.

To conquer the Russian territory, he gathered an army, the number of which was approximately 600 thousand people. The army was rapidly advancing deep into the state. However, Napoleon's soldiers, one after another, died under the blow of the peasant militias, their health worsened due to the unusually difficult climate and poor nutrition. Nevertheless, the advance of the troops continued, the goal of the French was the capital.

The bloody battle of Borodino in 1812 became part of the tactics used by the Russian commanders. They weakened the enemy army with minor battles, waiting for the time for a decisive blow.

Main steps

The battle of Borodino in 1812 was actually a chain consisting of several clashes with the French troops, which resulted in huge losses on both sides. The first was the battle for the village of Borodino, which is located about 125 km from Moscow. On the part of Russia, de Tolly participated in it, on the part of the enemy, the Beauharnais corps.

The Battle of Borodino in 1812 was in full swing when the battle took place. It involved 15 divisions of French marshals and two Russians, led by Vorontsov and Neverovsky. At this stage, Bagration received a severe wound, which forced him to entrust command to Konovnitsyn.

By the time the Russian soldiers left the fleches, the Battle of Borodino (1812) had been going on for about 14 hours. Brief summary of further events: the Russians are located behind the Semenovsky ravine, where the third battle takes place. Its participants are the people who attacked the flushes and defended them. The French received reinforcements, which was the cavalry, under the leadership of Nansouty. Uvarov's cavalry hurried to help the Russian troops, and the Cossacks under the command of Platov also approached.

Raevsky battery

Separately, it is worth considering the final stage of such an event as the Battle of Borodino (1812). Summary: the battles for what went down in history as the "grave of the French cavalry" lasted about 7 hours. This place really became a grave for many soldiers of Bonaparte.

Historians are still puzzled as to why the forces of the Russian army abandoned the Shevadinsky redoubt. It is possible that the commander-in-chief deliberately opened the left flank in order to divert the attention of the enemy from the right. His goal was to protect the new Smolensk road, using which Napoleon's army would quickly approach Moscow.

Many documents important for history have been preserved that shed light on such an event as the war of 1812. The Battle of Borodino is mentioned in a letter that Kutuzov sent to the Russian emperor even before it began. The commander informed the tsar that the terrain features (open fields) would provide the Russian troops with optimal positions.

Hundred per minute

The battle of Borodino (1812) is briefly and extensively covered in so many historical sources that it seems that it was very long in time. In fact, the battle, which began on September 7 at half past five in the morning, lasted less than a day. Of course, it turned out to be among the bloodiest of all the short battles.

It's no secret how many lives the Battle of Borodino claimed and made its bloody contribution. Historians failed to establish the exact number of those killed, they call 80-100 thousand dead on both sides. The calculation shows that at least a hundred soldiers were sent to the next world every minute.

Heroes

The Patriotic War of 1812 gave well-deserved fame to many generals. The Battle of Borodino, of course, immortalized such a person as Kutuzov. By the way, Mikhail Illarionovich at that time was not yet a gray-haired old man who did not open one eye. At the time of the battle, he was still an energetic, albeit aging man, and did not wear his signature armband.

Of course, Kutuzov was not the only hero who glorified Borodino. Together with him, Bagration, Raevsky, de Tolly entered history. It is interesting that the last of them did not enjoy authority in the troops, although he was the author of a brilliant idea to put partisan forces against the enemy army. According to the legend, during the Battle of Borodino, the general lost his horses three times, which died under a barrage of shells and bullets, but he himself remained unharmed.

Who has the victory

Perhaps this question remains the main intrigue of the bloody battle, since both sides participating in it have their own opinion on this matter. French historians are convinced that Napoleon's troops won a great victory that day. Russian scientists insist on the opposite, their theory was once supported by Alexander the First, who proclaimed the Battle of Borodino an absolute victory for Russia. By the way, it was after him that Kutuzov was awarded the rank of Field Marshal.

It is known that Bonaparte was not satisfied with the reports provided by his military leaders. The number of guns recaptured from the Russians turned out to be minimal, as well as the number of prisoners whom the retreating army took with them. It is believed that the conqueror was finally crushed by the enemy's morale.

The large-scale battle that began on September 7 near the village of Borodino inspired writers, poets, artists, and then directors who covered it in their works for two centuries. One can also recall the painting “The Hussar Ballad”, and the famous creation of Lermontov, which is now taught at school.

What was the Battle of Borodino in 1812 really like and how did it turn out for the Russians and the French? Buntman, Eidelman - historians who created a concise and accurate text covering the bloody battle in detail. Critics praise this work for its impeccable knowledge of the era, vivid images of the heroes of the battle (on both sides), thanks to which all events are easy to imagine in the imagination. This book is a must read for those who are seriously interested in history and military affairs.

	The village of Borodino, west of the Moscow region
	Uncertain
Opponents
	Russian empire
Duchy of Warsaw
Kingdom of Italy
Confederation of the Rhine
Commanders
Napoleon I Bonaparte	M. I. Kutuzov
Side forces
135 thousand regular troops, 587 guns	113 thousand regular troops, about 7 thousand Cossacks, 10 thousand (according to other sources - more than 20 thousand) militia, 624 guns
Military casualties
According to various estimates, from 30 to 58 thousand people were killed and wounded	From 40 to 45 thousand killed, wounded and missing

(in French history - Battle of the Moscow River, fr. Bataille de la Moscow) - 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.

Russian historian Mikhnevich reported the following review of Emperor Napoleon about the battle:

According to the memoirs of the French General Pele, a participant in the Battle of Borodino, 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.

background

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. 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.

On August 24 (September 5), the Battle of the Shevardinsky Redoubt took place, which delayed the French troops and made it possible for the Russians to build fortifications on the main positions.

The alignment of forces at the beginning of the battle

Estimated number of troops, thousand people
Source	Napoleon's troops	Russian troops	Year of assessment
Buturlin
Clausewitz
Mikhailovsky - Danilevsky
Bogdanovich
Grunwald
Bloodless
Nicholson
Trinity
Vasiliev
bezotosny

The total number of the Russian army is determined at 112-120 thousand people:

• historian Bogdanovich: 103 thousand regular troops (72 thousand infantry, 17 thousand cavalry, 14 thousand artillerymen), 7 thousand Cossacks and 10 thousand militia warriors, 640 guns. Total 120 thousand people.
• from the memoirs of General Tolya: 95 thousand regular troops, 7 thousand Cossacks and 10 thousand militia warriors. In total, 112 thousand people are under arms, "with this army there are 640 artillery pieces."

The number of the French army is estimated at about 136 thousand soldiers and 587 guns:

• According to the data of the Marquis of Chambray, the roll call, held on August 21 (September 2), showed the presence of 133,815 combat ranks in the French army (for some of the lagging soldiers, their comrades responded “in absentia”, hoping that they would catch up with the army). However, this number does not take into account 1,500 sabers of the cavalry brigade of the divisional general Pajol, who came up later, and 3 thousand combat ranks of the main apartment.

In addition, the registration of the militias in the Russian army implies the addition to the regular French army of numerous non-combatants (15 thousand) who were present in the French camp and corresponded to the Russian militias in terms of combat effectiveness. That is, the size of the French army is also increasing. Like the Russian militias, the French non-combatants performed auxiliary functions - carried out the wounded, carried water, and so on.

It is important for military history to distinguish between the total strength of the army on the battlefield and the troops that were committed to battle. However, according to the balance of forces that took a direct part in the battle on August 26 (September 7), 1812, the French army also had a numerical superiority. According to the encyclopedia "Patriotic War of 1812", at the end of the battle, Napoleon had 18 thousand in reserve, and Kutuzov had 8-9 thousand regular troops (in particular, the Guards Preobrazhensky and Semyonovsky regiments). At the same time, Kutuzov said that the Russians had brought into battle " everything to the last reserve, even in the evening and the guard», « all reserves are already in use».

If we evaluate the qualitative composition of the two armies, then we can refer to the opinion of the participant in the events of the Marquis of Chambray, who noted that the French army had superiority, since its infantry consisted mainly of experienced soldiers, while the Russians had many recruits. In addition, the advantage of the French gave a significant superiority in heavy cavalry.

Battle for the Shevardino Redoubt

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 power, save Russian troops for further battles and for the complete defeat of the French army. In accordance with this plan, the battle order of the Russian troops was built.

The position chosen by Kutuzov looked like a straight line running from the Shevardinsky redoubt on the left flank through the 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.

On the eve of the main battle, in the early morning of August 24 (September 5), the Russian rearguard under the command of Lieutenant General Konovnitsyn, located at the Kolotsky Monastery, 8 km west of the location of the main forces, was attacked by the enemy's vanguard. A fierce battle ensued, lasting several hours. After the news was received about the enemy's bypass movement, Konovnitsyn withdrew troops across the Kolocha River and joined the corps that occupied a position near the village of Shevardino.

A detachment of Lieutenant General Gorchakov was stationed near the Shevardino redoubt. In total, under the command of Gorchakov there were 11 thousand troops and 46 guns. To cover the Old Smolensk road, 6 Cossack regiments of Major General Karpov 2nd remained.

The great army of Napoleon approached Borodino in three columns. The main forces: 3 cavalry corps of Marshal Murat, infantry corps of marshals Davout, Ney, division general Junot and guards - moved along the New Smolensk road. To the north of them, the infantry corps of the Viceroy of Italy, Eugene Beauharnais, and the cavalry corps of divisional general Pear advanced. The corps of divisional general Poniatovsky was approaching along the Old Smolensk road. 35 thousand infantry and cavalry, 180 guns were sent against the defenders of the fortification.

The enemy, covering the Shevardinsky redoubt from the north and south, tried to encircle the troops of Lieutenant General Gorchakov.

The French twice broke into the redoubt, and each time the infantry of Lieutenant General Neverovsky knocked them out. Twilight was descending on the Borodino field, when the enemy once again managed to seize the redoubt and break into the village of Shevardino, but the Russian reserves approaching from the 2nd Grenadier and 2nd Combined Grenadier Divisions recaptured the redoubt.

The battle gradually weakened and finally stopped. The commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Kutuzov, ordered Lieutenant General Gorchakov to withdraw troops to the main forces behind the Semyonovsky ravine.

Starting position

All day on August 25 (September 6), the troops of both sides were preparing for the upcoming battle. The Shevardinsky battle gave the Russian troops the opportunity to win time to complete the defensive work at the Borodino position, made it possible to clarify the grouping of the French forces and the direction of their main attack. Leaving the Shevardinsky redoubt, the 2nd Army pushed back its left flank across the Kamenka River, and the army's battle formation took the form of an obtuse angle. Both flanks of the Russian position occupied 4 km each, but were unequal. The right flank was formed by the 1st Army of Infantry 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 river Kolocha. The left flank was formed by the smaller 2nd Army of Infantry General Bagration (34,000 men, 156 guns). In addition, the left flank did not have such strong natural obstacles in front of the front as the right.

After the loss of the Shevardinsky redoubt on August 24 (September 5), the position of the left flank became even more vulnerable and relied only on 3 unfinished flushes.

Thus, in the center and on the right wing of the Russian position, Kutuzov placed 4 out of 7 infantry corps, as well as 3 cavalry corps and Platov's Cossack corps. According to Kutuzov's plan, such a powerful grouping of troops reliably covered the Moscow direction and at the same time made it possible, if necessary, to strike at the flank and rear of the French troops. The battle order of the Russian army was deep and allowed for wide maneuvers of forces on the battlefield. The first line of battle order of the Russian troops was made up of infantry corps, the second line - cavalry corps, and the third - reserves. Kutuzov highly appreciated the role of the reserves, pointing out the battle in the disposition: “ The reserves must be kept as long as possible, for the general who still retains the reserve is not defeated.».

Emperor Napoleon, having discovered on reconnaissance on August 25 (September 6) 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 the village of Borodino in the center of the Russian position. 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. For distracting actions during the battle in the center and against the right flank, Napoleon allocated no more than 20 thousand soldiers.

Napoleon understood that it was difficult to cover the Russian troops from the flanks, so he was forced to resort to a frontal attack in order to break through the defenses of the Russian army in a relatively narrow area near the Bagration Flushes, go to the rear of the Russian troops, press them to the Moscow River, destroy them and discover way to Moscow. On the direction of the main attack in the area from the Raevsky battery to the Bagration flushes, which had a length of 2.5 kilometers, the bulk of the French troops were concentrated: the corps of marshals Davout, Ney, Murat, division general Junot, and also the guard. To divert the attention of the Russian troops, the French planned to carry out auxiliary attacks on Utitsa and Borodino. The French army had a deep formation of its battle order, which allowed it to build up its strike force from the depths.

Sources point to a special plan of Kutuzov, which forced Napoleon to attack precisely the left flank. Kutuzov's task was to determine for the left flank the necessary number of troops that would prevent a breakthrough of his positions. The historian Tarle quotes Kutuzov's exact words: “When the enemy ... uses his last reserves on the left flank of Bagration, then I will send him a hidden army on the flank and rear”.

On the night of August 26 (September 7), 1812, based on the data obtained during the Shevardinsky battle, Kutuzov decided to strengthen the left flank of the Russian troops, for which he ordered the 3rd Infantry Corps to be transferred from the reserve and transferred to the commander of the 2nd Army Bagration Lieutenant General Tuchkov 1st, as well as an artillery reserve of 168 guns, placing it near Psarev. As conceived by Kutuzov, the 3rd Corps was to be ready to act on the flank and rear of the French troops. However, Kutuzov's chief of staff, General Bennigsen, led the 3rd Corps out of the ambush and placed it in front of the French troops, which did not correspond to Kutuzov's plan. Bennigsen's actions are justified by his intention to follow a formal battle plan.

The regrouping of part of the Russian forces on the left flank reduced the disproportion of forces and turned the frontal attack, leading, according to Napoleon's plan, to the rapid defeat of the Russian army, into a bloody frontal battle.

The course of the battle

Beginning of the battle

At 5:30 am on August 26 (September 7), 1812, more than 100 French guns began an artillery shelling of the positions of the left flank. Simultaneously with the beginning of the shelling on the center of the Russian position, the village of Borodino, under the cover of morning fog, the division of General Delzon from the corps of Viceroy of Italy Eugene Beauharnais moved in a distracting attack. The village was defended by the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment under the command of Colonel Bistrom. For about an hour, the huntsmen fought off a four-fold superior enemy, but under the threat of a bypass from the flank, they were forced to retreat across the bridge across the Kolocha River. The 106th line regiment of the French, encouraged by the occupation of the village of Borodino, followed the rangers across the river. But the guards chasseurs, having received reinforcements, repelled all the enemy’s attempts to break through the Russian defenses here:

“The French, encouraged by the occupation of Borodin, rushed after the chasseurs and almost crossed the river with them, but the guards chasseurs, reinforced by the regiments that came with Colonel Manakhtin and the chasseur brigade of the 24th division under the command of Colonel Vuich, suddenly turned to the enemy and joined with those who came to they were hit with bayonets to help them, and all the French who were on our shore were the victims of their daring undertaking. The bridge on the Kolocha River was completely destroyed, despite strong enemy fire, and the French did not dare to make attempts at the crossing for a whole day and were content with a shootout with our rangers ".

Bagration flushes

Fleches on the eve of the battle were occupied by the 2nd Combined Grenadier Division under the command of General Vorontsov. At 6 o'clock in the morning, after a short cannonade, the French attack on Bagration's flushes began. In the first attack, the French divisions of Generals Desse and Kompan, overcoming the resistance of the chasseurs, made their way through the Utitsky forest, but, having barely begun to build on the edge opposite the southernmost flush, they came under shotgun fire and were overturned by the flank attack of the chasseurs.

At 8 o'clock in the morning the French repeated the attack and captured the southern flush. Bagration, to help the 2nd Combined Grenadier Division, sent the 27th Infantry Division of General Neverovsky, as well as the Akhtyrsky Hussars and the Novorossiysk Dragoons to strike on the flank. The French left the flushes, suffering heavy losses in the process. Both divisional generals Desse and Kompan were wounded, while falling from a dead horse, the corps commander, Marshal Davout, was shell-shocked, and almost all brigade commanders were wounded.

For the 3rd attack, Napoleon reinforced the attacking forces with 3 more infantry divisions from the corps of Marshal Ney, 3 cavalry corps of Marshal Murat and artillery, bringing its strength to 160 guns.

Bagration, having determined the direction of the main attack chosen by Napoleon, ordered General Raevsky, who occupied the central battery, to immediately move the entire second line of troops of his 7th Infantry Corps to the flashes, and General Tuchkov 1st - to send the defenders of the flashes the 3rd Infantry Division of General Konovnitsyn. At the same time, in response to the demand for reinforcements, Kutuzov sent the Lithuanian and Izmailovsky regiments, the 1st consolidated grenadier division, 7 regiments of the 3rd cavalry corps and the 1st cuirassier division to Bagration from the reserve of the Life Guards. Additionally, Lieutenant General Baggovut's 2nd Infantry Corps began to move from the far right to the left flag.

After heavy artillery preparation, the French managed to break into the southern flush and into the gaps between the flushes. In a bayonet battle, the division commanders, Generals Neverovsky (27th Infantry) and Vorontsov (2nd Grenadier), were seriously wounded and carried away from the battlefield.

The French were counterattacked by 3 cuirassier regiments, and Marshal Murat almost got captured by the Russian cuirassiers, barely managing to hide in the ranks of the Württemberg infantry. Separate parts of the French were forced to withdraw, but the cuirassiers, not supported by the infantry, were counterattacked by the French cavalry and repulsed. After the wounding of Prince Bagration at about 10 o'clock in the morning, Lieutenant General P.P. took command of the troops. Konovnitsyn, who, having assessed the situation, gives the order to leave the flushes and withdraw their defenders behind the Semenovsky ravine to gentle heights.

The counterattack of the 3rd Infantry Division Konovnitsyn came to the rescue corrected the situation. In the battle, Major General Tuchkov 4th, who led the attack of the Revel and Murom regiments, died.

At about the same time, the French 8th Westphalian Corps of Divisional General Junod made his way through the Utitsky forest to the rear of the flushes. The situation was saved by the 1st cavalry battery of Captain Zakharov, which at that time was heading to the area of ​​the fleches. Zakharov, seeing the threat to the flashes from the rear, hastily deployed his guns and opened fire on the enemy, who was building up to attack. The 4 infantry regiments of the 2nd Corps of Baggovut, who arrived in time, pushed Junot's corps into the Utitsky forest, inflicting significant losses on it. Russian historians claim that during the second offensive, Junot's corps was defeated in a bayonet counterattack, but Westphalian and French sources completely refute this. According to the memoirs of direct participants, Junot's 8th corps participated in the battle until the evening.

By the 4th attack at 11 o'clock in the morning, Napoleon concentrated about 45 thousand infantry and cavalry against the flushes, and almost 400 guns. Russian historiography calls this decisive attack the 8th, taking into account the attacks of Junot's corps on the flushes (6th and 7th). Bagration, seeing that the artillery of the fleches 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. The onslaught of the first ranks of the Russians was stopped and a fierce hand-to-hand fight ensued, lasting more than an hour. The advantage leaned towards 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 had a huge impact on the Russian soldiers. Russian troops began to retreat.

General Konovnitsyn took command of the 2nd Army and was forced to finally leave the fleches behind the French. The remnants of the troops, who almost lost control, were assigned to a new defensive line behind the Semyonovsky ravine, along which the stream of the same name flowed. On the same side of the ravine were untouched reserves - the Life Guards of the Lithuanian and Izmailovsky regiments. Russian batteries of 300 guns kept the entire Semyonovsky creek under fire. The French, seeing a solid wall of Russians, did not dare to attack on the move.

The direction of the main attack of the French shifted from the left flank to the center, to the Rayevsky battery. At the same time, Napoleon did not stop the attack on the left flank of the Russian army. To the south of the village of Semyonovsky, the cavalry corps of Nansouty advanced, north of Latour-Maubourg, while the infantry division of General Friant rushed from the front to Semenovsky. At this time, Kutuzov appointed the commander of the 6th Corps, Infantry General Dokhturov, as the head of the troops of the entire left flank instead of Lieutenant General Konovnitsyn. The Life Guards lined up in a square and for several hours repulsed the attacks of Napoleon's "iron horsemen". The cuirassier division of Duki was sent to help the guards in the south, the cuirassier brigade of Borozdin and the 4th cavalry corps of Sivers were sent in the north. The bloody battle ended with the defeat of the French troops, who were thrown back behind the ravine of the Semyonovsky stream.

Russian troops were never completely driven out of Semyonovsky until the end of the battle.

Battle for the Utitsky Kurgan

On the eve of the battle on August 25 (September 6), on the orders of Kutuzov, the 3rd Infantry Corps of General Tuchkov 1st and up to 10 thousand warriors of the Moscow and Smolensk militias were sent to the area of ​​the Old Smolensk Road. On the same day, 2 more Cossack regiments of Karpov 2nd joined the troops. To communicate with the flashes in the Utitsky forest, the chasseur regiments of Major General Shakhovsky took up a position.

According to Kutuzov's plan, Tuchkov's corps was supposed to suddenly attack from an ambush the flank and rear of the enemy, who was fighting for Bagration's flushes. However, in the early morning, Chief of Staff Bennigsen pushed Tuchkov's detachment out of the ambush.

On August 26 (September 7), the 5th Corps of the French army, consisting of Poles under the command of General Poniatowski, moved around the left flank of the Russian position. The troops met in front of Utitsa at about 8 o'clock in the morning, at the moment when General Tuchkov 1st, on the orders of Bagration, had already sent the Konovnitsyn division at his disposal. The enemy, coming out of the forest and pushing the Russian rangers away from the village of Utitsy, found himself on the heights. Having installed 24 guns on them, the enemy opened heavy fire. Tuchkov 1st was forced to retreat to the Utitsky Kurgan - a more advantageous line for himself. Poniatowski's attempts to advance and capture the barrow were unsuccessful.

Around 11 a.m., Poniatowski, having received support from Junot's 8th Infantry Corps on the left, concentrated fire from 40 guns against the Utitsky Kurgan and captured it by storm. This gave him the opportunity to act around the Russian position.

Tuchkov 1st, in an effort to eliminate the danger, took drastic measures to return the mound. He personally organized a counterattack at the head of a regiment of Pavlovsk grenadiers. The mound was returned, but Lieutenant General Tuchkov 1 himself received a mortal wound. He was replaced by Lieutenant General Baggovut, commander of the 2nd Infantry Corps.

Baggovut left the Utitsky mound only after the defenders of the Bagration flushes withdrew behind the Semyonovsky ravine, which made his position vulnerable to flank attacks. He retreated to the new line of the 2nd Army.

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 camp of the enemy 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.

Raevsky battery

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 Raevsky.

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 battery with the forces of the 4th Corps of Viceroy of Italy Eugene Beauharnais, as well as the divisions of Generals Moran and Gerard from the 1st Corps of Marshal Davout. By influencing the center of the Russian army, Napoleon hoped to hinder the transfer of troops from the right wing of the Russian army to the Bagration fleches and thereby ensure his main forces a quick defeat of the left wing of the Russian army. By the time of the attack, the entire second line of troops of Lieutenant General Raevsky, on the orders of Infantry General Bagration, was withdrawn to defend the flashes. Despite this, the attack was repulsed by artillery fire.

Almost immediately, the Viceroy of Italy, Eugene de Beauharnais, attacked the mound again. The commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Kutuzov, at that moment brought into battle for the Raevsky battery the entire horse-artillery reserve in the amount of 60 guns and part of the light artillery of the 1st Army. However, despite heavy artillery fire, the French of the 30th regiment of Brigadier General Bonami managed to break into the redoubt.

At that moment, the Chief of Staff of the 1st Army, Yermolov, and the Chief of Artillery Kutaisov, who followed Kutuzov's order to the left flank, were near Kurgan Heights. Having led the battalion of the Ufa Infantry Regiment and having attached the 18th Chasseur Regiment to it, Yermolov and Kutaisov hit with bayonets right on the redoubt. At the same time, the regiments of Major Generals Paskevich and Vasilchikov hit from the flanks. The redoubt was recaptured and Brigadier General Bonami was taken prisoner. Of the entire French regiment of 4,100 men under the command of Bonami, only about 300 soldiers remained in service. Major General of Artillery Kutaisov died in the battle for the battery.

Kutuzov, noticing the complete exhaustion of Raevsky's corps, withdrew his troops to the second line. Barclay de Tolly sent Major General Likhachev's 24th Infantry Division to defend the battery.

After the fall of the Bagration fleches, Napoleon abandoned the development of an offensive against the left wing of the Russian army. The original plan to break through the defenses on this wing in order to reach the rear of the main forces of the Russian army lost its meaning, since a significant part of these troops failed in the battles for the fleches themselves, while the defense on the left wing, despite the loss of the fleches, remained intact . Drawing attention to the fact that the situation in the center of the Russian troops had worsened, Napoleon decided to redirect his forces to the Raevsky battery. However, the next attack was delayed for 2 hours, since at that time Russian cavalry and Cossacks appeared in the rear of the French.

Taking advantage of the respite, Kutuzov moved from the right flank to the center the 4th Infantry Corps of Lieutenant General Osterman-Tolstoy and the 2nd Cavalry Corps of Major General Korf. Napoleon ordered to intensify the fire on the infantry of the 4th Corps. According to eyewitnesses, the Russians moved like machines, closing ranks as they went. The path of the 4th Corps could be traced on the trail of the bodies of the dead.

The troops of Lieutenant General Osterman-Tolstoy joined the left flank of the Semyonovsky and Preobrazhensky Guards regiments, located south of the battery. Behind them were the cavalrymen of the 2nd corps and the approaching Cavalry and Horse Guards regiments.

At about 3 p.m., the French opened crossfire from the front and flashes of 150 guns at Raevsky's battery and launched an attack. For the attack against the 24th division, 34 cavalry regiments were concentrated. The first to attack was the 2nd Cavalry Corps under the command of Divisional General Auguste Caulaincourt (corps commander Divisional General Montbrun had been killed by this time). Caulaincourt broke through the hellish fire, bypassed the Kurgan Heights on the left and rushed to Raevsky's battery. Met from the front, flanks and rear by stubborn fire from the defenders, the cuirassiers were driven back with huge losses (Raevsky's battery received the nickname "grave of the French cavalry" from the French for these losses). General Auguste Caulaincourt, like many of his associates, found death on the slopes of the mound. Meanwhile, the troops of the Viceroy of Italy, Eugene Beauharnais, taking advantage of Caulaincourt's attack, which fettered the actions of the 24th division, broke into the battery from the front and flank. A bloody battle took place on the battery. The wounded General Likhachev was taken prisoner. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon Raevsky's battery fell.

Having received the news of the fall of the Rayevsky battery, Napoleon moved to the center of the Russian army and came to the conclusion that its center, despite the retreat and contrary to the assurances of the retinue, was not shaken. After that, he refused requests to bring the guards into battle. The French attack on the center of the Russian army stopped.

As of 18:00, the Russian army was still firmly located in the Borodino position, and the French troops did not manage to achieve decisive success in any of the directions. Napoleon, who believed that a general who does not retain fresh troops by the day following the battle will almost always be beaten", and did not introduce his guard into the battle. Napoleon, as a rule, brought the guards into battle at the very last moment, when the victory was prepared by his other troops and when it was necessary to deliver the last decisive blow to the enemy. However, assessing the situation by the end of the Battle of Borodino, Napoleon saw no signs of victory, so he did not take the risk of bringing his last reserve into battle.

End of the battle

After the Raevsky battery was occupied by the French troops, the battle began to subside. On the left flank, Divisional General Poniatowski carried out unsuccessful attacks against the 2nd Army under the command of General Dokhturov (the commander of the 2nd Army, General Bagration, was seriously wounded by that time). In the center and on the right flank, the matter was limited to artillery fire until 7 pm. Following Kutuzov's report, they claimed that Napoleon had retreated, withdrawing troops from the captured positions. Having retreated to Gorki (where there was one more fortification), the Russians began to prepare for a new battle. However, at 12 o'clock at night, an order from Kutuzov arrived, canceling preparations for the battle scheduled for the next day. The commander-in-chief of the Russian army decided to withdraw the army beyond Mozhaisk in order to make up for human losses and better prepare for new battles. Napoleon, faced with the steadfastness of the enemy, was in a depressed and anxious mood, as evidenced by his adjutant Armand Caulaincourt (brother of the deceased general Auguste Caulaincourt):

Chronology of the battle

Chronology of the battle. Most significant fights

There is also an alternative point of view on the chronology of the Battle of Borodino.

The result of the battle

Russian casualty estimates

The number of losses of the Russian army has been repeatedly revised by historians. Different sources give different numbers:

• According to the 18th bulletin of the Great Army (dated September 10, 1812), 12-13 thousand were killed, 5 thousand prisoners, 40 generals were killed, wounded or captured, 60 captured guns. The total losses are estimated at approximately 40-50 thousand.
• F. Segur, who was at Napoleon's headquarters, gives completely different data on trophies: from 700 to 800 prisoners and about 20 guns.
• A document entitled "Description of the battle at the village of Borodino, which took place on August 26, 1812" (presumably compiled by K. F. Tol), which in many sources is called "Kutuzov's report to Alexander I" and dated August 1812, indicates 25,000 people in common losses, including 13 killed and wounded generals.
• 38-45 thousand people, including 23 generals. Inscription " 45 thousand” carved on the Main Monument on the Borodino field, erected in 1839, is also indicated on the 15th wall of the gallery of military glory of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
• 58 thousand killed and wounded, up to 1000 prisoners, from 13 to 15 guns. The data on losses are given here on the basis of a summary of the general on duty of the 1st Army immediately after the battle, the losses of the 2nd Army were estimated by historians of the 19th century quite arbitrarily at 20 thousand. These data were no longer considered reliable at the end of the 19th century, they are not taken into account in the ESBE, which indicates the number of losses "up to 40 thousand." Modern historians believe that the report on the 1st Army also contained information about the losses of the 2nd Army, since there were no officers responsible for the reports in the 2nd Army.
• 42.5 thousand people - the losses of the Russian army in the book by S. P. Mikheev, published in 1911.

According to the surviving statements from the RGVIA archive, the Russian army lost 39,300 people killed, wounded and missing (21,766 in the 1st Army, 17,445 in the 2nd Army), but taking into account the fact that the data of the statements for various reasons is incomplete (does not include the loss of the militia and the Cossacks), historians usually increase this number to 44-45 thousand people. According to Troitsky, the data of the Military Registration Archive of the General Staff give the figure of 45.6 thousand people.

French casualty estimates

A significant part of the documentation of the Grand Army was lost during the retreat, so the assessment of French losses is extremely difficult. The question of the total losses of the French army remains open.

• According to the 18th bulletin of the Grand Army, the French lost 2,500 killed, about 7,500 wounded, 6 generals killed (2 divisional, 4 brigade) and 7-8 wounded. The total losses are estimated at approximately 10 thousand people. In the future, these data were repeatedly questioned, and at present, none of the researchers considers them to be reliable.
• “Description of the battle at the village of Borodino”, made on behalf of M. I. Kutuzov (presumably K. F. Tol) and dated August 1812, indicates more than 40,000 total losses, including 42 killed and wounded generals .
• The most common in French historiography, the number of losses of the Napoleonic army of 30 thousand is based on the calculations of the French officer Denier, who served as an inspector at the General Staff of Napoleon, who determined the total losses of the French for 3 days of the battle of Borodino at 49 generals, 37 colonels and 28 thousand lower ranks, from of these, 6,550 were killed and 21,450 were wounded. These figures were classified by order of Marshal Berthier due to a discrepancy with the data of Napoleon's bulletin on losses of 8-10 thousand and were published for the first time in 1842. The figure cited in the literature of 30 thousand was obtained by rounding Denier's data (taking into account the fact that Denier did not take into account 1176 soldiers of the Great Army who were captured).

Later studies have shown that Denier's data are grossly underestimated. So, Denier gives the number of 269 killed officers of the Grand Army. However, in 1899, the French historian Martinien, on the basis of surviving documents, established that at least 460 officers known by surname were killed. Subsequent research increased this number to 480. Even French historians admit that " since the information given in the statement about the generals and colonels who were out of action at Borodino is inaccurate and underestimated, it can be assumed that the rest of Denier's figures are based on incomplete data.».

• Retired Napoleonic General Segur determined the losses of the French at Borodino at 40,000 soldiers and officers. A. Vasiliev considers Segur's assessment tendentiously overestimated, pointing out that the general wrote during the reign of the Bourbons, while not denying her some objectivity.
• In Russian literature, the number of French casualties was often given as 58,478. This number is based on the false information of the defector Alexander Schmidt, who allegedly served in the office of Marshal Berthier. In the future, this figure was picked up by patriotic researchers, indicated on the Main Monument.

For modern French historiography, the traditional estimate of French losses is 30 thousand, with 9-10 thousand killed. The Russian historian A. Vasiliev points out, in particular, that the number of losses of 30 thousand is achieved by the following methods of calculation: losses in avant-garde affairs and the approximate number of sick and backward, and b) indirectly - by comparison with the Battle of Wagram, equal in number and in the approximate number of losses among the command staff, despite the fact that the total number of French losses in it, according to Vasilyev, is precisely known (33,854 people, including 42 generals and 1,820 officers; at Borodino, according to Vasilyev, 1,792 people are considered to have lost command personnel, of which 49 were generals).

The losses of the generals of the parties in killed and wounded amounted to 49 generals among the French, including 8 killed: 2 divisional (Auguste Caulaincourt and Montbrun) and 6 brigade. The Russians lost 26 generals, but it should be noted that only 73 active Russian generals participated in the battle, while in the French army there were 70 generals only in the cavalry. The French brigadier general was closer to the Russian colonel than to the major general.

However, V.N. Zemtsov showed that Vasiliev's calculations are unreliable, since they are based on inaccurate data. So, according to the lists compiled by Zemtsov, “ on September 5-7, 1928 officers and 49 generals were killed and wounded", that is, the total loss of command personnel amounted to 1,977 people, and not 1,792, as Vasiliev believed. The comparison of data on the personnel of the Great Army for September 2 and 20, carried out by Vasiliev, also, according to Zemtsov, gave incorrect results, since the wounded who returned to duty after the battle were not taken into account. In addition, Vasiliev did not take into account all parts of the French army. Zemtsov himself, using a technique similar to that used by Vasiliev, estimated the French losses for September 5-7 at 38.5 thousand people. The figure used by Vasilyev for the loss of French troops at Wagram, 33,854 people, is also controversial - for example, the English researcher Chandler estimated them at 40 thousand people.

It should be noted that to the several thousand killed should be added those who died from wounds, and their number was enormous. In the Kolotsk monastery, where the main military hospital of the French army was located, according to the testimony of the captain of the 30th line regiment C. Francois, 3/4 of the wounded died in the 10 days following the battle. French encyclopedias believe that among the 30 thousand victims of Borodin, 20.5 thousand died and died of wounds.

Grand total

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% of its composition, the Russian - about 30%. 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.

The death toll, counting those who died of wounds, was much higher than the official number killed on the battlefield; the victims of the battle should also include the wounded, who later died. In the autumn of 1812 - in the spring of 1813, the Russians burned and buried the bodies that remained unburied on the field. According to military historian General Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, a total of 58,521 dead bodies were buried and burned. Russian historians and, in particular, employees of the museum-reserve on the Borodino field, estimate the number of people buried on the field at 48-50 thousand people. According to A. Sukhanov, 49,887 dead were buried on the Borodino field and in the surrounding villages (without including French burials in the Kolotsky Monastery).

Both commanders chalked up the victory. According to Napoleon's point of view, expressed in his memoirs:

The battle of Moscow is my greatest battle: it is a battle of giants. The Russians had 170,000 men under arms; they had all the advantages behind them: numerical superiority in infantry, cavalry, artillery, excellent position. They were defeated! Fearless heroes, Ney, Murat, Poniatowski - that's who belonged to the glory of this battle. How many great, how many wonderful historical deeds will be noted in it! She will tell how these brave cuirassiers captured the redoubts, hacking the gunners on their guns; she will tell of the heroic self-sacrifice of Montbrin and Caulaincourt, who found their death in the height of their glory; she will tell how our gunners, open on a level field, fired against more numerous and well-fortified batteries, and about these fearless infantrymen who, at the most critical moment, when the general who commanded them wanted to encourage them, shouted to him: “Calm down, all your soldiers have decided to win today, and they will win!”

This paragraph was dictated in 1816. A year later, in 1817, Napoleon described the Battle of Borodino as follows:

With an army of 80,000, I rushed at the Russians, who consisted of 250,000, armed to the teeth and defeated them ...

Kutuzov in his report to Emperor Alexander I wrote:

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. In our time, a number of Russian historians also traditionally insist that the outcome of the Battle of Borodino was uncertain, and the Russian army won a "moral victory" in it.

Foreign historians, who in our time have been joined by a number of their Russian colleagues, regard Borodino as an undoubted victory for Napoleon. As a result of the battle, the French occupied some of the advanced positions and fortifications of the Russian army, while maintaining reserves, pushed the Russians back from the battlefield, and eventually forced them to retreat and leave Moscow. At the same time, no one disputes that the Russian army retained its combat effectiveness and morale, that is, Napoleon never achieved his goal - the complete defeat of the Russian army.

The main achievement of the general battle at Borodino was that Napoleon failed to defeat the Russian army, and in the objective conditions of the entire Russian campaign of 1812, the lack of a decisive victory predetermined the final defeat of Napoleon.

The battle of Borodino marked a crisis in the French strategy of a decisive general battle. During the battle, the French failed to destroy the Russian army, force Russia to capitulate and dictate peace terms. The Russian troops, on the other hand, inflicted significant damage on the enemy army and were able to save forces for the coming battles.

Memory

Borodino field

The widow of one of the generals who died in the battle founded a nunnery on the territory of the Bagration Flches, in which the charter prescribed “to offer prayers ... for Orthodox leaders and soldiers who in these places for the faith, the sovereign and the fatherland laid down their belly in battle in the summer of 1812” . On the eighth anniversary of the battle on August 26, 1820, the first temple of the monastery was consecrated. The temple was erected as a monument of military glory.

By 1839, the lands in the central part of the Borodino field were bought by Emperor Nicholas I. In 1839, at the Kurgan height, on the site of the Raevsky battery, a monument was solemnly opened, and the ashes of Bagration were reburied at its base. Opposite the Raevsky Battery, a gatehouse was built for veterans who were supposed to take care of the monument and the grave of Bagration, keep a Book of Visitors' Records, show visitors the battle plan, finds from the battlefield.

In the year of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the battle, the gatehouse was rebuilt, 33 monuments to corps, divisions, regiments of the Russian army were installed on the territory of the Borodino field.

On the territory of the modern museum-reserve with an area of ​​110 km² there are more than 200 monuments and memorable places. Every year on the first Sunday of September, more than a thousand participants recreate episodes of the Battle of Borodino in the course of a military-historical reenactment on the Borodino field.

Literature and art

The Battle of Borodino is devoted to a significant place in the works of literature and art. In 1829, D. Davydov wrote the poem "The Borodino Field". A. Pushkin dedicated the poem "Borodino Anniversary" (1831) to the memory of the battle. M. Lermontov published in 1837 the poem "Borodino". In the novel by L. Tolstoy "War and Peace", part of the 3rd volume is devoted to the description of the Battle of Borodino. P. Vyazemsky wrote in 1869 the poem "Commemoration for the Battle of Borodino."

Artists V. Vereshchagin, N. Samokish, F. Roubaud devoted cycles of their paintings to the Battle of Borodino.

100th anniversary of the battle

Borodino panorama

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino, by order of Emperor Nicholas II, the artist F. Roubaud painted the panorama "The Battle of Borodino". At first, the panorama was located in the pavilion at Chistye Prudy, in 1918 it was dismantled, and in the 1960s it was restored and reopened in the building of the Panorama Museum.

200th anniversary of the battle

On September 2, 2012, solemn events dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the historical battle took place on the Borodino field. They were attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and former French President Valerie Giscard d'Estaing, as well as descendants of the participants in the battle and representatives of the Romanov dynasty. Several thousand people from more than 120 military historical clubs in Russia, Europe, the USA and Canada took part in the reenactment of the battle. The event was attended by over 150 thousand people.

• On the eve of the battle, a meteorite fell at the location of the Russian artillery battery, later named Borodino after the battle.

The Battle of Borodino or the Battle of Borodino is the largest battle of the Patriotic War between Russia and Napoleonic France, which took place on September 7, 1812 near the village of Borodino.
The army of the Russian Empire was commanded by General M. Kutuzov, and the French army was led by the Emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte. It is still not clear who won this battle. The battle of Borodino is rightfully considered the bloodiest one-day battle.

Causes of the Battle of Borodino

Emperor Napoleon with a huge French army invaded the territory of the Russian Empire. At the same time, the Russian army was constantly retreating, panic in the ranks and a hasty retreat could not allow organizing an army for a decisive defense. Then the emperor appoints the command of the Russian army to Kutuzov. He decided to retreat further, hoping to exhaust the French army and get reinforcements.
Having decided that there was nowhere to postpone the battle, Kutuzov decides to deploy his troops near Borodino. The emperor demanded that Napoleon be stopped in front of Moscow, and only this area allowed such a thing to be done. Before the approach of Napoleon's troops, the Russian army managed to build the necessary fortifications.

Number of opponents

The Russian army in total consisted of about 120 thousand soldiers and more than six hundred artillery pieces. Among them there were also about 7-8 thousand Cossacks.
The French slightly defeated the Russian army in the number of troops, they had about 130-140 thousand soldiers, but a slightly smaller number of artillery pieces, no more than 600.

The course of the battle of Borodino

The battle of Borodino began from the shelling of the positions of the Russian army by the French artillery at half past five in the morning. At the same time, Napoleon ordered General Delzon's division to go into battle under the cover of fog. They went to the very center of the Russian positions - the village of Borodino. This position was defended by the corps of rangers. The number of the French was much larger, but the huntsmen retreated only when there was a threat of encirclement. The huntsmen withdrew across the Kolocha River, followed by Delzon's division. Having crossed the river, he tried to take up positions, but having received reinforcements, the huntsmen were able to repel the attacks of the French.
Then Napoleon, following the flank, launched an attack on the Bagration flushes (flush - field fortifications, sometimes they can be long-term). First came the artillery bombardment, and then the attack began. The first attack was successful, and the Russian chasseurs retreated, but having come under fire from grapeshot, the French army was forced to retreat.
At eight o'clock in the morning the attack on the southern flush was repeated and ended in success for the French army. Then General Bagration decides to make an attempt to dislodge the French from their positions. Having gathered impressive forces for a counterattack, the Russian army manages to push the enemy back. The French retreated with heavy losses, many officers were wounded.
Napoleon decided to make the third attack more massive. The attacking force was reinforced by Marshal Ney's three infantry divisions, Murat's cavalry and a large number of artillery (about 160 guns).
Upon learning of Napoleon's intentions, General Bagration decided to further strengthen the flushes.
Napoleon launched the third attack from a powerful artillery preparation, after which the French successfully occupied the southern flush. A bayonet fight ensued, as a result of which two Russian generals were wounded. The Russian army launched a counterattack with three cuirassier regiments and practically pushed the French back, but the French cavalry, which arrived in time, repulsed the attack of the cuirassiers (heavy cavalry) and completely occupied the flush by ten o'clock in the morning.
Napoleon concentrated about 40 thousand soldiers and 400 guns in the flushes. Bagration was supposed to stop the French, but he could not do this, since he had only 20 thousand soldiers, then he decides to counterattack on the left wing. This attack was stopped, and hand-to-hand combat ensued, lasting about an hour. The Russian army gained an advantage, but when Bagration himself was wounded by a random fragment, the Russian army lost morale and began to retreat. Bagration's wound was light, he was hit by a fragment in the thigh and was carried away from the battlefield.
The flashes were abandoned, and the Russian army retreated behind the Semyonovsky stream. There were still untouched reserves, and the Russian artillery, numbering 300 guns, well controlled the approaches to the stream. The French, seeing such a defense, decided not to attack yet.
Napoleon continued to attack the left flank of the Russian troops, but he appointed the main blow to the center of the Russian positions. A bloody battle ensued, the result of which was the withdrawal of the French troops, they did not manage to dislodge the Russian army from the position of the Semenovsky stream. Here they remained until the very end of the Battle of Borodino.
At that moment, when the French army was fighting for the flushes, Napoleon ordered to bypass the Russian positions in the area of ​​​​the Utitsky forest. The French managed to push the Russian army back from the Utitsa Heights, and deployed artillery there. Then the French opened a massive artillery attack. The Russian army was forced to retreat to the Utitsky Kurgan. But the massive fire of French artillery and a decisive assault allowed the French to push back the Russians and occupy the mound.
General Tuchkov attempted to recapture the mound and personally led the attack. In this battle, the mound was returned, but the general himself was mortally wounded. The kurgan was abandoned by the Russians when the main forces withdrew behind the Semyonovsky stream.
The battle of Borodino was not in favor of the Russian army, and then Kutuzov made an attempt to raid the rear of the French army with cavalry. At first, the raid was successful, the cavalry managed to push back the left flank of the French, but having received reinforcements, the cavalry was driven back. This raid was successful in one way, the decisive blow of the enemy was postponed for two hours, during which the Russian army was able to regroup.
In the center of the Russian positions stood a high mound, on which an artillery battery was located, defended by the forces of General Raevsky.
Napoleon's army continued to attack despite heavy artillery fire. The French managed to take the redoubt, but the Russian army soon recaptured it. The French suffered serious losses. By this time, Raevsky's detachments were exhausted, and Kutuzov ordered him to retreat to the second line. Instead of him, General Likhachev was ordered to defend the artillery battery.
Noticing that the situation in the center of the Russian army was developing badly for the Russians, he decided to focus on the Raevsky battery, defended by Likhachev.
At about three o'clock in the afternoon, Napoleon began a powerful artillery preparation with more than 100 guns and then went on the attack. The French cavalry successfully bypassed the mound and attacked Raevsky's battery. The cavalry was forced to retreat. But the Russian army, diverted to attack the cavalry, left the front and flank uncovered, it was there that the French dealt a crushing blow. The most bloody clash of the battle of Borodino ensued. General Likhachev, who was defending the battery, was seriously wounded and taken prisoner. An hour later, the battery was broken.
This success did not force Napoleon to continue the attack on the center of the Russian army, since he believed that his defense was still strong. And after the capture of the Raevsky battery, the battle of Borodino began to gradually slow down. The artillery skirmish continued, but Napoleon decided not to launch a new attack. The Russian army also decided to retreat to make up for its losses.

The results of the battle of Borodino

Losses
Sources say that the Russian army lost about 40 thousand soldiers, wounded and killed. More than fifty generals fell in this battle or were taken prisoner. This figure does not take into account the losses of the militia and the Cossacks, if these figures are taken into account, then the number of the fallen can be safely raised to 45 thousand soldiers, of which 15 thousand were killed.
The death toll on the French side is rather difficult to determine, since most of the documentation was lost during the retreat. But most historians, based on the surviving data, named the number - 30 thousand soldiers, of which about 10 thousand were killed. The number of dead French generals reaches fifty. The documents also say that many of the wounded died from their wounds, about 2/3. This means that the death toll can be increased to 20 thousand soldiers.

Grand total

The battle of Borodino went down in history as the bloodiest one-day battle until the end of the nineteenth century. Before that, in the history of the world, there was nothing like this that could happen in one day. The total number of those killed in battle, as well as those who died from wounds, reached approximately 50 thousand. The Russian army lost almost a third of its entire army, while Napoleon lost 1/5 of his entire army.
It is interesting that both commanders (Napoleon and Kutuzov) attribute the victory in the Battle of Borodino to their own account. Modern Russian historians evaluate the result of the Battle of Borodino as uncertain, but Western historians say that it was a decisive victory for Napoleon, because the entire Russian army was forced to retreat from the position near Borodino. Napoleon failed to completely break the Russian army, and it did not lose its fighting spirit.
The fact remains that Napoleon was not able to completely defeat the Russians, a decisive victory was not achieved, and later, due to the crisis of Napoleon's strategy, his defeat followed. If Napoleon had completely defeated the Russians near Borodino, this would have been a decisive and crushing defeat of the Russian Empire, on the basis of which Napoleon could have signed a peace favorable to France. The Russian army, having retained its strength, was able to prepare for subsequent battles.

Napoleon Bonaparte had huge plans for Russia. The French emperor already fancied himself the master of the world, saying: "There is only Russia left, but I will crush it."

He went to crush Russia with a 600,000-strong army, which, indeed, was moving quite confidently deep into the country. But, the so-called peasant war noticeably undermined the health and strength of Napoleon's troops. But the conquerors went on, leaving behind a trail of ashes. Moscow was ahead.

The French emperor hoped that he would conquer the country with one powerful blow in a short time, but the tactics of the Russian generals were different: to strangle with small battles, so that later they would attack like that! And Borodino became a turning point in the history of the war of 1812.

Hundred per minute

So much is said about the battle of Borodino and its significance that it seems that it was protracted. But the battle of Borodino was included in the list of the brightest, most important, bloody one-day battles.

On September 7, near the village of Borodino, 125 km west of Moscow, at 5.30 am, the French began shelling, and then went on the attack. The battle lasted about 12 hours. During this time, according to various sources, from 80 to 100 thousand French and Russians went to the next world. If you count, then a minute, it turns out, a hundred fighters died.

Heroes

The Battle of Borodino brought fame to the Russian commanders, who skillfully coped with their task. The names of Kutuzov, Raevsky, Yermolov, Bagration, Barclay de Tolly were included in history books. By the way, Barclay de Tolly was not so favored in the army, although it was he who proposed to wage a guerrilla war against the French, which significantly reduced their numbers. Near Borodino, the general changed his horse three times - bullets and shells killed three animals, but the general himself was not injured.

And, of course, Kutuzov became famous. Surely you immediately imagined a gray-haired old man with his eye closed. Nothing like this! Kutuzov at that time was a fairly mobile elderly man, and did not wear an eye patch. Real eagle! Speaking of eagles. There is a legend that during the battle an eagle soared over Kutuzov. Boris Golitsyn wrote about this in his memoirs.

Grave of the French cavalry

That's what they called Raevsky's battery. The French could not take her for seven hours. It was there that the largest number of Napoleonic cavalry died. Until now, historians argue why the Russian troops left the Shevardinsky redoubt. It can be assumed that Kutuzov, as it were, deliberately substituted his left flank, weakened, open. He fortified it with flashes, for which a battle broke out, and there the French and Russians lost a lot. Kutuzov was very afraid for his right flag, for the new Smolensk road. After all, it was a direct shortcut to Mozhaisk, and, accordingly, to Moscow.

By the way, the terrain also helped to conduct a competent battle. This is one of the few districts near Moscow, which is more open fields. This, according to Kutuzov, was a significant plus for the Russian army. The Russians appeared on the Borodino field 4 days before the battle. Kutuzov wrote to Alexander the First that “the position at the village of Borodino is one of the best that can be found on the local flat places. I will try to correct the weak point of this position with art. But if the enemy maneuvers, then I will have to retreat again.

Who wins?

This is perhaps the main question so far. We used to think that the battle of Borodino, of course, was won by the Russians. The French believe that the victory is theirs. In terms of strength of mind, power, stamina, victory, of course, is on the side of the Russians. Napoleon was extremely disappointed when he listened to the reports of his generals: a few prisoners, guns captured once, twice - and counted. The positions they fought so hard to win as they advanced towards Moscow brought him no prisoners. The Russians did not leave the wounded on the field, taking them with them if they had to retreat. The morale of the Russian army crushed Napoleon. He could not understand, besides, with a clear loss in numbers, he manages to hold on like that. But, after all, the next day Kutuzov ordered to retreat in order to replenish the ranks with new fighters, to accumulate strength.

Each of the commanders recorded the victory at his own expense. Napoleon is known to have said of the battle: "The French have shown themselves worthy of victory, and the Russians have earned the right not to consider themselves defeated."

But the Russian emperor Alexander I understood that the spirit of the people needed to be raised, and he declared the Battle of Borodino as an unconditional victory for the Russians, and made Kutuzov a field marshal general.

Hussar ballad

After the end of the Patriotic War of 1812, people felt that they had touched history. There was a creative explosion: artists, writers, poets, professionals, amateurs - all decided to display this bloody battle. There was even a special alphabet with illustrations and small rhymes about that battle for children.

Many books have been written and films made about Borodino. But, perhaps, the most beloved picture will remain "The Hussar Ballad". And the story underlying this picture is quite a real one.

Indeed, there were no women in the battle of Borodino. Nadezhda Durova participated in it. Having cut off her hair and put on a uniform, Durova ran away from her parents and devoted herself to military affairs, even entered the Ulansky regiment. There is an opinion that it was from her that the author of the play "A long time ago" and the script for the film "The Hussar Ballad" Alexander Gladkov copied the main character Shurochka.

According to all documents, Nadezhda was Alexander Andreevich Alexandrov, she was even reproduced as an officer. Near Borodino, she was shell-shocked, she got a ball in her leg, but the woman remained alive.

Love for military affairs was instilled in Nadya in childhood, but not intentionally. The mother refused to engage in her upbringing - she wanted a boy-heir, not a girl - and she was raised by the hussar Astakhov. And at the age of 12, the girl was already deftly sitting in the saddle and famously managed the horse. All these skills were useful to her in the war.

Continuation after 100 years

In 1912, a French ship sank. On it, an 8-meter pole made of red granite was transported to Russia. On it was the inscription "Dead of the Great Army" (as Napoleon's army was called). It was supposed to be installed on the Borodino field. But despite the fact that the first monument never reached Russia, a year later another was installed.

But in Russia, on the occasion of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the end of the Patriotic War of 1812, one of its participants was still alive. Pavel Yakovlevich Tolstoguzov was 117 years old!

Unique panorama

In Russia there is a unique panorama museum, which is located in Moscow on Kutuzovsky Prospekt. The building was erected for the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino. It is there that the panorama of Franz Alekseevich Roubaud is exhibited, which the artist, by the way, with French roots, painted for the 100th anniversary.

The artist depicted the climax of the battle. The artist worked on the Panorama for almost three years. A special building was built for this panorama, but after the October Revolution it was given over to a technical school, and the picture was rolled up. It is clear that no one really cared about his safety. She was forgotten for 40 years. But in the fifties, the painting was still able to be restored, and in 1962 it was placed in the rebuilt building of the Battle of Borodino panorama museum.

Another panorama was completed not so long ago by the Englishman Jerry West. he made it for 40 years. West came to Russia on purpose, visited the Borodino field, attended reconstructions. The layout of the battle is made on a scale of 1 to 72. It includes 21 thousand figures, their average height is only 25 millimeters.

Despite the fact that Napoleon considered this battle his success, it became fundamental for the Russian army, which, although it suffered huge losses, retained the spirit of the winner, began to "squeeze" the French out of Russia.

"RUSSIAN GOT THE GLORY TO BE UNDEFEATED"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the literature there are the most contradictory facts about the losses of the parties, the question of the winner is still controversial. In this regard, it should be noted that none of the opponents did not solve their tasks: Napoleon failed to defeat the Russian army, Kutuzov - to defend Moscow. However, the enormous efforts made by the French army were, in the end, fruitless. Borodino brought Napoleon bitter disappointment - the outcome of this battle did not at all resemble either Austerlitz, or Jena, or Friedland. The bloodless French army was unable to pursue the enemy. The Russian army, fighting on its territory, was able to restore the number of its ranks in a short time. Therefore, in assessing this battle, Napoleon himself was most accurate, saying: “Of all my battles, the most terrible is the one I fought near Moscow. The French in it showed themselves worthy of victory. And the Russians have gained the glory of being undefeated.”

RESCRIPT OF ALEXANDER I

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

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

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

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

REPORT OF KUTUZOV

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

FROM THE MEMOIRS OF CALENCOUR

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

FROM THE REPORT OF GENERAL RAEVSKY

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

GOVERNMENT MESSAGE ON LEAVING MOSCOW

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