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

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

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

Prehistory

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

Since the beginning of the invasion of the French army into the territory 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.

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

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

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

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

Shevardino fight

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Battle of Borodino

Before the great battle

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

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

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

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

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

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

The beginning of the great battle

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

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

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

Battle scheme

Bagration flushes

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

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

Averyanov. Battle for Bagration's flashes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Raevsky battery

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

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

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

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

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

End of the battle

Vereshchagin. End of the Battle of Borodino

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

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

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

The results of the battle of Borodino

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Material prepared by Sergey Shulyak

At 5 o'clock in the morning, Napoleon Bonaparte appeared at the command post at the Shevardinsky redoubt. The troops greeted him with a thunderous battle cry "Vive L'empereur!" ("Long live the emperor!") This battle cry very often confused the soldiers on the opposite side of the field. But this time nothing like this happened, as the Russian troops were ready to meet the French.

Battle of Borodino, 1822. Art. Louis Lejeune

First attack: the village of Borodino
Contrary to Kutuzov's assumption, the French swiftly attacked not the left, but the right flank of the Russians. 106th line regiment from the corps Beauharnais broke into the village of Borodino. Here were the guards chasseurs, who were taken by surprise. A stubborn battle ensued, and by 6 o'clock the French captured the village of Borodino, but the 106th regiment suffered heavy losses. Here, at about 5.30 in the morning, the commander of this regiment, General L.-O. Plozon. This was the first French general to die in the Battle of Borodino, and by no means the last. During the retreat, the Russian troops burned the bridge across the river. Koloch. But Napoleon did not plan to develop an offensive on the right flank at that moment. On his orders, Beauharnais placed an artillery battery near Borodin and limited himself to shelling the Russian right flank.

Battle for the Semyonov flushes
Napoleon's main attack
The attack on the village of Borodino was only a red herring. At half past five in the morning, Napoleon made the main blow on the left flank, attacking the Semyonov flushes. The corps of the three best marshals of Napoleon were concentrated here: Davout, Nea and Murat. Bagration's troops were supposed to hold back the onslaught of the French from the front and at the same time not expose the left flank, bypassing which Poniatowski had already begun. General's division was the first to attack company from the Davout Corps. It was he who was entrusted with this honor, since he had carried out a successful attack the day before, thanks to which the Shevardinsky redoubt was captured. The enemy's blow was met by the 27th Infantry Division D.P. Neverovsky and 2nd Combined Grenadier Division M.S. Vorontsova. Kompan attacked the flushes from the side of the Utitsky forest, he was supported by the fire of 50 guns, but the attack was repulsed. Then Davout reinforced the Kompan division with a division J.-M. Desse. Kompan again led his troops to the attack, but was seriously wounded. He was replaced by Desse, who continued the attack, but was also badly wounded. In turn, Desse was replaced by Napoleon's adjutant general J. Rapp who met the same fate.

Attack of the 3rd infantry corps of Marshal Ney on the Semenov flushes. Engraving by Koenig after the original by K. Langlois
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The attack was repulsed. The French, seeing that three commanders in a row were put out of action, hesitated. Then the 57th regiment, led personally by Marshal Davout, went on the attack. The French broke into the leftmost flush, but at the decisive moment of this attack, Davout was shell-shocked and fell off his horse. They even managed to convey to Napoleon that Davout had died. Taking advantage of the confusion caused in the French ranks by Davout's shell shock, the Russian troops drove the French out of the left flush.

Counterattacks of Bagration
Bagration still managed to hold flushes thanks to competent tactics of warfare. When the enemy approached the fortifications, Bagration did not wait for the French to break into the lunette, but he himself began a counterattack.

Attack of the Russian cavalry on the French battery in the battle of Borodino. Hood. Mazurovsky V.V.
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This led to the fact that the offensive breakthrough of the French was reduced and almost completely dried up when they got to the fortifications. On the other hand, this led to heavy losses in the ranks of Russian soldiers. But it was an inevitable necessity. Moreover, the losses of the French in the first hours of the battle were much stronger. Thus, by coordinating a passive defense with a series of counterattacks, Bagration was able to repulse a new offensive, launched shortly after Napoleon learned that Davout was alive.

Poniatowski, meanwhile, continued his roundabout maneuver, but due to bad roads he was late. This allowed Bagration to win time and bring reinforcements: 8 battalions from the corps N.N. Rayevsky and division P.P. Konovnitsyn. He also turned to Barclay de Tolly and Kutuzov for help. Now Bagration had 15,000 men on the flashes with 164 guns.

The next attack on the flushes was made by the French around 8 in the morning, with the forces of Davout, Ney and Murat - a total of 30 thousand people, supported by 160 guns. Under heavy fire from Russian guns, the French broke into not only the left, but also the right flush. By this time, the 2nd Combined Grenadier Division already resembled a regiment in terms of numbers, and its commander Vorontsov out of action, having received severe wounds with a bayonet. This was the first Russian general to be out of action in the Battle of Borodino. After some time, he received a concussion and Neverovsky, his 27th division also suffered heavy losses. Bagration personally led the reserve divisions on bayonets and pushed back the French infantry.

Then Napoleon threw into battle the cuirassier division of General Nansouty, which attacked the flushes with the support of the French infantry, but was stopped by grapeshot.

Poniatowski threatens to strike in the rear
At about 9 a.m. Poniatowski took duck and threatened Bagration with a blow to the rear. Napoleon took advantage of this and threw General Friant's division, which was considered exemplary, into an attack on the fleches. This time, the French quickly broke the resistance of the Russians, occupied all three flushes and even broke through to the village of Semenovskoye. The fate of the left flank hung in the balance when Bagration again personally led the counterattack. He lost many soldiers, the prince was seriously wounded A.N. Gorchakov, but the flushes were repulsed again. Attack of Raevsky's battery and assault on flashes
Napoleon had seen all the unsuccessful assaults on the flushes, and now, seeing the huge losses in the infantry, he began to make adjustments to the battle plan. He ordered the troops of Beauharnais to immediately attack Raevsky's battery in order to tie up the right flank of the Russians, while Davout and Ney would again begin to storm the flushes. It happened around 10 am. Again, the flushes fell from the first attack, but the grenadiers P.P. Konovnitsyn stopped the attack. Died in this battle the youngest of the Tuchkovs - Alexander Alekseevich. The French lost here the chief of staff of the 1st Corps, General J.-L. Romef.

At about 10.30, Beauharnais occupied the mound height on the second attempt, but the French failed to achieve success on the flushes - the troops of Davout and Ney could not even break into the flushes. The battle became more and more bloody, Napoleon was already launching attacks on the extreme right flank, where he was Miloradovich, and attacked the center of the Russian position, and then again transferred the brunt of the blow to the left flank.

Wounded Bagration
At 11 am Poniatowski attacked Tuchkova near the Utitsky mound, and Beauharnais was able to finally gain a foothold on the Raevsky battery and begin a flank shelling of the flushes. From the rear, the flushes did not have fortifications, Bagration's losses increased significantly. At this time the French made their eighth attack on the fleches. Ahead were the columns of the 57th regiment. The French were not firing back, afraid to miss a good moment. Looking at the courage of the French grenadiers, Bagration even exclaimed "Bravo!" The attack was stronger than all the previous ones, Bagration again counterattacked the French, and almost knocked them out of the flushes, but at that moment a fragment of a French grenade hit him in the left leg, and he fell off his horse. The troops panicked, the soldiers began to flee. General nearby. P.P. Konovnitsyn was able to take the initiative and take command. Russian troops retreated to the village of Semenovskoye. Here comes the general D.S. Dokhturov, whom Kutuzov appointed commander of the Second Army instead of the wounded Bagration.

Battle for the village of Semyonovskoe
Napoleon was not slow to take advantage of the confusion caused in the Russian ranks by the wound of Bagration, and threw almost all available forces into the attack on the village of Semenovskoye. Cuirassiers attacked from the south nansouty,, Friant's division advanced in the center, and cuirassiers went on the attack to the north of the village Latour-Maubourt. A fierce battle ensued. The cuirassiers of General Nansuty attacked the Lithuanian and Izmailovsky regiments lined up in the square of the Life Guards, but they did not succeed in breaking through their ranks.

About 12 the battle for the village of Semenovskoye was still going on. In order to prevent the final breakthrough of the left flank, Kutuzov decided to divert part of the French reserves to the right flank. He ordered Uvarov's cavalry reserve and Platov's Cossacks to outflank the French left flank. The attack of the Russian cavalry was stopped near the village of Bezzubovo by the troops of General F. Ornano, but this maneuver forced Napoleon to weaken the assault on the village of Semenovskoye. For a brief moment, this minor maneuver was in the spotlight, Napoleon personally came to Bezzubovo to find out what was the matter.

Battle for Kurgan height
Meanwhile Barclay de Tolly was able to carry out a successful attack and dislodge the French from Kurgan Heights. Until about 2 p.m., the situation remained the same, and although stubborn battles were fought for the village of Semenovskoye and the Raevsky battery, the French failed to break the resistance of the Russians. At 14 o'clock Napoleon launched a general assault on the Kurgan Heights, on which Raevsky's battery was located. By this time, he was convinced that the entire Russian army had already been brought into battle, and now he intended to break through the Russian defenses here. Troops A.I. Osterman-Tolstoy, P.G. Likhachev, P.M. Paskevich held off the French advance. The general leadership of the troops here was carried out by Barclay de Tolly, who was able to organize the defense very competently. As a result, the first two assaults were unsuccessful. The third attack was led by General O. Caulaincourt, who was able to knock out the Russians and take possession of the batteries, but was himself killed on the parapet.

Hood. Peter von Hess
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But with the loss of the central defensive position of the Russians, the battle did not end. The Russian infantry retreated from the Raevsky battery behind the Goretsky ravine. Barclay de Tolly stopped about a kilometer from Kurgan Height and brought order among the troops.

By 4 p.m., the French had captured all the key points of the Russian defense from Kurgan height to the village of Semenovskoye, but the battle was still going on. One of the participants in the Battle of Borodino exclaimed in bewilderment: “Will there be, damn it, the end of this battle?” Napoleon himself appeared on Kurgan height at about five o'clock in the afternoon and began to survey the battlefield. Russian troops were pushed back by about 3 kilometers, and took up defensive positions along the Gorki-Psarevo line. On the right flank, the French did not achieve any results at all, the Russian troops, as they stood in the morning behind the Koloch River, so they stood now. He failed to break through the Russian position either on the left flank or in the center, the Russians only retreated from one defensive line to another. In reserve, Napoleon still had an untouched selective reserve - the imperial guard. The marshals asked the French emperor to throw her into battle, but Napoleon did not dare to do so.

The skirmish continued until late in the evening, but the French did not make any more major attacks. Seeing that Napoleon had stopped the attacks, Kutuzov withdrew from his positions late in the evening and continued his retreat towards Moscow.

Fragment of the Borodino panorama, Fr. Roubaud, 1912
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Thus ended August 26 (September 7), one of the bloodiest days of the era of the Napoleonic Wars.

Battle of Borodino(in French history - the battle on the Moscow River, French Bataille de la Moskova) - the largest battle of the Patriotic War of 1812 between the Russian and French armies. 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. The next day, the command of the Russian army began to withdraw troops.

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

General description of the Battle of Borodino

The battle of Shevardino and the disposition of troops before the battle of Borodino are indicated on the diagram. Napoleon's initial plan, which consisted of bypassing the left flank of the 2nd Army along the Old Smolensk Road and pushing the Russian army to the confluence of the Moscow River and Kolocha, was thwarted, after which Napoleon launched a frontal attack on the 2nd Army with the forces of the corps of Davout, Ney, Junot and Murat's reserve cavalry in order to break through its defenses in the direction of vil. Semyonovskoye with an auxiliary attack by the forces of the 1st division on vil. Borodino. The French troops, having a 1.5 - 2-fold superiority in forces, several times thrown back and pursued to their positions by much smaller Russian forces, by noon, at the cost of huge losses, took the advanced positions of the left wing of the Russian troops - flushes. The withdrawal of the main forces of the left wing to the main positions led to the retreat of the Russian troops on the Old Smolensk road in order to eliminate the gap in the front. The offensive of the French troops on the main positions of the left wing behind the ravine of the Semyonovsky stream was repulsed, and the reserves were pinned down by the maneuver of the light and Cossack cavalry, which went to the rear of Napoleon's army. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, Napoleon transferred the main blow to the center of the Russian army, creating a decisive numerical superiority against him and concentrating here selected units of heavy cavalry (The Russians took part in repelling the third attack on the Raevsky battery from the Russians: 6th infantry corps D.S. Dokhturov as part of the 7th and 24th infantry divisions - a total of 8539 people; 4th infantry corps of A. I. Osterman-Tolstoy - 11th and 23rd infantry divisions, a total of 9950 people; 2nd ( F.K. Korf) and the 3rd cavalry corps (in his own subordination) - 2.5 thousand people each; part of the forces of the 5th infantry corps - 6 battalions and 8 squadrons. Total number of troops: about 21.5 thousand infantry and 5.6 thousand cavalry.Napoleon concentrated for the attack: 3 infantry divisions - Moran, Gerard, Broussier - about 19 thousand people; 3 cavalry corps - Latour-Maubourg, Caulaincourt (replacing Montbrun), Pears - about 10.5 thousand cavalry, the Italian Guard (about 7 thousand infantry and cavalry), part of the forces of the Young Guard (14 battalions), total over 40 thousand people. By the time the attack began, many units on both sides had suffered significant losses. Borodino. ed. "Soviet Russia", 1975. p. 17 - 37). As a result, the French troops, at the cost of huge losses, especially in the cavalry, stormed the Raevsky battery, but when they tried to develop an offensive against the center of the Russian troops, the latter were driven back by the forces of two cavalry corps.

“Kutuzov forced Napoleon to use the excellent French cavalry in frontal attacks in the conditions of terrible crowding of the battlefield. In this tightness, most of the French cavalry died under Russian grapeshot, under the bullets and bayonets of the Russian infantry, under the blades of the Russian cavalry. The losses of the French cavalry were so great that The battle of Borodino in history is called the "grave of the French cavalry" (V.V. Pruntsov. Battle of Borodino. M, 1947) The reserves remaining with Napoleon were not brought into the battle because of the likely threat of their extermination, perceived by Napoleon. Thus, the French troops , advancing 0.5 - 1 km, were stopped by Russian troops in all directions."
V. V. Pruntsov. Battle of Borodino. M, 1947

The battle of Borodino, planned by Napoleon to a considerable depth with the important role of the flank bypass of the 2nd Army by Poniatovsky's corps, in reality was a combination of bloody frontal battles, directly on the defense line of the left wing of the Russian troops, in which the main masses of the French troops were bled. During these battles, both sides alternately attacked and defended the fleches, and the French troops, capturing the fleches, defended them at a disadvantage, as they were subjected to counterattacks from the rear of the fleches, unprotected and vulnerable to gunfire. Napoleon's attempt to change the nature of the battle by defeating the Russian troops in the center had a similar result: a fierce battle for the Raevsky battery led to the mutual extermination of the forces of both sides. Occupied, due to numerical superiority, the Raevsky battery, the French troops were unable to develop the offensive.

The question of the exact course of the battle remains open due to the inconsistency of both domestic reports on the battle (the most famous discrepancies are in the reports of K. F. Toll, M. B. Barclay de Tolly, A. P. Yermolov), and because of inconsistencies between domestic and French evidence about the timing and number of French attacks. The most convincing version of the battle about the six-hour battle for the flushes is based on the chronology presented by K. Tol and confirmed by F. Segur from the French side (As reliable and independent evidence in favor of the long battles for the flushes, one can cite the testimony of the English general Robert Thomas Wilson (1777-1849 ), a participant in the Battle of Borodino, who was at the headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army. Already in 1813, that is, before the formation of the domestic tradition of describing the battle, the first edition of his book “The Narrative of the Events that Happened During the Invasion of Napoleon Bonaparte into Russia and the Retreat of the French army in 1812". In this work, the decisive battle for the flashes and the wounding of Bagration are attributed to the 1st hour of the day. See Robert Thomas Wilson. UK op. M .: ROSSPEN - 2008, 494p. Art. 140).

Despite the advantage in the defensive battle near Borodino, the Russian army was forced to resume the retreat. The reasons for leaving were:

• In significant losses, which, with a significant numerical superiority of the enemy (who suffered no less losses) at the beginning of the battle, determined the balance of forces that remained unfavorable for the Russian army by the end of the battle. This point of view is widespread, but there is evidence that Kutuzov, after the news of the losses, intended to continue the battle and canceled the decision only in connection with the approach of reinforcements to Napoleon, which changed the balance of power: "The commander-in-chief of all armies saw that the enemy in today's battle weakened no less than us and ordered the armies to line up and resume the battle with the enemy tomorrow ... "(" Note by M. B. Barclay de Tolly to K. F. Baggovut of August 26 ")
• In the fundamental impossibility for the Russian army to make up for losses at the expense of trained replacements, which opportunity, which created a fundamentally unequal balance of forces, was possessed by the enemy. Already on August 27 (September 8), 6 thousand soldiers joined the main forces of Napoleon. the division of Pino, and on September 11 - the division of Delaborde (in total, in two divisions - 11 thousand people);); The total number of divisions and reserve battalions that were on the way to Napoleon was about 40 thousand people. (“Borodino”, Art. 108. M., Soviet Russia, 1975).
• In the strategic plan of the war, M. I. Kutuzov, who was not going to defend Moscow and considered unnecessary a general battle for Moscow. The corresponding defensive tactics of Kutuzov in the Battle of Borodino were subordinated to this plan and had the goal of preserving the army in the general battle, which Kutuzov went to as a result of the demands of all sections of Russian society. /Cm. below/

The result of the battle of Borodino

The result of the Battle of Borodino is a combination of two facts, the reliability of which is beyond doubt:

1) Tactical acquisitions of the French army, due to the actions of Napoleon, who concentrated a powerful group in the direction of attack.

2) Demonstration by the Russian troops of unconditional superiority over the French troops in terms of overall combat capability, incl. in steadfastness and military skill ("moral victory"), emanating from the failure of Napoleon's intentions to decisively defeat the Russian army by forces that actually had a superiority in numbers over the Russian troops by 2 times or more. Attributing this fact to the result of the battle is due to the fact that it was the indicated superiority of the Russian troops, according to Leo Tolstoy, that led to victory in the war:

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

tactical victory

The material results of the battle (without taking into account the moral victory of the Russian army) are greater losses of the French troops and the reflection of their offensive with significantly smaller forces, the fire advantage of the Russian artillery that developed in the afternoon, the futility of the territorial acquisitions of the French, the self-destructive frontal attack of the French cavalry on the mound height - a kind of "Napoleon's gesture of despair" - denote the tactical victory of the Russian army in the Battle of Borodino.

The battle of Borodino, like the battle of Novi for the French army, had a pronounced defensive character on the part of the Russians. With a significant numerical superiority of the French army at the beginning of the battle (by more than 20 thousand) / cm. lower /, the faster consumption of French troops led to the fact that by the end of the battle the difference in the number of fresh troops was reduced to 10 thousand. 18 thousand people; in the reserve of Kutuzov - Guards Preobrazhensky and Semyonovsky regiments, as well as 4, 30, 48 Chasseur regiments - up to 9 thousand people in total.). However, neither the numerical superiority of the attackers, nor the more intensive deployment of reserves by them into battle, turned the tide of the battle. The French army, attacking with far superior forces, was stopped, advancing 0.5 - 1 km. In this new position, the French troops were subjected to devastating bombardment and, by evening, were for the most part withdrawn from their captured positions.

Not only Kutuzov, but also Barclay de Tolly, who criticized Kutuzov for miscalculations in the battle of Borodino, was categorically convinced that the battle of Borodino was not only a moral and strategic, but also a tactical victory for the Russians. As for the question of the importance of the positions of the Russian army, Barclay believed that it was at the end of the battle that the Russian army retreated to the most advantageous positions in which it should have fought the battle. This view was shared by many other generals.

"Military history is part of historical science, because it considers one of the aspects of the history of human society; at the same time, it is part of military science, because it studies and generalizes the experience of preparing and waging past wars."

At the end of the 20th century, some Russian civilian historians who do not have special military knowledge (N. Troitsky, V. Zemtsov, and others) take it without hesitation to judge the tactical victory in the Battle of Borodino, which they see for the French army. General wording: the French have seized all supposedly key positions. Without following the example of these amateurs in the field of military tactics, we state the facts:

1) Arguments about military tactics and the concept of "tactical victory" belong to the sphere of military thought. The historian cannot afford this without falling into bias. In contact with the special aspects of an event (in particular, a military one), the historian's mind is manifested in the fact that, having illuminated them, he can refrain from controversial judgments. An example is Karamzin's description of Timur's actions in the battle with Tokhtamysh on the Terek.

2) The barrow height, taken by the French troops, dominated the surrounding area. However, the conclusion from this about its "key role" is an alogism. Indeed, the fortress of Novi can be cited as a key position in the center: its capture by the Russians led to the immediate defeat of the French army in the battle of Novi. The capture of Kurgan height did not lead to a decrease in the stability of the Russian center. The same applies to the flushes, which were only defensive structures of the position of the left flank of the Russian army. A military historian, a participant in the Battle of Borodino, I.P. Liprandi, who defended Raevsky’s battery throughout the battle, criticized the opinion of Raevsky’s battery as a “key position” (“I.P. Liprandi.” Notes on “Description of the Patriotic War of 1812 » Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky"")

On October 3, 1812, the English newspapers The Courier and The Times published a report from the English ambassador Katkar from St. Petersburg, in which he reported that the armies of His Imperial Majesty Alexander I had won the most stubborn battle of Borodino. During October, The Times wrote about the Battle of Borodino 8 times, calling the day of the battle "a grandiose memorable day in Russian history" and "the fatal battle of Bonaparte." The British ambassador and the press did not consider the retreat after the battle and the abandonment of Moscow as a result of the battle, understanding the impact on these events of a strategic situation unfavorable for Russia. war of 1812. Abstracts of a scientific conference, 1992. pp. 24 - 27) The same opinion was shared by Soviet historiography, which developed the study of the Battle of Borodino through the efforts of qualified historians with special knowledge in the field of military affairs. Their insight and research qualities are lacking for a number of modern Russian historians who publish low-skilled, often Russophobic studies under the pretext of reviving a “critical point of view”.

Napoleon's goal in the Battle of Borodino

Napoleon, having missed the opportunity to defeat the 1st and 2nd armies separately, sought to defeat the main forces of the Russian army in a pitched battle. Considering options for an offensive in the battle of Borodino, he rejected the option of bypassing the southern flank of the Russian army for fear that a detour would force Kutuzov to continue his retreat. Napoleon's plan, worked out on August 25 after the reconnaissance, was as follows: to transfer troops to the right bank of the Kolocha and, relying on Borodino, which became, as it were, the axis of approach, bring down the main forces on the 2nd Army and defeat it; then, directing all forces against the 1st Army, push it to the corner of the confluence of the Moscow River and Kolocha and destroy it. In accordance with this plan, up to 115 thousand people were concentrated on the right bank of the Kolocha from the evening of August 25 to August 26 and a huge superiority was created over the 2nd Army, which, together with the Cossacks, numbered up to 34 thousand people. Thus, Napoleon's plan pursued the decisive goal of destroying the entire Russian army in a pitched battle. Napoleon had no doubts about victory, the confidence in which, at sunrise on August 26, he expressed the words "this is the sun of Austerlitz!"

However, after the battle for the fleches, Napoleon's goal changed radically. The refusal to introduce the last reserves into battle, according to Napoleon's explanation, in quoting the military historian General G. Jomini, looked like this: "" as soon as we captured the position of the left flank, I was already sure that the enemy would retreat during the night. Why was it voluntary to undergo the dangerous consequences of the new Poltava?"

This shows that 1) the assumption that Napoleon was saving the guard for a new battle near Moscow is untenable - Napoleon was afraid of being subjected to the ""consequences of the new Poltava"" precisely on the Borodino field. 2) if before the Battle of Borodino Napoleon was waiting for an opportunity to destroy the Russian army, not content with capturing space (which corresponded to the strategic views of Napoleon), then after capturing the flushes, he wanted the outcome of the battle in the form of a voluntary retreat of the Russian army, which took place from the very beginning of the war and could not be goal of a general battle.

The goal of M. I. Kutuzov in the battle of Borodino

In the strategic plan of warfare by M.I. Kutuzov, a general battle with Napoleon was superfluous, and was accepted by him under the pressure of circumstances (“Kutuzov knew that they would not allow him to give up Moscow without a general battle, and he, despite his Russian surname, was not allowed to do this is Barclay. And he decided to give this battle, unnecessary, according to his deepest conviction... Unnecessary strategically, it was morally and politically necessary". Tarle E. "Napoleon". M .: Nauka, 1991, p.266). Kutuzov told the emperor about holding Moscow when he left St. Petersburg (When leaving St. Petersburg, Kutuzov promised Alexander I that he would “rather lay down his bones than allow the enemy to Moscow.” But at the same time he writes a letter Miloradovich - the head of the reserve troops about the need for reserves, without which the 1st and 2nd armies could not withstand the onslaught of the enemy) ... it was set in view of the troops to have a secondary wall against enemy forces on Moscow along the road from Dorogobuzh in the hope that our enemy would find others obstacles on the road to Moscow, when, more than aspirations, the forces of the 1st and 2nd Western armies were insufficient to resist him. "Upon arrival at the Kutuzov army, entering into circumstances and making sure of the enemy's numerical superiority and the lack of trained reserves among the Russians, continued to express confidence in the defense of Moscow and victory, but at the same time he set the condition for success to have trained reserves, which at that time were not available.Instead of the expected 60 thousand trained soldiers under G about 15.5 thousand joined the Russian army in Zhatsky, instead of the promised 80 thousand trained Moscow militia, F. Rastopchin gathered about 7 thousand poorly trained and almost unarmed militias. Kutuzov focused the emperor's attention on the lack of serious reserves and the losses that the army suffered in a collision with the enemy's vanguard. Kutuzov’s personal correspondence by this time contains a clear doubt about the possibility of defending Moscow (Letter from Kutuzov to his daughter dated August 19 demanding to leave the Moscow region for Nizhny Novgorod: “I must say frankly that I don’t like your stay near Tarusa at all ... so I want you left away from the theater of war ... But I demand that everything I said be kept in the deepest secrecy, because if it gets publicity, you will do me great harm ... leave, by all means."). In the conditions of the continued numerical superiority of the enemy, Kutuzov retreated from Tsarevo-Zaimishche on August 19. In letters to N. I. Saltykov, P. H. Wittgenstein, F. F. Rostopchin August 19 - 21, Kutuzov writes about the need for a general battle to "save Moscow", which he is going to give in the Mozhaisk region. It can be seen from this that, not being sure that it will be possible to stop the enemy, Kutuzov does not disclose his uncertainty in order to avoid undermining the morale of the army before the general battle, which he had no way to avoid in any case. On August 22, Kutuzov made a reconnaissance of the Borodino field.

On August 22, after the reconnaissance, Kutuzov wrote in a letter to Rastopchin: “I hope to fight in the current position ... and if I am defeated, then I will go to Moscow and there I will defend the capital” (M. I. Kutuzov. Documents. vol. 4, part 1). 1, document No. 157, p.129). From these words, it is quite clear that Kutuzov's intention is not only not to run the risk of defeating his troops, but also to be able, if necessary, to retreat in an organized manner in the face of persecution by the enemy. It should be noted that the actual withdrawal of the Russian army from the Borodino field was carried out by Kutuzov in the consciousness of his victory over the enemy.

In general, Kutuzov's lack of desire to defend Moscow at any cost was well known to many participants in the Battle of Borodino, some of whom became its historians. Clausewitz wrote: “Kutuzov probably would not have given the Battle of Borodino, in which he did not expect to win, if the voice of the court, the army and all of Russia had not forced him to do so. It must be assumed that he looked at this battle as a necessary evil. Doubts about the purpose of the Battle of Borodino as the salvation of Moscow from Kutuzov were expressed by I.P. Liprandi. The extremely negative reaction of P. Bagration to the appointment of Kutuzov as commander-in-chief is known: "this goose of the enemy will lead to Moscow." Kutuzov's strategic intent is best characterized by the phrase attributed to him: "I'm not thinking about how to defeat Napoleon, but about how to deceive him."

Thus, the salvation of Moscow is a false goal of Kutuzov in the Battle of Borodino, which in reality did not take place, and the abandonment of Moscow by the Russian army is a false result of the Battle of Borodino, which is resorted to by French historians and some Russian historians of modern times. The goal of Kutuzov in the battle was to preserve the army, and the only material result of the Battle of Borodino was the successful repulsion of the attacks of the French troops by half the size of the Russian troops with insignificant acquisitions of the French on the battlefield - the batteries of Raevsky and Bagration's flashes - which were not key to the defense system of the Russian army.

Some questions of the battle of Borodino

Side losses

The losses of the parties on August 24 - 26 amounted to: the Russian army, including the Cossack troops and the militia - about 40 thousand people; Napoleon's army according to reasonable scientific estimates - from 50 to 60 thousand people. The losses of the officers of the parties are precisely determined. They amounted to: in the Russian army - 1487 people (maximum estimate); in the army of Napoleon - 1928 people. The battle of Borodino was and still remains one of the bloodiest one-day battles in the history of wars.

Losses of the Russian army

A common estimate of the losses of the Russian army is up to 15,000 killed and up to 30,000 wounded. (For the first time after the battle, A.I. Mikhailovsky-Danielevsky's losses were circulated at 59,000 people - of which the losses in the 1st Army, according to the report of the general on duty of the 1st Army, were about 39,000, and the losses of the 2nd Army were arbitrary estimated at 20,000. These data were no longer considered reliable even when the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary was created, which indicates the number of losses “up to 40,000.” Modern historians believe that the December summary of the 1st Army also applied to the 2nd army, so the latter was disbanded in September, its units and subunits became part of the 1st (Main) Army and Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky losses were summarized due to a misunderstanding.) In total, up to 45,000 with possible errors (ignoring a number of individual units) and losses of the Cossacks and militias. This figure, however, should be regarded as exaggerated, since the estimated losses of the Cossacks (not reflected in the documents) are several hundred people, and the estimated losses of the militia are up to 1 thousand. On August 24-26, regular troops lost approx. 39 200 - 21766 in the 1st Army and 17445 in the 2nd):

Below are the losses according to the corps records, which contain information about the maximum possible losses of the Russian army from August 24 to 26 (S. V. Lvov. "On the losses of the Russian army in the battle of Borodino)

• 2nd infantry. bldg. (Lieutenant General K. F. Baggovut) - 3,017 (out of 11,452)
• 3rd infantry. bldg. (Lieutenant General N. A. Tuchkov - 1) - 3,626 (out of 12,211)
• 4th infantry. bldg. (Lieutenant General A. I. Osterman - Tolstoy) - 4001 (out of 9950)
• 5th infantry. bldg. (Lieutenant General N.I. Lavrov) - 5704 (out of 17,255)
• 6th infantry. bldg. (General of Infantry D.S. Dokhturov) - 3875 (out of 8539)
• 1st cav. bldg. (Lieutenant General F. P. Uvarov) - 137 (out of 2440)
• 2nd cav. bldg. (Major General F.K. Korf) - 587 (out of 2505)
• 3rd cav. bldg. (subordinate to Major General F.K. Korf) - 819 (out of 2505) Total in the 1st Western Army 21,766 people killed, wounded, missing

• 7th infantry. bldg. (Lieutenant General N. N. Raevsky) - 6278 (out of 11,853)
• 8th infantry. bldg. (Lieutenant General M. M. Borozdin - 1) - 9473 (out of 14,504)
• 4th cav. bldg. (Major General K. K. Sievers) - 874 (out of 2256)
• 2nd kir. div. (Major General I. M. Duka) - 920 (out of 2044) Total in the 2nd Western Army 17,445 people killed, wounded, missing

In total, there are 39,211 men in both armies. Of this number: 14,361 killed; 14,701 wounded; missing 10,249 people.

A number of units on both sides lost most of their composition. The 2nd consolidated grenadier division of M. S. Vorontsov, which participated in the Shevardino battle and withstood the 3rd attack on the flushes, retained about 300 people in its composition (it should be noted that this consolidated division was small and consisted of 11 consolidated battalions of 3- x-company staff with a total number of up to 4 thousand people). The French infantry regiment of Bonami was subjected to a similar extermination, retaining 300 out of 4100 people in its ranks after the battle for the Raevsky battery.

The 6th Infantry Corps of D.S. Dokhturov, according to the research of V.S. Lvov, lost a total of 3875 people out of 8539. Of this number, 2578 people were killed, wounded and missing in action by the 24th Infantry Division, reflecting the 3rd attack on Raevsky's battery.

French army losses

With the losses of the French army, the situation is less certain, since most of the archives of the Grand Army shared its fate in 1812. There is a widespread estimate of losses of about 30 thousand, the source of which is the data on the report of the inspector at the General Staff of Napoleon Denier about 28,000 killed and wounded. Denier's data on total losses cannot be verified by other documents, however, the implausible ratio in the report of those killed and the total number of wounded - 1: 3.27 (6550 and 21 450, respectively) in relation to that ratio in the Russian army (1: 0 .6-1:1.7)

The part of the information in the Denier report (regarding officer losses) that has been verified is all the more evidence that the report does not reflect the losses of the French army. This was established in 1899 by the French historian A. Martinien, who discovered a huge discrepancy between the number of killed officers given by Denier - 269 and the result of his own research - 460. Later studies increased the number of killed officers, known by surname, to 480 - that is, by almost 80% . French historians admit that "since the information given in the statement about the generals and colonels who were out of action under Borodino is inaccurate and underestimated, it can be assumed that the rest of Denier's figures are based on incomplete data." A.Lashuk. "Napoleon. Campaigns and battles 1796-1815. F. Segur estimates the losses of the Great Army at Borodino at 40 thousand people.

At present, the following losses of the officers of the Great Army at Borodino are considered to be established: 480 killed and 1448 wounded.
The loss of officers of the Russian army is significantly lower: 237 killed and missing and about 1250 wounded, according to the maximum estimate / cm. article by V. Lvov/. There is a lower estimate of Russian losses: 211 killed and about 1,180 wounded. (Vdovin. Borodino. M, Sputnik +, - 2008. 321 p.)

In restoring the picture of the losses of the French troops, the testimonies of individual participants in the battle play a role. These include K. Clausewitz's data on Junot's 8th corps, which numbered 5,700 people after the battle (the number at the beginning of the battle was 9,656 people). At the same time, Junot's corps, which, according to this evidence, lost up to 4 thousand people, that is, about 40% of the composition, did not belong to the corps that suffered the greatest losses, since it did not storm the fortifications from the front and did not participate in the Shevardinsky battle.

An important source that can shed light on the total losses of the French is information about the number of those buried in the Borodino field. Russian historians, and, in particular, the 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 the director of the museum A. Sukhanov, the number of those buried on the Borodino field without including burials in the surrounding villages and in the Kolotsk Monastery, as well as burials of the Great Patriotic War, - 49887 ("Motherland", No. 2 for 2005. According to A. Sukhanov, 39201 horses were also buried on the Borodino field).A rough estimate of the number of buried Russians (including the militia and the Cossacks ) does not exceed 25,000: no more than 15,000 dead and no more than 10,000 dead on the battlefield (minus 700 prisoners from the 10,149 missing and taking into account the losses of the militia).
The corresponding number of French dead or wounded and dying in the near future is 25,000.

An estimate of the ratio of those killed and those who died from wounds to the total losses in the Russian army - 39.2 / 25 for the French army gives a similar loss of ~ 39,200.

However, the actual number of buried Frenchmen was significantly higher, since, unlike 25,000 Russian burials (their total number, since the wounded Russians (over 14 thousand), taken to the rear, for the most part did not have serious injuries and did not die from wounds (As is known, more than 20,000 wounded Russian soldiers and officers, including those wounded in the battle of Borodino, were taken to Moscow.) The 25,000 French burials do not include thousands of burials in the Kolotsk Monastery, where the main hospital of the Great Army was located, in which, according to the testimony of the captain of the 30th line regiment Charles Francois, 3/4 of all the wounded who were in it died in the 10 days following the battle.In other words, if 25 thousand Russians buried on the Borodino field are killed and seriously wounded, who died later, then 25 thousand Frenchmen buried on the field were mostly killed in the battle, as the seriously wounded were brought to the vicinity of the Kolotsky monastery (F. Segur. “Campaign to Russia” "" The rest of her (Napoleon's armies - ed.) scattered across the battlefield to raise the wounded, who were 20,000. They were taken 2 miles back to the Kolochsky Monastery"), where they died. Accordingly, the total losses of the French army in the Battle of Borodino were significantly higher than the figure of 39 thousand.

The estimate of the losses of the French troops at 30 thousand (the fallacy of which is undeniable for many French historians) and so (for example, the estimate of losses of 35 thousand proposed by A. Lashuk and J. Blond) is in conflict with both the ratio of the losses of the officers of both armies, and with the results of research by Russian scientists on the Borodino field.

According to the totality of studies of losses, scientific domestic historiography adheres to an estimate of the losses of the French army from 50 to 60 thousand people with a priority of 58 - 60 thousand people, including by type of troops: 44% of the infantry and 58% of the cavalry of their total number.

Methodology for assessing losses by analogy with other battles

Historian A. Vasiliev in defense of data Denier proposes a method for indirectly assessing the losses of the French, based on a comparison of the battle of Borodino with the battle of Wagram on July 5-6, 1809, “similar in scale” (A. Vasiliev’s expression - author). Since the losses of the French in the latter are accepted by A. Vasiliev as exactly known - 33,854 people, including 1862 - command personnel, then, according to A. Vasiliev, the losses of the French at Borodino (with approximately equal loss of command personnel) should be about 30 thousand pers.

This reasoning, although it mentions the "similar scale" of the battles (which is not entirely true: 170 thousand French and 110 thousand Austrians took part in the Wagram battle. The front of the Austrian army was stretched for more than 20 km. A specific feature of the battle is the prolonged forcing by the French troops of the Danube under heavy fire from the Austrians), in essence, proceeds from the ratio of losses of general and command personnel. In addition, the difference in the nature of battles, which significantly determines losses, is fundamentally set aside. Since this method is empirical, its result must be confirmed by as many examples as possible. As such, it is convenient to take the battle of Trebbia, in which the losses of the French are also exactly known. In this battle, the French army, which consisted of 6 divisions, identical to the divisions of the Grand Army, was defeated. The loss of prisoners amounted to more than a third of the strength of the entire army, and thus can reliably reflect the desired ratio. For 12,280 prisoners, there were 514 commanding officers (including 4 generals, 8 colonels, 502 officers). The ratio 1/23.9 gives the number of total losses of the French army at Borodino 46 thousand people - 50% higher than the result of A. Vasiliev. Therefore, this technique leads to conflicting results. It is based on a comparison of two different battles (in relation to which the author, however, is trying to make an attempt at unification), while a more reliable method for comparing the losses of command personnel of the Russian and French armies in the Battle of Borodino does not require dubious theorizing

Methodology for assessing losses by analyzing the balance of the size of the army

This method of assessing losses is capable of clarifying the issue of losses, but only on condition that all losses and replenishments of the army are taken into account. A. Vasiliev, using this technique, among the reinforcements that arrived to the French army from September 7 to 20 calls
2 divisions of 11 thousand people and 4 cavalry regiments (2 thousand people). Battalions of marching reinforcements remain without attention (the total number of battalions on the way to the French army is about 30 thousand people (see the section “General Description of the Battle of Borodino”). For example, the 30th line regiment, reduced as a result of the battle from 3 thousand to 268 people, a week later, according to Ch. most of the wounded in the Battle of Borodino did not survive at all.By ignoring the issue of marching reinforcements, A. Vasilyev determines the losses of the French army on August 24-26 at 34 thousand people.

Number of parties

The issue of the absolute number of parties, but not the relative one, is debatable: the French army had a significant numerical superiority - 130-135 thousand against 103 thousand in the Russian regular troops (97,510 people consisting of 7 infantry and 5 cavalry corps and 1 cuirassier division, as well as 2644 - a reserve of artillery and 2.5 thousand at the Main Apartment.In total - 71,297 in the 1st Army, 31,357 in the 2nd Army), to which Cossack troops are usually added - about 8.2 thousand people (respectively 5,500 and 2,700 in the 1st and 2nd armies).

The number of military branches:

Infantry: from 86 to 90 thousand (without non-combat units) - French; OK. 72 thousand (without militia) - Russians

Cavalry: from 28 to 29 thousand - French; 17 thousand (without Cossacks) - Russians

Artillery, engineering troops, etc.: 16 thousand - French; 14 thousand - Russians
Total: 130 - 135 thousand - French; 103 thousand - Russians

The numerical superiority of the French army in regular cavalry was especially pronounced, and the share of heavy cavalry in it exceeded that of the Russian army. The Russian army had an insignificant superiority in artillery, but the proportion of heavy guns in it exceeded that of the enemy. (see below)

In addition to regular troops, there were irregulars on both sides - from 10 to 20 thousand Russian militia (the number of 10 thousand is strictly proven) and about 15 thousand non-combatant soldiers in Napoleon's army, and the latter fact is silent by N. Troitsky and some other modern historians , to which both B. Abalikhin and S. Lvov pay attention (Abalikhin B.S. On the issue of the size of the Russian army in the battle of Borodino). The material is available on the website of the Borodino Museum-Reserve). In addition, the use of an uncritical approach to sources gives them reason to overestimate the size of the Russian army from 154 to 157 thousand people ("see ibid., Abalikhin B.S."). Kutuzov poorly trained militia, armed for the most part with axes and pikes, was not considered a significant military force.

"The militias of Smolensk and Moscow, whose regiments had not yet all joined the army, had almost no firearms. In general, they barely had a semblance of a military device. For a month, taken from the plow ... although they were burning with zeal to fight, it was still impossible to fight them into the right battle with the experienced regiments of Napoleon. (A. I. Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky) ".

The militia performed auxiliary functions and took a limited part in the battles on the Old Smolensk road, where they showed high moral qualities.
The only direct evidence of the participation of the militias in the battle is the rapport of K. F. Baggovud about the support of five hundred warriors of the Moscow militia for the attack of the Ryazan and Vilmanstrand regiments. The militia did not suffer significant losses in the Battle of Borodino. (V. Khlestkin. Moscow and Smolensk militia under Borodino. Moscow magazine, 1.09.2001)

Artillery action on both sides

The actions of the artillery of both sides received a high mutual assessment. There is a significant amount of evidence from the participants in the battle on both sides of the significant losses inflicted by their artillery on the enemy and the detrimental effect of enemy artillery fire. The number of shots fired by French artillery - about 60 thousand - exceeded the number of Russian shots, since the French artillery, which was smaller in mass, had a higher combat rate of fire (French artillery included, for the most part, 3- and 4-pounders guns, while the composition of the Russian artillery - only 12-pounder and 6-pounder guns, as well as unicorns.) (A. Nilus. History of the material part of artillery). The shorter recoil length of light guns and the lower efforts of the cannon servants to roll the cannons, the lower weight of the cannonballs led to a higher rate of fire of French artillery during periods of greatest activity - that is, relatively short periods of fire training that preceded the attacks of the French troops. In the course of counter-battery firing and long-term methodical shelling of positions that took place in the last phase of the battle, this advantage of light artillery lost its significance. At the same time, the average destructive power of the shot was on the side of the Russian artillery, both due to the larger average caliber, and due to the unicorns, which fired explosive grenades over a long range, which significantly exceeded cannonballs in terms of damaging effect.) 12-pound guns and half-poods unicorns accounted for up to 1/4 of the Russian artillery, while only 10% of the French artillery was represented by 12 and 8 pounder guns. The range of actual firing of 12-pounder Russian guns was 1200 m, French - no more than 1000 m. The French side carried out more intensive maneuvering of artillery. In the final phase of the Battle of Borodino, with the troops in a basically established position, the Russian artillery won counter-battery fire and inflicted huge losses on the French troops, including those who occupied Kurgan heights, as a result of which the French artillery fell silent and the French troops retreated along the front, leaving the Borodino field.

The course of the battle of Borodino

A number of historians, giving preference to the testimonies of the participants in the battle, who adhered to the view of the more fleeting course of the battle on the left wing, attempts are being made to reconstruct the corresponding consistent course of the battle. These attempts are based on separate erroneous testimonies of the participants in the battle and a falsified assertion that the version of the battle for flushes before noon is based solely on the words of Toll, while already in 1813 the English general T. Wilson, an eyewitness of the battle, wrote about the same duration of these battles . Such a reconstruction is presented, in particular, in the work of L. Ivchenko “The Battle of Borodino. The history of the Russian version of events. In accordance with this reconstruction, the French carried out 3 attacks on the flushes: the first - by the forces of Davout's corps - at 6 o'clock in the morning; the second attack - by the corps of Davout and Ney began at 8 in the morning. It was during this attack that Bagration carried out the famous bayonet counterattack. The French were driven back, about 9 o'clock, Bagration was wounded, after which the French captured the flushes a second time; shortly thereafter, Konovnitsyn's division, which was going to help Bagration, again threw the French from the flushes, after which Konovnitsyn withdrew the troops of the left wing to the Semyonov Heights. The French troops, who occupied the flushes for the third time, at about 10 in the morning launched an attack on the main positions of the left wing behind the Semyonov ravine, but were not successful. In this reconstruction, the movement of Junot's corps through the Utitsky forest is explained by Ney's desire to fill the gap between Davout's corps, which advanced a kilometer ahead, and Poniatowski's corps. There were two attacks on Raevsky's battery - the first at 8 in the morning, simultaneously with the main attack on the flashes, which was repelled at about 9 in the morning and the second, which began at about 14.00

Problems of the alternative chronology of the battle

The point of view of Leo Tolstoy on the chronology of the battle

One of the problems with the alternative chronology is the fact that Leo Tolstoy stuck to the first option - defending the flushes before noon. The attitude of historians towards Tolstoy is well known: since Tolstoy was far from commendable about the activities of historians, candidates and doctors of historical sciences prefer to pretend that Tolstoy never wrote about any Battle of Borodino. Meanwhile, Tolstoy was not only a great thinker who comprehended the events of 1812, having personal rich military experience, but also a scrupulous researcher of actual events. It is known that only in the Yasnaya Polyana library he collected more than 2 thousand works devoted to the Patriotic War, which were studied by Tolstoy from a critical position. Tolstoy adhered to the version about 6-hour attacks on flushes.

The battle of Borodino is the main battle of the Patriotic War of 1812 between the armies under the command of General M.I. Kutuzov, from the Russian side, and Napoleon I Bonaparte, from the French. This battle took place on August 26, according to the old style (at the time of the battle it corresponded to September 7, according to the new style; today, it corresponds to September 8, according to the new style), 1812, not far from the village of Borodino. Approximately 125 kilometers from Moscow.

During the 12-hour battle, the French army captured the Russian positions in the center, as well as on the left wing, although after the battle ceased, the French army returned to their original positions. Given this, Russian historiography believes that the Russian army won the battle of Borodino. But, despite this, the next day an order was given to the commander-in-chief of the Russian army Kutuzov to retreat due to huge losses. It is considered the bloodiest one-day battle in history.

Events leading up to the Battle of Borodino

After the French invasion of Russia in 1812 in June, the Russian army had to constantly retreat. The retreat caused public discontent, and Emperor Alexander I appointed a new commander-in-chief, General Kutuzov.

At the beginning of the Battle of Borodino, the size of the Russian army was determined at approximately 115 thousand people and about 640 guns, the French - about 140 thousand soldiers and about 600 guns.

Military history takes into account not only the size of the army, but also the number that was brought into battle. But, according to these indicators - the number of forces that took part in the battle, the French army had a numerical superiority.

Before the main battle there was a battle for the Shevardinsky Redoubt

The idea of ​​​​the commander-in-chief Kutuzov was to lead an active defense, inflict the greatest possible losses on the French troops, that is, change the balance of power, and also save the Russian army for further battles, for the complete defeat of the French army.

On the night of August 26 (September 7), 1812, using the data obtained during the Shevardinsky battle, Kutuzov decides to regroup the Russian troops.

The course of the battle of Borodino - the main, key moments of the battle

Early in the morning (at 5:30) on August 26 (September 7), 1812, over 100 guns from the French side began shelling the positions of the left flank. Also, with the beginning of the shelling on the Russian position, the village of Borodino, the division of General Delzon went on a distracting attack. Borodino was defended by the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment, commanded by Colonel Bistrom. For more than an hour, the huntsmen fought off a superior enemy, but under the threat of a flank bypass, they were forced to retreat across the Kolocha River. But the guards chasseurs were able to get reinforcements and repelled all enemy attempts to break through the Russian defenses.

One of the battles is the battle for the Bagration flushes.

These fleches were occupied by the 2nd Combined Grenadier Division, commanded by General Vorontsov. In the morning, at six o'clock, after a short shelling, an attack began on the Bagration's flushes. Already the first attack allowed the French divisions to overcome the resistance of the chasseurs and break through the Utitsky forest, although, having started building on the edge of the southernmost flush, they were under canister fire, were overturned from the flank by the attack of the chasseurs.

At about 8 o'clock, the French troops repeated the attack and managed to capture the southern flush. And although attempts to capture flushes did not stop on the part of the French army, they ended in failure.

As a result, the bloody battle ended in the defeat of the French troops, who were thrown back behind the ravine of the Semyonovsky stream.

Russian units, although not completely, remained in Semyonovsky until the end of the battle.

Another battle that battered the French is the battle for the Utitsky Kurgan.

Raevsky's battery showed courage in the defense of Russian soil.

The highest mound, which was in the center of the Russian position, had a dominant position over the surrounding area. The battery was installed on this mound, which had 18 guns at the beginning of the battle. The defense of the battery was entrusted to the 7th Infantry Corps of Lieutenant General Raevsky.

Simultaneously with the battle for Bagration's fleches, French troops organized an attack on the battery. But this attack was repulsed directly by artillery fire. And despite all the courage, Raevsky's battery was nevertheless taken by the French.

Despite some successes, the French army did not gain an overwhelming advantage. The French offensive in the center of the Russian army stopped.

Thus, by 18 o'clock the Russian army was still firmly in the Borodino position. The French troops did not succeed in any of the directions to achieve decisive success.

The end of the battle, the results of the battle

When the French troops captured Raevsky's battery, the battle began to fade. The commander-in-chief of the Russian army ordered the withdrawal of the army beyond Mozhaisk in order to make up for human losses, as well as prepare for new battles. But Napoleon, who faced the stamina of the enemy, was in a depressed and anxious mood.

The losses of the Russian army have been repeatedly reviewed by historians. Different sources give different data.

Connections with the loss of the archive during the retreat of the French army, the question of the losses of the French army still remains open.

The Battle of Borodino is the bloodiest battle of the 19th century. That is why Napoleon recognized the battle of Borodino as his greatest battle, although its results are very modest for this great commander.

And although there are many assessments of this battle, the Battle of Borodino, both commanders recorded the victory in it at their own expense ...

Established the Day of Military Glory dedicated to the battle of Borodino

In Russia, the day of military glory is set on September 8 - the Day of the Borodino battle of the Russian army under the command of M. I. Kutuzov with the French army.

In 1812, on the fields near Moscow, the armies of Russian troops and the French "Great Army" under the command of Kutuzov and Napoleon Bonaparte, respectively, clashed in a fierce battle.

Napoleon himself at the end of his life recalled this clash in the following way: “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 acquired the right to be invincible ... "

Content

"A decisive step towards world domination"

What brought the French army to the distant latitudes near Moscow? In order to understand this, one must turn to European history of the end XVIII- start XIX centuries. After Great French Revolution 1789-1794 France rapidly began to slide into a military dictatorship. AT 1799 a military coup takes place in France - a young talented general seizes power Napoleon Bonaparte , which after 5 years, in 1804 year, proclaimed himself emperor.

Panorama Museum "Battle of Borodino" in Moscow

Napoleon immediately led an aggressive foreign policy. France sought complete economic hegemony in Europe. One by one, the European states fell at the feet of the conqueror. Austria, Prussia, Spain, numerous Italian and German principalities were defeated by the force of French arms. But the main economic opponent of the French merchants - Great Britain - remained invulnerable. Great Britain was located on the island, and the English fleet dominated the sea. Realizing that England could not be defeated by force of arms, Napoleon decided to strangle her with a total economic blockade. In all the countries of Europe subject to him, under pain of death, it was forbidden to conduct any trade and economic affairs with the British. This system of strangulation of the English economy was called the Continental Blockade. However, as long as independent Russia remained, there could be no question of any success of the blockade.

A plan matured in the head of the French emperor - it is necessary to invade Russia, defeat the Russian army and finally bring the "northern barbarians" to their knees. It was planned to tear away Lithuania, Belarus and most of Ukraine from Russia. A defeated Russia would not only have to obediently follow the French Continental blockade, but also provide its troops as auxiliary "cannon fodder" for the proposed French campaign in India.

In 1812, Napoleon decided to put his plan into action. For him, this was a decisive step towards world domination ...

Rescue retreat

On June 24, 1812, the Napoleonic "Great Army" (that was the official name of the French troops) invaded Russia. Napoleon led with him a huge horde of 600,000 men. There were not only the French, but also representatives of all the conquered peoples of Europe - Germans, Italians, Poles, Dutch, Spaniards.

Russian troops were three times inferior to the invaders! In addition, our forces were divided into two parts: the 1st Army under the command Barclay de Tolly and 2nd under Bagration. Under such conditions, the only reasonable way out was to retreat. It was necessary to play for time - until the Russian spaces, guerrilla warfare and disease weakened the army of invaders. It was these considerations that guided Barclay de Tolly, who led military operations in the first period of the war. Unfortunately, many in Russia did not understand this at the time. Russian society accused the "German Barclay" of treason, the general was loudly slinged mud, stigmatized.

After the retreat of Russian troops from Smolensk, the emperor Alexander I it became clear that the Russian army needed a new leader. Public opinion throughout Russia unanimously pointed to one figure - Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov . A participant in Catherine's wars, an associate of the great Suvorov, a favorite of soldiers - everything was in his favor. In August 1812, by decree of the emperor, Prince Mikhail Kutuzov was appointed commander-in-chief of all Russian armies. When Kutuzov arrived at the troops, he quickly raised the drooping morale of the Russian soldiers. In the army they began to sing such a ditty:

“Barclay de Tolly is no longer needed, Kutuzov has arrived to beat the French!”

Kutuzov decided to fight back with the French army. The place of the battle was chosen near the village of Borodino. But although the position for the battle was not very successful, there was no need to choose - Moscow was behind!

Battle of Moscow

By that time, the prudent tactics of a temporary retreat had paid off. The further the French army advanced deep into Russia, the more soldiers it left both as garrisons in the captured settlements and in the form of dead, wounded, sick and stragglers. Napoleon brought with him only about 140 thousand people to Borodino. Russian forces did not exceed 120 thousand people.

Despite the approximately equal number of troops, the position of the Russian army was very difficult. First, the French had a clear advantage in artillery. And secondly, the position on which our troops were located was very inconvenient for defense. Leo Tolstoy rightly wrote in War and Peace that " in such a position it’s not something to win - and it was impossible to hold on for three hours«.

But, nevertheless, the Russian army accepted the battle. Early in the morning at 6 o'clock, on August 26, the French launched a massive attack on our positions. Napoleon directed the main blow to the left flank of the Russians, under the command of the legendary General Bagration. Positions here changed hands several times. For 6 hours, frantic attacks and counterattacks continued from both sides! Only around noon - after Bagration was seriously wounded by a fragment of the cannonball - the French managed to push our troops back on the left flank. Now the center of our troops became the target of the French onslaught, where the artillery battery of General Rayevsky . It was “real hell”, but the Russian soldiers did not think about death - they fiercely repelled the attacks of the French infantry and cavalry (Raevsky’s battery even received a sad nickname from the enemy - “ French cavalry grave «).

Only by 4 o'clock in the afternoon the French managed to capture the battery. After that, the intensity of the battle began to gradually subside. There were no other significant changes on the battlefield.

From Moscow to Paris

What was the outcome of the battle? The French troops never managed to achieve success in any of the directions. Napoleon could not crush the Russian army. He only succeeded in pushing the Russian troops from the center and on the left flank a couple of hundred meters from their original position. And this "success" cost the lives of more than 40 thousand Napoleonic soldiers. 47 of the best French generals were wounded or killed during the battle. And the Russians stood as they were - they just leaned back a little. And although the Russians lost almost half of the army (about 50 thousand people), they did not feel defeated at all. On the contrary, Russian soldiers dreamed of continuing the battle the next day. So great was their hatred for the invaders and unwillingness to give the enemy their ancient capital Moscow.

But Kutuzov understood that it was impossible to continue the fight. Losses are too great, and replenishment is not expected in the near future. At the military council in Fili, which took place after the battle, the Russian commander uttered his famous words:

“With the loss of Moscow, Russia is not lost yet. But with the loss of the army, both Moscow and Russia will be lost.

Moscow had to be abandoned. But this was the last success of the French. A month later, the Napoleonic army, weakened by losses in the Battle of Borodino and the constantly smoldering partisan war, rushed away from Moscow - to the western border, which it so bravely crossed in the summer of 1812. But not everyone was lucky enough to achieve it. Of the 600 thousand soldiers that Napoleon brought with him to Russia, only 30 thousand people were able to return to Europe. Napoleonic France received a mortal blow from which she could no longer recover. Less than two years after the battle of Borodino, the Russian army solemnly entered the defeated Paris. Napoleon Bonaparte's empire ceased to exist...

Mikhail Provotorov