September 8 is the day of the Borodino battle. Day of the Battle of Borodino. Reference. How it all began

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

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

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

Battle of Borodino in 1812

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

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

In this grandiose battle, about 300 thousand people took part 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 the master of the world. There is only Russia left, but I will crush it. "- with these words Napoleon and his 600,000-strong army crossed the Russian border.

Since the beginning of the invasion by 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 Infantry General Kutuzov as commander-in-chief.

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

On August 22 (September 3), the Russian army, retreating from Smolensk, was stationed 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 from Kutuzov to stop the advance of Emperor Napoleon to Moscow.

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

The battle order of the Russian army was made up of three lines: the first housed the infantry corps, the second - the cavalry, and the third - the reserves. The army's artillery 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 Krasny 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 ahead of the front as the right. The center (the height near the village of Gorki and the space 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 Borodino battle was the battle for the Shevardinsky redoubt on August 24 (September 5).

Here on the eve 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, it became a separate forward position. Napoleon ordered an attack on the Shevardino position - the redoubt prevented the French army from turning around.

To gain time for engineering work, Kutuzov ordered to detain the enemy 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.

More than 40,000 French infantry and cavalry attacked Shevardin's defenders.

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 approached the village of Valuevo, the Russian huntsmen opened fire on them.

A fierce battle broke out in the area of ​​the village of Shevardino. In the course of 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 Shevardin, approximately the same losses were suffered by the Russian army.

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

It was established that the main enemy forces were concentrating 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 positioning it in the Utitsa area. A reliable defense was created in the area of ​​the Bagrationov flashes. 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

On the eve of the great battle

25-th of August in the area of ​​the Borodino field there were no active hostilities. Both armies were preparing for the decisive, decisive battle, conducting reconnaissance and erecting field fortifications. On a small hill to the south-west of the village of Semenovskoye, three fortifications were built, which were named "Bagrationov flushes".

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

The Emperor Napoleon Bonoparte on August 25 (September 6) personally conducted a reconnaissance of the terrain of the future battle and, discovering the weakness of the left flank of the Russian army, decided to inflict the main blow on it. Accordingly, he developed a battle plan. First of all, the task was to seize 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 became, as it were, the axis of entry, push back 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 this 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 general engagement. Napoleon did not doubt his victory, which he expressed in words at sunrise on August 26 "" "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 longed for. Victory depends on you. We need it; she will give us everything we need, comfortable apartments and a quick return to the fatherland. Act as you did under Austerlitz, Friedland, Vitebsk and Smolensk. Let the later offspring proudly remember your exploits on this day. Let it be said 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

Battle of Borodino began at 5 a.m., 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.

The decisive battles unfolded for the Bagration flushes and the Raevsky battery, which the French managed to capture at the cost of heavy losses.

Battle scheme

Bagration flushes

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

At 6 o'clock in the morning after a short cannonade, the French attacked the Bagration flushes ( flushes They called field fortifications, which consisted of two faces, each 20-30 m long, at an acute angle, the top corner was turned towards the enemy). But they came under canister fire and were thrown back by the flanking attack of the gamekeepers.

Averyanov. Fight for Bagration flushes

At 8 o'clock in the morning the French repeated their 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 number to 160 guns. They were opposed by about 20,000 Russian troops with 108 guns.

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

After heavy artillery preparation, the French managed to break into the southern flush and between flushes. About 10 o'clock in the morning the flushes 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 above Borodino was already covered with thick smoke.

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

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

At 12 o'clock in the afternoon 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 only about 20 thousand people against 40 thousand from the enemy. A fierce hand-to-hand fight ensued, which lasted about an hour. During this time, the masses of French troops were thrown back to the Utitsky forest and were on the verge of defeat. The preponderance tended to the side of the Russian troops, but during the transition to a counterattack, Bagration, wounded by a shell fragment in the thigh, fell from his horse and was taken from the battlefield. The news of Bagration's injury instantly swept through the ranks of the Russian troops and undermined the morale of the Russian soldiers. Russian troops began to retreat. ( Approx. Bagration died of blood poisoning on September 12 (25), 1812)

After that, the command of the left flank was assumed by General D.S. Dokhturov. The French troops were drained of blood and unable to attack. The Russian troops were greatly weakened, but they retained their combat effectiveness, which was revealed in the course of repelling the attack of fresh French forces on Semyonovskoye.

In total, about 60,000 French troops took part in the battles for the flush, 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 of their attacks, except the last, were repelled by the significantly smaller forces of the Russians. By concentrating forces on the right flank, Napoleon ensured a 2-3-fold numerical superiority in the battles for the flashes, thanks to which, as well as due to the injury of Bagration, the French still managed to push the left wing of the Russian army at a distance of about 1 km. This success did not lead to the decisive result that Napoleon 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's battery

The last battles of the Borodino battle in the evening took place near the batteries of the 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 at 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 the Bagrationov flushes, the French launched the first attack on Raevsky's battery.A bloody battle took place on the battery.

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

However, the capture of the Kurgan Heights did not lead to a decrease in the stability of the Russian center. The same applies to 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 occupation of the Rayevsky battery 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 case was limited to artillery firefight until 7 pm.

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

In the evening of August 26, at 18 o'clock, the Battle of Borodino ended. The attacks stopped along the entire front. Until nightfall, only artillery skirmish and rifle fire continued in the advanced chasseurs' lines.

Results of the Borodino battle

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

Perhaps, tactically, the Battle of Borodino was another victory for Napoleon - he forced the Russian army to retreat and surrender Moscow. However, strategically, it was a victory for Kutuzov and the Russian army. In the campaign of 1812, a radical change took place. The Russian army withstood the battle with the strongest enemy and its morale only grew stronger. Its number and material resources will be restored soon. Napoleon's army lost heart, lost the ability to win, an aura of invincibility. Subsequent events will only confirm the correctness of the words of the military theorist Karl Clausewitz, who noted that "victory consists not simply in the capture of the battlefield, but in the physical and moral defeat of the enemy's forces."

Later, while in exile, the defeated French emperor Napoleon admitted: “Of all my battles, the worst thing is that I gave near Moscow. The French showed themselves worthy to win in it, and the Russians - to be called invincible. "

The number of losses of the Russian army in the Battle of Borodino was 44-45 thousand people. The French, according to some estimates, lost about 40-60 thousand people. The losses in the command personnel were especially heavy: in the Russian army 4 generals were killed and mortally wounded, 23 generals were wounded and shell-shocked; in the Great 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 happened before it. The most conservative estimates of cumulative casualties were that 2,500 people died in 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 who is accustomed to victories.

The main achievement of the general battle at Borodino was that Napoleon was unable 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 was the basis of all the achievements of the French Empire.

On October 3, 1812, the British newspapers Courier and The Times published a report from the British ambassador Katkar from St. Petersburg, in which he announced that the armies of His Imperial Majesty Alexander I had won the most stubborn battle at Borodino. During October, The Times wrote 8 times about the Battle of Borodino, 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 influence on these events of the unfavorable strategic situation 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 wide strata 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 forgeries in commissioned publications, at any cost, regardless of reality, they try to convey 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 cornerstone bricks that make Russia in the minds of modern society precisely as a great power. Throughout the modern history of Russia, Russophobic propaganda has been loosening these bricks.

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

One of the Days of Military Glory of Russia is Day of the Battle of Borodino in 1812 which is celebrated annually 8 September.

The battle of Borodino took place on August 26 (September 7) between the French and Russian armies. The French were commanded by Napoleon, and the Russians - by Kutuzov. The battle lasted 12 hours.

General Pele, who participated in the Battle of Borodino, recalled that Napoleon, recalling Borodino, said that the Battle of Borodino was the most formidable and most beautiful battle in which the French were worthy of victory, and the Russians could be considered invincible.

Prehistory of the Borodino battle

The French army invaded the territory of the Russian Empire in June 1812 and provoked a constant retreat of the Russian troops. The French suppressed in numbers and quickly moved forward, which was dissatisfied with the Emperor Alexander I. Therefore, he decided to remove the infantry general Barclay de Tolly from the post of commander-in-chief of the Russian army and appoint the infantry general Mikhail Kutuzov. But Kutuzov, in order to gather the necessary forces, first had to retreat.

The Russian army on August 22 (September 3), retreating from Smolensk, took up positions 125 km from Moscow near the village of Borodino, where Kutuzov decided to give a general battle. It was impossible to hesitate, since the emperor demanded to stop the advance of Napoleon's army to Moscow.

Initial alignment of forces

Data on the number of parties is ambiguous and in different historical sources the number of forces of the Russian army varies from 110 to 150 thousand people. The size of the French army is more definite - it is about 130 thousand soldiers, as well as 587 guns. The French army outnumbered the Russian in the experience of soldiers and heavy cavalry.

According to the plan of the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, the active defense of the Russians was to weaken the enemy's forces and change their ratio, thereby making it possible for the Russian troops to continue the battle and defeat the French army. According to this plan, the order of the Russian troops was built.

The starting position chosen by Kutuzov was a straight line, which on the left flank ran from the Shevardinsky redoubt through a battery located on Red Hill, which was later called the Raevsky battery, in the center was the village of Borodino, and on the right flank - the village of Maslovo.

On August 25 (September 6), Emperor Napoleon discovered a weak spot on the left flank of the Russian army, and it was there that Napoleon decided to strike. He developed a battle plan, according to which he was to first seize the left bank of the Kolocha River, capturing Borodino. As a result of this maneuver, the attention of the Russians should be diverted from Napoleon's main blow. Further, it was planned to transfer the main forces of the French to the right bank of the Kolocha River and, pushing Kutuzov's army with the right wing into the corner between the Moscow River and Kolocha, to destroy it.

On the morning of August 24 (September 5), before the main battle, the Russian rearguard, located 8 km from the main forces, attacked the enemy vanguard. The stubborn battle lasted for several hours.

Napoleon's troops were moving towards Borodino in three columns. The French tried to encircle the Shevardinsky redoubt, they captured the redoubt three times, but each time they were driven out by Russian troops. Thus, gradually weakening, the battle stopped, and Kutuzov gave the order to withdraw the troops towards the main forces.

The battle at the Shevardinsky redoubt allowed Kutuzov's troops to gain time to complete defensive work at the Borodino position, as well as to clarify the location of the enemy forces and the estimated direction of the enemy's main attack.

On August 25 (September 6), throughout the day, the troops of both armies were preparing for the upcoming battle.

The beginning of the Battle of Borodino

On August 26 (September 7) at half past five in the morning, the French began shelling the left flank of the Russian troops from a hundred guns. Simultaneously with the shelling, the forces of Delzon's division moved towards the village of Borodino (the center of the Russian positions), covered by the morning fog, which made a diversionary attack. The village was defended by the Guards Jaeger Regiment, commanded by K.I.Bistrom. This regiment, vainly defending itself against an enemy four times superior to them, was forced to retreat beyond the Kolocha River.

The course of the Borodino battle

After a short cannonade, the French began to attack Bagration's flushes. Despite the fierce attack of the French, the Russians were able to resist them with smaller forces, defending the flushes, but the last attack of the French was successful. Thus, Napoleon concentrated on the right flank three times the number of troops and, thanks to this, pushed the left flank of the Russian army for a kilometer. However, this success did not give the quick result expected by Napoleon, but improved the position of his troops, since the retreat of the Russians opened the central part of the positions for the attack of the French.

After the Bagration's flushes fell, Napoleon changed his plans and directed his forces not to the left wing of the Russian army, but to the weakened central part - to the Rayevsky battery. Raevsky's battery was located on a high mound, which towered in the very center of the Russian positions, at the time of the beginning of the battle he had 18 guns. Lieutenant General N. N. Raevsky commanded the infantry corps, which defended the battery. The Russian cavalry and the Cossacks delayed the next French attack for two hours.

The bloody battle on the Raevsky battery began at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon with a crossfire of 150 guns, which was opened by the French from flushes and from the front. Rayevsky's battery went down at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

Napoleon, having received the news that Rayevsky's battery had fallen, at 17 o'clock began to move to the center of the Russian army, but soon, deciding that the enemy forces in the center were unshakable, the French stopped the offensive.

The result of the Borodino battle

The battle of Borodino is considered the bloodiest battle of the 19th century, since, according to the aggregate losses, it is estimated at 2,500 people who die every hour of the battle. Some divisions lost 80% of their composition. The French fired 60,000 cannon shots and 1.5 million rifle shots. It is no coincidence that the Battle of Borodino was called by Napoleon the greatest of his battles, despite the fact that the result for a commander accustomed to victories can be considered very modest.

Each commander, both Kutuzov and Napoleon, chalked up the victory in the Battle of Borodino. After the Battle of Borodino, Prince Kutuzov was promoted to field marshal and was given a salary of 100 thousand rubles. All the lower ranks who participated in the battle received 5 rubles each.

Today, a number of Russian historians insist that the outcome of the Borodino battle can be called uncertain, and the victory of the Russian army "moral". Some historians, both in our country and abroad, regard the Battle of Borodino as an unambiguous victory for Napoleon.

The battle of Borodino became a kind of indicator of the crisis of the French theory of a decisive general battle, since Napoleon's troops could not cope with the Russian army in order to force Russia to surrender, dictating its own terms of peace. Russian troops inflicted significant damage on the French army, thanks to which it was able to save strength for subsequent battles.

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After the withdrawal of the Russian army from Smolensk, the commander-in-chief of infantry Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov decided, relying on a pre-selected position (near the village of Borodino, located 124 kilometers west of Moscow), to give the French army a general battle in order to inflict the greatest possible damage on it and stop the offensive to Moscow. Napoleon I set the goal in the Battle of Borodino to crush the Russian army, seize Moscow and force Russia to conclude peace on favorable terms.

The position of the Russian army on the Borodino field along the front and up to 7 kilometers in depth. Its right flank adjoined the Moskva River, the left flank - to an impenetrable forest, the center rested on the Kurgannaya Hill, which was covered from the west by the Semenov Stream.

The forest and bushes in the rear of the position made it possible to covertly position the troops and carry out a maneuver with reserves.

The position was strengthened by fortifications: at the end of the right flank, near the forest, with the front to the Moscow River, three flashes were built (field fortification in the form of an obtuse angle, the top facing the enemy); near the village of Gorki, on the new Smolensk road, there are two batteries, one higher than the other, one for three guns, the other for nine; in the center of the position, at a height - a large lunette (open from the rear field fortification, consisting of side ramparts and a ditch in front), armed with 18 guns, (later called the Rayevsky battery); in front and south of the village of Semenovskaya - three flushes (Bagrationov flushes); the village of Borodino, on the left bank of the Kolocha River, was put on a defensive position; a pentagonal redoubt (a closed rectangular, polygonal or round field fortification with an outer moat and parapet) for 12 guns was built on the Shevardin hill.

Napoleon achieved some success in the Battle of Borodino, but he did not decide his main task - to defeat the Russian army in a general battle. Kutuzov opposed the Napoleonic strategy of the general battle with another, higher form of struggle - the achievement of victory by a series of battles united by one plan.

In the Battle of Borodino, the Russian army showed examples of tactical art: maneuvering reserves from the depths and along the front, the successful use of cavalry for actions on the flank, perseverance and active defense, continuous counterattacks in the interaction of infantry, cavalry and artillery. The enemy was forced to conduct frontal attacks. The battle turned into a frontal clash, in which Napoleon's chances for a decisive victory over the Russian army were reduced to zero.

The battle of Borodino did not lead to an immediate turning point in the course of the war, but it radically changed the course of the war. To successfully complete it, it took time to make up for losses, to prepare a reserve. It took only about 1.5 months when the Russian army led by Kutuzov was able to begin the expulsion of enemy forces from Russia.

Annually, on the first Sunday of September, the Borodino battle anniversary is widely celebrated on the Borodino field (Mozhaisky district of the Moscow region). The culmination of the holiday is a military-historical reconstruction of the episodes of the Borodino battle on the parade-theater to the west of the village of Borodin. More than a thousand lovers of military history, who made uniforms, equipment and weapons of the 1812 era with their own hands, are united in the "Russian" and "French" armies. At the same time, they demonstrate the tactics of warfare, knowledge of the military regulations of that time, the possession of firearms and cold weapons. The spectacle ends with a parade of military history clubs and the awarding of those who distinguished themselves in the battle.

On this day, more than 100 thousand people from Russia and foreign countries who are interested in the military history of the era of the Napoleonic wars gather annually on the Borodino field.

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

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

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

Battle of Borodino in 1812

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

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

In this grandiose battle, about 300 thousand people took part 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 the master of the world. There is only Russia left, but I will crush it. "- with these words Napoleon and his 600,000-strong army crossed the Russian border.

Since the beginning of the invasion by 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 Infantry General Kutuzov as commander-in-chief.

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

On August 22 (September 3), the Russian army, retreating from Smolensk, was stationed 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 from Kutuzov to stop the advance of Emperor Napoleon to Moscow.

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

The battle order of the Russian army was made up of three lines: the first housed the infantry corps, the second - the cavalry, and the third - the reserves. The army's artillery 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 Krasny 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 ahead of the front as the right. The center (the height near the village of Gorki and the space 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 Borodino battle was the battle for the Shevardinsky redoubt on August 24 (September 5).

Here on the eve 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, it became a separate forward position. Napoleon ordered an attack on the Shevardino position - the redoubt prevented the French army from turning around.

To gain time for engineering work, Kutuzov ordered to detain the enemy 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.

More than 40,000 French infantry and cavalry attacked Shevardin's defenders.

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 approached the village of Valuevo, the Russian huntsmen opened fire on them.

A fierce battle broke out in the area of ​​the village of Shevardino. In the course of 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 Shevardin, approximately the same losses were suffered by the Russian army.

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

It was established that the main enemy forces were concentrating 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 positioning it in the Utitsa area. A reliable defense was created in the area of ​​the Bagrationov flashes. 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

On the eve of the great battle

25-th of August in the area of ​​the Borodino field there were no active hostilities. Both armies were preparing for the decisive, decisive battle, conducting reconnaissance and erecting field fortifications. On a small hill to the south-west of the village of Semenovskoye, three fortifications were built, which were named "Bagrationov flushes".

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

The Emperor Napoleon Bonoparte on August 25 (September 6) personally conducted a reconnaissance of the terrain of the future battle and, discovering the weakness of the left flank of the Russian army, decided to inflict the main blow on it. Accordingly, he developed a battle plan. First of all, the task was to seize 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 became, as it were, the axis of entry, push back 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 this 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 general engagement. Napoleon did not doubt his victory, which he expressed in words at sunrise on August 26 "" "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 longed for. Victory depends on you. We need it; she will give us everything we need, comfortable apartments and a quick return to the fatherland. Act as you did under Austerlitz, Friedland, Vitebsk and Smolensk. Let the later offspring proudly remember your exploits on this day. Let it be said 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

Battle of Borodino began at 5 a.m., 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.

The decisive battles unfolded for the Bagration flushes and the Raevsky battery, which the French managed to capture at the cost of heavy losses.

Battle scheme

Bagration flushes

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

At 6 o'clock in the morning after a short cannonade, the French attacked the Bagration flushes ( flushes They called field fortifications, which consisted of two faces, each 20-30 m long, at an acute angle, the top corner was turned towards the enemy). But they came under canister fire and were thrown back by the flanking attack of the gamekeepers.

Averyanov. Fight for Bagration flushes

At 8 o'clock in the morning the French repeated their 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 number to 160 guns. They were opposed by about 20,000 Russian troops with 108 guns.

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

After heavy artillery preparation, the French managed to break into the southern flush and between flushes. About 10 o'clock in the morning the flushes 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 above Borodino was already covered with thick smoke.

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

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

At 12 o'clock in the afternoon 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 only about 20 thousand people against 40 thousand from the enemy. A fierce hand-to-hand fight ensued, which lasted about an hour. During this time, the masses of French troops were thrown back to the Utitsky forest and were on the verge of defeat. The preponderance tended to the side of the Russian troops, but during the transition to a counterattack, Bagration, wounded by a shell fragment in the thigh, fell from his horse and was taken from the battlefield. The news of Bagration's injury instantly swept through the ranks of the Russian troops and undermined the morale of the Russian soldiers. Russian troops began to retreat. ( Approx. Bagration died of blood poisoning on September 12 (25), 1812)

After that, the command of the left flank was assumed by General D.S. Dokhturov. The French troops were drained of blood and unable to attack. The Russian troops were greatly weakened, but they retained their combat effectiveness, which was revealed in the course of repelling the attack of fresh French forces on Semyonovskoye.

In total, about 60,000 French troops took part in the battles for the flush, 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 of their attacks, except the last, were repelled by the significantly smaller forces of the Russians. By concentrating forces on the right flank, Napoleon ensured a 2-3-fold numerical superiority in the battles for the flashes, thanks to which, as well as due to the injury of Bagration, the French still managed to push the left wing of the Russian army at a distance of about 1 km. This success did not lead to the decisive result that Napoleon 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's battery

The last battles of the Borodino battle in the evening took place near the batteries of the 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 at 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 the Bagrationov flushes, the French launched the first attack on Raevsky's battery.A bloody battle took place on the battery.

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

However, the capture of the Kurgan Heights did not lead to a decrease in the stability of the Russian center. The same applies to 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 occupation of the Rayevsky battery 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 case was limited to artillery firefight until 7 pm.

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

In the evening of August 26, at 18 o'clock, the Battle of Borodino ended. The attacks stopped along the entire front. Until nightfall, only artillery skirmish and rifle fire continued in the advanced chasseurs' lines.

Results of the Borodino battle

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

Perhaps, tactically, the Battle of Borodino was another victory for Napoleon - he forced the Russian army to retreat and surrender Moscow. However, strategically, it was a victory for Kutuzov and the Russian army. In the campaign of 1812, a radical change took place. The Russian army withstood the battle with the strongest enemy and its morale only grew stronger. Its number and material resources will be restored soon. Napoleon's army lost heart, lost the ability to win, an aura of invincibility. Subsequent events will only confirm the correctness of the words of the military theorist Karl Clausewitz, who noted that "victory consists not simply in the capture of the battlefield, but in the physical and moral defeat of the enemy's forces."

Later, while in exile, the defeated French emperor Napoleon admitted: “Of all my battles, the worst thing is that I gave near Moscow. The French showed themselves worthy to win in it, and the Russians - to be called invincible. "

The number of losses of the Russian army in the Battle of Borodino was 44-45 thousand people. The French, according to some estimates, lost about 40-60 thousand people. The losses in the command personnel were especially heavy: in the Russian army 4 generals were killed and mortally wounded, 23 generals were wounded and shell-shocked; in the Great 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 happened before it. The most conservative estimates of cumulative casualties were that 2,500 people died in 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 who is accustomed to victories.

The main achievement of the general battle at Borodino was that Napoleon was unable 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 was the basis of all the achievements of the French Empire.

On October 3, 1812, the British newspapers Courier and The Times published a report from the British ambassador Katkar from St. Petersburg, in which he announced that the armies of His Imperial Majesty Alexander I had won the most stubborn battle at Borodino. During October, The Times wrote 8 times about the Battle of Borodino, 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 influence on these events of the unfavorable strategic situation 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 wide strata 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 forgeries in commissioned publications, at any cost, regardless of reality, they try to convey 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 cornerstone bricks that make Russia in the minds of modern society precisely as a great power. Throughout the modern history of Russia, Russophobic propaganda has been loosening these bricks.

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

One of the culminating moments of the Patriotic War of 1812 was the general battle given to the united forces of Europe led by the Emperor of France Napoleon Bonaparte by the Russian army led by M.I. Kutuzov near the village of Borodino on August 26 (September 7, new style).

Note: when preparing the Federal Law "On Days of Military Glory and Memorable Dates of Russia", the fact was not taken into account that the difference between the Julian calendar, in force in Russia until 1918, and the modern, Gregorian, is, respectively, in the XIII century. - 7 days, XIV century. - 8 days, XV century. - 9 days, XVI and XVII centuries - 10 days, XVIII century. - 11 days, XIX century. - 12 days, XX and XXI centuries. - 13 days, just adding 13 days to the old calendar date. Therefore, different dates appear in historical science than in the law, but, I think, this annoying inaccuracy does not detract from the exploits of our ancestors.

It should be said that of the 600 thousand soldiers of Napoleon's army aimed at Russia (the first echelon - 439 thousand people and 1014 guns - the invasion force; the second echelon - 170 thousand people and 432 guns, plus a reserve was located between the Vistula and the Oder), the French actually made up the maximum half. The invasion of our country was attended by Italians, Poles, Germans, Dutch, even the Spanish mobilized by force - a total of 16 different nationalities. Austria and Prussia against Russia under allied agreements with Napoleon allocated corps (30 and 20 thousand, respectively). After the invasion, units with a total number of up to 20 thousand were added here, formed from the inhabitants of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which Napoleon promised (with certain reservations) to restore after the defeat of Russia.

The French were opposed by the 1st and 2nd Russian armies, the 3rd Observational (reserve) army, reserve units - with a total strength of only about 300 thousand. At the same time, these forces were at a considerable distance from each other and could not successfully resist the enemy alone. Immediately after the start of the invasion, which took place on 12 (24 according to the new style) June 1812, the Russian armies were ordered to quickly retreat inland, dodging major battles and destroying everything that could not be taken out.

At the same time, the commanders of the 1st and 2nd Russian armies Barclay de Tolly and Bagration not only retained the main forces of their troops, but, conducting fierce rearguard battles with three times superior enemy forces, significantly reduced their numbers. Having united at Smolensk, the Russian armies gave the enemy a battle at its walls. But for the sake of preserving the army, the city had to be abandoned.

Two days after the surrender of Smolensk to the French, under pressure from public opinion, Alexander I appointed the 67-year-old general of infantry, Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov, as commander-in-chief of the Russian army. But he also adhered to the tactics of retreat, for the forces were still unequal. As they moved inland, the enemy armada melted away in battles, and the garrisons left in cities and towns also required a considerable number of personnel.

Finally, the hour has struck.

The position for the general battle was found near the village of Borodino, 124 kilometers from Moscow. Here the Old and New Smolensk roads almost converged and Russian troops blocked them at the same time.

On the left flank, the Borodino field was covered by the impassable Utitsky forest, and on the right, which ran along the banks of the Kolocha River, Maslovsky flashes were erected - earthen arrow-shaped fortifications. In the center of the position, fortifications were also built, which received different names: Central, Kurgan heights, or the Raevsky batteries. Semyonovsky (Bagrationov) flushes were erected on the left flank. Ahead of the entire position, from the left flank, near the village of Shevardino, a redoubt was also built, which was supposed to play the role of an advanced fortification. By the time the French troops approached, the redoubt had not yet been fully built, and if the enemy could have captured it on the move, then the entire left flank of the Russian army's disposition would have been open. Napoleon would have had great chances to overthrow the left flank of Kutuzov's army with a quick throw and win the battle. But the defenders of the redoubt under the command of General A.I. Gorchakov (8 thousand infantry and 4 thousand cavalry with 36 guns) staunchly held the defense. The redoubt was located 1300 m from the main positions of the Russian army, and it was not possible to support it with artillery fire from other sectors.

Attack of the Shevardinsky redoubt. Hood. N. Samokish.

Against the defenders of the Shevardinsky redoubt, Napoleon threw 30 thousand infantry, 10 thousand cavalry with 186 guns.

From 2 pm on August 24 (September 5) until 11 pm the Russians held back the French. Strengthening several times passed from hand to hand. Both sides lost about 6 thousand people, while the 111th French Line Infantry Regiment was completely destroyed.

By order of Kutuzov, the Russians left this remote fortification. Their courageous resistance made it possible to build one of the most important fortifications of the left flank of the Russian position - Semyonovskie flashes. And the general battle itself was postponed for another day, which Kutuzov's troops made the most of to prepare for the battle.

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 a bypass movement of the enemy on the right. That is why a significant part of the corps of the 1st Army found themselves in this direction. Napoleon, however, decided to inflict his main blow on 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. I poke, leaving only a few cavalry and infantry units to cover my own left flank.

The battle began at five o'clock in the morning with an attack by units of the corps of the Viceroy of Italy E. Beauharnais on the position of the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment near the village of Borodino. The French took possession of this point, but it was their distraction. Napoleon launched his main blow against Bagration's army. Corps of Marshals L.N. Davout, M. Ney, I. Murat and General A. Junot several times attacked the Semyonov flushes. Units of the 2nd Army fought heroically against the outnumbered enemy. The French repeatedly burst into flushes, but each time after a counterattack they abandoned them. Only by nine o'clock the Napoleonic armies finally captured the fortifications of the Russian left flank, and Bagration, who tried to organize another counterattack at that time, was mortally wounded.

After the capture of the flushes, the main struggle developed for the center of the Russian position - the Raevsky battery, which at 9 and 11 in the morning was subjected to two strong attacks by the enemy. 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. Ermolov.

General Yermolov's counterattack on the Raevsky battery captured by the French. Chromolithography A. Safonov.

At noon, Kutuzov sent the Cossacks general from the cavalry 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 the attention of Napoleon and for several hours delayed a new assault by the French on the weakened Russian center. 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 Napoleon's units make a third attempt to seize Raevsky's battery. The actions of Napoleon's infantry and cavalry led to success, and soon the French finally captured this fortification. They were captured by the wounded Major General P.G. Likhachev. The Russian troops withdrew, but the enemy could not break through the new front of their defense, despite all the efforts of the two cavalry corps.

Napoleon at the Borodino Heights. Hood. V. Vereshchagin.

For 12 hours of battle, at the cost of heavy losses, the French managed to capture the positions of the Russian army in the center and on the left wing, but after the cessation of hostilities withdrew to their original positions.

The Russian armies retreated by about 1 km.

Thinning Russian regiments stood to death, ready to repel new attacks. Napoleon, despite the urgent requests of his marshals, did not dare to abandon his last reserve for the final blow - the twenty thousandth Old Guard.

Historians assess the Battle of Borodino as the bloodiest of all one-day battles. According to the historian E.V. Tarle, the Russians out of 112 thousand lost about 58 thousand people, the French - out of 130 thousand more than 50 thousand.

Kutuzov, in his report to Emperor Alexander I, reported:

“The battle on the 26th was the most bloody of all those known in modern times. We completely won the place of battle, and the enemy then retreated to the position in which he came to attack us; but an extraordinary loss, and on our part, done, especially by the fact that the most needed generals were wounded, forced me to retreat along the Moscow road. Today I am in the village of Nare and must retreat to meet the troops coming to 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 have lost 40,000 wounded and killed. In addition to divisional general Bonami, who has been captured, there are others who have been killed. By the way, Davust is wounded. Rearguard affairs take place daily. Now, I found out that the corps of the Viceroy of Italy is located near Ruza, and for this a detachment of Adjutant General Vincengerode went to Zvenigorod in order to close Moscow along that road. "

Kutuzov at the command post on Borodin's day. Hood. A. Shepelyuk.

The French diplomat Armand Augustin Louis Marquis de Caulaincourt, a participant in the campaign to Russia, wrote in his memoirs:

“Never before have we lost so many generals and officers in one battle ... There were few prisoners. The Russians showed great courage; the fortifications and territory that they were forced to cede to us were evacuated in order. Their ranks did not break down ... they met death bravely and only slowly yielded to our brave attacks. There has never been a case before enemy positions were subjected to such fierce and such systematic attacks and that they were defended with such tenacity. The emperor repeated many times that he could not understand how the redoubts and positions, which were captured with such courage and which we defended so stubbornly, gave us only a small number of prisoners ... These successes without prisoners, without trophies did not satisfy him ... "

We can say that after the Battle of Borodino, fortune turned away from Napoleon Bonaparte and his Great Army. Then there was a sitting in burned-out Moscow, a retreat that turned into a flight under the blows of Russian troops. According to the Prussian official Auerswald, by December 21, 1812, 255 generals, 5111 officers, 26,950 lower ranks passed through East Prussia from the Great Army, "all in a very miserable state." To these 30 thousand must be added about 6 thousand soldiers (who returned to the French army) from the corps of General Rainier and Marshal MacDonald, operating in the north and south. Many of those who returned to Königsberg, according to the testimony of Count Segur, died of illness, reaching safe territory.

Thus, Napoleon lost about 580 thousand soldiers in Russia. These losses, according to T. Lenz's calculations, include 200 thousand killed, from 150 to 190 thousand prisoners, about 130 thousand deserters who fled to their homeland (mainly from the Prussian, Austrian, Saxon and Westphalian troops, but there were examples among the French soldiers), about 60 thousand more fugitives were sheltered by Russian peasants, townspeople and nobles. Of the 47 thousand guards that entered Russia with the emperor, several hundred soldiers remained six months later. Over 1200 guns were lost in Russia.

The historian of the mid-19th century M.I. Bogdanovich calculated the replenishment of the Russian armies during the war according to the records of the Military Scientist Archive of the General Staff. The total loss by December 1812 was 210 thousand soldiers. Of these, according to Bogdanovich's assumption, up to 40 thousand returned to service. Losses of corps operating in secondary directions, and militias can be about the same 40 thousand people. In general, Bogdanovich estimated the losses of the Russian army at 210 thousand soldiers and militias.

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

The headpiece uses an illustration to the poem Borodino by M. Yu. Lermontov. Artist V. Shevchenko. 1970s