1812-th: to see Moscow and die
The French near Kaluga. There is no turning back
12 failures by Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon's stay in the throne was clearly prolonged. No historian disputes this. As no one disputes the erroneous calculation of the French emperor to conclude peace with Alexander I. One can say as much as you like that circumstances this time turned out to be stronger than Napoleon. But, despite the fact that the Napoleonic troops were almost forced to leave the old Russian capital, it was still the army of victors.
This is not an escape from Moscow, but only the return of Napoleon from Petrovsky Castle to the Kremlin
95 of thousands of experienced warriors who had a good rest and pretty much lived in Moscow, received not only awards, but also solid reinforcements, marched in the direction of Kaluga for the next victories. Napoleon was also able to firmly cheat on his soldiers, who learned about the defeat suffered by Marshal Murat on the Chernishna River.
The Neapolitan king, whom Napoleon himself constantly kept saying that the world was about to be made, clearly overestimated the friendliness of the Cossacks, who had more than once entered into battle, and in negotiations with the French patrols. The old sly Bennigsen, not paying attention to all the bans of Kutuzov, set Murat a real trap, and if he received support from the main forces, everything could end in the defeat of the French avant-garde.
But this is an escape that the emperor considered the beginning of a new offensive
Napoleon left Moscow on the morning of October 19, with the guard and headquarters, after five weeks of voluntary imprisonment in a city that was almost completely burned down. The city, which in other conditions could contain more than 100-thousandth mass of invaders until next spring. Together with Napoleonic soldiers and officers, many wounded and thousands of civilians left Moscow, General Marbo counted more than 40 thousand wagons in the wagon train.
Most of them were filled not with provisions and ammunition, but with looted goods. It’s scary to imagine if each of Napoleon’s soldiers could use the emperor’s permission to take two carts with him from Russia. The army tried to advance in several columns, but sometimes stretched, according to the testimony of French eyewitnesses, a dozen leagues - more than fifty kilometers.
And yet Napoleon is advancing again. And he begins to act, as in an offensive - he hides his retreat along the old Kaluga tract, tries to misinform Kutuzov, knowing his unwillingness to fight again. Napoleon spreads rumors that he wants to attack the left flank of the Russian positions near Tarutino, hoping that Kutuzov will immediately "move" to the east. The Russians are standing still, but Napoleon has already decided to turn onto the new Kaluga road near the village of Troitsky.
Crossroads of Fate
The circumstances of the radical change during the Patriotic War of 1812 were studied in great detail, including on the web pages of the Military Review (A radical turning point during the Patriotic War: the battle of Maloyaroslavets 12 (24) October 1812 years). Here we will try to figure out why a tactical victory turned out to be such a serious strategic defeat for the French.
The middle of October of the 1812 year, south of Moscow, is warm and sunny. Ahead of the French emperor is Maloyaroslavets, from where you can continue to move to Kaluga, or immediately turn to Medyn. In any case, the ultimate goal of the campaign is Smolensk, where huge stocks of food, fodder and ammunition are concentrated, with which it is quite possible to winter. Continuing to consider himself a winner.
Napoleon lags behind Marshal Mortier, who either failed or was fortunate enough not to blow up the Kremlin, and on the old Smolensk road he still holds the eighth corps of Junot, duke d'Abrantes, whose wife, even a famous memoirist, understands that he in vain expects from the emperor a marshal's baton for Borodino. The responsibilities of the rear guard are assumed by the third corps, Marshal Ney, who will then repel all the Russian attacks on the French rear until his complete extermination.
"The Battle of Maloyaroslavets", a picture of a modern artist
And the Russians are already withdrawing from the perfectly fortified camp near Tarutin, since not only the commander-in-chief Kutuzov, but everyone understands that releasing the French just like that is worse than losing in an open battle. In addition, and many contemporaries have attested to this, the Most Serene Prince, who recently received the rank of Field Marshal, was quite obviously jealous of Bennigsen for his success on the Chernishna River. His Grace Prince Kutuzov was now not averse to fighting Napoleon, who no longer had any advantages over the Russian army.
General Dokhturov, whose sixth corps this time played the role of either an avant-garde or a flank cover, literally followed the traces of Napoleon’s main forces, being able to quietly go around them and occupy the crossroads at Maloyaroslavets on October 23. Kutuzov a day later withdrew the main forces of the army to positions in about one passage to the south - in the vicinity of Afanasyev and the Linen Factory, which belonged to the notorious family of Goncharovs, Pushkin's future relatives.
In Maloyaroslavets itself, Dokhturov left only a Cossack detour, than in the evening of the same 23 number and took advantage of the French infantry from the Delson division, who immediately captured the city. However, already at night, the Russians, learning that the French decided not to stay in the city, but moved to the banks of the Puddles, decisively attacked them over the bridge over the river. Dokhturov immediately placed artillery batteries along the crests of the hills to cover approaches to the important crossing.
General Delzon in the battle of Maloyaroslavets
Until the real general battle of the two armies, the case at Maloyaroslavets never came. But the whole first half of the day on October 24 passed in fierce battles for the city. The fresh Pinot division came to the aid of the French, before that it had not taken part in the battles at all, and then the whole corps of Yevgeny Bogarne got involved. Dokhturov supported the seventh corps of Raevsky, the vanguard of the army of Kutuzov, who was approaching from the southeast.
The city passed from hand to hand several times (it is believed that eight), and in the end the French remained in it. It is just this fact that allows many researchers to talk about the next “Victoria Bonaparte”. But the Russians left the dominant heights behind them and continued to keep the strategic bridge at gunpoint. The battle, however, did not drag on - everything was decided by noon, and cost the opposing sides at 7 thousands of dead and wounded.
The Russian commander made the decision to retreat much later, when the subordinates of Colonel Tolya chose a defensive position closer to Kaluga, and, according to contemporaries, much better than Borodinsky. However, by then Napoleon did not plan to continue his offensive.
And chance, god inventor ...
So why didn’t Napoleon once again decide to launch an offensive against Kutuzov? Many in this regard are inclined to overestimate the episode that happened the very next day after the battle of Maloyaroslavets. On the morning of October 25, the emperor, accompanied by a small retinue and two squadrons of guards rangers, decided to conduct reconnaissance on the southern shore of the Puddles. He was very worried by the fact that the only crossing could be destroyed in just half an hour by the concentrated fire of Russian guns.
When Napoleon decided to jump close to one of the copses, trying to make out Kutuzov’s batteries, a group of Cossacks unexpectedly flew out with characteristic lava, rushing straight to the emperor. General Rapp and the escort managed to recapture the Cossacks, but one of them managed to break through at a distance of no more than twenty to thirty steps from the emperor.
Surrounding Napoleon (up to the marshals) had to snatch sabers. They managed to kill the Cossacks, as well as several others, but they were also killed in the ranks of the convoy. And not only - in the heat of battle, one of the horse grenadiers mistook one of the staff officers forced to dismount as a Cossack and seriously wounded him with a saber. It is known that after this incident, Napoleon constantly carried with him an incense with poison, for fear of being captured.
However, it was hardly influenced by this episode that Napoleon decided not to go to Kaluga. Incidentally, he did not move to Smolensk and through Medyn, apparently not wanting to leave Kutuzov’s army hanging over his left flank. Still, in this particular case, it is more important that Napoleon did not understand whether the Russians left their positions south of Maloyaroslavets or are still waiting for his advance. Apparently, Kutuzov once again managed to “outwit” Bonaparte.
Although, most likely, the emperor, even before speaking from Moscow, was internally ready to retreat along the Old Smolensk road. This is evidenced, first of all, by the numerous activities undertaken by Marshal Bertier and the Napoleonic headquarters to prepare the proven route. However, Napoleon really did not want to miss the chance to leave the winner.
"Napoleon's Dream, or What's Next", artist E. De Ponce, 1894
It’s not even a city, it’s Gorodnya
Napoleon gathers in Gorodnya, a small settlement near Maloyaroslavets, a military council, somewhat reminiscent of the famous council at Fili. Here, the opinions of those present were equally divided: the hot Murat was ready with the cavalry and the guard to almost storm Kaluga, but the emperor ordered the retreat. “We have already done quite well for fame. The time has come to think only about saving the remaining army. ”
For all the great commander’s penchant for pathos, he, as we see, had to admit that he could remain completely without an army. Whatever it was, but after Berezina, Napoleon still had something to revive with - it was not by chance that we devoted a number of essays to this of his abilities. But after all, the ability of the Russians to bring the matter to an end must also be striking. Despite the provinces defeated by the invaders, not taking into account human losses comparable with the French.
“In Gorodnya. To break through or retreat? ”The painting by V. Vereshchagin could not but inspire the authors of numerous variations on the theme of the military council at Fili
The circumstances of Napoleon’s exit from Moscow, and the subsequent turn onto the old Smolensk road, were perhaps best summed up by one of the most respected researchers of the Napoleonic Wars, David Chandler.
“After a slow and cautious approach, he won a battle that didn’t decide anything, only to then choose the worst road for the further movement of the army, when he had an open and better road. The combination of this strange for him slowness, indecision and excessive caution doomed his army to gradual death as well as a large defeat on the battlefield. "
Sometimes only old maps help to understand what kind of “hook” Napoleon Kutuzov forced to make, who seems to have lost the battle near Maloyaroslavets
However, one can argue with Chandler, especially, sorry for the repetition as to how “open and better” the road through Medyn was. Not only did the French themselves not even think of preparing her for a retreat, they were immediately awaited by the extremely severe persecution of Kutuzov from the rear, in contrast to the “soft” version that the Russian commander-in-chief then chose in reality.
But there is no doubt that, along this path, the persecution would be accompanied by continuous raids by Cossacks and partisans, as well as the whole range of problems that the French faced on their way to Berezina. Many of these problems led to colossal losses in the Russian army as well. However, it is worth recalling that in those days, at wars such as in the 1812 year, it was generally considered almost the norm when combat losses were referred to non-combat (mainly from diseases) as 1 to 2, if not worse.
- Alexey Podymov
- Russians have the right not to consider Borodino a defeat
Napoleon in Russia. The pursuit of fear
1812-th: our climate and our winter fought for us?
Information