June 22, 1812. Mozhaisk deanery. The course of events of the offensive company

June 22... not only the date of the attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR in 1941, memorable to all of us, but also, unfortunately, half-forgotten date of Napoleonic France's declaration of war on Russia in 1812.

200 years ago, on June 22, 1812, Napoleon declared war on Russia. The Patriotic War began.

In the words of Pushkin, “how much in this sound

For the Russian heart it has merged!

How much resonated with him!”

200th anniversary of the beginning of the Patriotic War of 1812! According to the new style, on June 22, 1812, Napoleon, Emperor of France, addressed an appeal to the French troops stationed on the left bank of the Neman, in which he accused Russia of violating the Peace of Tilsit, concluded on July 9, 1807 between Alexander I and Napoleon.

There was a great sense of resentment for the entire Russian society from the conclusion of the Peace of Tilsit, and the Patriotic War of 1812 smoothed out the previous defeat of Russia.

And lo, in shameful greatness

The colossus stepped on her chest.

Tilsit!.. (at this offensive sound

Now Ross won’t turn pale) -

... Different times have come,
Disappear, our brief shame!
Bless Moscow, Russia!
War to death - our agreement!

(A.S. Pushkin. “Napoleon.”)

The next day, June 23, the French Napoleonic army began to cross the Neman, which served as the natural border between Russia and Prussia.

In the poem “Napoleon” by A.S. Pushkin writes that Napoleon waited in vain for a quick and easy victory over the Russians.

Haughty! who inspired you?
Who captured your wondrous mind?
How did you not comprehend the hearts of Russians?
Are you from the heights of brave thoughts?
Generous fire
Without knowing it, you were already dreaming,
That we wait for peace again as a gift;
But I figured out the Russians too late...

(A.S. Pushkin. “Napoleon.”)

On the evening of June 11 (23), 1812, a company of French sappers crossed the Neman River to the Russian side on boats and ferries, and the first shootout took place. After midnight on June 24, 1812, the French army (1st, 2nd, 3rd infantry corps, guard and cavalry - 220,000 soldiers) began crossing the four bridges across the Neman. The French army included all European nations that submitted to Napoleon without resistance. Napoleon's army consisted of more than 600,000 people and was armed with 1,372 guns. Russian army - 240,000 people with 934 guns.

In the Patriotic War of 1812, once again, the Russian people proved to all of Europe that “God is not in power, but in truth.” Russian truth won a victory even after the temporary surrender to the enemy of Moscow.

“Tell me, uncle, it’s not without reason

Moscow, burned by fire,

Given to the Frenchman?

After all, there were battles,

Yes, they say, even more!

No wonder all of Russia remembers

About Borodin Day!

(M. Yu. Lermontov. “Borodino”, 1837.)
Napoleon later wrote in his memoirs: “Of all my battles, the most terrible was the one I fought near Moscow. The French showed themselves worthy of victory, and the Russians acquired the right to be invincible..."

By the end of 1812, the Grand French Army had virtually ceased to exist, and Napoleon had already fled to Europe, and Marshal Murat had transferred the pitiful remnants of the army across the frozen Niemen. Summing up the results of the 1812 campaign, Field Marshal Kutuzov wrote in his report: “Napoleon entered with 480,000, and withdrew about 20,000, leaving at least 150,000 prisoners and 850 guns.” At the same time, the Russian army lost 120,000 people.

In the Patriotic War, the entire Russian people of all classes, including serfs, fought, defending their homeland from invaders.

As Saint Theophan the Recluse accurately said about the significance of this war: “Let us remember the twelfth year: why did the French come to us? God sent them to destroy the evil that we adopted from them. Then Russia repented, and God had mercy on her” (“Thoughts for Every Day of the Year”).

Having restored justice in Europe, Russian troops entered Paris, but Russia then did not take advantage of its victory to plunder European countries and seize their territories, but, on the contrary, contributed to the creation of the “Holy Alliance” to protect European monarchies.

Within Russia itself, the Patriotic War of 1812 influenced the national unity of society, beautifully described in “War and Peace” by L.N. Tolstoy. The high society of Russian society has cooled towards the European “progressive” spirit and Freemasonry. Westernistic views in the highest circles began to be eliminated as unpatriotic, and soon a Slavophile movement arose.

Many Russian museums carefully preserve authentic exhibits of military operations - Russian and French weapons, items of equipment and uniforms, numismatics, military miniatures, which can be viewed through special lenses, paintings and graphics by artists of the 19th-20th centuries, allowing a more complete picture of the course of the war.

The Patriotic War, which began on June 22, led to the complete collapse of Napoleonic plans for the conquest of Russia in 1812, and to the complete defeat of Hitler's Germany and its allies in the Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

On June 22, 1941, no one knew that 1,418 days of battles and desperate struggle for their homeland lay ahead. The Patriotic War, which claimed millions of lives of our compatriots, made the whole world shudder...

And 200 years ago, just like 71 years ago, the Russian people, rising to fight the aggressor, defended their Fatherland, defended their identity and way of life, their worldview.

Let us bow low to our heroic ancestors, who defended the identity of Russian civilization in the Patriotic Wars of 1812 and 1941-1945!

The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian Campaign of 1812, was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. After the campaign, only a small part of their former military power remained at the disposal of France and the allies. The war left a huge mark on culture (for example, “War and Peace” by L.N. Tolstoy) and national identification, so necessary during the German attack in 1941-1945.

We call the French invasion the Patriotic War of 1812 (not to be confused with the Great Patriotic War, which is called the attack of Nazi Germany on). In an attempt to gain the support of Polish nationalists by playing on their feelings of nationalism, Napoleon called this war the “Second Polish War” (“The First Polish War” was a war for Polish independence from Russia, Prussia and Austria). Napoleon promised to revive the Polish state in the territories of modern Poland, Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine.

Causes of the Patriotic War

At the time of the invasion, Napoleon was at the pinnacle of power and had virtually crushed the entire continental Europe under his influence. He often left local government in defeated countries, which earned him fame as a liberal, strategically wise politician, but all local authorities worked to benefit the interests of France.

None of the political forces operating in Europe at that time dared to go against the interests of Napoleon. In 1809, under the terms of a peace treaty with Austria, it undertook to transfer western Galicia under the control of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw. Russia saw this as an infringement of its interests and the preparation of a springboard for an invasion of Russia.

This is what Napoleon wrote in an attempt to enlist the help of Polish nationalists in his decree of June 22, 1812: “Soldiers, the second Polish war has begun. The first ended in Tilsit. In Tilsit, Russia swore an eternal alliance with France and war with England. Today Russia is breaking its oaths. Russia is led by fate and the destined must be fulfilled. Does this mean that we must be degenerate? No, we will move on, we will cross the Neman River and start a war on its territory. The second Polish war will be victorious with the French army at its head, just as the first war was.”

The First Polish War was a war of four coalitions to liberate Poland from Russian, Prussian, and Austrian rule. One of the officially declared goals of the war was the restoration of an independent Poland within the borders of modern Poland and Lithuania.

Emperor Alexander the First took over the country in an economic hole, since the industrial revolution that was taking place everywhere bypassed Russia. However, Russia was rich in raw materials and was part of Napoleonic strategy to build the economy of continental Europe. These plans made it impossible to trade in raw materials, which was vitally important for Russia from an economic point of view. Russian refusal to participate in the strategy was another reason for Napoleon's attack.

Logistics

Napoleon and the Grande Armée developed the ability to maintain combat effectiveness beyond territories where they were well supplied. This was not so difficult in densely populated and agricultural central Europe with its network of roads and well-functioning infrastructure. The Austrian and Prussian armies were stymied by rapid movements, and this was achieved by timely supplies of fodder.

But in Russia, Napoleon's war strategy turned against him. Forced marches often forced troops to do without supplies, since supply caravans simply could not keep up with the fast-moving Napoleonic army. The lack of food and water in the sparsely populated and undeveloped regions of Russia led to the death of people and horses.

The army was weakened by constant hunger, as well as diseases caused by dirty water, as they had to drink even from puddles and use rotten fodder. The forward detachments received everything they could get, while the rest of the army was forced to starve.

Napoleon made impressive preparations to supply his army. Seventeen convoys, consisting of 6,000 carts, were supposed to provide the Grand Army with supplies for 40 days. A system of ammunition depots was also prepared in the cities of Poland and East Prussia.

At the beginning of the campaign there were no plans to take Moscow, so there were not enough supplies. However, the Russian armies, dispersed over a large area, could not oppose Napoleon's army, consisting of 285,000 thousand people, in one major battle separately and continued to retreat in an attempt to unite.

This forced the Grand Army to advance along muddy roads with bottomless swamps and frozen ruts, which led to the death of exhausted horses and broken wagons. Charles José Minard wrote that the Napoleonic army suffered most of its losses while advancing towards Moscow in the summer and autumn, and not in open battles. Hunger, thirst, typhus and suicide brought more losses to the French army than all the battles with the Russian army combined.

Composition of Napoleon's Grand Army

On June 24, 1812, the Grand Army, numbering 690,000 men (the largest army ever assembled in European history), crossed the Neman River and advanced towards Moscow.

The Grand Army was divided into:

• The army for the main attack numbered 250,000 men under the personal command of the emperor.
  The other two advanced armies were commanded by Eugène de Beauharnais (80,000 men) and Jerome Bonaparte (70,000 men).
• Two separate corps under the command of Jacques Macdonald (32,500 men, mostly Prussian soldiers) and Karl Schwarzenberg (34,000 Austrian soldiers).
• Reserve army of 225,000 people (the main part remained in Germany and Poland).

There was also a National Guard of 80,000 who remained to protect the Grand Duchy of Warsaw. Including these, the strength of the French imperial army on the Russian border was 800,000. This huge accumulation of human power greatly thinned out the Empire. Because 300,000 French soldiers, along with 200,000 thousand Germans and Italians, fought in Iberia.

The army consisted of:

• 300,000 French
• 34,000 Austrian corps led by Schwarzenberg
• about 90,000 Poles
• 90,000 Germans (including Bavarians, Saxons, Prussians, Westphalians, Württembergers, Badeners)
• 32,000 Italians
• 25,000 Neapolitans
• 9,000 Swiss (German sources specify 16,000 people)
• 4,800 Spaniards
• 3,500 Croats
• 2,000 Portuguese

Anthony Joes, in the Journal of Conflict Research, wrote: Accounts of how many of Napoleon's soldiers served in the war and how many of them returned vary greatly. Georges Lefebvre writes that Napoleon crossed the Niemen with more than 600,000 soldiers, and only half of them were French. The rest were mostly Germans and Poles.

Felix Markham claims that 450,000 soldiers crossed the Niemen on June 25, 1812, of whom less than 40,000 returned in some semblance of an army. James Marshall-Cornwall writes that 510,000 imperial soldiers invaded Russia. Eugene Tarle estimates that 420,000 were with Napoleon and 150,000 followed behind, making a total of 570,000 soldiers.

Richard K. Rhyne gives the following figures: 685,000 people crossed the Russian border, of whom 355,000 were French. 31,000 were able to leave Russia as a united military formation, while another 35,000 people fled individually and in small groups. The total number of survivors is estimated at approximately 70,000.

Whatever the actual exact numbers, everyone agrees that practically the entire Grand Army remained killed or wounded on Russian territory.

Adam Zamoyski estimates that between 550,000 and 600,000 French and Allied soldiers, including reinforcements, took part in the crossing of the Niemen. At least 400,000 soldiers died.

The infamous graphs of Charles Minard (an innovator in the field of graphical analysis methods) plotted the size of an advancing army on a contour map, as well as the number of retreating soldiers as temperatures dropped (temperatures that year dropped to -30 Celsius). According to these charts, 422,000 crossed the Niemen with Napoleon, 22,000 soldiers separated and headed north, only 100,000 survived the journey to Moscow. Of these 100,000, only 4,000 survived and joined with 6,000 soldiers from a collateral army of 22,000. Thus, only 10,000 of the original 422,000 soldiers returned.

Russian Imperial Army

The forces that opposed Napoleon at the time of the attack consisted of three armies totaling 175,250 regular soldiers, 15,000 Cossacks and 938 cannons:

• The First Western Army, under the command of Field Marshal General Michael Barclay de Tolly, consisted of 104,250 soldiers, 7,000 Cossacks and 558 cannons.
• The Second Western Army under the command of Infantry General Peter Bagration numbered 33,000 soldiers, 4,000 Cossacks and 216 cannons.
• The Third Reserve Army, under the command of cavalry general Alexander Tormasov, consisted of 38,000 soldiers, 4,000 Cossacks and 164 cannons.

However, these forces could count on reinforcements, which amounted to 129,000 soldiers, 8,000 Cossacks and 434 cannons.

But only 105,000 of these potential reinforcements could take part in the defense against the invasion. In addition to the reserve, there were recruits and militia, totaling approximately 161,000 men of varying degrees of training. Of these, 133,000 took part in the defense.

Although the total number of all formations was 488,000 people, only approximately 428,000 thousand of them opposed the Grand Army from time to time. Also, more than 80,000 Cossacks and militias and about 20,000 soldiers garrisoned fortresses in the combat zone did not take part in the open confrontation with Napoleon’s army.

Sweden, Russia's only ally, did not send reinforcements. But the alliance with Sweden allowed 45,000 soldiers to be transferred from Finland and used in subsequent battles (20,000 soldiers were sent to Riga).

Beginning of the Patriotic War

The invasion began on June 24, 1812. Shortly before, Napoleon sent the last peace proposal to St. Petersburg on terms favorable to France. Having received no answer, he gave the order to advance to the Russian part of Poland. At first, the army did not encounter resistance and quickly advanced through enemy territory. The French army at that time consisted of 449,000 soldiers and 1,146 artillery pieces. They were opposed by Russian armies consisting of only 153,000 soldiers, 15,000 Cossacks and 938 cannons.

The central army of the French forces rushed to Kaunas and crossings were made by the French Guards, numbering 120,000 soldiers. The crossing itself was carried out to the south, where three pontoon bridges were built. The crossing location was chosen by Napoleon personally.

Napoleon had a tent set up on a hill from where he could watch the crossing of the Neman. The roads in this part of Lithuania were little better than just muddy ruts in the middle of a dense forest. From the very beginning, the army suffered, as supply trains simply could not keep up with the marching troops, and the rear formations experienced even greater hardships.

March on Vilnius

On June 25, Napoleon's army, crossing along an existing crossing, met an army under the command of Michel Ney. The cavalry under the command of Joachim Murat was in the vanguard along with Napoleon's army, Louis Nicolas Davout's First Corps followed. Eugene de Beauharnais with his army crossed the Niemen to the north, MacDonald's army followed and crossed the river on the same day.

The army under the command of Jerome Bonaparte did not cross the river with everyone and only crossed the river on June 28 in Grodno. Napoleon rushed to Vilnius, not giving rest to the infantry, languishing under the torrential rains and unbearable heat. The main part covered 70 miles in two days. Ney's Third Corps marched along the road to Suterva, while on the other side of the Vilnia River marched the corps of Nikola Oudinot.

These maneuvers were part of an operation whose purpose was to encircle the army of Peter Wittgenstein with the armies of Ney, Oudinot and Macdonald. But MacDonald's army was delayed and the opportunity for encirclement was missed. Then Jerome was assigned to march against Bagration in Grodno, and Jean Rainier's Seventh Corps was sent to Bialystok for support.

On June 24, Russian headquarters were located in Vilnius, and messengers rushed to notify Barclay de Tolly that the enemy had crossed the Neman. During the night, Bagration and Platov received orders to go on the offensive. Emperor Alexander I left Vilnius on June 26, and Barclay de Tolly took command. Barclay de Tolly wanted to fight, but assessed the situation and realized that there was no point in fighting, due to the numerical superiority of the enemy. Then he ordered the ammunition depots to be burned and the Vilnius bridge to be dismantled. Wittgenstein and his army advanced towards the Lithuanian town of Perkele, breaking away from the encirclement of Macdonald and Oudinot.

It was not possible to avoid the battle completely, and Wittgenstein’s detachments following behind nevertheless came into conflict with Oudinot’s advanced detachments. On the left flank of the Russian army, Dokhturov's corps was threatened by Phalen's third cavalry corps. Bagration was given the order to advance to Vileika (Minsk region) to meet the army of Barclay de Tolly, although the meaning of this maneuver remains a mystery to this day.

On June 28, Napoleon, almost without battles, entered Vilnius. Replenishment of fodder in Lithuania was difficult, since the land there was mostly unfertile and covered with dense forests. Forage supplies were poorer than in Poland, and two days of non-stop marching only made the situation worse.

The main problem was the ever-increasing distances between the army and the supply region. In addition, not a single convoy could keep up with the infantry column during the forced march. Even the weather itself became a problem. This is what historian Richard K. Rhine writes about it: Thunderstorms with lightning and heavy rains on June 24 washed out the roads. Some argued that there are no roads in Lithuania and there are bottomless swamps everywhere. Carts sat on their bellies, horses fell exhausted, people lost their shoes in puddles. Stuck convoys became obstacles, people were forced to go around them, and forage and artillery columns could not go around them. Then the sun came out and baked the deep potholes, turning them into concrete canyons. In these ruts, horses broke their legs and carts broke their wheels.

Lieutenant Mertens, a subject of Württemberg who served in Ney's Third Corps, wrote in his diary that the oppressive heat that followed the rain killed the horses and forced them to set up camp practically in the swamps. Dysentery and influenza raged in the army, despite field hospitals designed to protect against the epidemic, hundreds of people were infected.

He reported the time, place and events that took place with high accuracy. So on June 6 there was a strong thunderstorm with thunder and lightning, and already on the 11th people began to die from sunstroke. The Crown Prince of Württemberg reported 21 dead in the bivouac. The Bavarian corps reported 345 seriously ill people by June 13th.

Desertion was rampant in the Spanish and Portuguese formations. Deserters terrorized the population, stealing everything they could get their hands on. The areas where the Grand Army passed remained destroyed. A Polish officer wrote that people abandoned their houses, and the area was depopulated.

The French light cavalry were shocked at how vastly outnumbered they were by the Russians. The superiority was so noticeable that Napoleon ordered infantry to support his cavalry. This even applied to reconnaissance and reconnaissance. Despite thirty thousand cavalry, they were unable to locate Barclay de Tolly's troops, forcing Napoleon to send columns in all directions in the hope of identifying the enemy's position.

Chasing the Russian Army

The operation, which was intended to prevent the unification of the armies of Bagration and Barclay de Tolly near Vilnius, cost the French army 25,000 dead from minor skirmishes with Russian armies and disease. Then it was decided to move from Vilnius in the direction of Nemencine, Mihalishka, Oshmyany and Maliata.

Eugene crossed the river at Prenn on June 30, while Jerome was leading his Seventh Corps to Bialystok along with units crossing to Grodno. Murat advanced to Nemenchin on July 1, pursuing Dokhturov's third cavalry corps on the way to Dzhunashev. Napoleon decided that this was Bagration's second army and rushed in pursuit. Only after 24 hours of infantry chasing the cavalry regiment, reconnaissance reported that it was not Bagration’s army.

Napoleon then decided to use the armies of Davout, Jerome and Eugene to catch Bagration's army between a rock and a hard place in an operation covering Oshmyana and Minsk. The operation failed on the left flank, where MacDonald and Oudinot did not make it. Dokhturov, meanwhile, moved from Dzhunashev to Svir to meet Bagration’s army, avoiding battles with the French army. 11 French regiments and a battery of 12 artillery pieces were too slow to stop him.

Conflicting orders and lack of intelligence almost brought Bagration's army between the armies of Davout and Jerome. But even here Jerome was late, stuck in the mud and experiencing the same problems with food supplies and weather as the rest of the Grand Army. Jerome's army lost 9,000 men during the four days of pursuit. Disagreements between Jerome Bonaparte and General Dominique Vandamme further aggravated the situation. Meanwhile, Bagration linked his army with Dokhturov's corps and had 45,000 men at his disposal in the area of ​​the village of Novy Sverzhen by July 7th.

Davout lost 10,000 men during the march to Minsk and did not dare to engage in battle without the support of Jerome's army. Two French cavalry corps were defeated, outnumbered by the corps of Matvey Platov, leaving the French army without intelligence. Bagration was also not sufficiently informed. So Davout believed that Bagration had about 60,000 soldiers, while Bagration believed that Davout's army had 70,000 soldiers. Armed with false information, both generals were in no hurry to engage in battle.

Bagration received orders from both Alexander I and Barclay de Tolly. Barclay de Tolly, out of ignorance, did not provide Bagration with an understanding of the role of his army in global strategy. This stream of contradictory orders gave rise to disagreements between Bagration and Barclay de Tolly, which later had consequences.

Napoleon reached Vilnius on June 28th, leaving behind 10,000 dead horses. These horses were vital to supplying an army that so desperately needed them. Napoleon assumed that Alexander would sue for peace, but to his disappointment this did not happen. And this was not his last disappointment. Barclay continued to retreat to Verkhnedvinsk, deciding that the unification of the 1st and 2nd armies was the highest priority.

Barclay de Tolly continued his retreat and, with the exception of an accidental skirmish between the rearguard of his army and the vanguard of Ney's army, the advance took place without haste or resistance. The Grand Army's usual methods now worked against it.

Rapid forced marches caused desertion, starvation, forced troops to drink dirty water, there was an epidemic in the army, logistics trains lost horses in the thousands, which only aggravated the problems. The 50,000 stragglers and deserters became an uncontrollable mob fighting the peasants in an all-out guerrilla war, which only worsened the supply situation for the Grande Armée. By this time, the army had already been reduced by 95,000 people.

March on Moscow

Supreme Commander-in-Chief Barclay de Tolly refused to join the battle, despite Bagration's calls. Several times he attempted to prepare a powerful defensive position, but Napoleon's troops were too fast, and he did not have time to complete the preparations and retreated. The Russian army continued to retreat inland, adhering to tactics developed by Karl Ludwig Pfuel. Retreating, the army left behind scorched earth, which caused even more serious problems with forage.

Political pressure was put on Barclay de Tolly, forcing him to give battle. But he continued to reject the idea of ​​a global battle, which led to his resignation. The boastful and popular Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov was appointed to the post of Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Despite Kutuzov's populist rhetoric, he continued to adhere to Barclay de Tolly's plan. It was obvious that attacking the French in open battle would lead to the pointless loss of the army.

After an indecisive clash near Smolensk in August, he finally managed to create a decent defensive position at Borodino. The Battle of Borodino took place on September 7th and became the bloodiest battle of the Napoleonic Wars. By September 8, the Russian army was halved and was again forced to retreat, leaving the road to Moscow open. Kutuzov also ordered the evacuation of the city.

By this point, the Russian army had reached its maximum strength of 904,000. Of these, 100,000 were in the immediate vicinity of Moscow and were able to join Kutuzov's army.

Capture of Moscow

On September 14, 1812, Napoleon entered an empty city, from which, by order of Governor Fyodor Rostopchin, all supplies were removed. According to the classic rules of warfare of the time, aimed at capturing the enemy's capital, although the capital was St. Petersburg, Moscow remained the spiritual capital, Napoleon expected Emperor Alexander I to announce surrender on Poklonnaya Hill. But the Russian command did not even think about surrender.

As Napoleon prepared to enter Moscow, he was surprised that he was not met by a delegation from the city. When a victorious general approached, local authorities usually met him at the gates with the keys to the city in an attempt to protect the population and city from plunder. Napoleon sent his assistants to the city in search of official authorities with whom it would be possible to conclude agreements on the occupation of the city. When no one could be found, Napoleon realized that the city was unconditionally abandoned.

In a normal capitulation, city officials were forced to make arrangements to house and feed the soldiers. In this case, the situation forced the soldiers to look for a roof over their heads and food for themselves. Napoleon was secretly disappointed at the lack of adherence to customs, as he believed it robbed him of his traditional victory over the Russians, especially after taking such a spiritually significant city.

Before the order to evacuate Moscow, the city's population was 270,000 people. After most of the population left the city, those who remained robbed and burned food so that the French would not get it. By the time Napoleon entered the Kremlin, no more than a third of its inhabitants remained in the city. Those who remained in the city were mainly foreign traders, servants and people who could not or did not want to evacuate. The remaining people tried to avoid the troops and the large French community, numbering several hundred people.

Burning of Moscow

After the capture of Moscow, the Grand Army, dissatisfied with the conditions of detention and the honors not given to the victors, began to plunder what was left of the city. The fires started that evening and only grew over the following days.

Two-thirds of the city was made of wood. The city was burned almost to the ground. Four-fifths of the city was burned, leaving the French homeless. French historians believe the fires were sabotaged by the Russians.

Leo Tolstoy, in his work War and Peace, states that the fires were not caused by Russian sabotage or French looting. The fires were a natural result of the fact that the city was filled with strangers during the winter season. Tolstoy believed that the fires were a natural consequence of the invaders lighting small fires for heating, cooking and other domestic needs. But they soon got out of control, and without an active fire service there was no one to put them out.

Retreat and defeat of Napoleon

Sitting in the ashes of a ruined city, having failed to receive Russian surrender and facing a rebuilt Russian army driving him out of Moscow, Napoleon began his long retreat by mid-October. At the Battle of Maloyaroslavets, Kutuzov was able to force the French army to use the same Smolensk road for retreat that they used to march to Moscow. The surrounding area had already been deprived of food supplies by both armies. This is often presented as an example of scorched earth tactics.

Continuing to blockade the southern flank to prevent the French from returning via another route, Kutuzov again deployed guerrilla tactics to constantly hit the French procession at its most vulnerable points. Russian light cavalry, including mounted Cossacks, attacked and destroyed the scattered French troops.

Supplying the army became impossible. The lack of grass weakened the already few horses, which were killed and eaten by starving soldiers back in Moscow. Without horses, the French cavalry disappeared as a class and were forced to march on foot. In addition, the lack of horses meant that the cannons and supply trains had to be abandoned, leaving the army without artillery support or ammunition.

Although the army quickly rebuilt its artillery arsenal in 1813, thousands of abandoned military trains created logistical problems until the end of the war. As fatigue, hunger, and the number of sick people grew, so did the number of desertions. Most of the deserters were captured or killed by the peasants whose lands they plundered. However, historians mention cases when soldiers were pitied and warmed up. Many remained to live in Russia, fearing punishment for desertion, and simply assimilated.

Weakened by these circumstances, the French army was beaten three more times in Vyazma, Krasnoye and Polotsk. The crossing of the Berezina River was the last disaster of the war for the Great Army. Two separate Russian armies defeated the remnants of Europe's greatest army in their attempt to cross the river on pontoon bridges.

Losses in the Patriotic War

In early December 1812, Napoleon finds out that General Claude de Male attempted a coup in France. Napoleon abandons the army and returns home on a sleigh, leaving Marshal Joachim Murat in command. Murat soon deserted and fled to Naples, of which he was king. So Napoleon's stepson Eugene de Beauharnais became commander-in-chief.

In the following weeks, the remnants of the Grand Army continued to dwindle. On December 14, 1812, the army left Russian territory. According to popular belief, only 22,000 of Napoleon's army survived the Russian campaign. Although some other sources claim no more than 380,000 dead. The difference can be explained by the fact that almost 100,000 people were captured and that about 80,000 people returned from side armies not under Napoleon's direct command.

For example, most Prussian soldiers survived thanks to the Taurogen Neutrality Convention. The Austrians also escaped, having withdrawn their troops in advance. Later, the so-called Russian-German Legion was organized from German prisoners and deserters in Russia.

Russian casualties in open battles were comparable to French ones, but civilian casualties greatly exceeded military casualties. In general, according to early estimates, it was believed that several million people died, but historians now believe that losses, including civilians, amounted to about a million people. Of these, Russia and France lost 300,000 each, about 72,000 Poles, 50,000 Italians, 80,000 Germans, 61,000 residents of other countries. In addition to the loss of life, the French also lost approximately 200,000 horses and over 1,000 artillery pieces.

It is believed that winter was the decisive factor in Napoleon's defeat, but this is not so. Napoleon lost half his army in the first eight weeks of the campaign. Losses were due to the abandonment of garrisons in supply centers, disease, desertion, and minor skirmishes with Russian armies.

In Borodino, Napoleon's army no longer numbered more than 135,000 people and the victory with losses of 30,000 people became Pyrrhic. Stuck 1000 km deep in enemy territory, having declared himself the winner after the capture of Moscow, Napoleon humiliatingly fled on October 19th. According to historians, the first snow that year fell on November 5th.

Napoleon's attack on Russia was the deadliest military operation of its time.

Historical assessment

The Russian victory over the French army in 1812 dealt a huge blow to Napoleon's ambitions for European dominance. The Russian campaign was the turning point of the Napoleonic Wars, and ultimately led to Napoleon's defeat and exile on the island of Elba. For Russia, the term "Patriotic War" formed a symbol of national identity that had a huge influence on Russian patriotism in the nineteenth century. An indirect result of the Russian patriotic movement was a strong desire to modernize the country, which led to a series of revolutions, starting with the Decembrist uprising and ending with the February Revolution of 1917.

Napoleon's Empire was not completely defeated by the lost war in Russia. The following year he would assemble an army of some 400,000 French, supported by a quarter of a million French-allied soldiers, to contest control of Germany in an even larger campaign known as the War of the Sixth Coalition.

Although outnumbered, he won a decisive victory at the Battle of Dresden (August 26-27, 1813). Only after the decisive battle of Leipzig (Battle of the Nations, October 16-19, 1813) was he finally defeated. Napoleon simply did not have the necessary troops to prevent a coalition invasion of France. Napoleon proved himself to be a brilliant commander and still managed to inflict heavy losses on the vastly superior Allied armies at the Battle of Paris. The city was nevertheless captured and Napoleon was forced to abdicate in 1814.

However, the Russian campaign showed that Napoleon was not invincible, ending his reputation as an invincible military genius. Napoleon foresaw what this would mean, so he quickly fled to France before news of the disaster became known. Sensing this and enlisting the support of Prussian nationalists and the Russian Emperor, German nationalists rebelled against the Confederation of the Rhine and. The decisive German campaign would not have taken place without defeating the most powerful empire in Europe.

This day in history:

Evgeniy Petrovich Ganin

Journalism

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Napoleon and Hitler. Incredible, but a fact of history:

Napoleon was born in 1760;

Hitler was born in 1889;

The difference between them: 129 years.

****************************

Napoleon came to power in 1804;

Hitler came to power in 1933;

Difference: 129 years.

*****************

Napoleon entered Vienna in 1812;

Hitler entered Vienna in 1941;

Difference: 129 years.

****************

Napoleon lost the war in 1816;

Hitler lost the war in 1945;

Difference: 129 years.

******************

Both came to power when they were 44 years old;

Both attacked Russia when they were 52 years old;

Both lost the war when they were 56 years old;

**********************

Comparative comparison of the forces of France and Russia in 1812:

Population of France in 1812: Approximately - 28 million people;

Population of Russia in 1812: Approximately - 36 million people;

Population of the USSR: Approximately - 197 million people;

Population of the Russian Federation in 2012: Approximately – 142 million people.

Population of modern France 2012: Approximately 65 million people.

Allies of Napoleon:

Austria, Prussia, Switzerland, Duchy of Warsaw, Spain, Italy.

Allies of Alexander the First:

Allies: England, Sweden

Note: (Russia's allies did not participate in the war on the territory)

*********************************************************

Commanders of the French Army and Allies:

Napoleon I Bonaparte;

Jerome Bonaparte;

Eugene Beauharnais;

Davout MacDonald;

Schwarzenberg.

Commanders of the Russian Army:

Alexander I;

Kutuzov;

Barclay de Tolly;

Bagration;

Wittgenstein;

Tormasov;

Chichagov.

French military forces:

610 thousand soldiers, 1370 guns.

Russian forces:

600 thousand soldiers, 1600 guns, 400 thousand militia.

******************

Cause of war: Russia's refusal to actively support the continental blockade,

in which Napoleon saw the main weapon against England, as well as politics

Napoleon in relation to European states, carried out without taking into account the interests of Russia. At the first stage of the war (from June to September 1812), the Russian army fought back from the borders of Russia to Moscow, fighting the Battle of Borodino in front of Moscow.

At the second stage of the war (from October to December 1812), Napoleonic’s army first maneuvered, trying to go to winter quarters in an area not devastated by the war. Kutuzov did not allow the French to escape from Russia intact. He forced them to flee to the borders of Russia by bullet, bayonet, and hunger.

Frosty snowstorms, hungry wolves, and the pitchforks of peasants drove the invaders beyond their fatherly borders. The war ended in 1813 with the almost complete destruction of Napoleonic army, the liberation of Russian territory and the transfer of hostilities to the lands of the Duchy of Warsaw and Germany.

The reason for the defeat of Napoleon's army is, first of all, determined by the participation in the war of all classes of the people and the sacrificial heroism of the Russian army. The French army was not ready for combat operations over large areas - in the unique climatic conditions of Russia. Napoleon did not believe in the leadership talents of the Russian commander-in-chief M.I. Kutuzov and other generals of his army. Arrogance was Napoleon's undoing.

***********************

The Patriotic War began. One involuntarily recalls the words of Pushkin:

“How much has come together in this day for the Russian heart! How much resonated with him!”

June 22 is not only the date of Hitler’s attack on the USSR. Today is also the half-forgotten date of Napoleon’s declaration of war against Russia.

**************************

Chronicle of Napoleon's attack on Russia in 1812:

Napoleon, being in the camp of his “great army” on the left bank

Neman, addressed the troops with an appeal accusing Russia of violating

Peace of Tilsit, and declared a “second Polish war” on Russia.

On June 12, 1812, the Emperor of France Napoleon, without declaring war, gave a combat order to his armies to secretly cross the border with Russia. The French army began to cross the Neman, which served as the natural border between Russia and Prussia.

On the evening of June 13, 1812, a patrol of the border Life Guards Cossack Regiment noticed suspicious movement on the river. When it became completely dark, a company of French sappers crossed the Neman from the elevated and wooded shore to the Russian shore on boats and ferries, and the first firefight took place. The attack took place three miles up the river from Kovno. After midnight on June 24, 1812, the army of the “twelve tongues” began crossing the Neman using four bridges.

At 6 o'clock in the morning on June 12 (24), 1812, the vanguard of the French troops entered Kovno. The crossing of 220 thousand soldiers of the “great army” near Kovno took four days. The river was crossed by the 1st, 2nd, 3rd infantry corps, guards and cavalry. On the evening of June 24, Russian Emperor Alexander I, who was in Vilna at a ball, was informed about the beginning of the invasion of Napoleon’s “great army” into Russian open spaces.

Napoleon's army included all European peoples who submitted to him without resistance. Napoleon had more than 600 thousand people with 1372 guns, the Russian army had only 240 thousand people with 934 guns, since significant forces had to remain in the Caucasus and other parts of the Russian Empire. In this war, once again, and on a huge European scale, the Russian proverb was clearly manifested: “God does not lie in might, but in truth.” The Russian people of all classes, including serfs, rose up in a holy war “against the enemy of the French.” Even after the temporary surrender of Moscow, Russian truth won.

By the end of 1812, the “great army” had virtually ceased to exist - in mid-December, Marshal Murat (Napoleon himself had already abandoned the army by this time and fled to Europe) transferred back across the frozen Neman only its pitiful remnants. Field Marshal Kutuzov, summing up the results of the 1812 campaign, wrote:

“Napoleon entered with 480 thousand, and withdrew about 20 thousand, leaving at least 150,000 prisoners and 850 guns.” At the same time, the Russian army irretrievably lost 120 thousand people. Of these, 46 thousand were killed and died from wounds, the rest died from disease - mainly during the persecution of Napoleon’s troops.”

After the “march against Moscow,” Napoleon had a completely different army. With her he could only delay his final downfall. And in the end: Russian troops entered Paris. Kutuzov's Russian army did not then take advantage of its victory to plunder European countries and seize their territories. Russia contributed in every possible way to the creation of the “Holy Alliance” to protect European states. Inside Russia, the impact of this war was very beneficial, influencing the national unity of the entire heterogeneous society.

“Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword”

The outcome was inevitable. Although Napoleonic French and Europeans, unlike Hitler's armies in 1941-1945, did not bring with them atrocities and mass extermination of the Russian people. Today, in 2015, the time has come again to bow deeply to our distant ancestors, who defended the originality of the centuries-old Slavic civilization. Let there be eternal memory to the heroes of Russia!

Patriotic War of 1812

Journalism
*************
Paradoxes of two Patriotic Wars: June 22, 1812 and June 22, 1941.
**************************************************
Napoleon and Hitler. Incredible, but a fact of history:
- Napoleon was born in 1760;
- Hitler was born in 1889;
- The difference between them: 129 years.
****************************
- Napoleon came to power in 1804;
- Hitler came to power in 1933;
- Difference: 129 years.
*****************
- Napoleon entered Vienna in 1812;
- Hitler entered Vienna in 1941;
- Difference: 129 years.
****************
- Napoleon lost the war in 1816;
- Hitler lost the war in 1945;
- Difference: 129 years.
******************
- Both came to power when they were 44 years old;
- Both attacked Russia when they were 52 years old;
- Both lost the war when they were 56 years old;
**********************
Comparative comparison of the forces of France and Russia in 1812:
- Population of France in 1812: Approximately - 28 million people;
- Population of Russia in 1812: Approximately – 36 million people;
- Population of the USSR: Approximately - 197 million people;
- Population of the Russian Federation in 2012: Approximately 142 million people.
- Population of modern France 2012: Approximately 65 million people.
**********
- Napoleon's allies:
Austria, Prussia, Switzerland, Duchy of Warsaw, Spain, Italy.
*********
- Allies of Alexander the First:
Allies: England, Sweden
Note: (Russia's allies did not participate in the war on the territory)
*********************************************************
Commanders of the French Army and Allies:
- Napoleon I Bonaparte;
- Jerome Bonaparte;
- Eugene Beauharnais;
- Davout Macdonald;
- Her;
- Perrin;
- Oudinot;
- Schwarzenberg.
************
Commanders of the Russian Army:
- Alexander I;
- Kutuzov;
- Barclay de Tolly;
- Bagration;
- Wittgenstein;
- Tormasov;
- Chichagov.
*************
French military forces:
- 610 thousand soldiers, 1370 guns.
- Russian forces:
600 thousand soldiers, 1600 guns, 400 thousand militia.
******************
1.
Cause of war: Russia's refusal to actively support the continental blockade,
in which Napoleon saw the main weapon against England, as well as politics
Napoleon in relation to European states, carried out without taking into account the interests of Russia. At the first stage of the war (from June to September 1812), the Russian army fought back from the borders of Russia to Moscow, fighting the Battle of Borodino in front of Moscow.
2.
At the second stage of the war (from October to December 1812), Napoleonic’s army first maneuvered, trying to go to winter quarters in an area not devastated by the war. Kutuzov did not allow the French to escape from Russia intact. He forced them to flee to the borders of Russia by bullet, bayonet, and hunger.
Frosty snowstorms, hungry wolves, and the pitchforks of peasants drove the invaders beyond their fatherly borders. The war ended in 1813 with the almost complete destruction of Napoleonic army, the liberation of Russian territory and the transfer of hostilities to the lands of the Duchy of Warsaw and Germany.
4.
The reason for the defeat of Napoleon's army is, first of all, determined
participation in the war of all classes of the people and the sacrificial heroism of the Russian army. The French army was not ready for combat operations over large areas - in the unique climatic conditions of Russia. Napoleon did not believe in the leadership talents of the Russian commander-in-chief M.I. Kutuzov and other generals of his army. Arrogance was Napoleon's undoing.
***********************
200 years ago, on June 22, 1812, Napoleon declared war on Russia.
The Patriotic War began. One involuntarily recalls the words of Pushkin:
“How much has come together in this day for the Russian heart! How much resonated with him!”
June 22 is not only the date of Hitler’s attack on the USSR. Today is also the half-forgotten date of Napoleon’s declaration of war against Russia.
Today is the 200th anniversary of our sacred victory of 1812!
**************************
Chronicle of Napoleon's attack on Russia in 1812:
- Napoleon, being in the camp of his “grand army” on the left bank
Neman, addressed the troops with an appeal accusing Russia of violating
Peace of Tilsit, and declared a “second Polish war” on Russia.
On June 12, 1812, the Emperor of France Napoleon, without declaring war, gave a combat order to his armies to secretly cross the border with Russia. The French army began to cross the Neman, which served as the natural border between Russia and Prussia.
- On the evening of June 13, 1812, a patrol of the border Life Guards Cossack Regiment noticed suspicious movement on the river. When it became completely dark, a company of French sappers crossed the Neman from the elevated and wooded shore to the Russian shore on boats and ferries, and the first firefight took place. The attack took place three miles up the river from Kovno. After midnight on June 24, 1812, the army of the “twelve tongues” began crossing the Neman using four bridges.
- At 6 o’clock in the morning on June 12 (24), 1812, the vanguard of the French troops entered Kovno. The crossing of 220 thousand soldiers of the “great army” near Kovno took four days. The river was crossed by the 1st, 2nd, 3rd infantry corps, guards and cavalry. On the evening of June 24, Russian Emperor Alexander I, who was in Vilna at a ball, was informed about the beginning of the invasion of Napoleon’s “great army” into Russian open spaces.
*********
- Napoleon's army included all European peoples who submitted to him without resistance. Napoleon had more than 600 thousand people with 1372 guns, the Russian army had only 240 thousand people with 934 guns, since significant forces had to remain in the Caucasus and other parts of the Russian Empire. In this war, once again, and on a huge European scale, the Russian proverb was clearly manifested: “God does not lie in might, but in truth.” The Russian people of all classes, including serfs, rose up in a holy war “against the enemy of the French.” Even after the temporary surrender of Moscow, Russian truth won.
*********
- By the end of 1812, the “great army” actually ceased to exist - in mid-December, Marshal Murat (Napoleon himself had already abandoned the army and fled to Europe by this time) transferred back across the frozen Neman only its pitiful remnants. Field Marshal Kutuzov, summing up the results of the 1812 campaign, wrote:
“Napoleon entered with 480 thousand, and withdrew about 20 thousand, leaving at least 150,000 prisoners and 850 guns.” At the same time, the Russian army irretrievably lost 120 thousand people. Of these, 46 thousand were killed and died from wounds, the rest died from disease - mainly during the persecution of Napoleon’s troops.”
*********
- After the “march against Moscow” Napoleon had a completely different army. With her he could only delay his final downfall. And in the end: Russian troops entered Paris. Kutuzov's Russian army did not then take advantage of its victory to plunder European countries and seize their territories. Russia contributed in every possible way to the creation of the “Holy Alliance” to protect European states. Inside Russia, the impact of this war was very beneficial, influencing the national unity of the entire heterogeneous society.
*********
Summary:
“Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword”
was inevitable. Although Napoleonic French and Europeans, unlike Hitler's armies in 1941-1945, did not bring with them atrocities and mass extermination of the Russian people. Today, in 2012, the time has come again to bow deeply to our distant ancestors, who defended the originality of the centuries-old Slavic civilization. Let there be eternal memory to the heroes of Russia!
Patriotic War of 1812

Soldiers, the second Polish war has begun. The first ended in Friedland and Tilsit. At Tilsit, Russia swore an eternal alliance with France and vowed to wage war on England. She is now breaking her oath. She does not want to give any explanation for her strange behavior until the French eagles cross back over the Rhine, leaving our allies to her will. Fate entails Russia: its destinies must be fulfilled. Does she consider us already degenerate? Aren't we already Austerlitz soldiers? It confronts us with a choice: dishonor or war. The choice cannot be in doubt. So, let's go ahead, cross the Neman, bring the war to its territory. The second Polish war will be as glorious for French weapons as the first. But the peace we will make will be secured and will put an end to the disastrous influence that Russia has been exerting on European affairs for 50 years

Napoleon I Bonaparte

On June 22, 1812, in Lithuania, in Vilkovyshki, the French Emperor Napoleon I signed this order for the Grand Army. And this appeal of Napoleon was perceived by everyone as a declaration of war on the Russian Empire.

Contrary to the legend about the treacherous and sudden invasion of Russia by the French army, Napoleon Bonaparte behaved in full accordance with the diplomatic conventions of the 19th century.

On the eve of the war, France concluded military alliances with Austria and Prussia, while Russia signed peace with Turkey and an alliance treaty with Sweden (which made Napoleon very nervous). And the Russian ambassador to France, Prince Kurakin, was recalled from Paris.

Alexander Nikolaevich Saltykov, 1812 Karl-Christian Vogel von VOGELSTEIN
Jacques Alexandre Bernard Lauriston Francois Pascal Simon GERARD

On the same day, June 22, 1812, the French ambassador in St. Petersburg, Jacques-Alexandre Lauriston, handed the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alexander Nikolaevich Saltykov, a note notifying him of the termination of his mission, since the request of Mr. Kurakin, the Russian ambassador in Paris, to issue him passports for departure to Russia, meant a break and His Imperial and Royal Majesty from this time on considers himself to be at war with Russia. This note was an official declaration of war on Russia. Russian Emperor Alexander I was at headquarters in Vilna at that time.

Emperor Alexander I learns of the invasion of Napoleon's troops. Boris CHORIKOV
The magnanimous determination of Emperor Alexander I upon the news of Napoleon's invasion of Russia. Colorized engraving by SHELE based on a drawing by Boris Chorikov

Why did Napoleon call the campaign the second Polish one? Yes, because, while engaged in strategic preparations for the war with Russia in the spring of 1811, the emperor hoped to provoke Russia into declaring war first, he was absolutely sure that Russian troops would invade the Duchy of Warsaw, and in fact his entire future campaign was planned as the defeat of the Russians troops on the Vistula near Warsaw. Napoleon failed to realize that Alexander and his military leaders, although not out of luck, would choose a different war algorithm and decide to lure Napoleon into striking on Russian territory. And Napoleon fell for it...

Napoleon and Daru
Carl von STEUBEN

True, at the end of the summer, the French emperor began to develop a second plan, already designed for an invasion of the Russian Empire. But even in it, he did not intend to advance far into the interior of the country, hoping to impose a general battle in territories loyal to France - in Lithuania or Western Belarus.

And two days later, Napoleon’s Grand Army began crossing the border...

PS: I decided to remind you that not only Adolf Hitler attacked the Soviet Union on this day in 1941, but also long before that, 205 years ago, the invasion of Napoleon I Bonaparte into the Russian Empire began, which ended in failure for both of these ambitious masters of Europe. And in this regard, refresh your memory of the key battles of the War of 1812.