Tell me, uncle, is it not for nothing that Moscow, burned by fire, was given to the French?

Lermontov

The Battle of Borodino was the main battle in the War of 1812. For the first time, the legend of the invincibility of Napoleon's army was dispelled, and a decisive contribution was made to changing the size of the French army due to the fact that the latter, due to large-scale casualties, ceased to have a clear numerical advantage over the Russian army. In today's article we will talk about the Battle of Borodino on August 26, 1812, consider its course, the balance of forces and means, study the opinion of historians on this issue and analyze what consequences this battle had for the Patriotic War and for the fate of two powers: Russia and France.

➤ ➤ ➤ ➤ ➤ ➤ ➤ ➤ ➤

Background of the battle

The Patriotic War of 1812 at the initial stage developed extremely negatively for the Russian army, which constantly retreated, refusing to accept a general battle. This course of events was perceived extremely negatively by the army, since the soldiers wanted to take the battle as quickly as possible and defeat the enemy army. Commander-in-Chief Barclay de Tolly understood perfectly well that in an open general battle the Napoleonic army, which was considered invincible in Europe, would have a colossal advantage. Therefore, he chose a retreat tactic in order to exhaust the enemy troops, and only then accept the battle. This course of events did not inspire confidence among the soldiers, as a result of which Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov was appointed commander-in-chief. As a result, several significant events occurred that predetermined the preconditions for the Battle of Borodino:

• Napoleon's army advanced deep into the country with great complications. Russian generals refused a general battle, but actively got involved in small battles, and partisans were also very active in fighting. Therefore, by the time Borodino began (late August - early September), Bonaparte’s army was no longer so formidable and significantly exhausted.
• Reserves were brought up from the depths of the country. Therefore, Kutuzov’s army was already comparable in size to the French army, which allowed the commander-in-chief to consider the possibility of actually entering the battle.

Alexander 1, who by that time, at the request of the army, had left the post of commander-in-chief, allowed Kutuzov to make his own decisions, insistently demanded that the general take the battle as soon as possible and stop the advance of Napoleon’s army deep into the country. As a result, on August 22, 1812, the Russian army began to retreat from Smolensk in the direction of the village of Borodino, which is located 125 kilometers from Moscow. The place was ideal to take the battle, since excellent defense could be organized in the Borodino area. Kutuzov understood that Napoleon was only a few days away, so she threw all her strength into strengthening the area and taking the most advantageous positions.

Balance of forces and means

Surprisingly, most historians who study the Battle of Borodino still argue about the exact number of troops on the warring sides. The general trends in this matter are such that the newer the research, the more data showing that the Russian army had a slight advantage. However, if we look at Soviet encyclopedias, they present the following data, which presents the participants in the Battle of Borodino:

• Russian army. Commander - Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov. He had at his disposal up to 120 thousand people, of which 72 thousand were infantrymen. The army had a large artillery corps, numbering 640 guns.
• French army. Commander - Napoleon Bonaparte. The French emperor brought a corps of 138 thousand soldiers with 587 guns to Borodino. Some historians note that Napoleon had reserves of up to 18 thousand people, which the French emperor retained until the last and did not use them in the battle.

Very important is the opinion of one of the participants in the Battle of Borodino, the Marquis of Chambray, who provided data that France fielded the best European army for this battle, which included soldiers with extensive experience in warfare. On the Russian side, according to his observations, they were basically recruits and volunteers, who, by their entire appearance, indicated that military affairs was not the main thing for them. Chambray also pointed to the fact that Bonaparte had a large superiority in heavy cavalry, which gave him some advantages during the battle.

Tasks of the parties before the battle

Since June 1812, Napoleon had been looking for opportunities for a general battle with the Russian army. The catchphrase that Napoleon expressed when he was a simple general in revolutionary France is widely known: “The main thing is to force battles on the enemy, and then we’ll see.” This simple phrase reflects the entire genius of Napoleon, who, in terms of making lightning-fast decisions, was perhaps the best strategist of his generation (especially after the death of Suvorov). It was this principle that the French commander-in-chief wanted to apply in Russia. The Battle of Borodino provided such an opportunity.

Kutuzov's tasks were simple - he needed active defense. With its help, the commander-in-chief wanted to inflict the maximum possible losses on the enemy and at the same time preserve his army for further battle. Kutuzov planned the Battle of Borodino as one of the stages of the Patriotic War, which was supposed to radically change the course of the confrontation.

On the eve of the battle

Kutuzov took a position that represents an arc passing through Shevardino on the left flank, Borodino in the center, and the village of Maslovo on the right flank.

On August 24, 1812, 2 days before the decisive battle, the battle for the Shevardinsky redoubt took place. This redoubt was commanded by General Gorchakov, who had 11 thousand people under his command. To the south, with a corps of 6 thousand people, General Karpov was located, who covered the old Smolensk road. Napoleon identified the Shevardin redoubt as the initial target of his attack, since it was as far as possible from the main group of Russian troops. According to the plan of the French emperor, Shevardino should have been surrounded, thereby withdrawing the army of General Gorchakov from the battle. To do this, the French army formed three columns in the attack:

• Marshal Murat. Bonaparte's favorite led a cavalry corps to strike Shevardino's right flank.
• Generals Davout and Ney led the infantry in the center.
• Junot, also one of the best generals in France, moved with his guard along the old Smolensk road.

The battle began on the afternoon of September 5th. Twice the French tried unsuccessfully to break through the defenses. Towards evening, when night began to fall on the Borodino field, the French attack was successful, but the approaching reserves of the Russian army made it possible to repel the enemy and defend the Shevardinsky redoubt. The resumption of the battle was not beneficial for the Russian army, and Kutuzov ordered a retreat to the Semenovsky ravine.

Initial positions of Russian and French troops

On August 25, 1812, both sides carried out general preparations for the battle. The troops were putting the finishing touches on defensive positions, and the generals were trying to learn something new about the enemy's plans. Kutuzov's army took up defense in the form of a blunt triangle. The right flank of the Russian troops passed along the Kolocha River. Barclay de Tolly was responsible for the defense of this area, whose army numbered 76 thousand people with 480 guns. The most dangerous position was on the left flank, where there was no natural barrier. This section of the front was commanded by General Bagration, who had 34 thousand people and 156 guns at his disposal. The problem of the left flank became significant after the loss of the village of Shevardino on September 5. The position of the Russian army met the following tasks:

• The right flank, where the main forces of the army were grouped, reliably covered the path to Moscow.
• The right flank allowed for active and powerful attacks on the enemy’s rear and flank.
• The location of the Russian army was quite deep, which left ample room for maneuver.
• The first line of defense was occupied by infantry, the second line of defense was occupied by cavalry, and the third line housed reserves. A widely known phrase

reserves must be maintained for as long as possible. Whoever retains the most reserves at the end of the battle will emerge victorious.

Kutuzov

In fact, Kutuzov provoked Napoleon to attack the left flank of his defense. Exactly as many troops were concentrated here as could successfully defend against the French army. Kutuzov repeated that the French would not be able to resist the temptation to attack a weak redoubt, but as soon as they had problems and resorted to the help of their reserves, it would be possible to send their army to their rear and flank.

Napoleon, who carried out reconnaissance on August 25, also noted the weakness of the left flank of the Russian army's defense. Therefore, it was decided to deliver the main blow here. In order to divert the attention of Russian generals from the left flank, simultaneously with the attack on Bagration’s position, an attack on Borodino was to begin in order to subsequently capture the left bank of the Kolocha River. After capturing these lines, it was planned to transfer the main forces of the French army to the right flank of the Russian defense and deliver a massive blow to the army of Barclay De Tolly. Having solved this problem, by the evening of August 25, about 115 thousand people of the French army were concentrated in the area of ​​​​the left flank of the defense of the Russian army. 20 thousand people lined up in front of the right flank.

The specificity of the defense that Kutuzov used was that the Battle of Borodino was supposed to force the French to launch a frontal attack, since the general front of the defense occupied by Kutuzov’s army was very extensive. Therefore, it was almost impossible to get around him from the flank.

It is noted that on the night before the battle, Kutuzov strengthened the left flank of his defense with the infantry corps of General Tuchkov, as well as transferring 168 artillery pieces to Bagration’s army. This was due to the fact that Napoleon had already concentrated very large forces in this direction.

Day of the Battle of Borodino

The Battle of Borodino began on August 26, 1812 in the early morning at 5:30 am. As planned, the main blow was delivered by the French to the left defense flag of the Russian army.

An artillery shelling of Bagration's positions began, in which more than 100 guns took part. At the same time, General Delzon’s corps began a maneuver with an attack on the center of the Russian army, on the village of Borodino. The village was under the protection of the Jaeger regiment, which could not resist the French army for long, the number of which on this section of the front was 4 times greater than the Russian army. The Jaeger Regiment was forced to retreat and take up defense on the right bank of the Kolocha River. The attacks of the French general, who wanted to move even further into the defense, were unsuccessful.

Bagration's flushes

Bagration's flushes were located along the entire left flank of the defense, forming the first redoubt. After half an hour of artillery preparation, at 6 o'clock in the morning Napoleon gave the order to launch an attack on Bagration's flushes. The French army was commanded by generals Desaix and Compana. They planned to strike at the southernmost flush, going to the Utitsky forest for this. However, as soon as the French army began to line up in battle formation, Bagration's chasseur regiment opened fire and went on the attack, disrupting the first stage of the offensive operation.

The next attack began at 8 o'clock in the morning. At this time, a repeated attack on the southern flush began. Both French generals increased the number of their troops and went on the offensive. To protect his position, Bagration transported the army of General Neversky, as well as the Novorossiysk dragoons, to his southern flank. The French were forced to retreat, suffering serious losses. During this battle, both generals who led the army in the assault were seriously wounded.

The third attack was carried out by the infantry units of Marshal Ney, as well as the cavalry of Marshal Murat. Bagration noticed this French maneuver in time, giving the order to Raevsky, who was in the central part of the flushes, to move from the front line to the second echelon of defense. This position was strengthened by the division of General Konovnitsyn. The attack of the French army began after a massive artillery preparation. The French infantry struck in the interval between the flushes. This time the attack was successful, and by 10 o'clock in the morning the French managed to capture the southern line of defense. This was followed by a counterattack launched by Konovnitsyn’s division, as a result of which they managed to recapture the lost positions. At the same time, General Junot's corps managed to bypass the left flank of the defense through the Utitsky forest. As a result of this maneuver, the French general actually found himself in the rear of the Russian army. Captain Zakharov, who commanded the 1st horse battery, noticed the enemy and struck. At the same time, infantry regiments arrived at the battlefield and pushed General Junot back to his original position. The French lost more than a thousand people in this battle. Subsequently, historical information about Junot's corps is contradictory: Russian textbooks say that this corps was completely destroyed in the next attack of the Russian army, while French historians claim that the general participated in the Battle of Borodino until its very end.

The 4th assault on Bagration's flushes began at 11 o'clock. In the battle, Napoleon used 45 thousand troops, cavalry and more than 300 guns. By that time Bagration had less than 20 thousand people at his disposal. At the very beginning of this assault, Bagration was wounded in the thigh and was forced to leave the army, which negatively affected morale. The Russian army began to retreat. General Konovnitsyn took over command of the defense. He could not resist Napoleon, and decided to retreat. As a result, the flushes remained with the French. The retreat was carried out to the Semenovsky stream, where more than 300 guns were installed. The large number of the second echelon of defense, as well as a large number of artillery, forced Napoleon to change the original plan and cancel the attack on the move. The direction of the main attack was transferred from the left flank of the Russian army's defense to its central part, commanded by General Raevsky. The purpose of this attack was to capture artillery. The infantry attack on the left flank did not stop. The fourth attack on the Bagrationov flushes was also unsuccessful for the French army, which was forced to retreat across the Semenovsky Creek. It should be noted that the position of the artillery was extremely important. Throughout the Battle of Borodino, Napoleon made attempts to capture enemy artillery. By the end of the battle he managed to occupy these positions.

Battle for Utitsky Forest

The Utitsky forest was of great strategic importance for the Russian army. On August 25, on the eve of the battle, Kutuzov noted the importance of this direction, which blocked the old Smolensk road. An infantry corps under the command of General Tuchkov was stationed here. The total number of troops in this area was about 12 thousand people. The army was positioned secretly in order to suddenly strike the enemy’s flank at the right moment. On September 7, the infantry corps of the French army, commanded by one of Napoleon’s favorites, General Poniatowski, advanced in the direction of the Utitsky Kurgan to outflank the Russian army. Tuchkov took up defensive positions on Kurgan and blocked the French from further progress. Only at 11 o'clock in the morning, when General Junot arrived to help Poniatowski, the French launched a decisive blow on the mound and captured it. Russian general Tuchkov launched a counterattack, and at the cost of his own life managed to return the mound. Command of the corps was taken by General Baggovut, who held this position. As soon as the main forces of the Russian army retreated to the Semenovsky ravine, the Utitsky Kurgan, a decision was made to retreat.

Raid of Platov and Uvarov

At the moment of the critical moment on the left flank of the defense of the Russian army at the Battle of Borodino, Kutuzov decided to let the army of generals Uvarov and Platov into battle. As part of the Cossack cavalry, they were supposed to bypass the French positions on the right, striking in the rear. The cavalry consisted of 2.5 thousand people. At 12 noon the army moved out. Having crossed the Kolocha River, the cavalry attacked the infantry regiments of the Italian army. This strike, led by General Uvarov, was intended to force battle on the French and divert their attention. At this moment, General Platov managed to pass along the flank without being noticed and go behind enemy lines. This was followed by a simultaneous attack by two Russian armies, which brought panic to the actions of the French. As a result, Napoleon was forced to transfer part of the troops that stormed Raevsky’s battery in order to repel the attack of the cavalry of the Russian generals who went to the rear. The battle of the cavalry with the French troops lasted several hours, and by four o'clock in the afternoon Uvarov and Platov returned their troops to their original positions.

The practical significance of the Cossack raid led by Platov and Uvarov is almost impossible to overestimate. This raid gave the Russian army 2 hours to strengthen a reserve position for an artillery battery. Of course, this raid did not bring a military victory, but the French, who saw the enemy in their own rear, no longer acted so decisively.

Battery Raevsky

The specificity of the terrain of the Borodino field was determined by the fact that in its very center there was a hill, which made it possible to control and shell the entire adjacent territory. This was an ideal place to place artillery, which Kutuzov took advantage of. The famous Raevsky battery was deployed in this place, which consisted of 18 guns, and General Raevsky himself was supposed to protect this height with the help of an infantry regiment. The attack on the battery began at 9 am. By striking at the center of Russian positions, Bonaparte pursued the goal of complicating the movement of the enemy army. During the first French offensive, General Raevsky’s unit was deployed to defend Bagrationov’s flushes, but the first enemy attack on the battery was successfully repulsed without the participation of infantry. Eugene Beauharnais, who commanded the French troops in this sector of the offensive, saw the weakness of the artillery position and immediately launched another blow on this corps. Kutuzov transferred all the reserves of artillery and cavalry troops here. Despite this, the French army managed to suppress the Russian defenses and penetrate his stronghold. At this moment, a counterattack by Russian troops was carried out, during which they managed to recapture the redoubt. General Beauharnais was captured. Of the 3,100 French who attacked the battery, only 300 survived.

The position of the battery was extremely dangerous, so Kutuzov gave the order to redeploy the guns to the second line of defense. General Barclay de Tolly sent an additional corps of General Likhachev to protect Raevsky's battery. Napoleon's original plan of attack lost its relevance. The French emperor abandoned massive attacks on the enemy's left flank, and directed his main attack on the central part of the defense, on the Raevsky battery. At this moment, the Russian cavalry went to the rear of the Napoleonic army, which slowed down the French advance by 2 hours. During this time, the battery's defensive position was further strengthened.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, 150 guns of the French army opened fire on Raevsky's battery, and almost immediately the infantry went on the offensive. The battle lasted about an hour and, as a result, Raevsky’s battery fell. Napoleon's original plan hoped that the capture of the battery would lead to dramatic changes in the balance of forces near the central part of the Russian defense. This did not turn out to be the case; he had to abandon the idea of ​​attacking in the center. By the evening of August 26, Napoleon's army had failed to achieve a decisive advantage in at least one sector of the front. Napoleon did not see significant prerequisites for victory in the battle, so he did not dare to use his reserves in the battle. Until the last moment, he hoped to exhaust the Russian army with his main forces, achieve a clear advantage in one of the sectors of the front, and then bring fresh forces into battle.

End of the battle

After the fall of Raevsky's battery, Bonaparte abandoned further ideas of storming the central part of the enemy's defense. There were no more significant events in this direction of the Borodino field. On the left flank, the French continued their attacks, which led to nothing. General Dokhturov, who replaced Bagration, repelled all enemy attacks. The right flank of the defense, commanded by Barclay de Tolly, had no significant events, only sluggish attempts at artillery bombardment were made. These attempts continued until 7 pm, after which Bonaparte retreated to Gorki to give the army a rest. It was expected that this was a short pause before the decisive battle. The French were preparing to continue the battle in the morning. However, at 12 o'clock at night, Kutuzov refused to further continue the battle and sent his army beyond Mozhaisk. This was necessary in order to give the army a rest and replenish it with manpower.

This is how the Battle of Borodino ended. Until now, historians from different countries argue about which army won this battle. Domestic historians talk about the victory of Kutuzov, Western historians talk about the victory of Napoleon. It would be more correct to say that the Battle of Borodino was a draw. Each army got what it wanted: Napoleon opened his way to Moscow, and Kutuzov inflicted significant losses on the French.

Results of the confrontation

The casualties in Kutuzov's army during the Battle of Borodino are described differently by different historians. Basically, researchers of this battle come to the conclusion that the Russian army lost about 45 thousand people on the battlefield. This figure takes into account not only those killed, but also the wounded, as well as those captured. During the battle of August 26, Napoleon's army lost a little less than 51 thousand people killed, wounded and captured. The comparable losses of both countries are explained by many scholars by the fact that both armies regularly changed their roles. The course of the battle changed very often. First, the French attacked, and Kutuzov gave the order to the troops to take up defensive positions, after which the Russian army launched a counteroffensive. At certain stages of the battle, Napoleonic generals managed to achieve local victories and occupy the necessary positions. Now the French were on the defensive, and the Russian generals were on the offensive. And so the roles changed dozens of times during one day.

The Battle of Borodino did not produce a winner. However, the myth of the invincibility of Napoleonic army was dispelled. Further continuation of the general battle was undesirable for the Russian army, since at the end of the day on August 26, Napoleon still had untouched reserves at his disposal, totaling up to 12 thousand people. These reserves, against the backdrop of a tired Russian army, could have a significant impact on the result. Therefore, having retreated beyond Moscow, on September 1, 1812, a council was held in Fili, at which it was decided to allow Napoleon to occupy Moscow.

Military significance of the battle

The Battle of Borodino became the bloodiest battle in the history of the 19th century. Each side lost about 25 percent of its army. In one day, the opponents fired more than 130 thousand shots. The combination of all these facts later led to the fact that Bonaparte in his memoirs called the Battle of Borodino the largest of his battles. However, Bonaparte failed to achieve the desired results. The illustrious commander, accustomed exclusively to victories, formally did not lose this battle, but did not win either.

While on the island of St. Helena and writing out his personal autobiography, Napoleon wrote the following lines about the Battle of Borodino:

The Battle of Moscow is the most important battle in my life. The Russians had an advantage in everything: they had 170 thousand people, an advantage in cavalry, artillery and terrain, which they knew very well. Despite this we won. The heroes of France are generals Ney, Murat and Poniatowski. They own the laurels of the winners of the Moscow Battle.

Bonaparte

These lines clearly show that Napoleon himself viewed the Battle of Borodino as his own victory. But such lines should be studied exclusively in the light of the personality of Napoleon, who, while on the island of St. Helena, greatly exaggerated the events of past days. For example, in 1817, the former Emperor of France said that in the Battle of Borodino he had 80 thousand soldiers, and the enemy had a huge army of 250 thousand. Of course, these figures were dictated only by Napoleon’s personal conceit, and have nothing to do with real history.

Kutuzov also assessed the Battle of Borodino as his own victory. In his note to Emperor Alexander 1 he wrote:

On the 26th, the world saw the bloodiest battle in its history. Never before has recent history seen so much blood. A perfectly chosen battlefield, and an enemy who came to attack but was forced to defend.

Kutuzov

Alexander 1, under the influence of this note, and also trying to reassure his people, declared the Battle of Borodino as a victory for the Russian army. Largely because of this, in the future, domestic historians also always presented Borodino as a victory of Russian weapons.

The main result of the Battle of Borodino was that Napoleon, who was famous for winning all the general battles, managed to force the Russian army to take the fight, but failed to defeat it. The absence of a significant victory in the general battle, taking into account the specifics of the Patriotic War of 1812, led to the fact that France did not receive any significant advantages from this battle.

Literature

• History of Russia in the 19th century. P.N. Zyryanov. Moscow, 1999.
• Napoleon Bonaparte. A.Z. Manfred. Sukhumi, 1989.
• Trip to Russia. F. Segur. 2003.
• Borodino: documents, letters, memories. Moscow, 1962.
• Alexander 1 and Napoleon. ON THE. Trotsky. Moscow, 1994.

Panorama of the Battle of Borodino

[email protected]

Our trip today will be to one of the oldest museums in the world, most of which is located in the open air - the Borodino Field Museum-Reserve, which is a memorial to two Patriotic Wars at once (the War of 1812 and the War of 1941-1945)...

The area of ​​protected areas is over 110 square meters. km...

(The plan of the Borodino field was taken from the website www.borodino.ru)

"Borodino Field" is a somewhat unique museum: on its vast territory there are about 200 monuments, most of which are dedicated to specific units of the Russian army participating in the grandiose battle of August 26 (September 7), 1812... All these monuments were installed in those very places Borodino Field, where those significant events took place with the participation of these military units....

In this regard, visiting all the sights of the Borodino Field is a very difficult and time-consuming task: firstly, not every monument can be accessed by your own personal transport, and secondly, the territory of the museum-reserve is so vast that even if and there was the possibility of access to each attraction - even this would have taken quite a lot of time...

We would divide our program for visiting Borodino Field into three stages:

1st - visiting the main battle sites;

2nd - visit to the Borodino Museum

3rd - visit to the Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery.

One more note. Since about the events of 1812 and about the fighting during 1941-1945. a lot has been written and in detail - we will not cover them in our case. Our task is to show the main memorable places of those years, optimizing the travel route (in order to see more sights in a minimum time)...

Moving from Moscow along the Minsk Highway, we turn onto Mozhaisk, drive along its central streets (you can also stay in Mozhaisk to see its sights. For example, the Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, or the Luzhetsky Monastery...), and along the Mozhaisk Highway (A100) we are heading towards Borodino... After about 7.5 - 8 km we turn left (towards Psarevo) and after 4 km we will come to a fork: “Borodino Museum - right, Borodino station - left”.

From here we will begin our acquaintance with the Borodino Field museum-reserve... By the way, not reaching 300 meters before this intersection, on the left side there is a decent-sized parking lot where you can leave your car, for example, during the grandiose military-historical reconstruction of the events of Borodino battle of 1812, which takes place every year on the first Sunday of September.

On weekdays there are no problems with parking and you can easily stop in your car near any iconic place that has access...

So, having made a stop near the intersection, we come to our first memorial on the Borodino field...

This is a monument to Count Arakcheev’s Battery No. 2 and Light No. 2 companies of the Life Guards Artillery Brigade...

On the eastern side of the monument the following inscription....

And when we approach the monument from the north side, we will find out by whose efforts and when it was erected....

By the way, most of the monuments on the Borodino field that are associated with the events of 1812 were erected in 1912 - in honor of the 100th anniversary of this significant battle...

On the opposite side of the road we see another monument....

It was installed in honor of Battery No. 1 and Light No. 1 companies of the Life Guards Artillery Brigade... Having walked around it from all sides, we learn that 8 people from this unit, including General Ermolov A.P. awarded for valor and courage shown during the war with Napoleon with the Order of St. George of various degrees...

In fact, at the very crossroads there is another reminder of 1812 - a monument to the Life Guards Izmailovsky Regiment....

And this is the rationale for its appearance...

On August 26, after unsuccessful attempts to break through in this direction, the French fired volleys of 400 guns into this area. Every second guard died, but the ranks of the soldiers did not waver, and when help arrived, the French were sent to flight...

Literally after 100 meters, on the left side, 120 meters from the road, we see the next memorial monument...

This is a monument to the 2nd cuirassier division I.M. Duki as part of the Little Russian, Cuirassier, Novgorod, Glukhov and Ekaterinoslav regiments...

Ilya Mikhailovich Duka is a Serbian nobleman who, during the Battle of Borodino, three times personally went with his subordinates in counterattacks on enemy batteries.... For his courage he was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 1st degree...

At the top of the monument we see a double-headed eagle with the monogram of Alexander I,

and along the perimeter of the monument, cuirassier helmets are placed on low pedestals...

After 200 meters we stop at the monument to the 12th Infantry Division of General I.V. Vasilchikova, who took part in the battle for the Raevsky battery and contributed to the encirclement and destruction of the Bonami brigade...

During the Battle of Borodino I.V. Vasilchikov was wounded, but did not leave the battlefield... For skillful leadership of his unit during the battle and personal courage, he was promoted to lieutenant general... Subsequently, being Nikolai's favorite I , Vasilchikov will be elevated to the rank of count (the princely branch of the Vasilchikov family will begin with him) and will become chairman of the Committee of Ministers and the State Council...

From this point, the main monument of the Battle of Borodino is already quite clearly visible - the monument to the heroes of the Battle of Borodino...

Before we get there, let's look at other monuments located closer to the forest planting.... To do this, we continue our route further along the dirt road...

Our trip through the fields (even though we were moving along a dirt road, and there were no prohibitory signs) attracted the attention of local comrades... A UAZ rushed after us, overtook us while we were examining the monument to the 12th Infantry Division, and stopped at edge of the forest... A comrade came out of him, who all the time while we were on the field, carefully watched our body movements.... Perhaps he thought that we were some kind of "black diggers".... But with us, besides I didn't have a camera with me...

On the edge of the field, far from the road, there is a group of monuments....

In the center of the first row is a tombstone monument to the Life Guardsmen of the Semenovsky Regiment, Lieutenant Count S.N. Tatishchev and warrant officer N.A. Olenin. They were killed by one cannonball on August 26, 1812....

To his right is the grave of the captain of the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment P.F. Shaposhnikov (his remains were moved here in 1967 from Mozhaisk), and on the left is the grave of the captain of the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment A.P. Levshin...

The graves of these Russian officers who died during the Battle of Borodino appeared here in 1967.... At one time, these officers were buried on the territory of the Trinity Church in Mozhaisk. However, at the end of the 60s of the last century, local authorities decided to build a House of Culture on the site of the church.... Because of this, measures were taken to rebury the participants in the Battle of Borodino...

Behind the graves is a monument to the 23rd Infantry Division...

Somewhere in the distance you can see the Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery....

Our plans include visiting him, but it will be a little later...

About 50 meters from the monument to the 23rd Infantry Division

there is a monument to the Astrakhan Cuirassier Regiment....

The inscription on it testifies to the fierce battles that took place here...

Another 50 meters of the way - and another monument....

This is a monument to the Life Cuirassier Regiment...

Well, this group of monuments is completed by a monument to the cavalry guards and horse guards...

Guards heavy cavalry (cavalry guards) and horse guards largely contributed to the victory of the Russian army in the Battle of Borodino...

On the back side of the monument there is a memorial plaque that reflects the chronology of events in the action of the regiments of the 1st Brigade of the 1st Guards Cuirassier Division on August 26, 1812....

We return to the asphalt road (our accompanying person also leaves the field)...

Before leaving for it, on the right side there is a monument to the Field Horse Artillery,

built at the expense of all field horse batteries for the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino...

On it we see a bronze bas-relief plaque depicting an episode of a battle involving horse artillery... True, this is already a copy. The original was stolen in 1977...

Before we had time to drive 300 meters towards the Borodino Museum, the next monument rises to the right of the road - a monument to the 24th Infantry Division of General P.G. Likhacheva...

This division had a very hard time during the Battle of Borodino: almost all of its fighters were killed in an unequal battle with the French. General Likhachev himself, being wounded and shell-shocked, rushed with his sword drawn at the enemy... The general's uniform saved his life (for a captured general in the French army there was a large monetary reward and the Order of the Legion of Honor). Napoleon personally communicated with Likhachev, and as a sign of admiration for the valor and courage of the soldiers of the 24th Infantry Division, he returned the sword to their commander...

Well, now nothing “stops” us from finally getting to the Borodino Museum and the main monument of the Battle of Borodino...

We are in the parking lot near the Borodino Military History Museum....

Next to the parking lot there is a concrete map indicating the main memorial sites of the Battle of Borodino...

Opposite, across the road, is the main monument to Russian soldiers, heroes of the Battle of Borodino...

That's where we're heading...

50 meters from the monument we encounter the structures of the Mozhaisk defense line, where, from October 13 to October 18, 1941, the 32nd Rifle Division under the command of Colonel V.I. Polosukhina fought fierce battles with superior enemy forces. IN During these battles, the Nazis suffered heavy losses and were detained for some time, which made it possible for the Soviet army to gain a foothold on the approaches to Moscow...

Before us is a bunker (long-term defensive structure) of those times

around which the remains of numerous trenches are clearly visible...

But let's return to the main monument to Russian soldiers - the heroes of the Battle of Borodino on the Raevsky battery....

It was founded on August 26, 1837 by Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich (future Emperor Alexander II ). The author of the project is architect A. Adomini...

Two years later, in 1839, the monument was inaugurated personally by Emperor Nicholas I . At the same time, the first maneuvers with the participation of 150 thousand military personnel took place on the Borodino field, during which certain moments of the Borodino battle were reproduced....

In addition to architectural features, the monument is also a carrier of information related to the events of 1812....

If you walk around its perimeter, you can learn many interesting facts.....

At the foot of the monument is the grave of commander P.I. Bagration...

He was wounded in the leg during the Battle of Borodino (a fragment of the cannonball crushed the bone of his left leg) and was sent for treatment to Moscow... Since there were no X-ray machines then, the doctors did not immediately notice that a fragment from the cannonball remained in the large wound... While the point is (and 17 days have already passed), Bagration began to develop gangrene, from which he died on September 23, 1812... He was buried in the village of Sima, Vladimir province, however, on the initiative of the partisan poet Denis Davydov, in 1839 the ashes of Prince Bagration was moved to the Borodino field. Emperor Nicholas himself took part in the burial I...

It must be said that the fate of the main monument and Bagration’s grave had a tragic continuation... In 1932, they were destroyed as relics of the past.... Restoration began only in 1985-87. At the same time, during preparatory work, raking out a pile of garbage at the site of the former monument, fragments of Bagration’s bones were discovered, which were again reburied on August 18, 1987. Only this time the ceremony did not take place in the presence of the top officials of the state: everything was led by the commander of one of the military units located near the Borodino field with the rank of colonel...

Since the main monument is located at the highest place, a large-scale view of the Borodino field opens from its foot...

From the main monument, along the trenches from the Second World War, we walk 350-400 meters to the northwest and a T-34 tank appears in front of us...

The “reasons” for his appearance in this place....

Next to the tank is a defense line and a fairly well-preserved bunker,

which you can look into...

This is what the surrounding area looks like from its embrasure....

There is another bunker nearby...

If you go out onto the highway from this place,

then on the opposite side of the road, next to the next line of defense,

we will see a monument on the site of the mass grave of those who fell during the battle in 1941....

Well, now we can return to the car that we left near the Borodino Museum...

Now our path lies to the Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery...

To do this, you need to return to Semenovskoye and turn right in the center of the village. After 600 meters you will already be at the walls of the monastery....

At the entrance to Semenovskoye, on the left side we see a monument to the Volyn Infantry Regiment, which especially distinguished itself in defending the left flank of the Russian position....

After turning towards the monastery, after 150 meters (on the left again) we can see the monument to the 4th Cavalry Corps of General K.K. Siversa...

It was built in 1912 according to the design of A.P. Vereshchagina....

150 meters from the previous monument (towards the monastery) there is a grandiose tetrahedral obelisk...

This is the monument “Grateful Russia to its Defenders,” which was opened in 1912. (author S.K. Rodionov)...

The obelisk consists of artillery pieces, among which are the coats of arms of cities whose residents donated funds for its construction... At the top of the obelisk is St. George the Victorious in a laurel wreath...

Just like the main monument of the Battle of Borodino, this monument was destroyed (though this happened a little earlier - in 1920)... It was restored only in 1995...

Having examined the monastery and the surrounding area (the chapel of St. Rachel of Borodino, the mass graves of Russian soldiers), we head towards the Utitsky forest...

Imprints of the military actions of 1812 (remains of lunettes) and 1941 (remains of trenches) are visible everywhere...

Behind one of these structures we meet the grave of General D.P. Neverovsky...

A participant in the Battle of Borodino, Dmitry Petrovich Neverovsky, died in 1813 near Leipzig and was buried there. In 1912, his ashes were reburied on the Borodino field

in close proximity to the monument dedicated to his division (it is in front of us)...

Nearby is a monument to the Pioneer (engineer) troops....

These units were the first to find themselves in the territory where the battles were to take place, in difficult field conditions they erected various defensive structures, on which the lives of many soldiers, and sometimes the outcome of the battle, later depended...

Already at the edge of the forest we discover the next monument to the Battle of Borodino....

It is dedicated to the 4th Infantry Division of the Prince of Württemberg....

Prince Eugene of Württemberg - nephew of Empress Maria Feodorovna, during the battle he covered the rearguard of the 1st Western Army with his division. After the battle he was awarded the Order of St. George, 3rd degree and promoted to the rank of lieutenant general...

Among the bushes, another memorial structure is visible....

As we get closer, we learn that this is a monument to the 1st Cavalry Battery of the Life Guards Artillery Brigade, whose positions were at this place in 1812......

And already on the outskirts we saw this monument....

Monument to the 3rd Cavalry Corps....

Looking at all these monuments, we unnoticed ourselves moved away from the walls of the monastery at a decent distance (about 1 km).....

Since there were no paths or paths ahead, we went back...

We’ve already reached Neverovsky’s grave,

here are the burial places of Russian soldiers,

and the chapel of Rachel of Borodino....

And here is the Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery itself....

We were about to get into the car and head back, but we decided to explore the monastery from the opposite side....

And then, at the end of its southeastern wall, they spotted a monument associated with the events of 1812....

We are heading in his direction.... After 200 meters we are at the monument to the 2nd Grenadier Division of General K. Mecklenburg and the Combined Grenadier Division of General M.S. Vorontsova...

On the edges of the base of the monument are lists of losses of all units of these divisions...

During the battle, a fierce battle took place here for Bagration's flushes, during which both sides suffered heavy losses...

Well, if you still have strength, then after covering another hundred meters you will find yourself at the monument to the Murom Infantry Regiment,

which was part of the brigade of General A.A. Tuchkova....

Now we can return to the car... We have already examined everything in this direction...

Having reached the parking lot, we decide what else we can see before we set off on the way back home...

We decide to ride for some time along the road leading from the monastery in the direction opposite to Semenovsky....

After 2 km we turn left and after driving 600 meters along a deserted asphalt path we find ourselves at the observation deck...

To our right is the Shevardinsky redoubt, but to get there you need to climb 200-250 meters up the steps.... We no longer have the strength, and we decide to watch it from afar, and if we’re lucky, we’ll come closer...

To the left, in close proximity, is another monument...

We have enough strength to examine it...

It turns out this is a monument....to the soldiers of Napoleon's army... (monument to the "Dead of the Great Army"). It was installed in 1913 on the site of Napoleon's command post....

Well, what about the redoubt? We get into the car and go around it from the north side....

The redoubt becomes quite accessible to the optics of our camera, and we, practically without leaving the car, have the opportunity to get acquainted with the monument installed on its top...

During the battle, a detachment of Lieutenant General Gorchakov numbering 11 thousand people was stationed here, against whom Napoleon threw 35 thousand of his soldiers...

Now we are definitely heading back...

We pass Semenovskoye and head towards Borodino station...

500 meters from Semenovsky on both sides of the road we saw a group of monuments...

I had to stop...

The first monument is a monument to the Life Guards Lithuanian Regiment from the Moscow Regiment....

The second is a monument to the Life Guards Finnish Regiment....

Next to it is the burial place of the captain of this regiment A.G. Ogarev, which was moved here in 1964 from the Old Village....

The third monument was erected at the burial site of soldiers of the 32nd Infantry Division who died in October 1941...

20 meters away is another burial from those years....

That's it, we are already exhausted, our strength is running out and we make a decision - not to make any more stops....

A tour of the Borodino Field Museum-Reserve cannot be called an entertaining walk in the fresh air (by the way, we were lucky with the weather: there was no rain while traveling through the museum, but as soon as we passed the Borodino station a severe thunderstorm began...), i.e. To. due to its specifics and features, it involves both long walking routes and frequent travel from one place to another (it’s good when you come by personal transport). Of course, we were not able to examine all 200 monuments and visit all the places that are in one way or another connected with the Battle of Borodino, but we got, in our opinion, a fairly complete picture of this corner of Russia...

Advance order. At 5 o'clock in the morning Napoleon gave the order to attack. Noticing the sun rising over the Russian positions, he exclaimed: “Here is the sun of Austerlitz!” But he was wrong. This time the “sun of Borodin” rose.

At six o'clock in the morning the 106th regiment from the division A.Zh. Delzon, under the cover of fog, quickly attacked the right flank of the Russian army. The speed and surprise of the attack (the Russian command expected an attack on the left flank) did not discourage the defenders of Borodino, but by six in the morning, after a fierce battle, having lost three-quarters of the strength, including the regiment commander, General L.O. Plozonna, the French captured Borodino. Corps commander E. Beauharnais immediately secured a foothold on the Borodino Heights and awaited the outcome of the battle in other directions. The attack by the Beauharnais corps on the Russian left flank was one of those “tactical sabotages” of which Napoleon was an unsurpassed master.

Main blow. And the main blow of the French army fell on Bagration’s flushes. The three most brilliant marshals of the Napoleonic army - Davout, Ney, Murat - threw all their forces at Bagration's positions, and Yu. Poniatovsky tried to bypass the Russian positions on the right, knocking the Russians out of Utitsa. By 8 a.m., French troops unsuccessfully attacked M.S.'s divisions twice. Vorontsova and D.P. Neverovsky, who defended flushes. During the fierce attacks, one after another, the hero of the “case at Shevardin”, General Kompana, General Zh.M. Dessay, General J. Rapp, finally, in a desperate attempt to break into the Russian positions, Marshal Davout was also shell-shocked. Meanwhile, the Beauharnais division, which advanced against the Gorkin Heights, having suffered heavy losses, was thrown back beyond Borodino. Poniatowski’s offensive stalled under the fire of N.A.’s battery. Tuchkova. The organization and pressure of the Great Army were defeated by the fortitude and courage of the Russian soldiers.

Flush attack. Having abandoned the idea of ​​an outflanking maneuver for the time being, Napoleon concentrated on a frontal attack and threw 30,500 soldiers into the flushes, supported by 160 guns. Bagration, even having managed to receive reinforcements, could oppose the enemy with 15 thousand bayonets and 164 guns. Over the course of 2 hours, the French attacked the flushes four times, twice occupied the Russian positions, but both times they were knocked out and retreated. Napoleon reinforced Murat's cavalry with a cuirassier division from E.M.'s corps. Nansouty, reinforced Ney and Davout with the exemplary division of L. Friant and continued the onslaught. Grenadiers P.P. arrived to help Bagration. Konovnitsyn and Duke K. of Mecklenburg.

The battle flared up with renewed vigor. By 10 o'clock the losses on both sides were horrific. Neverovsky’s division was almost completely destroyed, Vorontsov’s troops were bleeding, but did not give up their positions. A.A. was killed. Tuchkov, Vorontsov and K. Mecklenburgsky were wounded, Neverovsky was shell-shocked. The French killed General J.L. Romef.

Russian artillery literally mowed down the enemy's ranks. “The batteries of Russian cannons spewed fire, spreading death everywhere... The large redoubt turned our center into hell,” recalled A. Caulaincourt. A genius of maneuver, Napoleon won countless battles, turning columns of soldiers into a line with lightning speed at the decisive hour, but in the Borodino meat grinder the poor training of the soldiers, the rough terrain and the murderous fire of Russian artillery did not allow him to do this. And the French emperor was forced to send more and more regiments of “cannon fodder” to certain death.

Closer to noon, it seemed that a turning point was imminent in the bloody battle. Poniatovskoy pushed back N.A.’s troops behind Utitsa. Tuchkov, and Beauharnais, on the second attempt, gained a foothold on Kurgan Heights, freely firing at Bagration’s troops. Thus, the flushes were subjected to double - frontal and flanking - artillery fire.

An attempt at a workaround. At this moment, Napoleon tried to carry out one of those masterful maneuvers that created his worldwide fame as a brilliant commander. Once again throwing the fighters Ney and Davout into a frontal attack, he ordered Zh.A. Junot secretly sneaks between the flushes and Utitsa and strikes the flank of Bagration’s army. The success of this enterprise, according to Napoleon, was to decide the outcome of the battle. However, Junot's divisions unexpectedly encountered the 2nd Corps of K.F. Baggovut, located at the beginning of the battle on the Russian right flank. The roundabout raid planned by Napoleon failed.

“Chance is the true King of the universe!” said the king of aphorisms Napoleon, perhaps annoyed at the sudden appearance of Baggovut’s corps where it should not have been. But was this important episode of the Battle of Borodino really accidental? For a long time, historians (and others to this day) attributed Baggovut’s maneuver to Kutuzov’s foresight. But the Russian commander-in-chief was in Tatarinovo, a kilometer from the second line of Russian troops and almost one and a half kilometers from the center of events. While controlling the general course of the battle (through his adjutants), he could not instantly see and assess the threat of bypassing Bagration’s positions from the flank, especially since Napoleon carried out the maneuver unexpectedly for the Russians and extremely quickly. Baggovut’s report to Kutuzov indicates that the order to move Baggovut’s corps was given by M.B. Barclay de Tolly. This does not in any way detract from the merits of Kutuzov, who called (on the eve of the battle) for the “gentlemen in command” to take the initiative.

So, at the end of the sixth hour of continuous battle, Junot retreated, Beauharnais was knocked out from Kurgan Heights, Poniatovsky got stuck in a confrontation with N.A. Tuchkov, and the seventh flush assault ended in the same way as the previous six: a rollback to previous positions. Napoleon had no choice but to gather all his forces for a frontal attack on the indomitable Russians.

Napoleon gathers all his forces for a new attack. By noon, against 20 thousand people and 300 guns at Bagration, the French concentrated 45 thousand soldiers and 400 guns. Amazingly, with fewer forces and fewer guns, Napoleon ensured superiority in manpower and artillery in the most important areas. And this despite the fact that he did not use his reserve at Borodino - the Old and Young Guards. To the demand of his generals and marshals to bring the guard into battle, Napoleon replied that “he could not risk the last reserve eight hundred leagues from Paris.”

The eighth assault on Bagration's flushes was the most fierce. Having closed ranks, silently, the French walked towards the goal under the deadly fire of the Russian battery. Both sides suffered huge losses. “Entire platoons fell at once. The soldiers could be seen trying to rally under this terrible fire. Every moment death separated them, but they again closed over the corpses, as if trampling death itself underfoot,” recalled F.P. Segur. Chief of Russian artillery of the 2nd Army K.F. Levenstern reported to Kutuzov: “The effect from our batteries was terrible. The columns (of the French - Y.S.) were noticeably smaller, despite reinforcements one after another; and the more the enemy strived, the more the number of victims increased.” The divisions of Davout and Ney managed to knock the Russians out of their positions, but Bagration, having gathered his forces, personally led the troops in a counterattack. At this moment, the Russian commander, the favorite of the army, was mortally wounded. This left the soldiers confused and confused. D.S. took command instead of Bagration. Dokhturov, who, having led the troops, put them in order, holding back the enemy’s onslaught.

Kurgan height. Deciding that the left flank of the enemy’s defense was disorganized, Napoleon was preparing to break through the center of Russian defense - Kurgan Heights (the village of Semenovskaya was occupied by Friant’s division). Two morning attacks on the heights were unsuccessful. During a fierce battle, the French killed General L.P. Montbrun, and General S.O. Bonami, with many wounds, was captured half-dead. The Russians lost their talented artillery chief, 27-year-old Count A.I. Kutaisov, A.P. was wounded. Ermolov.

After the fall of the Bagration flushes, Kurgan Height remained the most strategically important value. It was not enough for Napoleon to push the Russians back from their positions, especially since the enemy maintained military order, retreating nearby, and ready for a new battle. Crushing, destroying, completely defeating the Russian troops - this is the task that the French commander persistently strove to accomplish. However, an unexpected attack by the Russians forced him to postpone the immediate assault on Raevsky’s battery for 2 hours.

Around noon, a message from General A.Zh. arrived at the emperor’s headquarters. Delzona: the Russians in the Borodino area launched a cavalry attack, displacing him from his positions. This news alarmed Napoleon so much that, despite his illness, he personally went to the village of Bezzubovo to clarify the situation. What happened?

Kutuzov's maneuvers. In a most difficult situation for the Russian army, Kutuzov conceived a brilliant maneuver. By his order, the cavalry corps of F.P. Uvarov and the Cossacks of Ataman M.I. Platov, numbering 4,500 sabers, having crossed Kolocha in the lower reaches, attacked the small French garrison at Borodino. The cavalry raid was directed against the French left flank and, if successful, could decisively change the course of the battle in favor of the Russian army. However, the cavalrymen were easily stopped and driven back by the unit of General F.A. Ornano. However, this episode had important consequences for the course of the Battle of Borodino: Napoleon finally abandoned the idea of ​​​​using the guards remaining in reserve. And Kutuzov got the opportunity to regroup his forces and replenish his troops.

The ferocity of the battle. Only at two o'clock in the afternoon did Napoleon resume preparations for the assault on Kurgan Heights. Under heavy fire from three hundred guns firing at Russian positions from both flanks - from Borodino and from Semenovskaya - Beauharnais sent three infantry divisions to attack. At the same time, the French cavalry, led by the commander of the 5th cuirassier regiment O. Caulaincourt, broke into the rear of the Russian defensive lines on the left. In this swift and successful attack for the French, Caulaincourt himself died, keeping his word to Napoleon to be at his best “dead or alive.” In parallel with Caulaincourt's cavalry attack, General M.E.'s infantrymen burst into Raevsky's battery in the center. Gerard. The ferocity of the battle reached its climax. None of the defenders of the height fled from the position. After an hour of massacre, Raevsky’s battery presented “a spectacle that surpassed in horror everything that could be imagined. The approaches, the ditches, the interior of the fortifications - all this disappeared under an artificial hill of the dead and dying, the average height of which was 6-8 people piled on top of each other.” Division P.G. Likhacheva, who was defending the height, was killed almost completely; The French troops also suffered huge losses.

Leaving Kurgan Heights, the scattered Russian regiments retreated about a kilometer, where Barclay de Tolly took command of them. Attempts by the French cavalry to continue the offensive and break through the center of the Russian army were unsuccessful. Barclay personally led the cavalry regiments in a counterattack, and the enemy cavalry retreated. Meanwhile, the left wing of the Russian army, having retreated beyond Semenovskaya, was ready to re-engage in battle. According to the testimony of the commander of the guards cavalry, Zh.B. Besier, “they (the Russians - Yu.S.) retreated to the second position in order, and there they apparently began to prepare for a new attack.” And the final chord of the “Day of Borodin” was the battle for the village of Utitsa and the Utitsa Kurgan. Having pushed back the Russians and occupied both positions, Yu. Poniatovsky was unable to advance further: his troops were exhausted. The battle gradually subsided.

Napoleon on Kurgan Heights. Arriving at Kurgan Heights at six o'clock in the evening, Napoleon gloomily surveyed the enemy's positions. After twelve hours of bloody battle, having lost thousands of the best soldiers and officers, dozens (!) of the bravest generals, the emperor did not achieve his main goal: the Russian army was neither demoralized, much less defeated. Having retreated to the second line and closed ranks, she prepared to continue the battle.

Battle of Borodino (briefly)

Battle of Borodino (briefly)

The Russian army could only retreat... Moscow was still several hundred kilometers away and the soldiers needed decisive actions from their commanders. The situation was difficult, but the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Kutuzov, decided to give Napoleon a general battle. The Battle of Borodino is the bloodiest and largest battle of the Second World War in 1812.

Borodino is located one hundred and twenty kilometers from the capital of Russia, and Kutuzov’s Russian army was able to take a position in which Napoleonic soldiers were only able to carry out a frontal attack. The commander toured all the Russian troops, and before the start of the battle they carried the icon of the Smolensk Mother of God.

Kutuzov's army was lined up in three lines. The first of them was occupied by artillery and infantry, the next was occupied by cavalry, and the third was occupied by a reserve. The French wanted to outwit Kutuzov by making the first strike on the village of Borodino, but the great Russian commander was able to unravel Napoleonic plan. Then Napoleon had no choice but to lead his army into a frontal attack. The entire crushing blow fell on the Semyonov flushes on the left flank, commanded by Bagration. Thus, Napoleon used the standard powerful scheme, as well as lightning-fast work of cavalry, infantry and artillery. The next morning, the French soldiers rushed into battle, and by noon they managed to take possession of the flushes.

Barclay de Tolly hastened to send a regiment to help Bagration, and he was able to cool the attacking ardor of the French soldiers and throw them back. The fire died down for a while and Napoleon had a minute to think about his further actions. At this time, Kutuzov managed to raise reserves and the Russian army began to represent a truly formidable power. The French were forced to retreat from batteries, flushes and surrender captured positions.

In total, the Battle of Borodino lasted about twelve hours and during this time neither the vanquished nor the winners emerged. After lengthy retreats, a bloody battle with the enemy on the Borodino field was able to raise the morale of Russian soldiers. The army was again ready to engage in battle and stand to the end, but Kutuzov decided that other actions were necessary and, as it soon became clear, he was right. But still, after the long Battle of Borodino, the Russian army retreated and was forced to surrender Moscow to Napoleon.

summary of other presentations

“Battle of Borodino 1812” - Attack of Marshal Ney at Borodino. Club of the people's war. N. A. Durova (1783-1886). Command of A.I. Gorchakova. Monument to Kutuzov on the Borodino field. Historians. "Wolf in the kennel." Literary scholars. The name of the great Russian commander Mikhail Illarionovich. Field of Russian glory. Portrait of N. N. Raevsky (1771-1829). Lieutenant General P.P. Konovnitsyn. Monuments. M. B. Barclay de Tolly (1757-1818). USSR postal block, 1987.

“The Battle of Borodino” - At the beginning of the war, M.I. Kutuzov was elected commander. Goal: generalization and systematization of knowledge about the Battle of Borodino. The Patriotic War of 1812 is one of the brightest pages in history. Napoleon expected the Russians to sue for peace. Borodino. To the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino. We retreated in silence for a long time, it was annoying, we were waiting for a fight. The fate of the ancient capital. The Russians remained undefeated. The French entered an almost deserted Moscow.

“Battle of Borodino 1812” - The left wing, consisting of formations of the 2nd Army, was commanded by Bagration. Maslovsky flushes. Small. On August 22 (September 3), 1812, Russian troops approached Borodino. Shevardinsky redoubt. Bagration's flushes. New Smolensk road. Raevsky's battery. Gorki. Left flank. Battle of Borodino (August 26, 1812). Reserve. Old Smolensk road. Right wing. Here, 12 km west of Mozhaisk, 120 km from Moscow, across the river. Kolocha. position was chosen.

“Battle of Borodino 1812” - Through the flying smoke the French moved like clouds. Everyone was ready to start a new battle in the morning. The enemy experienced a lot that day, which means a daring Russian battle. Progress of military operations. Memo-algorithm for studying material about wars. Plans of the Russian General Staff. The Battle of Borodino lasted 12 hours. Plans of the warring parties. Yes, there were people in our time, not like the current tribe. The invasion of Napoleon's army into Russia.

“200th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino” - The right flank of the Russian position. Patriotic War of 1812. The result of the battle. Loud things done. Dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino. Battle of Borodino. M.I. Kutuzov launched a cavalry raid. Results of the Battle of Borodino. Correlation of forces. Borodino. Losses of the parties.

“Day of the Battle of Borodino” - Battle for the village of Borodino. Napoleon. Drums. Battle of Borodino. Enemy. Large field. Russian people. Bogatyrs. You will never see such battles. We were in a firefight for two days. Kutuzov and the Russian army. The smoke is volatile. 200th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino. Army command. The Battle of Borodino lasted 12 hours. Battles for Bagration's flushes. Intense battles.