"THE RUSSIANS WANTED THE GLORY TO BE INVINCTED"

After the battle of Smolensk, the retreat of the Russian army continued. This caused open discontent in the country. Under pressure from public opinion, Alexander I appointed the commander-in-chief of the Russian army. The task of Kutuzov was not only to stop the further advance of Napoleon, but also to expel him from Russian borders. He also adhered to the tactics of retreat, but the army and the whole country expected a decisive battle from him. Therefore, he gave the order to look for a position for a general battle, which was found near the village. Borodino, 124 kilometers from Moscow.

The Russian army approached the village of Borodino on August 22, where, at the suggestion of Colonel K.F. Tolya was chosen for a flat position with a length of up to 8 km. From the left flank, the Borodino field was covered by the impassable Utitsky forest, and on the right, which ran along the bank of the river. Kolochi, Maslovsky flushes were erected - earthen arrow-shaped fortifications. In the center of the position, fortifications were also built, which received different names: Central, Kurgan height, or the Raevsky batteries. Semenovskiy (Bagrationov's) flushes were erected on the left flank. Ahead of the entire position, from the left flank, near the village of Shevardino, a redoubt was also built, which was supposed to play the role of an advanced fortification. However, the approaching army of Napoleon, after a fierce battle on August 24, managed to take it.

The location of the Russian troops. The right flank was occupied by the battle formations of the 1st Western Army of General M.B. Barclay de Tolly, on the left flank were units of the 2nd Western Army under the command of P.I. Bagration, and the Old Smolensk Road near the village of Utitsa was covered by the 3rd Infantry Corps of Lieutenant General N.A. Tuchkov. Russian troops occupied a defensive position and were deployed in the shape of the letter "G". This situation was explained by the fact that the Russian command sought to control the Old and New Smolensk roads leading to Moscow, especially since there was a serious fear of a bypass movement of the enemy on the right. That is why a significant part of the corps of the 1st Army found themselves in this direction. Napoleon, on the other hand, decided to inflict his main blow on the left flank of the Russian army, for which on the night of August 26 (September 7), 1812, he transferred the main forces across the river. I poke, leaving only a few cavalry and infantry units to cover my own left flank.

The beginning of the battle. The battle began at five o'clock in the morning with an attack by units of the corps of the Viceroy of Italy E. Beauharnais on the position of the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment near the village. Borodin. The French took possession of this point, but it was their distraction. Napoleon launched his main blow against Bagration's army. Corps of Marshals L.N. Davout, M. Ney, I. Murat and General A. Junot several times attacked Semenovskie flushes. Units of the 2nd Army fought heroically against the outnumbered enemy. The French repeatedly burst into flushes, but each time after a counterattack they abandoned them. Only by nine o'clock the Napoleonic armies finally captured the fortifications of the Russian left flank, and Bagration, who tried to organize another counterattack at that time, was mortally wounded. “The soul seemed to fly away from the entire left flank after the death of this man,” witnesses tell us. Fierce fury, a thirst for revenge took possession of those soldiers who were directly in his entourage. When the general was already being carried away, the cuirassier Adrianov, who served him during the battle (giving a telescope, etc.), ran up to the stretcher and said: "Your Excellency, they are taking you to heal, you no longer need me!" Then, according to eyewitnesses, "Adrianov, in the sight of thousands, set off like an arrow, instantly crashed into the ranks of the enemies and, having struck many, fell dead."

The fight for the Raevsky battery. After the capture of the flushes, the main struggle developed for the center of the Russian position - the Raevsky battery, which at 9 and 11 in the morning was subjected to two strong attacks by the enemy. During the second attack, the troops of E. Beauharnais managed to capture the height, but soon the French were driven out of there as a result of a successful counterattack by several Russian battalions led by Major General A.P. Ermolov.

At noon, Kutuzov sent the Cossacks of the general from the cavalry M.I. Platov and the cavalry corps of Adjutant General F.P. Uvarov to the rear of Napoleon's left flank. The raid of the Russian cavalry made it possible to divert the attention of Napoleon and for several hours delayed a new assault by the French on the weakened Russian center. Taking advantage of the respite, Barclay de Tolly regrouped his forces and put fresh troops on the front line. Only at two o'clock in the afternoon did Napoleon's units make a third attempt to seize Raevsky's battery. The actions of the Napoleonic infantry and cavalry led to success, and soon the French finally captured this fortification. They were captured by the wounded Major General P.G. Likhachev. The Russian troops withdrew, but the enemy could not break through the new front of their defense, despite all the efforts of the two cavalry corps.

Results of the battle. The French were able to achieve tactical successes in all main areas - the Russian armies were forced to leave their original positions and retreat by about 1 km. But Napoleon's units did not manage to break through the defenses of the Russian troops. Thinning Russian regiments stood to death, ready to repel new attacks. Napoleon, despite the urgent requests of his marshals, did not dare to abandon his last reserve for the final blow - the twenty thousandth Old Guard. Intense artillery fire continued until the evening, and then the French units were withdrawn to the starting lines. It was not possible to defeat the Russian army. Here is what the Russian historian E.V. Tarle: “The feeling of victory was definitely not felt by anyone. The marshals talked among themselves and were unhappy. Murat said that he did not recognize the emperor all day, Ney said that the emperor had forgotten his craft. Artillery thundered on both sides until evening and bloodshed continued, but the Russians did not think not only to flee, but also to retreat. It was already getting dark. A light rain has started falling. "What are the Russians?" asked Napoleon. - "Standing still, your majesty." “Increase the fire, it means they still want to,” the emperor ordered. - Give them more! "

Sullen, not speaking to anyone, accompanied by his retinue and generals who did not dare to break his silence, Napoleon drove around the battlefield in the evening, looking with inflamed eyes at the endless heaps of corpses. The emperor did not know in the evening that the Russians had lost from their 112 thousand not 30 thousand, but about 58 thousand people; he also did not know that he himself had lost more than 50 thousand out of 130 thousand, which he had brought to the Borodino field. But that he had 47 killed and seriously wounded (not 43, as they sometimes write, but 47) of his best generals, he learned in the evening. The French and Russian corpses covered the ground so densely that the imperial horse had to look for places where to lower the hoof between the mountains of the bodies of people and horses. The groans and screams of the wounded echoed from all over the field. The Russian wounded struck the retinue: “They did not utter a single groan,” writes one of the retinue, Count Segur, “perhaps, far from their own, they counted less on mercy. But it is true that they seemed more resilient in bearing pain than the French. "

In the literature, there are the most contradictory facts about the losses of the parties, the question of the winner is still controversial. In this regard, it should be noted that none of the opponents solved their tasks: Napoleon was unable to defeat the Russian army, Kutuzov - to defend Moscow. However, the enormous efforts made by the French army were ultimately fruitless. Borodino brought Napoleon a bitter disappointment - the outcome of this battle did not in the least resemble either Austerlitz, or Jena, or Friedland. The bloodless French army was unable to pursue the enemy. The Russian army, fighting on its territory, was able to restore the number of its ranks in a short time. Therefore, in assessing this battle, Napoleon himself was most accurate, saying: “Of all my battles, the most terrible is the one I gave near Moscow. The French in it showed themselves worthy to win. And the Russians have acquired the glory of being undefeated. "

RECRIPT OF ALEXANDER I

“Mikhail Illarionovich! Although the present state of the military circumstances of our active armies was preceded by initial successes, the consequences of these do not reveal to me the swift action with which one should act to defeat the enemy.

Considering these consequences and extracting the true reasons for this, I find it necessary to appoint one general commander-in-chief over all active armies, whose election, in addition to military gifts, would be based on seniority itself.

Your well-known virtues, love for the fatherland and repeated experiences of excellent deeds acquire you a true right to this very power of attorney of mine.

Choosing you for this important cause, I ask Almighty God, bless your deeds to the glory of Russian weapons, and may the happy hopes that the fatherland places on you be justified. "

PRESENTATION BY KUTUZOV

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

FROM KOLENKUR'S MEMOIRS

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

FROM THE REPORT OF GENERAL RAEVSKY

“The enemy, having arranged in our eyes his entire army, so to speak, in one column, went straight to our front; Approaching the same, strong columns separated from its left flank, went straight to the redoubt and, despite the strong canister fire from my guns, without firing their heads they climbed over the breastwork. At the same time, from my right flank, Major General Paskevich with regiments attacked with bayonets on the left flank of the enemy, which was located behind the redoubt. Major General Vasilchikov did the same on their right flank, and Major General Yermolov, taking a battalion of jaegers of the regiments brought in by Colonel Vuich, struck with bayonets right on the redoubt, where, having exterminated everyone in it, took the general leading the column prisoner ... Major Generals Vasilchikov and Paskevich overturned the enemy columns in the blink of an eye and drove them to the bushes so hard that hardly any of them escaped. More than the action of my corps, it remains for me to describe in a nutshell that after the extermination of the enemy, returning again to their places, I held on to them until then against repeated attacks of the enemy, until the killed and wounded was brought to complete insignificance and already my redoubt was occupied by Mr. General Major Likhachev. Your Excellency himself knows that Major General Vasilchikov gathered the scattered remnants of the 12th and 27th divisions and with the Lithuanian Guards regiment held an important height until evening, located on the left extremity of our entire line ... "

GOVERNMENTAL NOTICE ABOUT LEAVING MOSCOW

“With the extreme and crushing heart of every son of the Fatherland, this sadness is announced that the enemy of September entered Moscow on the 3rd day. But let the Russian people not lose heart. On the contrary, may each and every one swear to seethe with a new spirit of courage, firmness and undoubted hope that every evil and harm inflicted on us by our enemies will turn at last on their head. The enemy did not occupy Moscow because he overcame our forces or would weaken them. The commander-in-chief, on the advice of the leading generals, found it useful and necessary to concede for a time of necessity, so that with the most reliable and best methods later, turn the enemy's short-term triumph into his inevitable death. No matter how painful it is for every Russian to hear that the first-throne city of Moscow contains the enemies of his fatherland; but it contains them in itself, empty, naked from all the treasures and inhabitants. The proud conqueror hoped, having entered it, to become the ruler of the entire Russian kingdom and to prescribe to him such a world as he discerned; but he will be deceived in his hope and will not find in this capital not only ways to rule, below the ways to exist. Our gathered and sometimes more accumulating forces around Moscow will not cease to block all his paths and the detachments sent from him for food were annihilated daily until he saw that his hope of defeating his minds by the capture of Moscow was futile and that, against his will, he would have to open his way out of her by force of arms ... "

Battle of Borodino briefly

In any war, battles took place, which became a turning point in it. For the Patriotic War in 1812, such a moment was the battle that took place on August 26 (according to the new style on September 7) and received the name of Borodinsky. On the one hand, the Russian army participated in this battle, in which at that time the commander-in-chief was General Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov. On the other hand, the international army, which was based on French troops, under the command of Napoleon I Bonaparte. The main reason why the Russian troops fought at Borodino was the desire to weaken the French army and delay its advance towards Moscow. For this, Kutuzov blocked the New Smolensk road, where the French were advancing, concentrating almost three-quarters of the forces on this sector.

The most general battle was preceded by the battle for the Shevardinsky redoubt, which lasted all day on August 24. During this day, the redoubt alternately passed from one side to the other, but in the evening he ordered Gorchakov's troops defending the redoubt to retreat to the main forces. In fact, the task of the defense of the Shevardinsky redoubt was to cover the strengthening of the main lines of defense and determine the movement of Napoleon's army. Historians estimate the size of both armies differently, but all agree on one thing - before the general battle, Kutuzov and Napoleon had approximately the same number of people at their disposal, with a slight advantage on the side of the French. If we take the average estimate, then for the Russians this number reached 110 thousand in the regular army and about 19 thousand militias, and Bonaparte had about 135 thousand regular soldiers.

The battle of Borodino itself, in short, consisted of several bloody battles:

The battle for the village of Borodino - here the French corps of Beauharnais met against the Russian huntsman regiments of Barclay de Tolly;

The battle for Bagration's flushes, in which 15 divisions of Marshals Ney, Davout, Murat and General Junot were nominated against two divisions under the command of Neverovsky and Vorontsov. It was here that General Konovnitsyn was wounded and took command.

After the Russians left the flushes and secured for the Semyonovsky ravine, the third battle took place here, with troops participating in it, attacking and defending the flushes. The heavy cavalry of General Nansuti joined the French, Platov's Cossacks and Uvarov's cavalry joined the Russian troops.

This was followed by battles for the Raevsky battery and battles on the old Smolensk highway. And although the French captured all the key positions, by the evening of August 26, they were forced to retreat and leave the territory to the Russians. But Kutuzov, realizing that he had a little more than half of the original number of people (by the way, the French lost even more - almost 60 thousand people) decided to retreat to Moscow.

Because of this retreat, long disputes continued over who won the battle of Borodino, but no one would argue that this battle was the beginning of the end of Napoleon's army. And briefly assessing the Battle of Borodino, I must say, that it was the beginning of a series of victories for Russian weapons.

Battle of Borodino (briefly)

Battle of Borodino (briefly)

The Russian army could only retreat ... there were still several hundred kilometers to Moscow and the soldiers needed decisive actions by 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 during the Great Patriotic War of 1812.

Borodino is located one hundred and twenty kilometers from the capital of Russia and the Russian army of Kutuzov was able to take such a position in which the Napoleonic soldiers were allowed to carry out only a frontal attack. The commander drove around 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 cavalry, and the third was occupied by a reserve. The French wanted to outwit Kutuzov by making the first blow to the village of Borodino, but the great Russian commander was able to unravel the Napoleonic plan. Then Napoleon had no choice but to lead his army into a frontal attack. The whole crushing blow fell on the Semyonov flushes on the left flank, commanded by Bagration. Thus, Napoleon used the standard powerful scheme, as well as the lightning-fast work of cavalry, infantry and artillery. The next morning, the French soldiers rushed into battle, and by noon they had managed to take possession of the flushes.

Barclay de Tolly hurried to send a regiment to the aid of 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 over his next actions. At this time, Kutuzov managed to pull up reserves and the Russian army began to represent a truly formidable power. The French were forced to withdraw from batteries, flashes and surrender the captured positions.

In total, the Battle of Borodino lasted about twelve hours and during this time there were no losers or winners in it. After lengthy retreats, a bloody battle with the enemy on the Borodino field was able to raise the morale of the Russian soldiers. The army was again ready to engage in battle and stand to the end, but Kutuzov decided that other actions were needed and, as it soon became clear, he was right. But still, after a long battle of Borodino, the Russian army retreated and was forced to surrender Moscow to Napoleon.

The date of the Battle of Borodino, August 26, 1812 according to the old style or September 7 (8) according to the new style, will forever remain in history as the day of one of the greatest victories of Russian weapons. This is the Day of Russian Military Glory!

The reasons for the battle at Borodino are quite varied. General Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov, appointed commander of the Russian troops, avoided as far as possible the battle planned by Napoleon Bonaparte in conditions unfavorable for the Russian army. The reason for this reluctance to give a general engagement was the serious superiority of Bonaparte's army in numbers and experience of hostilities. Systematically retreating into the interior of the country, Kutuzov forced the French to scatter their forces, which contributed to the reduction of Napoleon's Grand Army. However, a retreat to Moscow could seriously undermine the already not high morale of Russian soldiers and provoke public disapproval.


For Bonaparte, it was important to capture the key positions of the Russians as quickly as possible, but at the same time preserve the combat effectiveness of his own army.


Realizing the seriousness of the task and the danger of Napoleon as a commander, Kutuzov carefully chose the site of the battle. And, as a result, he placed the army on the lands near the village of Borodino. This area, covered with a large number of ravines, streams and rivulets, minimized the numerical superiority of the French army and the significant superiority of artillery. In addition, it greatly impeded the possibility of detours and made it possible to block all roads leading to Moscow (Gzhatsky tract, Old and New Smolensk roads).


Kutuzov, making plans for the Battle of Borodino, focused on the tactics of exhausting the enemy, while he attached great importance to the reliability of the fortifications being hastily built.


Even a brief summary of the Battle of Borodino will take a lot of time. It became the most cruel and bloody in the 19th century. Defeat meant complete surrender for Russia, and for Napoleon an exhausting and long military campaign.
The beginning of the Battle of Borodino was laid by French artillery, which opened fire along the entire front at about 6 am. At the same time, the columns of the French began to take up the places for the attack.
The first to be attacked was the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment. And the French immediately ran into stubborn resistance, but, nevertheless, the regiment was forced to surrender its positions and retreat across the Koloch River.


Located on the left flank, Bagration's flashes were occupied by artillery and the 2nd consolidated division of Major General Vorontsov. Ahead there were chains of rangers, and the rangers' regiments of Prince Shakhovsky protected from the flush bypassing. Behind was stationed a division of Neverovsky, also a major general. Semyonovskie Heights was occupied by the division of Major General Duka. From the French side, the offensive on this sector was carried out by the troops of the corps of General Junot, marshals Murat (cavalry), Davout, Ney. Their total number reached 115 thousand soldiers.


Flush attacks launched by the French at 6 and 7 o'clock in the morning were repulsed. Moreover, the battle in this area was distinguished by incredible intensity. During the Battle of Borodino, 3 attacks were also launched. Bagration's flashes were reinforced by the Lithuanian and Izmailovsky regiments, the division of Major General Konovnitsyn and cavalry units (1st cuirassier division and 3rd cavalry corps). But the French, preparing a massive offensive, concentrated considerable forces, including 160 guns. 3 the attack, launched at about 8 am and the subsequent one, 4, launched at 9 o'clock, also drowned. During the 4th attack, Napoleon managed to briefly take the flushes, but the French were knocked out of their positions. The dead and wounded soldiers who remained on the battlefield presented a terrible picture. Further attacks, as well as attempts to bypass the already dilapidated flushes, were unsuccessful.


Only when the retention of these fortifications ceased to be expedient, the Russian troops under the command of Konovnitsyn retreated to Semenovskoye, where a new line of defense was occupied - the Semenovsky ravine. The troops of Murat and Davout were already exhausted, but Napoleon did not take the risk and refused their request to bring into battle the Old Guard, a reserve of the French. Even a later attack by heavy cavalry under the command of Nansuti was unsuccessful.
The situation in other directions also turned out to be difficult. The battle of Borodino was still far from over. While the battle for the capture of the flushes was going on, the French attacked Kurgan Hill with the Rayevsky battery located on it, one of the many heroes who showed unprecedented courage to defend their homeland. Despite the attacks of superior forces under the command of Eugene de Beauharnais, Napoleon's stepson, the battery was able to hold the height until reinforcements arrived, and then forced the French troops to retreat.
The description of the Battle of Borodino will not be complete without mentioning Lieutenant General Tuchkov's Polish detachment of the Poniatowski detachment, which prevented the bypass of the left flank of the Russians by the Polish units of the Poniatowski. He, having taken up positions on the Utitsky kurgan, covered the Old Smolensk road. During the battles for this height, Tuchkov was mortally wounded. Polish troops were unable to take the mound during the day. In the evening they were forced to retreat behind the village of Utitskoye and take a defensive position.

On the right flank, events developed just as tensely. Ataman Platonov and Lieutenant General Uvarov made a diversionary cavalry raid deep into the Great Army at about 10 am, thus helping to ease the pressure on the Russian defense along the entire front. Ataman Platonov, reaching the rear of the French to the village of Valuevo, forced the French emperor to temporarily suspend the offensive in the center, which gave the Russian troops a respite. Uvarov's corps was no less successful in the area of ​​the village of Bezzubovo.
More clearly, the actions of the Russian and French troops can be imagined using the scheme of the Borodino battle. From 6 pm the battle gradually began to subside. The last attempt to bypass the positions of the Russians was made at 9 pm. But, in the Utitsky forest, the French were met by the riflemen of the Finnish Life Guards regiment. Realizing that it would not be possible to break the resistance of Kutuzov's troops, Napoleon ordered to leave all the captured fortifications and retreat to their original positions. The bloody battle of Borodino lasted more than 12 hours.

The losses in the Battle of Borodino are enormous. The Grand Army of Napoleon lost about 59 thousand wounded, missing and killed, among them 47 generals. The Russian army under the command of Kutuzov lost 39 thousand soldiers, including 29 generals.
Surprisingly, the results of the Borodino battle still cause serious controversy. The fact is that both Napoleon Bonaparte and Kutuzov declared their victory officially. But it is not difficult to answer the question of who won the battle of Borodino. Kutuzov, despite the huge losses and the subsequent retreat, considered the Battle of Borodino an undoubted success of Russian weapons, largely achieved thanks to the perseverance and unparalleled personal courage of soldiers and officers. History has preserved the names of many heroes of the Battle of Borodino in 1812. These are Raevsky, Barclay de Tolly, Bagration, Davydov, Tuchkov, Tolstoy and many others.
Napoleon's army suffered huge irreparable losses, never reaching any of the goals set by the emperor of France. The future of the Russian company became very doubtful, the morale of the Great Army fell. Such was the outcome of the battle for Bonaparte.


The Russian historian Mikhnevich reported the following opinion of the Emperor Napoleon about the battle:
“Of all my battles, the worst is the one I gave near Moscow. The French showed themselves worthy to win in it, and the Russians acquired the right to be invincible ... Of the fifty battles I have given, in the battle of Moscow, the French showed the most valor and won the least success. "

The date of the Battle of Borodino, September 7, 1812 (August 26, old style), will forever remain in history as the day of one of the greatest victories of Russian weapons.

There were several reasons why the Battle of Borodino took place. General Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov, appointed commander of the Russian troops, avoided as far as possible the battle planned by Napoleon Bonaparte in conditions unfavorable for the Russian army. The reason for this reluctance to give a general engagement was the serious superiority of Bonaparte's army in numbers and experience of hostilities. Systematically retreating into the interior of the country, Kutuzov forced the French to scatter their forces, which contributed to the reduction of Napoleon's Great Army. However, a retreat to Moscow could seriously undermine the already low morale of Russian soldiers and provoke public disapproval. For Bonaparte, it was important to capture the key positions of the Russians as quickly as possible, but at the same time preserve the combat effectiveness of his own army.

Realizing the seriousness of the task and the danger of Napoleon as a commander, Kutuzov carefully chose the site of the battle and eventually deployed the army on the lands near the village of Borodino. This area, covered with a large number of ravines, streams and rivulets, minimized the numerical superiority of the French army and the significant superiority of its artillery. In addition, it greatly impeded the possibility of detours and made it possible to block all roads leading to Moscow (Gzhatsky tract, Old and New Smolensk roads). Kutuzov, making plans for the Battle of Borodino, made the main emphasis on the tactics of exhausting the enemy, while he attached great importance to the reliability of the fortifications being hastily built.

Even a brief summary of the Battle of Borodino will take a lot of time. It became the most cruel and bloody in the 19th century. Defeat meant complete surrender for Russia, and for Napoleon a grueling and long military campaign.

The beginning of the Battle of Borodino was laid by French artillery, which opened fire along the entire front at about 6 o'clock in the morning. At the same time, the columns of the French began to take up the places for the attack.

The first to be attacked was the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment. The French immediately ran into stubborn resistance, but nevertheless the regiment was forced to surrender its positions and retreat across the Koloch River.

Located on the left flank, Bagration's flashes were occupied by artillery and the second consolidated division of Major General Vorontsov. Ahead were exposed chains of rangers, from bypassing the flush were covered by the rangers' regiments of Prince Shakhovsky. The division of Major General Neverovsky was stationed behind. Semyonovskie Heights was occupied by the division of Major General Duka. From the French side, the offensive on this sector was carried out by the troops of the corps of General Junot, marshals Murat (cavalry), Davout, Ney. Their total number reached 115 thousand soldiers.

Flush attacks launched by the French at 6 and 7 o'clock in the morning were repulsed. Moreover, the battle in this area was distinguished by incredible intensity. During the Battle of Borodino, a third attack was also launched. Bagration's flashes were reinforced by the Lithuanian and Izmailovsky regiments, the division of Major General Konovnitsyn and cavalry units (the first cuirassier division and the third cavalry corps). But the French, preparing a massive offensive, concentrated considerable forces, including 160 guns. The third attack, launched at about 8 am, and the subsequent, fourth, undertaken at 9 o'clock, also drowned. During the fourth attack, Napoleon managed to briefly take the flushes, but the French were knocked out of their positions. The dead and wounded soldiers who remained on the battlefield presented a terrible picture. Further attacks, as well as attempts to bypass the already dilapidated flushes, were unsuccessful.

Only when the retention of these fortifications ceased to be expedient, the Russian troops under the command of Konovnitsyn retreated to Semenovskoye, where a new line of defense was occupied - the Semenovsky ravine. The troops of Murat and Davout were already exhausted, but Napoleon did not take the risk and refused their request to bring the Old Guard, a reserve of the French, into battle. Even a later attack by heavy cavalry under the command of Nansuti was unsuccessful.

The situation in other directions also turned out to be difficult. The Battle of Borodino was still far from over. While the battle for the capture of the flushes was going on, the French attacked Kurgan Heights with the Rayevsky battery located on it, one of the many heroes who showed unprecedented courage to defend their homeland. Despite the attacks of superior forces under the command of Eugene Beauharnais, Napoleon's stepson, the battery was able to hold the height until reinforcements arrived, and then forced the French troops to retreat.

The description of the Battle of Borodino would not be complete without mentioning the detachment of Lieutenant General Tuchkov, which prevented Poniatovsky's Polish units from bypassing the left flank of the Russians. Tuchkov, taking up positions on the Utitsky kurgan, covered the Old Smolensk road. During the battles for this height, Tuchkov was mortally wounded. Polish troops were unable to take the mound during the day. In the evening they were forced to retreat behind the village of Utitskoye and take a defensive position.

On the right flank, events developed just as tensely. Ataman Platonov and Lieutenant General Uvarov made a diversionary cavalry raid deep into the Great Army at about 10 am, thus helping to ease the pressure on the Russian defense along the entire front. Ataman Platonov, reaching the rear of the French to the village of Valuevo, forced the French emperor to temporarily suspend the offensive in the center, which gave the Russian troops a respite. Uvarov's corps was no less successful in the area of ​​the village of Bezzubovo.

More clearly, the actions of the Russian and French troops can be imagined using the scheme of the Borodino battle. From 6 pm the battle gradually began to subside. The last attempt to bypass the positions of the Russians was made at 9 pm. But in the Utitsky forest, the French were met by the riflemen of the Finnish Life Guards regiment. Realizing that it would not be possible to break the resistance of Kutuzov's troops, Napoleon ordered to leave all the captured fortifications and retreat to their original positions. The bloody battle of Borodino lasted more than 12 hours.

The losses in the Battle of Borodino are enormous. The great army of Napoleon lost about 59 thousand wounded, missing and killed, among them 47 generals. The Russian army under the command of Kutuzov lost 39 thousand soldiers, including 29 generals.

Surprisingly, the results of the Battle of Borodino still cause serious controversy. The fact is that both Napoleon Bonaparte and Kutuzov declared their victory officially. But it is not difficult to answer the question of who won the battle of Borodino. Kutuzov, despite the huge losses and the subsequent retreat, considered the Battle of Borodino an undoubted success of Russian weapons, largely achieved thanks to the perseverance and unparalleled personal courage of soldiers and officers. History has preserved the names of many heroes of the Battle of Borodino in 1812. These are Raevsky, Barclay de Tolly, Bagration, Davydov, Tuchkov, Tolstoy and many others.

Napoleon's army suffered huge irreparable losses, never reaching any of the goals set by the emperor of France. The future of the Russian campaign became very doubtful, the morale of the Great Army fell. Such was the outcome of the battle for Bonaparte.

The significance of the Battle of Borodino, despite all the disputes, is so great that today, 200 years later, Borodino Day is celebrated in Russia, on the Borodino field, and in France.