The Patriotic War of 1812 is one of the most heroic pages of our history, fully showing the ability of the Russian people to consolidate in the face of external danger. And although the Battle of Borodino is considered to be its main event, it was the battle of Maloyaroslavets in 1812 that forced Napoleon to abandon the plan to conquer the southern provinces and forced him to retreat along the Smolensk road. As a result, the French army was destroyed, and the Russian troops liberated Europe and entered Paris.
Backstory
Almost immediately after the Napoleonic army entered Moscow on September 14, 1812, a guerrilla war broke out in its rear. The detachments led by I. Dorokhov, A. Seslavin, D. Davydov and A. Figner caused the enemy a lot of anxiety, as they destroyed the convoys with food and fodder. At the same time, losses as a result of partisan attacks on units of the French army were often quite comparablewith the number of casu alties in major battles. In particular, on October 11, Dorokhov's detachment liberated Vereya, defeating the battalion of the Westphalian Regiment, and the partisans received a convenient base for further sorties both on the Kaluga and Smolensk roads. The lack of supplies and fodder caused the French to lose their fighting strength and even began to abandon their cannons due to the lack of horses. Given all of the above and the silence of the Russian Tsar in response to the offer of peace, Napoleon decided to leave Moscow and move to Smolensk through Kaluga.
Actions before the battle
Before talking about the battle near Maloyaroslavets, you should figure out how the enemy armies ended up near this small and unremarkable town, where at that time only about 1,5 thousand people lived. So, Napoleon's army set out from the devastated Russian capital on October 19 and moved along the old Kaluga road. However, the next day, the emperor ordered to turn off at the village of Troitskoye onto the New Kaluga road and sent forward the vanguard under the command of his stepson Yevgeny Beauharnais, who on October 21 captured the village of Fominskoye. After the report that the enemy was heading towards Maloyaroslavets, Kutuzov ordered Dokhturov to block the path to Kaluga. At the same time, Napoleon misunderstood the maneuver of the Russian troops in preparation for battle and ordered Beauharnais to stop advancing forward, entrusting this mission to General Delzon's small division.
Capture of Maloyaroslavets by the French
When Delzon approached the city, the mayor P. Bykov ordered to destroy the bridge across the Puddle. However, this did not prevent the enemy infantrymen from crossing to the other side along the pontoon bridge erected by them and occupying Maloyaroslavets, which at that time had no one to defend. At the same time, the emperor himself with the main forces settled down for the night in Borovsk.
Battle of Maloyaroslavets: date and main events
As you know, historians are most interested in the questions “when” and “where”. So, the battle near Maloyaroslavets in 1812, the date of which is October 24, began at 5 o'clock in the morning, when Dokhturov sent Colonel A. Bistrom's rangers to attack. A thousand soldiers of this regiment managed to drive the French to the outskirts of the city, but by 11 o'clock in the afternoon, the regiments of Beauharnais arrived to help the defenders, and later Napoleon himself with the main forces. The Russians also received reinforcements, so by noon, 9,000 people from each side were already taking part in the hostilities. A few more hours passed, but the battle not only did not subside, but became more and more fierce, as more and more regiments hurried to the aid of the armies.
At four o'clock in the afternoon the battle near Maloyaroslavets entered its decisive stage. The fact is that Kutuzov managed to take an advantageous position at heights located 1-3 km south of the city, which allowed him to control the path to Kaluga. At the same time, the battle for the burning city continued until 10 pm.
Events October 25-26
The next morning, instead of Maloyaroslavets, there was ashes, and both sides were again preparing for battle. However, unexpectedly, Field Marshal M. I. Kutuzov ordered a retreat to the positions prepared in the evening, causing bewilderment from the enemy with his actions. This maneuver was accompanied by the secret movement of several regiments of Platov, who crossed to the other side of the Puddle and attacked the French. Moreover, Napoleon himself miraculously escaped capture and was forced to convene a council in Gorodnya, at which he single-handedly decided "to think only about saving the army." Thus, the battle near Maloyaroslavets in 1812, the date of exit from which is October 26, ended with the retreat of Napoleon's army to Mozhaisk, which did not bode well for it.
Results
Judging by the reports of the French commanders, which differ significantly, Napoleon's army lost from 3500 to 6 thousand people. According to the Russian side, about 6,700 soldiers and officers were killed and wounded. Moreover, no one took into account the losses among the militias, who probably also had a lot. Despite all the casu alties, the battle near Maloyaroslavets during the Patriotic War of 1812 was subsequently unanimously recognized by historians as a major strategic victory for Kutuzov. As for the French, it only delayed their retreat and deprived Napoleon's army of the last hope of resuming the military campaign in 1813.
Russian commanders who played a decisive role in the battle for the bridgehead on the banks of the Puddle
Telling about any battle, and even more so such as the battle of Maloyaroslavets duringPatriotic War of 1812 (occurred in the first days after Napoleon's retreat from Moscow), it is impossible not to say a few words about the generals who took part in it. So, in the battle for the Luga bridgehead, an exceptional role was played by:
- M. Kutuzov. Even before the start of this battle, the Field Marshal showed exceptional perspicacity and performed the famous Tarutinsky maneuver, which forced Napoleon to play by the rules of the Russians. The next action of Kutuzov, which led to the retreat of the French, was the occupation of positions along the road to Kaluga, which the enemy could not take due to the lack of strong cavalry and artillery.
- M. Platov and D. Dokhturov. Among the military leaders, thanks to whom the battle of Maloyaroslavets (1812) became the beginning of the end of the Great Army of Napoleon, these two generals stand out especially - their merits are truly invaluable. Moreover, as you know, chances play a huge role in history, this happened the day before this battle. After all, the battle near Maloyaroslavets in 1812 (date: October 24) was not planned at all, and if the French had not taken the movement of Dokhturov's corps as preparation for a brilliant battle and had not stopped the advance of Beauharnais's units, it is still unknown how it would have ended. And vice versa, in the case of Platov, providence was on the side of Napoleon, whom the Cossacks failed to capture. But the war could have ended on October 25, 1812!
- A. Seslavin. The partisans also played an important role in the fact that the battle near Maloyaroslavets (date - 1812, October 24) had a positive outcome for the Russian troops. In particular, the squadLieutenant General Seslavin. The fact is that if his scouts had not noticed the movement of the French army, then Dokhturov's corps, preparing to attack the village of Fominskoye, would have been defeated even before the battle began.
French commanders who distinguished themselves in the battle of Maloyaroslavets
Among Napoleon's commanders in this battle distinguished themselves:
- Eugene Beauharnais. It was the viceroy of Italy who occupied Fominskoye, having prepared the capture of Maloyaroslavets by the troops of his adoptive father, and he again entered this city with his 4th corps after he was liberated by the rangers of Bistrom.
- Alexis Delzon. General Delzon has the honor of capturing the city, from which the battle of Maloyaroslavets began. In addition, he personally led one of the attacks and died in battle, as befits a brave soldier.
Little-known battle heroes
Several hundred lower ranks received awards for the feats accomplished in the battle for Maloyaroslavets. Among them, there were especially many soldiers of the 19th Jaeger Regiment, with whom Archpriest V. Vasilkovsky also went on attacks. This pastor is famous for being the first Russian priest to be awarded the Order of St. George of the fourth degree. A major role in the fact that the battle of Maloyaroslavets in 1812 ended in favor of Kutuzov's army was also played by S. Belyaev, who at that time was a local court judge. When the French wanted to build a pontoon bridge, this young man dismantled the dam, and the rushing water delayed the invaders.
Nikolaevsky Chernoostrogskythe monastery is a silent witness to history
Today, only one “eyewitness” of the battles with Napoleon that took place on the banks of the Puddle River has survived. The fact is that from the end of the 16th century there was a monastery in Maloyaroslavets, which in 1812 found itself in the very center of hostilities. After a well-known battle, the townspeople noticed that the Blue Gate of the monastery with the image of the Savior was completely covered with traces of bullets and buckshot, but the face of Christ was not damaged by a single bullet. This was perceived as a miracle, and during the reign of Nicholas I, by order of the sovereign, the inscription “Ulcers in memory of the French war” appeared on the gates. Unfortunately, this tablet has not survived, but even today on the Blue Gate you can see the traces of bullets that the restorers left as a keepsake for posterity.
Monuments in honor of the heroes of the battle of Maloyaroslavets, erected in the 19th century
Almost immediately after the end of the Patriotic War with Napoleon, the Russian people began to install memorials that were supposed to perpetuate the memory of the fallen. The battle near Maloyaroslavets was no exception, which is rather difficult to briefly describe.
The first monument in honor of the heroes of this battle was St. Nicholas Cathedral, built on donations from the Russians and consecrated in 1843. In addition, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the victory of the Russian army in the war against Napoleon, Nicholas I ordered the installation of monuments on the sites of all the most famous battles, including in Maloyaroslavets. The monument was cast according to the sketch of the architect A. Adamini, and its installation on the main square of the city was completed in October 1844. Unfortunately, this monument has not survived to this day, as it was destroyed in the 30s of the last century.
Monuments to the heroes of the battle, erected in the 20th-21st centuries
In the 1950s, it was decided to build a square in the city in memory of the victims of the Patriotic War against Napoleon. It was arranged around two mass graves in which soldiers were buried, thanks to which the battle near Maloyaroslavets during the Patriotic War of 1812 became an important turning point. Even earlier, in honor of the 100th anniversary of this event, two monuments were erected over the crypts.
The first of them rises on a hill. In the center of the composition, designed to perpetuate the memory of those who won the battle of Maloyaroslavets, there is a pedestal with a rock on which a cross is installed. A soldier of the Polotsk regiment lays a wreath at its foot, and on the platform in front of the monument you can see 3 field guns of the 1812 model and a pyramid of cannonballs.
As for the second monument, it is located in the same park and is a rock with a cross, on top of which the year is indicated (the battle near Maloyaroslavets took place in 1812) and a memorial plaque with the inscription: “The Fifth Valiant Great-grandfathers army corps.”
In addition, on the outskirts there is another mass grave with a modest obelisk, also dating from 1812.
The memory of the events that took place in Maloyaroslavets and its environs more than 200 years ago is still honored today. ATIn particular, on October 5, 2014, a monument to Archpriest V. Vasilkovsky was erected in the city, the author of which is the artist S. Shcherbakov.
Reconstruction of the battle near Maloyaroslavets, 2014
Remembering the feats of arms of grandfathers is a good tradition. Within its framework, for several decades, reconstructions of various battles have been carried out around the world. In our country, the first such events began to be organized from the end of the 80s, and most often they are dedicated to the famous battles of the two Patriotic Wars. This year, the reconstruction of the battle near Maloyaroslavets (2014) took place on October 26, and, in addition to the battle episodes recreated in great detail, the audience also saw a colorful parade, workshops on making ammunition and took part in various competitions.
Many battles of the war of 1812 are forever included in the textbooks of military art. And although, as the poet said, all of Russia remembers the day of Borodin, the battle of Maloyaroslavets also deserves that descendants do not forget about its heroes.
