The Patriotic War of 1812 is one of the most heroic pages of our history, which fully showed 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 made Napoleon 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 Russian troops liberated Europe and entered Paris.
Background
Almost immediately after the Napoleonic army entered Moscow on September 14, 1812, a guerrilla war broke out in its rear. The enemy was especially worried about the detachments led by I. Dorokhov, A. Seslavin, D. Davydov, and A. Figner, since they destroyed convoys with provisions and fodder. At the same time, losses as a result of partisan attacks on units of the French army were often quite comparable with the number of victims in major battles. In particular, on October 11, Dorokhovâs detachment freed Vereya, defeating a battalion of the Westphalian regiment on his head, and the partisans received a convenient base for further sorties on both Kaluga and Smolensk roads. Lack of supplies and fodder led to the fact that the French began to lose combat effectiveness and even began to throw guns due to lack of horses. Given all of the above and the silence of the Russian Tsar in response to a proposal for 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 understand how the armies of the opponents generally appeared next to this small and unremarkable town, where at that time only about 1,500 people lived. So, Napoleonâs army came out of 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 Troitskoye village on Novaya Kaluzhskaya road and sent forward the vanguard under the command of his stepson Yevgeny Bogarne, who captured the village of Fominskoye on October 21. After the report that the enemy was heading towards Maloyaroslavets, Kutuzov ordered Dokhturov to block the path to Kaluga. At the same time, Napoleon mistakenly understood the maneuver of the Russian troops for preparing for the battle and ordered Beauharnais to stop moving forward, entrusting this mission to the small division of General Delson.
The capture of the French Maloyaroslavets
When Delson approached the city, the mayor P. Bykov ordered the destruction of the bridge over the Puddle. However, this did not stop the enemy infantrymen from crossing the other side along the pontoon bridge they had built 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.
The battle of Maloyaroslavets: date and main events
As you know, historians are most interested in the questions of âwhenâ and âwhereâ. So, the battle near Maloyaroslavets in 1812, the date of which is October 24, began at 5 a.m. when Dokhturov sent Colonel A. Bistrom to the rangers. Thousands of soldiers of this regiment managed to drive the French to the outskirts of the city, but by 11 oâclock the regiments of Beauharnais arrived to help the defenders, and later Napoleon himself with the main forces. The Russians also received reinforcements, therefore, 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 also became fiercer, as more and more new regiments hurried to help the armies.
At four in the afternoon, the battle of 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 made it possible to control the path to Kaluga. At the same time, the battle for the burning city lasted until 10 pm.
Events October 25-26
The next morning, instead of Maloyaroslavets, there was an ashes, and both sides were again preparing for battle. However, unexpectedly, Field Marshal M. I. Kutuzov ordered to retreat to positions prepared from the evening, arousing bewilderment in the enemyâs actions. This maneuver was accompanied by the secret movement of several regiments of Platov, who crossed the other side of the Puddle and attacked the French. Moreover, Napoleon himself miraculously escaped capture and was forced to convene a council in Gorodny, at which he single-handedly decided to "think only about saving the army." Thus, the battle of Maloyaroslavets in 1812, the release date of which is October 26, ended with the retreat of Napoleonâs army to Mozhaysk, which did not bode well for her.
Summary
Judging by the reports of the French military leaders, which vary significantly, Napoleonâs army lost from 3,500 to 6,000 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, which probably also were many. Despite all the casualties, the battle of 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 Napoleonâs army of their 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 Puddles
Talking about any battle, and even more so such as the battle of Maloyaroslavets during the Patriotic 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 played an exceptional role:
- M. Kutuzov. Even before the battle began, the Field Marshal showed exceptional insight and performed the famous Tarutin maneuver, which forced Napoleon to play according to the rules of the Russians. The next action of Kutuzov, which led to the retreat of the French, was to take positions along the path 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) marked the beginning of the end of Napoleonâs Great Army, these two generals stand out especially - their merits are truly invaluable. Moreover, as you know, accidents play a huge role in history, it happened the day before this battle. After all, the battle of Maloyaroslavets in 1812 (date: October 24) was not planned at all, and if the French had not accepted the movement of Dokhturovâs corps as preparations for the brilliant battle and had not stopped the advance of parts of Beauharnais, 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 . Not the least role is that the battle near Maloyaroslavets (date - 1812, October 24) had a positive outcome for the Russian troops, partisans also played. In particular, the detachment of Lieutenant General Seslavin. The fact is that if his scouts had not noticed the movement of the French army, then the corps of Dokhturov, who was preparing to attack the village of Fominskoe, would have been defeated before the start of the battle.
French generals who distinguished themselves in the battle of Maloyaroslavets
Among Napoleon's military leaders in this battle they distinguished themselves:
- Eugene Bogarne . It was the Viceroy of Italy who occupied Fominskoye, having prepared the capture of Maloyaroslavets by the troops of his adoptive father, and he, with his 4th corps, again entered this city after he was liberated by the rangers of Bistrom.
- Alexis Delson . 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
For the exploits committed in the battle for Maloyaroslavets, several hundred lower ranks received awards. Among them, there were especially many soldiers of the 19th Jäger Regiment, with whom Archpriest V. Vasilkovsky also went with attacks. This shepherd is famous for being the first Russian priest to be awarded the Order of St. George fourth degree. The big role in the fact that the battle near Maloyaroslavets in 1812 ended in favor of the Kutuzov army was also played by S. Belyaev, who at that time was a witness to the local court. When the French wanted to build a pontoon bridge, this young man dismantled the dam, and gushing water delayed the invaders.
The Nikolaev Black-Ostrog Monastery - a dumb witness to history
To date, only one âeyewitnessâ of the battles with Napoleon that took place on the banks of the Luzha River has survived. The fact is that since the end of the 16th century there was a monastery in Maloyaroslavets, which in 1812 appeared in the very center of military operations. After the well-known battle, the townspeople noticed that the Blue Gate of the monastery with the image of the Savior was completely mottled with bullet and buckshot marks, but Christâs face was not damaged by any bullets. This was taken as a miracle, and during the reign of Nicholas I, at the command of the sovereign, the inscription âUlcers in memory of the French warâ appeared on the gate. Unfortunately, this tablet has not been preserved, but even today at the Blue Gate you can see the traces of bullets that the restorers left for posterity as a keepsake.
Monuments in honor of the heroes of the battle of Maloyaroslavets, installed in the 19th century
Almost immediately after the end of World War II with Napoleon, the Russian people began to establish memorials that were to perpetuate the memory of the fallen. The battle of Maloyaroslavets was not an exception, and itâs rather difficult to talk about it briefly.
The first monument in honor of the heroes of this battle was the St. Nicholas Cathedral Church, built on donations from Russians and consecrated in 1843. In addition, on the 30th anniversary of the victory of the Russian army in the war with Napoleon, Nicholas I ordered the installation of monuments in the places 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 reached our days, since it was destroyed in the 30s of the last century.
Monuments to the heroes of the battle, established in the 20-21st centuries
In the 1950s, it was decided to set up a public garden in memory of the victims of World War II with Napoleon. It was arranged around two mass graves in which soldiers were buried, thanks to which the battle of Maloyaroslavets during the Patriotic War of 1812 was 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 the cross is mounted. A wreath of soldiers of the Polotsk regiment lays at its foot, and on the site in front of the monument you can see 3 field guns of the 1812 model and a pyramid of cores.
As for the second monument, it is located in the same park and is a rock with a cross on the top of which a year is indicated (the battle near Maloyaroslavets took place in 1812) and a memorial plaque with the inscription: âValiant great-grandfathers Fifth Army Corpsâ is installed.
In addition, on the outskirts there is another mass grave with a modest obelisk, also dated 1812.
The memory of the events that took place in Maloyaroslavets and its environs more than 200 years ago is revered today. In particular, on October 5, 2014, a monument was erected in the city by Archpriest V. Vasilkovsky, authored by artist S. Shcherbakov.
Reconstruction of the battle of 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 all over the world. In our country, the first such events began to be organized since the end of the 80s, and most often they are dedicated to the famous battles of two World War II. This year, the reconstruction of the battle near Maloyaroslavets (2014) took place on October 26, and, in addition to episodes of the battles, recreated in great detail, the audience also saw a colorful parade, master classes in the manufacture of ammunition and took part in various competitions.
Many battles of the war of 1812 were forever included in the textbooks of military art. And although, as the poet said, all of Russia remembers Borodin's day, the battle of Maloyaroslavets also deserves that the descendants do not forget about her heroes.