The battle around the Shevardinsky redoubt took place on the eve of the battle of Borodino and is considered its prologue. The battle for control over important fortifications began because Napoleon needed a better position for the subsequent offensive, and Kutuzov wanted to delay the time needed to reorganize his army.
On the eve of
In the morning of August 24 (September 5), 1812, the French first approached Russian positions. The earliest battle ensued near the Kolotsky Monastery. The main forces of the Russian army were located 8 kilometers from there. The rearguard of Peter Konovnitsyn was the first to fall under attack. After a battle of many hours, he and his detachment crossed the Kolocha River and stopped near the village of Shevardino.
Kutuzov needed to buy time to complete preparatory engineering work on the construction of fortifications. Therefore, he chose the village of Shevardino as the place of detention of the French. On the eve there was built a pentagonal redoubt. At first he was considered part of the left flank. When Russian positions were pushed back, the Shevardinsky redoubt became an independent forward position.
Seeing the fortification, Napoleon immediately ordered the capture of it. The fact was that it prevented the French forces from deploying. The three best divisions that were part of the Davout corps, as well as the Polish cavalry of Jozef Ponyatowski, went on the offensive. Interestingly, initially the main French forces deployed on the field to the northwest and west of Borodino. Kutuzov wanted just that. However, Napoleon unraveled the opponent’s plan and did not accept his rules of the game. That is why French sources described the forces attacking the redoubt as the right flank of Bonaparte's army.
Russian army
Shevardinsky redoubt defended under the command of Lieutenant General Andrei Gorchakov. This was Suvorov's nephew, who had already distinguished himself in the Swiss and Italian campaigns. He became a general at the age of 21. Gorchakov obeyed the 27th division of Dmitry Neverovsky, several regiments of cavalry, and also a detachment of militias. The battle for the Shevardinsky redoubt turned out to be a high point for the general. At his disposal were 11 thousand soldiers, while Napoleon sent an attack of 35 thousand.
Gorchakov's forces were located as follows. On the redoubt were 12 guns from the 12th Battery Company, commanded by Lt. Col. Vinsper. Behind them was the 27th Infantry Division. In the first line were Simbirsk and Odessa regiments. In the second - Tarnopolsky and Vilensky. Jaeger regiments (total 6) are located near Aleksinki on the right bank of the Kolochi River. There were many ravines and bushes. The same units occupied the Doroninsky grove on the outskirts of the town of Doronino.
To the north of the village of Shevardino, from which the Shevardinsky redoubt got its name, the Chernigov and Kharkov dragoon regiments took their positions . To the south of the fortification, on a hill, there was an eight-gun battery of the 9th cavalry company. She was covered by two squadrons that were part of the Akhtyr Hussar Regiment. To the right of the redoubt took the positions of the guns of the 23rd light company, as well as artillery of the 9th horse company and 21st light company.
The 2nd cuirassier division was in the Russian rear. It was commanded by Major General Ilya Duka. Next to Kamenka is the 2nd Grenadier Division of Karl Mecklenburg. Another 4 battalions stood near the village of Semenovskaya. In total, when the battle for the Shevardinsky redoubt began, Gorchakov had 46 guns, 38 cavalry squadrons and 36 infantry battalions. To his left was a forest, and to his right was a village of the same name.
French offensive
An important factor in the safety of the Russian troops was the cover of the neighboring Old Smolensk road. The Cossack regiments of Major General Akim Karpov came to her defense. Poniatowski’s corps moved along this road.
The battle for Shevardinsky redoubt began with the attack of the Napoleonic divisions. They were advancing from another, New Smolensk road. Initially, the entire severity of the blow fell on the 5th division of Jean-Dominic Kompan. His soldiers had an outstanding reputation. There are many legends about the Kompan shelves. One of them, the 57th linear, after the Italian campaign was nicknamed the Terrible. It included tried and tested French veteran soldiers. The fifth division consisted of four regiments of line infantry, two artillery companies, and a combined Voltigera regiment. It included 30 guns and almost 10 thousand infantry.
The enemy went to where the Shevardinsky redoubt is located, and swept the fortifications from the south and north. Twice the French broke through, but each time knocked out infantry Neverovsky.
Company Actions
The enemy was moving along a high road. Three enemy columns held at the same height. At two o’clock in the afternoon they crossed Koloch and headed for the Shevardinsky redoubt. Briefly, the battle of that day was described by many eyewitnesses, including Alexander Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky. He noted that Konovitsyn was forced to retreat to Borodino. After that, the rear guard regiments began to be part of the buildings. Arranged into battle formation, the Russian army appeared to the gaze of the enemy. Access to it was blocked by the Shevardinsky redoubt. The history of that battle attracted the attention of many historians ...
Kompan skillfully took advantage of the local topography. For what purpose was the Shevardinsky redoubt built? To prevent the French from rebuilding and attacking the main Russian army. In order to facilitate the capture of the fortification, Kompan used a busy hill as a platform for his guns. The guns inflicted great damage, firing at the redoubt and the infantry refuge.
The fight
The first shootout lasted about an hour. Holding out for an unexpectedly long time, the Russian flankers and rangers retreated. Just at that time, the enemy forces under the personal command of Napoleon went in columns straight to the fortifications. They were preceded by the fire of numerous enemy artillery.
There was an excessive numerical superiority of the French. It forced Gorchakov to immediately introduce backup grenadiers into the business. However, they needed time to come up. As they approached, the cores, buckshot, grenades and bullets were bombarded with defending troops and the Shevardinsky redoubt. “What is it if not a victory ?!” - the French thought, but their triumph was short-lived. As soon as they began to take possession of the redoubt, when reserve grenadiers entered the battle. Their approach was truly impressive. Ahead of the grenadiers were priests dressed in robes. With crosses in their hands, they strengthened the fighting spirit of the soldiers and inspired them to attack.
The shelves that arrived to help the redoubt caught up with the battery. The enemy was discarded. In the heat of battle, hand-to-hand combat began. Opponents alternately overturned each other and seized the initiative, however, none of the parties could seize the advantage necessary for the final victory. It was getting dark, but Shevardino, the redoubt and the forest located on the left wing remained with the Russians.
Climax
A day passed, followed by evening, and the defenders of the field fortification continued to maintain their position. The enemy firing stopped for a short while. But with the onset of darkness cuirassiers arrived to help Ponyatovsky. Together, they rushed into a new attack. On the redoubt we heard the approach of the French troops. In the dark, determining their number was impossible. But when haystacks lit up in the French position, the light illuminated the enemy’s thick column coming on the offensive. She moved towards the right Russian flank.
At this point, Gorchakov had only one division and one battalion. Then the general went to the trick. He ordered the battalion to hit the drums and shout “Hurray !!!”, but not budge. Hearing the music, the French were baffled and lost their original pace. In the meantime, the Russian cuirassiers from the 2nd cuirassier division at full speed entered the battle and repelled the attack.
The French division of Compan, with a new attempt, broke into the Shevardinsky redoubt only closer to midnight. A terrible massacre ensued. The soldiers fought hand to hand. Visibility was almost zero. Not only darkness but thick smoke interfered. Opponents mingled with each other. Finally, the French wavered and retreated again, throwing 5 guns. Three guns remained in place, two others were taken out by cuirassiers. The battle has stopped. Around midnight, a French column reappeared on the horizon.
It was then that on the orders of Kutuzov, Gorchakov finally retreated. To keep the redoubt distant from other positions was now pointless. The military genius achieved his goal, as he received enough time to enable the main Russian army to take the necessary positions and prepare additional fortifications.
Napoleon's Sleepless Night
The day after the battle, Bonaparte conducted a review of one of Kompan's regiments. The emperor asked in surprise where the third battalion that entered into it had gone. The colonel replied to the emperor that he had remained in the redoubt. The forest in the neighborhood continued to teem with Russian soldiers. The shooters constantly made sorties and continued minor attacks. Only when Murat’s cavalry fully took up the matter did she manage to clear the plain. Thus ended the battle for the Shevardinsky redoubt (the date of the battle is indicated at the beginning of the article).
This day became alarming for Napoleon. He slept little and badly. Finally, General Kolenkur came to him, who reported that not a single prisoner had fallen into the hands of the French. Surprised Napoleon began to ask him strict questions. Didn't the French cavalry attack the enemy on time? What did the Russians want: to win or die? The general replied that the encircled enemy soldiers chose to commit suicide. Kolenkur explained this behavior by the fact that the Russians are used to fighting the Turks, and they rarely take prisoners. Moreover, the interlocutor of Napoleon persisted, Gorchakov’s soldiers were clearly brought to fanaticism. The emperor was deeply amazed and lost in thought.
The importance of the redoubt
Although the descriptions of the battle for the redoubts differ from each other in detail, they all confirm that the emperor appreciated the importance of the fortification. Therefore, instead of going to the Borodino field north of the New Smolensk road, he attacked Shevardino. At the same time, the French, using the Beauharnais corps, were hiding from a possible attack on the left flank. As a result of this strategy, the Russians had to break the battle contact and withdraw their forces to the Semenov heights, closer to the flushes. During the retreat, sound signals were used to attack. They were needed to misinform the enemy.
The importance that the battle for the Shevardinsky redoubt carried was briefly mentioned by all French sources. Captain Labom recalled that the killing fire that was fired from this fortification carried terror into the ranks of the Napoleonic army.
Subsequent maneuvers
So, the battle for the Shevardinsky redoubt became the prologue of the entire Battle of Borodino. In some ways, it resembled a duel of the warriors, who traditionally began the medieval battles of the Eastern Slavs. Each side in a certain sense has achieved its own. Kutuzov managed to prepare for a general battle, and Napoleon clearly demonstrated the power of his army. At the same time, the Russian commander in chief determined the most likely direction of the enemy strike. He began to prepare for the battle on the basis that the French had to attack him from the left.
Having won the battle for the Shevardinsky redoubt, Bonaparte got the opportunity to deploy his own army in front of the enemy system. The bridgehead that he took to attack the Russian left flank was extremely profitable. Napoleon’s maneuver forced Kutuzov to arrange a regrouping of his forces already at night before the general battle. From the fortified heights one could see how the French moved more and more to the right, and more and more of their shooters gathered in the forests. From the redoubt, artillery of the Great Army was transported by different paths to the surrounding hills and hills.
Nevertheless, Gorchakov immediately proved that the Russians would fight fiercely, which did not bode well for Napoleon the easy victory he was used to during the wars in Europe. Kutuzov after the battle for the redoubt moved the grenadier battalion of Count Vorontsov closer to the fortification near Semenovsky. He separated the Tuchkov building from the reserve and moved it to the Old Smolensk Road. Other regiments from the militia were left behind the lines, they were supposed to help the wounded. Because of the maneuver of the French army, Kutuzov changed his headquarters. From Tatarinov she moved to Gorki. In addition, 4 jaeger regiments were sent to the forest to protect communications between the 2nd Army and the Tuchkov corps.
Summary
As a result of the actions of the French, Semenov flushes (they are also called Bagrationov flushes) came to the forefront, while the Maslovsk flushes turned out to be useless. The importance of the Old Smolensk Road sharply increased . Now, using this path, the French were given the opportunity to conduct an encompassing maneuver. The center of gravity of the upcoming Borodino events shifted further south. In the hands of Napoleon was the dominant height, which he received thanks to his risky attack. The French emperor no longer needed to break through the Russian fortified line, which rested on Kolocha and was distinguished by natural barriers in the form of inaccessible river banks. Thus, Napoleon equalized his position and in a certain sense outplayed Kutuzov. The further fate of the battle of Borodino depended on the skill of the commanders on the battlefield.
It is believed that during the capture of the Shevardinsky redoubt, the French lost about 4-5 thousand people killed and wounded, while Russian losses amounted to 6-7 thousand. Such a large loss is due to the significant predominance of enemy artillery and the numerical superiority of the enemy. Russian troops suffered heavy losses due to flanking and crossfire.