Bérézina

The Bérézina (in Russian: Березина́ Berezina ; in Belorusse: Бярэ́зіна Biarezina ) is a river of Bielorussia, affluent of the Dniepr.

Geography

It takes its source in hills located at 80 km in the north of Minsk. After having made a broad loop towards north, the course of Bérézina is directed towards the south, then towards the south-south-east in the last third of its course. Most of its valley is marshy, which explains the vexations of certain armies.

Bérézina crosses the towns of Borissov, Bobrouisk and Gorval.

Bérézina gave its name to a famous natural park: Berezinsky which is a Réserve of biosphere.

Hydrology

History

The name of Bérézina remained in the French vocabulary like an equivalent of “rout”, or rather of hecatomb, serious losses undergone at the time of a completely disorganized situation. The Bataille of Bérézina is however not a defeat but on the contrary a “victory” of the French Army. She escaped from the Russian forces carried out by Koutouzov thanks to a skilful operation from Napoleon and devotion from the regiment from sappers, which succeeds in building two bridges on this affluent of Dniepr. Russian lived this episode like a small humiliation, in the direction where they were certain to make capitulate the Large army and to capture the emperor, and paid homage to its tactical qualities out of the commun run. In spite of the very heavy losses which the French Army knew, which gave its sorry reputation to this battle, it escaped despite everything from the Russian encircling movement, and could withdraw itself towards Vilnius, Napoleon regaining Paris alone in all haste. But the hunger, the cold and the epidemics were right soon of the French troops.

For more information, to see for example the collective work under the direction of Fernand Beaucour Napoleon in Bérézina. 26- November 29th, 1812 . (published by the Center of Napoleonean Studies 2004,92300 Levallois-Perret), or, the chapter devoted to the retraire of Russia in Thierry Lentz, New History of the First Empire (chapter X), under named part “the miracle of Bérézina”.

There were however other notorious warlike episodes, in 1708 with Charles XII of Sweden and in 1941 at the time of the German offensive.

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