Countryside of Russia (1812)

The countryside of Russia of 1812 is a military Campagne carried out by the emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, then at the top of its power. After having conquered all the Europe, Napoleon undertakes to conquer the Russia Tsar Alexandre Ier of Russia. Even if until the catch of Moscow, the advantage is with the Napoleonean forces, the Russian prince Mikhail Koutouzov, general-in-chief of a imperial Armée Russian lower of number than the beginning of the invasion, manages to raise the moral one of the Russian army and to encourage it to carry out against offensive, by organizing the harassing of the Large army at the time of the French retirement. But the Russian diseases and winter, and to a lesser extent soldiers, are responsible for the defeat of Napoleon in Russia.

This invasion of the Napoleonean Wars, reported by Leon Tolstoï in his famous historical novel War and Paix, mark deeply the Russian culture , and will be put in parallel with the German invasion of 1941 - 1942, Opération Barbarossa, during the Second world war.

Nomenclature

Until 1941, the countryside of Russia of 1812 was known in Russia under the name of " patriotic war " (in Russian Отечественнаявойна, Otetchestvennaïa Voïna ). The Russian term “patriotic war of 1812” distinguishes it from the “patriotic Great War”, which indicates the countryside that the Soviet S carried out on their Western face during the Second world war.

In Russian, one also names it “War of 1812”, which for the english-speaking can lend to confusion, since that generally indicates the war, at the same time, between the the United Kingdom and the the United States.

The invasion

Opposite armies

In June 1812, the strong Large army of 691.500 men, more the European large army ever gathered, crosses the Niémen to move towards Moscow.

The Large army is distributed as follows, of north in the south, at the end of June:

the Marshal of Empire Mac Donald with his Xe army corps (~29 100 h.), including the Prussian quota , with Tilsit. The mission of this force was to take Rīga and to move towards Saint-Pétersbourg.
the emperor Napoleon 1st, with the imperial Guard (~30 500 h.), under Mortar, Lefevbre and Bessières, Ier army corps (~69 500 h.) of Davout, IIe Army corps (~40 000 h.) of Oudinot, IIIe army corps (~37 800 h.) of Ney and the Reserve of Cavalry (~20 800 h.) under Murat with Ier and IIe body of Reserve of Cavalry of Nansouty and Montbrun; the whole concentrated in front of Kovno. The purpose of this central force was to engage and destroy the principal Russian army (the 1st Army of the West) under Barclay de Tolly.
Eugene with his IVe army corps (~45 000 h., approximately a third of Italians), the Life army corps (Bavarian) (~23 600 h.) of Gouvion-Saint-Cyr and IIIe body of Reserve of Cavalry (~6800 h.) of Grouchy; the whole concentrated with the back and on the right of the force of Napoleon. The orders of Eugene were to maintain the contact with the units more in the south and to protect the principal force against an attack from the 2nd Army of the Russian West from Bagration.
Jerome with Ve army corps (Polish) (~34 600 h.) of Poniatowski, VIIIe army corps (Westphalian) (~16 700 h.) of Vandamme and IVe body of reserve of cavalry (with half Polish, a Saxon quarter and a Westphalian quarter) (~7300 h.) of Latour-Maubourg; along Niémen in the south-west of Grodno. This force was supposed to engage the 2nd Army of the Russian West of Bagration.
Reynier with its VIIe army corps (Saxon) (~18 500 h.) close to Bialystok. This body was to maintain the junction between Jerome and Schwarzenberg.
Schwarzenberg with its XIIe army corps (Austrian) (~32 900 h.) close to Lublin. This body was supposed to cover the south of Poland against a Russian invasion starting from the Ukraine (the 3rd Army of the West (or Observation) Russian of Tormasov was there).
In Prussia IXe army corps (a Polish third and a German third) (~25 000 h. at August 31st) of Victor and XIe army corps (largely composed of units of deposit and reserve) (~28 000 h. at August 15th). These two bodies would deal with the garrison of Prussia and Poland and would increase the Large army in Russia so necessary.

To that are added 80.000 national Gardes, engaged by conscription to defend the imperial border of the Duché of Warsaw. By counting those, the total staff complement of the French imperial forces on the Russian border and in Russia reaches approximately 771.500 men. This enormous deployment of troops penalizes the Empire largely, in particular if one considers the 300.000 additional French fighting in the Iberian peninsula and the most 200.000 men in Germany and Italy.

The large one of the army is composed of 450 000 French, allies of France forming the remainder. In addition to the Austrian army corps detached under the orders of Schwarzenberg, one counts approximately 95 000 Poles, 90 000 Germans (24 000 Bavarian, 20 000 Saxon, 20 000 Prussians, 17 000 Westphalian and a few thousands of men come from smaller Rhenish States), 25 000 Italians, 12 000 Swiss, 4 800 Spaniards, 3 500 Croats and 2 000 Portuguese. To that are added Dutch and Belgian quotas. Each nationality of the vast Napoleonean empire is represented.

If one believes the most recent estimates of them, the Russian army which faces him is fewer, at least at the beginning of the countryside. Approximately 280 000 Russians are deployed on the Polish border (in preparation of the invasion envisaged of the French satellite that was the Grand Duchy of Warsaw). On the whole, the Russian army counts approximately 500 000 men (certain estimates go down until 350 000, while others go until 710 000, a number in the neighborhoods of 400 000 seems more credible), at the beginning of the war. Those are divided into three armies:

the First army of the west (ordered by the general Mikhail Barclay de Tolly, of some 159 800 men,
the Second army of the west (ordered by the general Bagration), of 62 000 men,
the Third army of the west (or observation), (ordered by the Tormasov general), of some 58 200 men.

Two bodies of reserve, one of 65 000 men and another of 47 000 men, support these three armies. According to these figures, the Russian army which makes immediately vis-a-vis Napoleon counts some 392 000 men. Moreover, peace is ensured with the Sweden and the Ottoman Empire for Saint-Pétersbourg, which releases more 100 000 men, (of the Body of Finland de Steingell and the Army of the Danube de Tshitshagov). Efforts are made to enlarge the Russian armies and, in September, manpower is carried to approximately 900 000, without counting the units irregular Cosaques, which probably bring 70 000 or 80 000 men on the whole.

Walk on Moscow

The June 22nd 1812, Napoleon declares the war in Russia, of the general headquarter of Wilkowiski: he learns this resolution with his soldiers

The imperial army most formidable that Napoleon had setting-up, counted 500.000 combatants and 2.200 pieces of ordnance. At that time, the Emperor of the French ordered, directly or by his allies, to eighty five million five hundred and thousand Europeans; its orders were carried out in a space which included/understood 19 degrees of latitude and 30 of longitude. None the Roman Emperors had at his disposal of the so extraordinary forces.

Napoleon had sent a last offer of peace to Saint-Pétersbourg little before starting the operations. Not receiving an answer, it orders to advance in Russian Poland.

The general headquarter of the French Army passes Niémen opposite Kowno. The army is composed of ten ordered bodies, the first by the marshal Davout, the second by the marshal Oudinot, the third by Ney, the fourth, under the name of armed with Italy , by the prince Eugene de Beauharnais, the fifth by Poniatowski, the sixth by Gouvion-Saint-Cyr, the seventh by the general Reynier, the eighth by the general Vandamme, the ninth, whose executives alone are formed, by the marshal Victor, the tenth by the marshal Macdonald. The old guard is ordered by the marshal Lefebvre, the young person by the marshal Mortier, the reserve of cavalry by Murat. The cavalry of the guard Bessières acts separately.

An auxiliary body of 30.000 Austrians goes separately. In this many army, the French appear for 270.000 combatants. The Russian army is strong, as well infantry as cavalry, of 360.000 men, without counting two bodies who are formed, one in Lithuania and the other with Rīga.

The French troops make their entry with Wilna, old capital of Lithuania. The Russians, while withdrawing themselves, destroy all; they deliver to the flames immense stores, 150.000 quintals of flour, fodder, clothings; they throw in Wilna a great quantity of weapons.

At the beginning, it meets no or little resistance and advances quickly in enemy territory. The Russians offer only one sporadic resistance and Barclay, the commander-in-chief, refuses the combat in spite of the authorities of Bagration, knowing that it cannot beat the French at the time of an arranged battle. On several occasions, it tries to establish a strong defensive position, but each time the French advance, too fast to enable him to finish the preparations, forces it to beat a retreat. This is often regarded as an example of Politique of the burned ground: actually, the Russian retirement did not form part of a plan established to attract the French in the Russian grounds where the winter and the lack of sufficient provisions would contribute to destroy them, but rather impossibility for the Russian commanders of finding an occasion of combat under favorable conditions, because the speed and of the power of the French advance.

The July 14th, the Alexandre emperor is shown in Moscow to excite the zeal and the courage of its inhabitants.

The July 28th, the French enter to Vitebsk. The Russians continue to fold up themselves. The Large army follows them without finding the occasion to fight. Lastly, they arrive under the walls of Smolensk, Russian city, surrounded by three meters thickness walls, flanked turns. To these extremely massive fortifications, one came to add other works carried out carefully and maintained well. Barclay de Tolly had thrown in the place 30.000 men, and it was held in battle on two banks of the Dniepr, communicating with the city by bridges.

The political pressures on Barclay to start the combat and the constant reserve of the general (seen by the population as a sign of intransigence) are worth to him to lose his position of commander-in-chief to be replaced by popular and high one colors Koutouzov. In spite of its opposed rhetoric, it follows the way of Barclay, seeing immediately that to face the French in arranged battle would amount sacrificing its army unnecessarily. This old general, victorious of the Turks, had solemnly promised to cover Moscow, the Holy City, and to destroy the French Army. He ends up succeeding in establishing a defensive position with Borodino (following an undecided confrontation with Smolensk from August 16th to 18th).

Battle of Smolensk

Battle of Moskova

The catch of Moscow

The 14 (2 hours after midday), the Emperor made his entry in the old capital of the Moscovie, with its guard and the first body. Napoleon entered a deserted city, emptied of any provision by the governor, Fédor Rostoptchine.

The following day it is established with the the Kremlin, palate of the Tsar S, located in the middle of the city. The marshal Mortier was named governor of this capital, with order to employ all the means to prevent plundering. Helps were given to the Russian casualties who encumbered the hospitals, as with the Muscovites who had not wanted to follow the army of Koutousov.

While basing on rules traditional of war at the time of catch of capital (even if Saint-Pétersbourg were the capital at that time), he thought that the Tsar Alexandre Ier would offer his capitulation to him on the Mont Poklonnaïa, but the Russian command did not go. An armistice had been granted to the Russians, and Napoleon, in the middle of his triumphs, made propose peace with Alexandre: he accepted from them evasive answers, which, nevertheless, made hope that one could fall from agreement. But Napoleon and Alexandre wanted only to save time, Napoleon for recompléter his army, Alexandre because it was persuaded that the great colds which approached would oblige the French to evacuate the empire. The events justified their forecasts.

Instead of that, fires start in Moscow, and devastate the from September 14th to 18th city of the Gregorian Calendrier (from September 2nd to 6th of the Calendrier Julien). Moscow, built primarily of wood, burns almost completely, depriving the French of shelters in the city. The fires come from Russian sabotages. With a given signal, fire bursts in thousand places at the same time. It is in vain that the French do all their efforts to extinguish the fire: the devastation of the flames stops only in the evening of September 20th, when the nine tenth of the city are in ashes: nearly 4.000 7.000 and stone-built houses out of wood, 20.000 patients or wounded are victims of this disaster.

Napoleon said then that if it had left Moscow two weeks earlier, it could have destroyed the army of Koutouzov which camped in the vicinity, with Tarutino. Even if it would not have is enough to leave Russia without defense, that would have deprived it of its only concentrated army able to face the French.

Reprocess

Cold

As from November 1812, the Russian winter causes new torments with the French Army: the soldiers and the horses start to die of hunger, cold and tiredness during walk.

The November 7th, they reach Smolensk. At this point in time these cold excessive hundred times more frightening start than the weapons of the Russians; the thermometer goes down up to -22 degrees Celsius; the ground is covered with snow; the horses perish per thousands with the bivouac; soon the men have a similar fate. However, thanks to the good provisions of Napoleon, the army always advances. The courage of the soldiers seems to increase with the extent of the deprivations and the dangers.

Arrived at Archa, Napoleon, without taking one moment of rest, dealt with restoring the order that the combat and the bad weather of the season had naturally disturbed. He made make distributions of vivres, weapons and ammunition, and read, in the army corps, an day order which recalled them to their duties, urging the soldiers to be gone in body, and threatening to punish those which would be obstinated to remain isolated. The desires of Napoleon were achieved, officers and soldiers returned in their rows, and with them, the order and the discipline.

Lastly, the army advancing with forced marches, arrived the November 25th on the Bérésina, on which Napoleon made throw bridges of which it chaired work.

Human losses

Only about 90.000 of the men of Napoleon survive the countryside of Russia. The Russian victims during the few rare pitched battles are comparable with the French losses, but the civil losses along the road borrowed by the armies, in a devastated territory, are much higher than the military losses. On the whole, in spite of hasty estimates several million deaths, one estimates the losses at approximately a million deaths, also distributed between French and Russians. The military losses rise with 300 000 French, 70 000 Poles, 50 000 Italians, 80 000 Germans, and 210 000 Russians. In addition to the human losses, the French lose also some 200 000 horses and more than 1000 pieces of artillery.

It should be stressed that the Large army lost 5 men per disease (Typhus and Dysenterie) for each man lost with the combat.

Historical evaluation

This countryside reveals that Napoleon largely underestimated the extent of the difficulties which awaited it, him and his army:

Undervaluation of the means of cartography necessary: it carried only one atlas for 690.000 men,
Sous-estimation of logistics,
Sous-estimation of the climatic risks,
Tactique of the burned Ground of the Russians,

etc

Russian victory over the French Army in 1812 mark a severe crushing argument to the ambitions of European domination of Napoleon. As the defeat of the French naval power to the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, the Russian countryside is a decisive turn of the Napoleonean Guerres which carries out, in the final analysis, with the defeat of Napoleon and his exile on the isle of Elba.

For Russia, the patriotic term war is a symbol reinforcing the national identity, which has a great impact on the Russian patriotism of the 19th century. The indirect result of the patriotic movement of the Russians is a strong desire of modernization of the country which results in a series of revolutions, starting with the Révolte of Décembristes and finishes with the Révolution of February 1917.

Napoleon is not completely demolishes in Russia. The following year, it raises an army of approximately 400 000 French soldiers supported by 250 000 soldiers of the countries combined to the French, to dispute the control of Germany at the time of a campaign even larger. It is not that at the time of the Bataille of Leipzig (16 with the October 19th 1813) which it is finally demolishes, and even then the countryside of France in 1814 is undecided.

Despite everything, importance of the countryside of Russia east to reveal that Napoleon was not invincible. Feeling the wounded animal and pushed by the Prussian nationalists and the Russian commanders, of the German nationalists raise themselves through the Confédération of the Rhine and the Prussia. The decisive countryside of Germany could not have taken place without the message of the defeat of Russia propagated in the world.

List commanders of the Russian army

Mikhail Illarionovitch Koutouzov - Commander-in-chief
Michel Barclay de Tolly - Minister for the war
Peter Wittgenstein - Ordering right wing
Piotr Bagration - Ordering left wing
Nikolay Nikolaïevitch Raievsky - major Russian commander
Dmitry Sergeïevich Dokhturov - major Russian commander
Mikhail Andreïevich Miloradovitch - major Russian commander
Alexandre Ivanovich Ostermann-Tolstoï - major Russian commander
Alekseï Petrovich Yermolov - General Russian
Mikhail Semionovitch Vorontsov - General Russian
Matvey Ivanovitch Platov - Ataman of Cossacks of the Gift
Paul Tchitchagoff - Minister for the navy in 1802 - ordering army of Moldavie

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