Napoleon's Invasion of Russia

by George F Nafziger

  The French attack on the center was led by Friant's 2nd Division. He was flanked by the heavy cavalry of the I and IV Reserve Cavalry Corps. This force advanced directly on the rubble that had been Semenov-skaya. The assault was heralded by a tremendous artillery barrage that furthered the destruction of the already ravaged village.

  The Russian artillery replied and directed much of its fire on the French cavalry. About 10:00 A.M. the French assault began, and the cavalry quickly began their advance. Latour-Maubourg's forces advanced in half-squadrons, his forces divided into two columns. As he crossed the Semenovskaya stream, his right-hand column was the 7th Cuirassier Division, commanded by Lorge. The right column contained the Saxon cuirassier regiments—Garde du Corps and Zastrow (eight squadrons); the Polish 14th Cuirassier Regiment (two squadrons); and the 1st and 2nd Westphalian Cuirassier Regiments (eight squadrons). The left column was formed by the 4th Light Cavalry Division: 3rd, 11th, and 16th Polish Uhlan Regiments (twelve squadrons).

  As the leading two-and-a-half squadrons of the Saxon Garde du Corps crossed the stream, they encountered a Russian battery supported by the 2nd Grenadier Division formed in squares. General Thieleman formed the remaining squadrons in echelon to the left and charged the Russians. One square was broken and the others forced back. In their pursuit of the withdrawing Russian infantry, they encountered the dragoons of General Sievers' 4th Cavalry Corps. The dragoons were supported by the fire of the 2nd Guard Light Artillery Battery. This was insufficient to halt the Saxons, and they pressed beyond the village and found themselves facing the Ismailov and Lithuanian Guard Infantry Regiments formed in six battalion squares.

  The French cavalry assault was furious, but the Ismailov Guard withstood them. In one of three historically recorded instances, the Ismai-lov Guard actually executed a bayonet charge against the attacking cavalry, They did so with the support of the 1st Guard Light Battery and the two Guard Position Batteries.

  At the same time, General Borosdin II, with his 1st Cuirassier Division (Emperor, Empress, and Astrakhan Cuirassier Regiments) struck the Saxons frontally, and the Akhtyrsk Hussar Regiment struck them in the flank. The Saxons suffered heavy casualties from the ensuing cavalry battle because they had left their cuirasses in Saxony. They were driven back behind a crest to the right of Semenovskaya.

  The Polish uhlans of the 28th Light Brigade, who had advanced to the left of the Saxons, had become involved in battles around the Raevsky Redoubt and captured eight guns. The toll was heavy and the 1 lth Uhlan Regiment lost nearly all of its officers and most of its men hors de combat.

  A lull developed as the cavalry withdrew and Friant brought the 15th Légère and 48th Line Regiments into the ruins of Semenovskaya. The cavalry engagement renewed itself as the blown Russian cavalry was struck by the Westphalian cuirassiers. The Russian cavalry was pushed off the battlefield.

  As the two cavalry battles raged on the sides of Semenovskaya, the 2nd Converged Grenadier Division reformed and established a weak line in front of the village. General Docturov slowly fed the Moscow and Astrakhan Grenadier Regiments into the village to provide support for the converged grenadiers.

  The Russian resistance in Semenovskaya was impressive. Friant's officers were so discouraged by the Russian resistance that one colonel ordered his regiment to withdraw. After an exchange with Murat, which embarrassed the colonel, he turned to his men and said, “Soldiers, about face! Let's go and get killed!”

  Friant's renewed attack crushed what resistance remained in the grenadiers, and the 15th Légère and 48th Line Regiments swept over the ruins of Semenovskaya. The breach in the Russian lines had finally been formed, and it lay directly in the path of the French reserve.

  This was the classical time for the Napoleonic coup de grace, but it did not occur. Murat and Ney had been conducting the battle uninterrupted by Napoleon's direction. They sent a courier to Napoleon requesting the release of the reserves, specifically the Young Guard. Napoleon slowly considered the situation and initially consented. He quickly recanted, however. General Lobau and the Young Guard, disappointed by this, slowly edged forward on the pretext of correcting the alignment of their ranks. Napoleon saw this and immediately brought it to a halt.

  From this gap the Lithuanian and Finland Guard withdrew in perfect order, while the rest of the 2nd Army of the West, which had defended the flèches, withdrew in great disorder into the woods behind Semenov-skaya. With his line pierced, Barclay turned the 4th Infantry Corps south in order to seal the threat to his army from that flank. At the same time Platov began his maneuver to the north of Eugene on the French bank of the Kolocha.

  General Belliard arrived at noon with a second request for the release of the Young Guard. His request was denied when Napoleon said, 'Before I commit my reserves I must be able to see more clearly on my chessboard.” No doubt he was thinking of the miles between his army and France as well as the pending winter. Ney was not pleased, but Murat received the news with more grace.

  Napoleon's failure to release the Young Guard had given Docturov and Konovnitzin time to reform what remained of the 2nd Army of the West. At the same time Barclay maneuvered the 4th Infantry Corps. These movements obliged Napoleon to release General Sorbier and the sixty pieces of Guard artillery, which he had held in reserve. General Sorbier quickly deployed them in support of General Friant. The Guard artillery, eager to join the battle, galloped forward.

  Once in position, the artillery began an enfilading fire on Ostermann-Tolstoy's infantry, which had moved into the gap behind Semenovskaya. Despite the heavy and accurate French artillery fire, the Russians marched as if machines, filling the gaps that were ripped in their ranks by the artillery fire as if they were on parade. They continued to close until the French took them under fire with cannister, which blew away entire pelotons with a single blast. As the Russians reached their assigned position, they halted and remained there. They were swept with heavy artillery fire for five hours without stirring. The only movement was as new troops stepped forward to fill the ranks emptied by artillery fire. After the battle, their positions could still be seen, clearly marked by the dead, whose bodies were still arranged in formation.

  Activity on the Northern End of the Battlefield

  Platov's maneuver to the north, mentioned earlier, had begun when the cossacks discovered an unknown ford. Hoping to exploit this, Platov sent word to Kutusov and suggested sending the cavalry reserve across the ford to threaten the French left. This reserve was then located on the northern side of the Russian army and had not yet been committed to the battle. As word of the discovery arrived, so did word of the fall of the Raevsky Redoubt. Despite this, Colonel Toll suggested to Kutusov that the entire cavalry reserve of the Russian right should be sent on this maneuver, and Kutusov agreed.

  This order released 8,000 Russian cavalry that had sat idle while the rest of the Russian army was heavily engaged to their south. The forces of Generallieutenant Ouvarov's 1st Cavalry Corps (the Russian Guard cavalry) consisted of twenty-eight squadrons of cavalry and a single Guard Horse Battery with twelve guns. This force was joined by 5,000 cossacks and two Don Cossack Horse Batteries, and the entire force moved across the Kolocha near Maloe about 11:00 A.M. The first French forces they encountered were the 84th Line Infantry Regiment and the Bavarian and Italian light cavalry of General Ornano.

  The Russians formed the Elisabethgrad Hussar Regiment and the Guard Cossacks into their first rank. Behind them formed the Guard Dragoon, Uhlan, and Hussar Regiments, the Niejine Dragoon Regiment, and the 2nd Guard Horse Battery. The Guard Hussar Regiment attacked the 84th Line Regiment, which was in square. They attacked three times without artillery preparation or success. Eventually, the Russian artillery unlimbered and forced the 84th Line Regiment to withdraw behind the river and abandon its two regimental guns. The remainder of the Russian cavalry drove back the Bavarian and Italian cavalry.

  Platov had crossed the Kolocha with nine cossack pulks in an attempt to maneuver on the French
rear, but the regular cavalry operating with them was stopped by Delzon's division and the reformed Italian and Bavarian cavalry. The French moved cavalry north to support that flank. General Grouchy's III Reserve Cavalry Corps was the first to move north. The 11th Light Brigade, formed by the 6th Hussar and 8th Chasseur à Cheval Regiments, engaged the Russians with deadly effect. Napoleon, reacting to the Russian advance, detached part of the troops attached to the Guard to act as a reserve for that flank. The Vistula Legion, an elite formation of Poles, advanced and established themselves in Eugene's rear, relieving his fears of Platov's cossacks striking him from behind.

  The cavalry reinforcements pushed the Russians back to the Kolocha, and they lost the French guns they had captured. Though there was much recrimination on the Russian side and accusations of lethargic efforts by Platov's cossacks, the Russians did not realize the actual impact of their maneuver. If they had realized its impact, they would not have been so quick to pass the blame. This diversion had paralyzed the French left and center from about noon to 2:00 P.M. The word that the much-feared cossacks were in the French rear had spread terror as far south as Shevardino. The Imperial Guard made ready to receive cavalry in their rear. Though Napoleon had earlier made the decision not to commit his Guard, this incident reinforced his desire not to commit them.

  The Russian maneuver had diverted a total of sixteen regiments north to support this flank. Grouchy had retained only four regiments of his cavalry south of the Kolocha. Eugene had moved north to supervise the conduct of the operations on the northern flank personally. Napoleon also shifted his position north and remained there until about 3:00 P.M.

  On the Russian side, Kutusov made little personal effort in directing the conduct of the battle. Barclay and Bagration were left to make the tactical efforts unaided. Barclay was astonished when Kutusov sent the Guard Infantry to support the 2nd Army of the West, though it was heavily engaged in the defense of Semenovskaya.

  The stopping of the infantry assaults on the Raevsky Redoubt and the successful advance against Semenovskaya had opened a gap in the French lines. The only force available to fill this gap was the IV Reserve Cavalry Corps. As a result, for the best part of three hours, these magnificent and expensive horsemen were used to fill the gap. They were then subjected to the undivided attention of the Russian artillery in and around the redoubt. The 1 st Brigade of the 7th Cuirassier Division, under General Thieleman, was badly mauled and lost about half its strength. The West-phalians of the 2nd Brigade, under General Lepel, were singled out for special attention and suffered even more cruelly as they stood in the open.

  The II Reserve Cavalry Corps was positioned under this fire as well. The bright copper cuirasses of the Carabinier Regiments also attracted the attention of the Russian gunners. General Montbrun, commander of the II Reserve Cavalry Corps, was struck while maneuvering Pajol's division under some cover. He was taken from the field and died of his wounds at about 5:00 P.M. Napoleon sent General August de Caulain-court, brother to the Grand Equerry, to take command of the II Reserve Cavalry Corps upon Montbrun's death.

  More Attempts to Take the Raevsky Redoubt

  While the French cavalry was being battered, the French were massing 170 guns. This “grande batterie” directed its fire on the redoubt and the eight Russian reserve horse batteries that were positioned near it. The breastwork forming the redoubt was battered, and the earth forming it was blown back into the trench, filling it in. Casualties were heavy, and the horse battery of Colonel Nikitin lost 93 of 235 men and 113 horses in a single hour.

  At 2:00 P.M. Napoleon ordered Eugene to resume his attacks. The divisions of Broussiere, Gerard, and Morand advanced, supported on the left by part of Chastel's 3rd Light Cavalry Division. This force was to strike the right and front of the redoubt, while Wathier's 2nd Cuirassier Division and Lorge's 7th Cuirassier Division attacked the left of the redoubt.

  Barclay had positioned the 4th Infantry Corps to the left of the Raevsky Redoubt, his left wing refused. He placed the 7th Infantry Corps and the Preobragenski and Semenovski Guard Infantry Regiments behind the 4th Corps as a second line. He then began forming a third line with the 2nd and 3rd Cavalry Corps. They were reinforced by the Chevalier Guard and Horse Guard Regiments. The 2nd Cavalry Corps had not arrived by the time the French assault began. In addition, a large portion of the 3rd Cavalry Corps had been detached to the left wing.

  The desire of the French, Saxon, Polish, and Westphalian horsemen to come to grips with the gunners who had had them under fire for so long caused them to move quickly. Once they were ordered forward, they quickly outstripped their supporting infantry. The flashes of fire from the redoubt's guns tore more holes in their ranks, but they pressed on.

  General Wathier's 2nd Cuirassier Division arrived at the redoubt first, and as they were about to enter its rear they were greeted by a heavy volley from the infantry stationed there. General Caulaincourt, at the head of the 5th Cuirassier Regiment, was struck and killed. Wathier's division was repulsed, and the IV Reserve Cavalry Corps moved in to fill the gap. Lorge's 7th Cuirassier Division, composed of the Saxons, Poles, and Westphalians, and Rozniecki's light cavalry formed in two lines to their left, and the corps horse artillery advanced. They were met by the fire of the 33rd Jager Regiment, as well as that of the Perm and Kixholm Infantry Regiments at sixty paces. This fire brought them to a halt, but General Thielemann continued to push forward with the Saxon Garde du Corps.

  The Garde du Corps drew out to the left and advanced directly on the redoubt's breastwork, unmasking the Zastrow Cuirassier Regiment. The Garde du Corps and the nearest squadrons of the Zastrow Cuirassier Regiment poured up and over the breastwork, while the other squadrons forced their way through the rear and embrasures of the breastwork. As the Saxons passed over the top of the breastwork they were greeted by the uplifted bayonets of a compact mass of troops that occupied the redoubt. They were supported by the fire from the Russian infantry posted around the redoubt. The dead tumbled into the redoubt, but they were quickly followed by their enraged fellows. A bloody melee ensued in which all sense of military discipline and organization disappeared.

  The French infantry had advanced close on the heels of the cavalry, occupying the redoubt with the 9th Line Regiment and consolidating their gains. Despite the fury of the battle around the redoubt, the Russians succeeded in withdrawing six of the guns from the redoubt. Two others were abandoned in the northern entrance, and the third was thrown into the ditch. A further ten were found dismounted in the redoubt. The capture of this redoubt by heavy cavalry was an act unparalleled in military history.

  Once the redoubt was secured, Eugene began to mass all available cavalry behind it, including the II and IV Reserve Cavalry Corps. Grouchy's III Reserve Cavalry Corps was released when the Russian threat to the northern flank had passed. At that time Grouchy's cavalry joined the others behind the redoubt. Once these three cavalry corps had completely reorganized, they advanced beyond the redoubt to face the Russians again.

  Barclay took personal command of the forces in the Gorki ravine and directed the 24th Division to retake the redoubt. However, before the counterattack could begin, the 14th Polish Cuirassiers descended into the ravine in a column of threes, stopped the counterattack, and drove the Russians back.

  The French cavalry fell back all along their front after the attacks against the Russian 4th and 6th Infantry Corps proved unsuccessful. The Russian infantry was formed in battalion squares and successfully resisted their repeated attacks. Latour-Maubourg, supported by Defrance's 4th Cuirassier Division, charged one of the batteries and some of the infantry of the 6th Infantry Corps. The gunners stood encouraged by the artillery commander of the 6th Infantry Corps, while Generalmajor Korff arrived with the 2nd Cavalry Corps, and Generalmajor Kreutz arrived with the 3rd Cavalry Corps.

  Generals Defrance, Chastel, and Houssaye and part of the French V Corps charged the Russian 7th Division. The Chevalier Guard and the Horse Guard were posted on a ridge b
efore the village of Kniazkovo, behind the 7th Division. When the French carabiniers broke through the 7th Division, crushing the 19th Jager Regiment's squares and sabering the gunners of the 2nd Guard Horse Artillery Battery, these two Guard cavalry regiments charged. They recaptured the battery and turned to engage the IV Reserve Cavalry Corps.

  The Chevalier Guard was formed by squadrons, in two lines with gaps between the two squadrons in the first line sufficient to permit the squadrons of the second line to pass through. The Horse Guard was posted in line to their left. Facing them were the Saxon Garde du Corps, followed by the Zastrow Cuirassier Regiment and the Polish 14th Cuirassier Regiment. The Horse Guard moved against the flank of the advancing Saxons and were countered by the 14th Cuirassiers. The Poles, having already been heavily engaged and having suffered many losses, were insufficient to hold them back. The Poles and Saxons were forced back.

  At the same time the 2nd Cavalry Corps arrived, and the Isoum Hussar Regiment and the Polish Uhlan Regiment attacked Wathier's and Defiance's forces. The Russians were not able to halt the French advance and were themselves thrown back by the 1st Cuirassier Regiment and a half-squadron of chevauléger-lanciers.

  The Pskof Dragoon Regiment, Commanded by Colonel Sass, attacked the right of the redoubt and threw back part of Houssaye's dragoons. Grouchy quickly reacted by throwing several regiments at them, driving them back. The Russian dragoons withdrew under the protective fire of the 2nd Guard Horse Artillery, who had advanced to support them. In response, a French twelve-gun battery began to fire on the Russian artillery, killing Captain Rai, the Russian battery commander.