Clausewitz accompanied Miloradovitch in this interview and was surprised to discover that the uhlan regiment deployed before him was the Brandenburg Uhlan Regiment, from his native Prussia. It was part of the 15th Light Cavalry Brigade assigned to Nansouty's I Reserve Cavalry Corps.
* (Duffy, C. Borodino … N.Y. 1973. p 131)
The French Enter Moscow
Eventually the interview between Generals Miloradovitch and Sebastiani broke off, and the Russians finished their evacuation. The French cavalry advanced into the city and were surprised to find it totally evacuated. Gradually the entire French army entered into the city and found their bivouacs. When Napoleon arrived he expected to be greeted by a delegation of boyars that would beg him to spare their city. He was disappointed. His expression of disappointment resulted in a frantic search of the city for anyone that was a resident of the city. This resulted in the corralling of a few members of the lowest classes, who were wheeled before Napoleon. This did not please him at all. This began the first breakdown of Napoleon's plans for an occupation of Moscow. He had no local administration to assist him in organizing the city's resources to support his army.
Fires had been observed as the French moved into the city; even Clausewitz remarks that he saw them. However, during the night of 15-16 September, a major conflagration broke out. The French discipline suffered seriously as a result of this fire and efforts to put it out. Once the fires were extinguished, large sections of the city were found to have been destroyed. It was clear that the city had been deliberately torched. French soldiers, who had been enjoined from looting, now ran amuck in an orgy of pillage. A great waste of materials occurred until the 19th, when order was finally restored, and a systematic organization of supplies and material began under the administration of the French.
As the French settled down in Moscow, the Russians continued to move west, leaving a screen of cossacks behind them, across the Kolomna road, and the regular cavalry was sent on towards Mozhaizk on a series of raids. Murat's cavalry had almost lost contact with the Russians and reported that the Russian forces were disintegrating. However, once the French cavalry reached Bronnitzo, it became apparent that the Russians had out-maneuvered them, not disintegrated. Reports of raiding cavalry in Mozhaizk were brought to Napoleon's attention. He dispatched Bes-sieres to reconnoiter towards Polotsk with a strong force to try to find Kutusov.
Bessieres found Kutusov's tracks and began a vigorous pursuit. Kutusov refused to accept battle, being still seriously concerned about his army and busy reorganizing it. He continued to retreat, leaving a rear guard near Trautino. Kutusov moved south of the Nara River to commence a serious refitting of his army. Replacements and supplies were plentiful, allowing a rapid filling out of his force. Though his infantry was weakened and very undertrained, the Russian cavalry was still a powerful force. It was also during this period that it was decided to send the cossacks to operate against Napoleon's lines of communication.
Napoleon kept his army in Moscow until October, when he began to become concerned about the coming winter. He made up his mind to withdraw slightly into friendly country and establish himself at Velizh. Here he could operate with Victor and Oudinot supporting him from a new position in Velikyi Luki. To supplement this, Napoleon opened negotiations with the Russians and sent Lauriston to Kutusov with the hopes of arranging an armistice as well as to present peace proposals.
The Russian Offensive Begins
The Russians had decided to start a counter-offensive. St. Cyr was selected as Wittgenstein's target. Wittgenstein was to drive him north, away from the main French forces; Essen and Steingell would attack Macdonald and then move on St. Cyr, where they would combine with Wittgenstein to destroy him in turn. From there they would move on Vilna. Admiral Tchichagov was to engage Schwarzenberg and Reynier, driving them westward, and then link up with Wittgenstein. Together Tchichagov and Wittgenstein would place themselves along a line behind the Berezina River and cut Napoleon's most likely line of retreat.
The Russians started to put this plan into operation on 29 September,when Essen and Steingell began to move out of Riga. However, Yorck quickly drove them back into their old positions. On the 22nd Tchichagov began crossing the Styr River, and Schwarzenberg and Reynier began a slow retreat to a line from Warsaw to Bialystok, gathering in their garrisons and reinforcements. Tchichagov attempted to cross the Bug River several times, but failed. Finally, on 29 October, he detached Sacken to face the Austro-Saxon forces while his main force moved on Minsk. Once this move became apparent, Schwarzenberg and Reynier moved in pursuit, with Sacken following.
The growing attacks by cossacks on his lines of communications forced Napoleon to take steps to preserve them. On 6 September Napoleon had ordered Marshal Victor to advance into Lithuania, where he formed a central reserve for the Grande Armée between Vitebsk and Smolensk. Napoleon had given him the discretion to operate on Vilna or Minsk if either was threatened. He also misinformed Victor that Tchichagov's force totaled no more than 40,000. Victor's forces had arrived in Smolensk on 24 September. The 4th, 7th, and 9th Polish Line Regiments were detached to form the garrison of the city.
With this force around Smolensk, Napoleon decided to withdraw on Smolensk and pass the winter there before beginning his 1813 campaign against the Russians. However, before he could begin his withdrawal the Russians began to assume the offensive and struck near Vinkovo.
The Battle of Vinkovo
Murat's forces were stationed between the Chernischnia's junction with the Nara River and the village of Teterinka, a distance of three miles, and Spass-Koupolia, four miles to the south. Vinkovo, south of Chernischnia, was occupied by Claparede's Poles and supported by the III Reserve Cavalry Corps and a division of the I Reserve Cavalry Corps. To the left of Vinkovo lay Dufour's division and the remainder of the I Reserve Cavalry Corps. Poniatowski's V Corps was stationed with Sebastiani's 2nd Light Cavalry Division to his extreme left. Latour-Mau-bourg's IV Reserve Cavalry Corps was watching the Narva River on the right rear. This entire force, commanded by Murat, totaled about 25,000 men. The 9000-10,000 cavalry in this force was miserably horsed, and the horses of the 180 guns assigned to it were in even worse state.
The Russians, under the command of Bennigsen, advanced in five columns. The first three were directly under his control. The first of those was commanded by General Adjutant Orlov-Denisov and consisted of ten cossack regiments, the 20th Jager Regiment, and twenty horse guns. He was to turn the French left and occupy the road near Voronovo. It was followed by the reserve of Generalmajor Muller-Zakomelski, who commanded the Guard Light Cavalry Division, Niejine Dragoon, and six horse guns. The second column was under Generallieutenant Baggo-vout. It consisted of the 2nd and 3rd Infantry Corps and sixty guns. Baggovout was to attack the French left flank and move obliquely to the right in support of the first column.
The third column was commanded by Ostermann-Tolstoy and consisted of the 4th Infantry Corps and twelve guns. Ostermann was to assure the liaison between the two leading columns and the two that followed.
The second force consisted of the fourth and fifth columns. The fourth was commanded by Generallieutenant Docturov and consisted of the 6th Infantry Corps and twenty-four guns. The fifth column was under Generallieutenant Raevsky and consisted of the 7th and 8th Infantry Corps and forty-six guns. Docturov and Raevsky were to cross the Nara near Trautino and move on Vinkovo to fix the French. This would facilitate the Russian encirclement of their left wing.
A general reserve followed the second force and consisted of the 1st and 2nd Cuirassier Divisions and the artillery reserve. All five columns were led by an advanced guard under the command of Generallieutenant Miloradovitch. This advanced guard consisted of the 2nd and 4th Cavalry Corps, four cossack regiments, a few jager battalions, and a few horse batteries. It was to remain in place until the battle began and then advance with the fourth and fifth columns.
The battle was to begin at 6:00 A.M. upon a signal from the Russi
an right wing. The first column was at Stremilovo, the second at Khorsosino, and the third on the road from Spass-Kouplia. The fourth column, fifth Golumn, and advanced guard were between Dedni and Gliadovo.
It was at 7:00 A.M. that the brigade of jagers leading the second column moved out of the forest and made contact with the French. With the appearance of the first column in the French rear, General Sebastiani's division fell into disorder, and its confusion spread to the other troops around it. The entire French left hastily fell back behind the Chernischnia. The third column was held back while the second column leisurely pursued the French to the river. The Russian 3rd Infantry Corps was directed more to the left, on the Teterinka. The first column was unable to hinder the French withdrawal behind Spass-Kouplia. The 4th Cavalry Corps of Generallieutenant Vasil'chikov saw the French disorder, crossed the Chernischnia, and attacked them.
Vasil'chikov sent the 3rd Jager Regiment and a grenadier regiment against a forest occupied by French infantry. They took the woods and pushed the French back to Spass-Kouplia. Vasil'chikov pursued them vigorously, as did Orlov-Denisov and Miiller-Zakomelski, supported by the 2nd and 4th Infantry Corps. The 3rd Infantry Corps crossed the Dimitrovka to protect the Russian right wing, but the 6th, 7th, and 8th Infantry Corps stopped along the Chernischnia. The Russian pursuit stopped at Spass-Kouplia when the Russians received erroneous reports of French reinforcements. Murat quickly reorganized his troops at Voro-novo, and the Russians withdrew to Trautino, leaving a rear guard in Vinkovo that consisted of Miloradovitch's advanced guard and the 2nd and 4th Infantry Corps. The Russians lost about 500 killed, including General Baggovout, while the French lost about 2,000 dead, including Generals Lery and Fischer. In addition, they lost about 1,500 prisoners, one standard, thirty-eight guns, and much baggage.
The French Retreat Begins
The news of this battle brought Napoleon from his lethargy and forced him into action. He suspected that Kutusov had received reinforcements of 10,000 cavalry from Wallachia and believed that he had not a moment to lose if he was to escape from Moscow with his army. He also wished to avenge Murat's humiliation and to demonstrate that it was not the cause of his sudden retreat.
On 19 October the Grande Armée began to file out of Moscow, taking with it 95,000 men, 500 cannon, and as many as 40,000 wagons piled high with the loot of Moscow. Among all the unofficial loot, a number of objects were taken at the express order of Napoleon. Among those articles were a fragment of wood believed to be from the true cross, the preserved hand of Saint Andrew, a number of golden and bejeweled church objects, an icon of St. Virege, numerous jewels and other valuable objects, 147 standards and flags, and six suits of armor.
In addition to the loot, Napoleon took with him a greatly diminished Grande Armée. On 18 October it consisted of:
The First Russian Offensive Moves
Kutusov's camp at Trautino was chosen to block the Tula and Kalouga roads. It was located in one of the richest provinces of Russia and had the advantage of being between Napoleon and the Tula arms factory and the Braunsk gun foundry. They had to be held if the Russians were to rearm their army. In addition to keeping these important resources for the Russians, it denied Napoleon the supplies his army desperately needed. Napoleon's only alternative to this southern route was to recross the countryside that had already been ravaged by his advancing armies.
While Kutusov remained in his camp, he continually received everything he required: new weapons, supplies, and new recruits. His army was swelled with the arrival of opolochenie. This force was quickly absorbed into the depleted Russian army's ranks. Despite their lack of training, the opolochenie were incorporated into the infantry companies, where they were used to form the third ranks. Many of the opolochenie were armed only with pikes, there not being sufficient muskets to arm them properly.
Napoleon's first move was to advance on Trautino and come to Murat's assistance. On his departure he left Mortier behind in Moscow with specific orders to blow up the Kremlin and retire on Vereya. In coordination with this, Murat dispatched Poniatowski to secure the area around Vereya. Eugene led the army's advance south, supported by Ney. Ney was to advance to the Motsha River and serve as a screen. After that he was to become an advanced guard for the advancing French. Junot was to move down the Borodino road and support the French right.
As the French retreat began, there was little movement in the Russian camp. The main French force was moving over a single bridge on the Lutza River, near the small village of Malo-Jaroslavets. After crossing the river, the road immediately went up a very steep bank, past a small church, and into the village. The march had been hampered by rains that had turned the roads into mud. The poor condition of the underfed draft horses pulling the carts, which were overladen with loot and sank into the mud, further slowed the column's movement.
The Russians had made no effort to pursue their gains at Vinkovo. And again they failed to interfere with Napoleon's advance towards Malo-Jaroslavets. On 22 September Docturov's 6th Infantry Corps moved out of Trautino to shadow Napoleon's retreat. When Docturov realized the importance of the defile at Malo-Jaroslavets, he ceased to act only as a shadow and rapidly outmarched the overburdened French columns, moving to seize the defile.
Kutusov was aware of the French movement and had only to move ten miles to seize the defile himself. Docturov left Aristovo at 7:00 P.M. and advanced through a countryside that lacked any direct road to Malo-Jaroslavets. Winding his way across the flat meadowlands heavily cut by ravines and small streams greatly slowed the progress of his artillery. Despite these problems Docturov reached Malo-Jaroslavets at 3:00 A.M.
The Russians were ignorant of the locale and were forced to deploy along the roads leading into the village because of the poor light. Special efforts were made to secure the road to Spasski, for it was felt to be the most probable line of advance for the French that day.
The Battle of Malo-Jaroslavets
On 23 October Eugene's advanced elements reached Malo-Jaroslavets and, finding no Russians there, bivouacked for the evening. The nature of the position had caused Delzon to encamp most of his division on the northern bank and not across the stream, in the village.
Malo-Jaroslavets was built on the summit of a high bank that rises immediately above the Lutza River. A single bridge spans the ravine through which the Lutza flows, connecting the village with the northern bank of the Lutza. The ground on both flanks of the village rises up steeply from the river and is heavily wooded. The ground to the left was heavily cut by ravines and fissures that made maneuvering artillery over it very difficult. The entire town was made of wood and was located near the summit of a hill. In the center of the village there was a large open-market square. At the edge of the river's bank was a church surrounded by a cemetery and a few other buildings that commanded the approaches to the bridge.
At 4:00 A.M. Docturov sent forward four regiments of jagers to rush the town. This sudden rush caught the sleeping French by surprise and quickly pushed them out of the village. The only portion they were able to hold was the church and the few buildings between the village and the bridge. Here they stopped the Russians. Docturov personally led forward a horse battery and positioned it so that it could fire on the French attempting to cross the bridge and support their fellows in the churchyard. It took only three volleys of cannister to stop Delzon's advance and force it back.
For an hour, Delzon's 13th Division had stood relatively inactive under heavy artillery fire. Eugene, drawn by the sound of the Russian guns, had quickly evaluated the situation and realized that it was vital that the bridgehead be retained and expanded. The Russian fire was quickly making Delzon's position untenable, and Eugene chose to order him forward.
The Russians had seized the entire village and established themselves strongly in it. However, the survivors of the French garrison still held the churchyard.
Delzon's forces crossed the bridge and rushed forward with bayonets fixed. He believed that his forces were push
ing the Russians back and sent word to that effect to Eugene. However, his troops began to waver under heavy Russian pressure. Delzon advanced to urge them forward and was struck in the forehead by a musketball, dying instantly. His brother threw himself upon him and would have carried him away, but was struck himself and died.
Guilleminot succeeded Delzon, and his first action was to push one hundred grenadiers into the church. They immediately loopholed it, turning it into a small fortress. Five times the Russians were to push past the church pursuing the French, and five times they were swept by fire from the French in the church. This cross fire proved too much for the Russians each time and invariably forced them to retire.
Guilleminot continued to press forward, and, though reinforced by General Broussier's 14th Division, he still could not advance beyond the central market square. At 10:00 A.M. Ney and Davout's corps arrived, and it became more evident that the French were intent on crossing in strength.
In response to the French reinforcements, Docturov sent a string of staff officers to Kutusov to inform him of the progress of the battle. He hoped to pressure Kutusov into expediting the sending of reinforcements.
At length, the entire 14th Division pushed up the road, onto the village, and engaged with the Russians. Its third push up the road had been successful, and the French were beginning to push through the village and into the plain. However, each time they exposed themselves on the plain, they came under heavy Russian artillery fire.
At this critical moment the Russian 7th Infantry Corps under General-lieutenant Raevsky arrived and moved into position. Its fire shook the French infantry and drove them back into the village. Raevsky's grenadiers were ordered to take the town. They advanced boldly, sweeping the French before them. Their advance carried them through the village. Again the Russians captured everything except the critical church position, which once again swept thsm with heavy fire.
Napoleon's Invasion of Russia Page 33
