Russia Against Napoleon

by Dominic Lieven

  Of course it is not surprising that Russians find it easier to identify with the battle of Borodino, fought under Kutuzov outside Moscow, than with the battle of Leipzig, fought in Germany under Barclay de Tolly and Schwarzenberg in defence of a concept of Russian security rooted in the European balance of power. As with the British and 1940, standing alone, united and undaunted is the finest of all wartime memories. But even from the narrowest and most selfish conception of Russian or British interests 1940 and 1812 were not enough. To remove the enemy threat meant taking the war beyond the country’s borders, and it required allies. In 1941 Hitler and Tojo kindly provided the British with these allies. In 1813 Alexander had to take the great risk of invading central Europe with his exhausted and weakened army to mobilize his potential allies, at times almost needing to grab them by the scruff of the neck in order to get them to serve their own and Europe’s interests. The courage, skill and intelligence he showed in first creating the allied coalition and then leading it to Paris was remarkable.

  Alexander acted in this way first and foremost because of a correct view that this is what the interests of Russia – empire, state and people – demanded. This is not to deny that Nikolai Rumiantsev was also partly correct in seeing growing British economic hegemony across the globe as the most important underlying reality of the age. This certainly helps one to put the Napoleonic Wars into global perspective and to understand their logic. But for Russia in 1812–13 the overriding priority had to be the ending of Napoleonic control of Germany. So long as Napoleon held Germany he would be much more powerful than Alexander. The financial costs of sustaining Russian security against the threat he represented would soon become intolerable. Vital Russian security and economic interests could therefore not be protected. In the winter of 1813–14, with Germany liberated, the arguments for and against invading France and seeking to topple Napoleon were more evenly balanced. Perhaps Alexander believed that by so doing it would be easier to satisfy his ambitions in Poland, but the Russian documents show clearly that this was not his main motivation. On the contrary, the emperor believed that so long as Napoleon ruled neither the German settlement nor European peace would be secure.

  The basic point was that Alexander was convinced that Russian and European security depended on each other. That is still true today. But perhaps there is some inspiration to be drawn from a story in which the Russian army advancing across Europe in 1813–14 was in most places seen as an army of liberation, whose victories meant escape from Napoleon’s exactions, an end to an era of constant war, and the restoration of European trade and prosperity.

  Alexander I

  The Commanders

  Mikhail Barclay de Tolly

  Mikhail Kutuzov

  Levin von Bennigsen

  Peter von Wittgenstein

  Diplomacy and Intelligence

  Petr Rumiantsev

  Karl von Nesselrode

  Aleksandr Chernyshev

  Christoph von Lieven

  The Statesmen

  Mikhail Speransky

  Aleksei Arakcheev

  Dmitrii Gurev

  Fedor Rostopchin

  Heroes of 1812

  Petr Bagration

  Mikhail Miloradovich

  Matvei Platov

  Eugen of Württemberg

  Headquarters

  Petr Volkonsky

  Aleksei Ermolov

  Karl von Toll

  Johann von Diebitsch

  Army of Silesia

  Alexandre de Langeron

  Fabian von der Osten-Sacken

  Ilarion Vasilchikov

  Johann von Lieven

  Organising the Rear

  Aleksei Gorchakov

  Dmitrii Lobanov-Rostovsky

  Georg Kankrin

  Andrei Kologrivov

  Private: Preobrazhensky Guards Regiment

  Private: Finland Guards Regiment

  Private: Riazan Infantry Regiment

  Lieutenant: field artillery of the line - heavy battery

  Private: Ekaterinoslav Cuirassier Regiment

  Lieutenant: Guards Dragoon Regiment

  Private: Sumi Hussar Regiment

  Private: Lithuania Lancer Regiment

  Napoleon awards Grenadier Lazarev the Légion d’honneur at Tilsit

  Borodino: the Raevsky Redoubt after the battle

  Spring 1813: the Cossacks in Hamburg

  Fère-Champenoise: the Cossack Life Guard Regiment attacks French infantry

  Appendix 1

  The Russian Army in June 1812

  First Western Army: General M. B. Barclay de Tolly

  Chief of Staff: Lieutenant-General N. I. Lavrov

  Quartermaster-General: Major-General S. A. Mukhin

  Duty General: Colonel P. A. Kikin

  Chief of Artillery: Major-General Count A. I. Kutaisov

  Chief Engineer: Lieutenant-General Kh. I. Trusson

  First Infantry Corps: Lieutenant-General Count P. Kh. von Wittgenstein

  5th Infantry Division: Major-General G. M. Berg

  1st Brigade: Major-General K. F. Kazachkovsky

  Sevsk Infantry Regiment; Kaluga Infantry Regiment

  2nd Brigade: Major-General Prince A. B. Sibirsky

  Perm Infantry Regiment; Mogilev Infantry Regiment

  3rd Brigade: Colonel G. N. Frolov

  23rd and 24th Jaeger regiments

  5th Field Artillery Brigade: Lieutenant-Colonel Muruzi

  5th Heavy and 9th and 10th Light batteries

  Reserve: 2 Combined Grenadier battalions

  14th Infantry Division: Major-General I. T. Sazonov

  1st Brigade: Colonel D. V. Lialin

  Tenge Infantry Regiment; Navagin Infantry Regiment

  2nd Brigade: Major-General G. von Helfreich

  Estland Infantry Regiment; Tula Infantry Regiment

  3rd Brigade: Colonel S. V. Denisev

  25th and 26th Jaeger regiments

  14th Field Artillery Brigade: Colonel E. E. Staden

  14th Heavy and 26th and 27th Light batteries

  Reserve: 2 Combined Grenadier battalions

  Cavalry: 3rd Brigade of 1st Cavalry Division: Major-General M. D. Balk

  Riga Dragoon Regiment; Iamburg Dragoon Regiment

  5th Brigade of 1st Cavalry Division: vacant

  Grodno Hussar Regiment; 3 Don Cossack regiments

  1st Reserve Artillery Brigade: Major-General Prince L. M. Iashvili

  27th and 28th heavy batteries; 1st and 3rd Horse Artillery batteries; 1st and 2nd Pontoon companies.

  Second Infantry Corps: Lieutenant-General K. F. Baggohufvudt

  4th Infantry Division: Major-General Prince Eugen of Württemberg

  1st Brigade: Colonel D. I. Pyshnitsky

  Kremenchug Infantry Regiment; Minsk Infantry Regiment

  2nd Brigade: Major-General I. P. Rossi

  Tobolsk Infantry Regiment; Volhynia Infantry Regiment

  3rd Brigade: Colonel E. M. Pilar von Pilchau

  4th and 34th Jaeger regiments

  4th Field Artillery Brigade: Colonel A. I. Voeikov

  4th Heavy and 7th and 8th Light batteries

  17th Infantry Division: Lieutenant-General Z. D. Olsufev

  1st Brigade: Major-General I. S. Alekseev

  Riazan Infantry Regiment; Beloozero Infantry Regiment

  2nd Brigade: Major-General P. A. Tuchkov

  Willmanstrand Infantry Regiment; Brest Infantry Regiment

  3rd Brigade: Colonel Ia. A. Potemkin

  30th and 48th Jaeger regiments

  17th Field Artillery Brigade: Colonel I. I. Dieterichs

  17th Heavy and 32nd and 33rd Light batteries

  Cavalry: from 8th Brigade of 2nd Cavalry Division

  Elizavetgrad Hussar Regiment; 6 guns of 4th Horse Artillery Battery

  Third Infantry Corps: Lieutenant-General N. A. Tuchkov

  1st Grenadier Division: Major-General Count P. A. Stroganov

  1st Brigade: Colonel P. F. Zheltukhin

>   Life Grenadier Regiment; Count Arakcheev Grenadier Regiment

  2nd Brigade: Major-General A. I. Tsvilenev

  Pavlovsky Grenadier Regiment; Ekaterinoslav Grenadier Regiment

  3rd Brigade: Major-General B. B. Fock

  St Petersburg Grenadier Regiment; Tauride Grenadier Regiment

  1st Field Artillery Brigade: Colonel V. A. Glukhov

  1st Heavy and 1st and 2nd Light batteries

  Reserve: 2 Combined Grenadiers battalions

  3rd Infantry Division: Lieutenant-General P. P. Konovnitsyn

  1st Brigade: Major-General A. A. Tuchkov

  Reval Infantry Regiment; Murom Infantry Regiment

  2nd Brigade: Lieutenant-Colonel I. M. Ushakov

  Kopore Infantry Regiment; Chernigov Infantry Regiment

  3rd Brigade: Major-General Prince I. L. Shakhovskoy

  20th and 21st Jaeger regiments

  3rd Field Artillery Brigade: Lieutenant-Colonel F. E. Tornov

  3rd Heavy and 5th and 6th Light batteries

  Cavalry: from 2nd Brigade of the Guards Cavalry Division

  Cossack Life Guard Regiment; 1st Teptiarsky Cossack Regiment; 2nd Horse Artillery Battery

  Fourth Infantry Corps: Lieutenant-General Count P. A. Shuvalov

  11th Infantry Division: Major-General N. N. Bakhmetev

  1st Brigade: Major-General P. N. Choglokov

  Kexholm Infantry Regiment; Pernau Infantry Regiment

  2nd Brigade: Major-General P. A. Filisov

  Polotsk Infantry Regiment; Elets Infantry Regiment

  3rd Brigade: Colonel A. I. Bistrom

  1st and 33rd Jaeger regiments

  11th Field Artillery Brigade: Lieutenant-Colonel A. Kotliarev

  2nd Heavy and 3rd and 4th Light batteries

  23rd Infantry Division: Major-General A. N. Bakhmetev

  1st Brigade: Major-General N. M. Okulov

  Rylsk Infantry Regiment; Ekaterinburg Infantry Regiment

  2nd Brigade: Major-General F. P. Aleksopol

  Selenginsk Infantry Regiment; 18th Jaeger Regiment

  2nd Combined Grenadier Brigade: Colonel A. I. Efimovich

  5 Combined Grenadier battalions

  23rd Field Artillery Brigade: Lieutenant-Colonel L. L. Gulevich

  23rd Heavy and 43rd and 44th Light batteries

  Cavalry: from 8th Brigade of 2nd Cavalry Division

  Izium Hussar Regiment and 6 guns of 4th Horse Artillery Battery

  Fifth Reserve Corps: Grand Duke Constantine

  Guards Infantry Division: Major-General A. P. Ermolov

  1st Brigade: Major-General Baron G. V. von Rosen

  Preobrazhensky Guards Regiment; Semenovsky Guards Regiment

  2nd Brigade: Colonel M. E. Khrapovitsky

  Izmailovsky Guards Regiment; Lithuania (Litovsky) Guards Regiment

  3rd Brigade: Colonel K. I. Bistrom

  Finland Guards Regiment; Guards Jaeger Regiment; Guards Marines Battalion

  Guards Artillery Brigade: Colonel A. Kh. Euler

  1st and 2nd Guards Heavy batteries, 1st and 2nd Guards Light batteries, Marine Guards artillery detachment

  1st Combined Grenadier Brigade: Colonel Prince G. M. Cantacuzene

  4 Combined Grenadier battalions

  1st Cuirassier Division: Major-General N. I. Preradovich

  Guards Cuirassiers Brigade: Major-General I. E. Shevich

  Chevaliers Gardes Regiment; Horse Guards Regiment

  1st Cuirassier Brigade: Major-General N. M. Borozdin

  His Majesty’s Life Cuirassier Regiment; Her Majesty’s Life Cuirassier Regiment; Astrakhan Cuirassier Regiment

  1st and 2nd Guards Horse Artillery batteries: Colonel P. A. Kozen

  Sixth Infantry Corps: General D. S. Dokhturov

  7th Infantry Division: Lieutenant-General P. M. Kaptsevich

  1st Brigade: Colonel D. P. Liapunov

  Pskov Infantry Regiment; Moscow Infantry Regiment

  2nd Brigade: Colonel A. I. Aigustov

  Libau Infantry Regiment; Sofia Infantry Regiment

  3rd Brigade: Major-General A. I. Balla

  11th and 36th Jaeger regiments

  7th Field Artillery Brigade: Lieutenant-Colonel D. F. Devel

  7th Heavy and 12th and 13th Light batteries

  24th Infantry Division: Major-General P. G. Likhachev

  1st Brigade: Major-General I. D. Tsybulsky

  Ufa Infantry Regiment; Shirvan Infantry Regiment

  2nd Brigade; Colonel P. V. Denisev

  Butyrki Infantry Regiment; Tomsk Infantry Regiment

  3rd Brigade: Colonel N. V. Vuich

  19th and 40th Jaeger regiments

  24th Field Artillery Brigade: Lieutenant-Colonel I. G. Efremov

  24th Heavy and 45th and 46th Light batteries

  Cavalry: from 11th Brigade of 3rd Cavalry Division

  Sumi Hussar Regiment; 7th Horse Artillery Battery

  First Cavalry Corps: Lieutenant-General F. P. Uvarov

  1st Brigade of Guards Cavalry Division: Major-General A. S. Chalikov

  Guards Dragoon Regiment; Guards Lancer Regiment

  2nd Brigade of Guards Cavalry Division: absent

  Guards Hussar Regiment

  4th Brigade of 1st Cavalry Division: Major-General I. I. Charnysh

  Kazan Dragoon Regiment; Nezhin Dragoon Regiment

  5th Horse Artillery Battery

  Second Cavalry Corps: Major-General Baron F. K. von Korff

  6th Brigade of 2nd Cavalry Division: Colonel N. V. Davydov

  Pskov Dragoon Regiment; Moscow Dragoon Regiment

  7th Brigade of 2nd Cavalry Division: Major-General S. D. Panchulidzev

  Kargopol Dragoon Regiment; Ingermanland Dragoon Regiment

  5th Brigade of 1st Cavalry Division: absent

  Polish Lancer Regiment; 6th Horse Artillery Battery

  Third Cavalry Corps: Major-General Count Peter von der Pahlen

  9th Brigade of 3rd Cavalry Division: Major-General S. V. Diatkov

  Courland Dragoon Regiment; Orenburg Dragoon Regiment

  10th Brigade of 3rd Cavalry Division: Major-General A. A. Skalon

  Siberia Dragoon Regiment; Irkutsk Dragoon Regiment

  11th Brigade of 3rd Cavalry Division: absent

  Mariupol Hussar Regiment

  Cossack Flying Corps: General M. I. Platov

  Don Cossack Ataman Regiment; 7 other Don Cossack regiments

  1st and 2nd Bug Cossack regiments; 1st Bashkir Regiment

  Simferopol and Perekop Tatar Horse regiments

  Stavropol Kalmyk Regiment

  2nd Don Cossack Artillery Brigade

  Army reserve:

  29th and 30th Heavy batteries

  5 pioneer companies; 2 pontoon companies; 4 mobile veterans companies; 6 mobile artillery parks

  Second Western Army: General Prince P. I. Bagration

  Chief of Staff: Major-General Count E. de Saint-Priest

  Quartermaster-General: Major-General M. S. Vistitsky

  Duty General: Colonel S. N. Marin

  Chief of Artillery: Major-General Baron K. F. von Löwenstern

  Chief Engineer: Major-General E. F. Forster

  Seventh Infantry Corps: Lieutenant-General N. N. Raevsky

  26th Infantry Division: Major-General I. F. Paskevich

  1st Brigade: Colonel A. I. Liphardt

  Ladoga Infantry Regiment; Poltava Infantry Regiment

  2nd Brigade: Colonel N. F. Ladyzhensky

  Nizhnii Novgorod Infantry Regiment; Orel Infantry Regiment

  3rd Brigade: Colonel F. G. Gogel

  5th and 42nd Jaeger regiments

  26th Field Artillery Brigade: Lieutenant-Colonel G. M. Schulmann

  26th Heavy and 47th and 48th Light batteries

  12th Infantry Division: Major-General P. M. Koliubakin

  1st Brigade: Colonel M. N. Ryleev

  Smolensk Infantry Regiment; Narva Infantry Regiment

  2nd Brigade: Colonel K. K. Panzerbiter

 
; Aleksopol Infantry Regiment; Novoingermanland Infantry Regiment

  3rd Brigade: Major-General I. I. Palitsyn

  6th and 41st Jaeger regiments

  12th Field Artillery Brigade: Lieutenant-Colonel Ia. I. Sablin

  12th Heavy and 22nd and 23rd Light batteries

  Cavalry: from 14th Brigade of 4th Cavalry Division

  Akhtyrka Hussar Regiment; 8th Horse Artillery Battery

  Eighth Infantry Corps: Lieutenant-General M. M. Borozdin

  2nd Grenadier Division: Major-General Prince Karl of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

  1st Brigade: Colonel I. Ia. Shatilov

  Kiev Grenadier Regiment; Moscow Grenadier Regiment

  2nd Brigade: Colonel I. F. von Buxhoeweden

  Astrakhan Grenadier Regiment; Fanagoria Grenadier Regiment

  3rd Brigade: Colonel V. A. Hesse

  Siberia Grenadier Regiment; Little Russia Grenadier Regiment

  2nd Field Artillery Brigade: Colonel A. A. Boguslavsky

  11th Heavy and 20th and 21st Light batteries

  2nd Combined Grenadier Division: Major-General Count M. S. Vorontsov

  1st Brigade: 4 Combined Grenadier battalions

  2nd Brigade: 6 Combined Grenadier battalions

  3rd Reserve Artillery Brigade: absent

  31st and 32nd Heavy batteries

  2nd Cuirassier Division: Major-General O. F. von Knorring

  2nd Cuirassier Brigade: Major-General N. V. Kretov

  Ekaterinoslav Cuirassier Regiment; Military Order Cuirassier Regiment

  3rd Cuirassier Brigade: Major-General I. M. Duka

  Glukhov Cuirassier Regiment; Little Russia Cuirassier Regiment; Novgorod Cuirassier Regiment

  Fourth Cavalry Corps: Major-General Count K. K. von Sievers

  12th Brigade of 4th Cavalry Division: Major-General I. D. Panchulidzev