The French armies had by this point been reduced in strength by over half without a single decisive battle. Unfortunately for the Czar, Napoleon had come nearly two-thirds of the way from the Nieman river to Moscow. Dissatisfied with the failure of Barclay to stop the French advance, Alexander removed him and replaced him with Marshal Prince Kutuzov on 20 August 1812. Kutuzov realized his position was not strong when he joined the army on 29 August and so continued the Russian retreat.
The French continued to weaken while the Russians grew in strength. Napoleon now had 135,00 men and 587 guns. Realizing his lines of communication and supply were gravely over-extended, Napoleon decided to press on toward Moscow instead of over-wintering at Smolensk. By moving farther into the heart of Russia, Kutuzov was reinforced by additional reserves. His army increased to 132,000 men and 624 guns.
Kutuzov finally made a stand at Borodino, some 60 miles outside Moscow. His troops numbered 72,000 men, 17,000 Cossacks and militia, 18,00 cavalry, and 640 guns. The Russians were deeply entrenched in three strong positions on high ground astride the Moscow road and along the Kolotza river near Borodino and south to Utitsa. The Great Redoubt in the center was defended by 27 cannons.
With a force of some 86,000 men, 2,800 cavalry, and 587 guns, Napoleon began with an artillery bombardment at 6 a.m. from two miles away to the west. Davout led the assault on the Russian left wing. The battle raged for three hours with positions moving back and forth over the village Schwardino. The French 5th Corps took the village of Utitsa, but could not progress. In the mid-afternoon Napoleon and Eugène's 5th Corps pushed the Russians back and took the Great Redoubt, though Bagration retook it. Napoleon concentrated some 200 guns on the redoubt and took it again. The Russians counter-attacked but could not take the position. Murat threw away his cuirassiers in a foolish attack. During the fighting Napoleon left the battlefield. The contest continued until dark, when the French moved back to their initial position and the Russians, exhausted, retired to a second ridge behind their original lines. Under cover of darkness, the Russians retreated to Moscow.
Over the course of the fifteen hour battle both sides fired an average of 15,000 rounds per hour from the almost 1,200 guns. [1] Technically a French victory, the battle helped the Russian cause since the French did not crush the Russians nor defeat Kutuzov but allowed him to retreat in good order.
French: 28,000 to 58,000, including 12 (or 43) generals and 110 colonels; Russians: 44,000 to 60,000, including Prince Bagration.
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Last Updated Saturday, October 4, 1997.