NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Battle of Smoliani

At the Battle of Smoliani (November 13-November 14, 1812), the Russians under General Peter Wittgenstein defeated the French forces of Marshal Claude Victor and Marshal Nicholas Oudinot. This battle was the last effort of the French to reestablish their northern flank in Russia, known as the “Dwina Line”. Previously, the French had been defeated in this sector at the Second battle of Polotsk (Oct. 18-20, 1812) and at the Battle of Czasniki (Oct. 31, 1812) Combatants First French Empire Russian Empire Commanders Napoleon EugÃ¨ne de Beauharnais JÃ©rÃ´me Bonaparte Jaques MacDonald Karl Philipp Alexander I of Russia Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly Pyotr Bagration Strength 771,500 troops 900,000 troops Casualties 300,000 French 70,000 Poles 50,000 Italians 80,000... November 13 is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 48 days remaining. ... November 14 is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 47 days remaining until the end of the year. ... 1812 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start... The First French Empire, commonly known as the French Empire or the Napoleonic Empire, covers the period of the domination of France and much of continental Europe by Napoleon I of France. ... Prince Peter Khristianovich Wittgenstein (1769-1843) was a Russian Field Marshal distinguished for his services in the Napoleonic wars. ... Kazan Cathedral in St Petersburg and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow were built to commemorate the Russian victory against Napoleon. ... Combatants Russian Empire First French Empire Commanders General Ostermann-Tolstoy Joachim Murat, King of Naples Strength 14,000 - 20,000 troops 22,000 to 28,000 Casualties 2,500 3,300 The Battle of Ostrowno took place on July 25 and 26 1812, between the French corps of Marshal Ney... Combatants Russian Empire First French Empire Commanders Prince Peter Wittgenstein Nicolas Oudinot Strength 17,000â€“22,000 23,000â€“28,000 Casualties 3,500â€“4,500 5,500 dead, 1000 prisoners The Battle of Klyastitsy is a relatively minor engagement which took place near the village of Klyastitsy (Russian: ÐšÐ»ÑÑÑ‚Ð¸Ñ†Ñ‹) (Drissa... The First Battle of Smolensk took place on August 17, 1812, between 175,000 French under Napoleon Bonaparte and 130,000 Russians under Prince Bagration, of whom about 50,000 and 60,000 respectively were actually engaged. ... The Battle of Valutino took place on August 9, 1812, between Marshal Neys corps, about 30,000 strong, and a strong rear-guard of General Barclay de Tollys army of about 40,000, commanded by the General himself. ... Combatants First French Empire Russian Empire Commanders Napoleon Bonaparte Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov Strength 130,000 600 cannon[1] 154,000 624 cannon[1] Casualties 35,000[1] 44,000[1] The Battle of Borodino (Russian: , French: ) (September 7, 1812, or August 26 in the Julian calendar then used in Russia... The Battle of Maloyaroslavets took place on October 24, 1812, between the Russians, under Marshal Kutuzov, and part of the corps of Eugène de Beauharnais, Napoleons son_in_law, under General Delzons with numbered about 20,000 strong. ... Combatants Russian Empire First French Empire Commanders Prince Peter Wittgenstein Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr Strength 31,000 regular troops, 9,000 militia, 9,000 regular troops operating independently; total of 49,000 23,000 to 27,000 Casualties 8,000-12,500 8,000 At the Second Battle of Polotsk... Combatants Russian Empire First French Empire Commanders Prince Peter Wittgenstein Marshal Victor Strength 30,000, of whom 11,000 were involved 36,000, of whom 10,000 to 18,000 were involved Casualties 400 1200 The Battle of Czasniki was fought during Napoleons invasion of Russia, on 31 October... Combatants Russian Empire First French Empire Commanders General Mikhail Miloradovich Louis Nicolas Davout, Eugene de Beauharnais, JÃ³zef Antoni Poniatowski, and Michel Ney Strength 26,500 troops, 37,000, of whom 24,000 took part in the battle Casualties 1,800 killed and wounded 8,000, including 4,000 taken... The Battle of Krasnoi was fought during Napoleons invasion of Russia on November 16 and November 17 of 1812 at Krasnoi, 67 km south-west of Smolensk. ... Battle of Berezina was held on November 26-29, 1812 between the French army of Napoleon retreating after his invasion of Russia and crossing the Berezina, and Russian army under Kutuzov. ... November 13 is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 48 days remaining. ... November 14 is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 47 days remaining until the end of the year. ... 1812 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Prince Peter Khristianovich Wittgenstein (1769-1843) was a Russian Field Marshal distinguished for his services in the Napoleonic wars. ... Combatants Russian Empire First French Empire Commanders Prince Peter Wittgenstein Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr Strength 31,000 regular troops, 9,000 militia, 9,000 regular troops operating independently; total of 49,000 23,000 to 27,000 Casualties 8,000-12,500 8,000 At the Second Battle of Polotsk... Combatants Russian Empire First French Empire Commanders Prince Peter Wittgenstein Marshal Victor Strength 30,000, of whom 11,000 were involved 36,000, of whom 10,000 to 18,000 were involved Casualties 400 1200 The Battle of Czasniki was fought during Napoleons invasion of Russia, on 31 October...

Background

Upon learning of Victor’s defeat at the Battle of Czasniki, Napoleon – who was already distressed about the situation in the north due to the earlier French defeat at Polotsk – ordered Victor to assume the offensive at once and drive Wittgenstein back.^[1] For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ...

At the time of the Smoliani encounter, Napoleon was planning on leading his rapidly disintegrating Grande Armee to a safehaven in the west such as Minsk. In order to execute this plan, the Grande Armee's planned route of retreathad to be secured. Wittgenstein's position at Czasniki was just 40 miles north of Bobruisk, a town Napoleon needed to be secure in order for the main French army to reach Minsk. La Grande Armée (in English, the Big or Grand Army) is the French military term for the main force in a military campaign. ... The city of Babruysk (Belarusian: Бабру́йск; Russian: Бобру́йск) is located in Mahilyow voblast of Belarus on the Berezina river. ... Location Location of Minsk, shown within the Minsk Voblast Government Belarus District City Belarus Minsk Voblast Minsk City City 980 (Polatsk) Mayor Mikhail Pavlov Geographical characteristics Area - City 256 kmÂ² Population - City (2006) 1,780,000 Coordinates Elevation 280. ...

Victor, per Napoleon’s orders, was to coordinate the actions of his IX corps with the VI corps and the II corps commanded by Marshal Oudinot.^[2] The initial French plan – ordered by Napoleon and endorsed by Victor, was not to attack Wittgenstein frontally, but for one corps to attack the Russians in the flank while the other conducted a frontal assault.^[3] This plan however was scuttled per the insistence of Oudinot, who thought it more advantageous to attack Wittgenstein head on.^[4]

The Contrasting Moods In Russian and French Headquarters

Going into the action at Smoliani, the French commanders exhibited the hallmarks of leaders setting themselves up for failure: bad planning, indecision, and pessimism due to earlier reversals.

Historians have criticized Oudinot and Victor for not attempting a flanking maneuver against Wittgenstein. Victor especially has been criticized for indecision in his planning and execution of the Smoliani attack.^[5] Previously, at Czasniki, Victor had proven himself over-inclined to retreat in the face of just minor reversals.

The mood among the Russian leaders on the eve of the battle stood in stark contrast to that of the French.

In Wittgenstein’s headquarters at this time, there existed a “sense of self-confidence and proud accomplishment”, which had coalesced as a result of their repeated victories over the French in earlier battles.^[6] One notable work on 1812 describes the aura among Wittgenstein and his staff at this juncture as a sense of being “morally equal and often superior to the enemy.”^[7] It is no wonder, perhaps, that Victor was hesitant in executing the task assigned to him by Napoleon.

Severe Attrition Among French Forces

The French cause at Smoliani was also undermined by mounting attrition within their ranks.

In the two weeks following the action at Czasniki, Victor’s force had suffered greatly from exposure to frost and disease. By November 10th, only 25,000 troops remained until Victor’s command, a development that increased Wittgenstein’s margin of superiority over the French in this sector. As a result of being better supplied, better quartered and more intelligently protected from the elements than their French foes, Wittgenstein’s troops suffered less attrition from privation and the weather.^[8]

The Battle

The Battle of Smoliani commenced on October 13th, at the nearby village of Axenzi, and initially the French were successful. Here the 6,000 troops of General Partenoux attacked Wittgenstein’s advance guard, 6,000 strong, led by General Alexiev.^[9] Each side lost roughly 500 troops in this encounter, and despite being reinforced, the Russians were forced to retreat to Smoliani.^[10] Categories: Belarus-related stubs | Towns in Belarus ...

The next day, October 14th, the combat intensified as 5000 of Victor’s troops attacked and captured Smoliani. After this however the French attacking force suffered a reversal, being repulsed on the Russian right wing and then losing Smoliani to Wittgenstein’s counterattack.^[11] While this action was taking place, a small Russian detachment kept Oudinot’s superior force in check at the village of Poczavizi, thereby preventing these troops from assisting Victor.^[12]

Although the action died down with each side in their original position, and the losses suffered by both were equal – 3000 killed, wounded and taken prisoner – it was the French who very much had the worst of the scrap.^[13] The next day, November 15th, Victor retreated 20 miles south to Chereja.^[14]

Consequences

Although Wittgenstein did not immediately pursue his defeated enemy, by winning this battle he retained the potential to attack the Grande Armee when it passed through Bobr, just 40 miles south of his position near Czasniki. That Victor and Oudinot retreated in the face of this grave threat to the Grande Armee was another heavy blow to Napoleon. The Battle of Smoliani also ended, permanently, any hope the French had of reestablishing their northern “Dwina Line.”

Notes

^ Riehn, pages 361-262. The urgency of the situation in the north was captured by Napoleon’s adamant words to Victor: “The safety of the army depends on it, every day’s delay is a disaster. Forward!”
^ Cate, page 356
^ Riehn, page 362
^ Riehn, page 362
^ See Riehn's comments on Victor, pages 362-364, and Cate, pages 365-366
^ See Riehn, page 363; these are the exact words Riehn uses to describe Clausewitz’s personal observations
^ Riehn, page 363. These quoted words are Riehn’s, as he describes Clausewitz’s observations of Wittgenstein and his staff
^ Riehn, page 361
^ Smith, 1998, pages 400-401
^ Riehn, page 362
^ Riehn, describes the action very generally on page 362.
^ Riehn, page 362
^ Smith (2004), page 181, describes Victor as having been “badly beaten”.
^ Smith (2004), page 181

Carl Phillip Gottlieb von Clausewitz (June 1, 1780 _ November 16, 1831) was a Prussian military thinker. ...

Contents

Background

The Contrasting Moods In Russian and French Headquarters

Severe Attrition Among French Forces

The Battle

Consequences

Notes

References

Contents

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The Contrasting Moods In Russian and French Headquarters

Severe Attrition Among French Forces

The Battle

Consequences

Notes

References

Background