NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Battle of Vyazma

At the Battle of Vyazma (November 3, 1812), the hindmost corps of Napoleon I of France’s retreating Grande Armée were defeated by the Russians commanded by General Miloradovich. Although the French succeeded in thwarting Miloradovich’s initial attempt to isolate and destroy the I Corps of Marshal Davout, they remained under pressure from the Russians for the rest of the battle, retiring under fire in a partial state of disorganization and suffering heavy casualties. November 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... 1812 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Vyazma (Russian: ) is a town in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vyazma River, about halfway between Smolensk and Mozhaysk, at , . Throughout its turbulent history, the city defended western approaches to the city of Moscow. ... 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. ... Count Mikhail Andreyevich Miloradovich (Russian: October 1 (O.S.), 1771 - December 14 (O.S.), 1825) was a Russian general prominent during the Napoleonic wars. ... Davout, Marshal of France Louis Nicolas dAvout (May 10, 1770 â€“ June 1, 1823), better known as Davout, duc dAuerstÃ¤dt, prince dEckmÃ¼hl, and a marshal of France. ... Eugène Rose de Beauharnais (September 3, 1781 - February 21, 1824) was the first child and only son of Joséphine de Tascher de la Pagerie and Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais. ... Noble Family Poniatowski Coat of Arms CioÅ‚ek Parents Andrzej Poniatowski Maria Teresa Kinsky Consorts Zelia SitaÅ„ska Zofia Potocka Children with Zelia SitaÅ„ska: JÃ³zef SzczÄ™sny Poniatowski; with Zofia Potocka: Karol JÃ³zef Poniatowski. ... Michel Ney, Marshal of France. ... Kazan Cathedral in St Petersburg and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow were built to commemorate the Russian victory against Napoleon. ... 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 134,000 155,000 Casualties 30,000 45,000 {{{notes}}} The Battle of Borodino (Russian: Ð‘Ð¾Ñ€Ð¾Ð´Ð¸Ð½Ð¾) (September 7, 1812, or August 26 in the Julian calendar then used in Russia), also called the Battle of the Moskva, was... 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... 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 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... 1812 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Napoleon I Bonaparte, Emperor of the French, King of Italy, Mediator of the Swiss Confederation and Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine (15 August 1769 â€“ 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution, the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from... La Grande ArmÃ©e (in English, the Big or Grand Army) is the French military term for the main force in a military campaign. ... Louis Nicolas dAvout (May 10, 1770 - June 1, 1823), better known as Davout, was duke of Auerstädt, prince of Eckmühl, and a marshal of France. ...

Although the French defeat was indecisive, it was noteworthy because of its discombobulating impact on the Grande Armée's retreat from Moscow. Pulling away from Vyazma under Russian pressure, the rear units of Napoleon's westward marching columns were rendered disorganized, and the chaos spread, in chain reaction fashion, to other units located toward the center and front of the French army.^[1]^[2]

Background

The Battle of Vyazma occurred as Napoleon was in the first stage of his epic retreat from Moscow, which was necessary due of a severe shortfall in supplies, and because Moscow, isolated deep in hostile territory, was unsuitable as the Grande Armée’s winter quarters.^[3]

Napoleon’s objective at this stage of the retreat was to lead the Grande Armee to his closest major supply depot, Smolensk, which was 270 miles west of Moscow. The campaign was then to be recommenced in the following spring.

The French departed Moscow on October 18th, and after having a southern route to Smolensk denied them as a result of the Battle of Maloyaroslavets (October 24), they were compelled to backtrack and use the same Smolensk-Moscow road previously used in the campaign by both armies. Because the territory alongside this road had been economically ravaged by earlier campaigning, this retreat route imposed on the Grande Armee extreme conditions of privation and attrition.^[4] Demoralization and disorder soon ensued in its ranks.^[5] 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. ... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 68 days remaining. ...

By November 3rd, the day of the action at Vyazma, the retreating Grande Armée was stretched out in a column 60 miles long.^[6] The helm of the column, Junot’s VIII Corps, was at Dorogobuzh, with Davout’s I Corps, serving as the army’s rearguard, located at the tail of the army just east of Vyazma. Between these two endpoints were, running west to east, the Imperial Guard, Murat’s troops, Ney’s III Corps, Poniatowski’s V Corps, and Eugene’s IV Corps.^[7] Dorogobuzh (Russian: Ð”Ð¾Ñ€Ð¾Ð³Ð¾Ð±ÑƒÐ¶) is a historic town straddling the Dnieper River in the Smolensk Oblast of Russia, 125 km to the east of Smolensk and 71 km west of Vyazma. ... Murat is a name of: People Joachim Murat Murat I Murat II Murat III Murat IV Murat V Murat Rais Murat Zyazikov Murat Yakin Murat Bayhan Murat Bernard Young Murat Yuce Places Murat is the name or part of the name of several communes in France: Murat, in the Allier...

The French retreat at this point was harassed by Cossack attacks at every juncture, Davout’s corps in particular being beleaguered by Russian attacks.^[8] By November 2nd, Napoleon had grown dissatisfied with Davout’s management of rearguard activities, and ordered Ney to remain in Vyazma, to allow Eugene, Poniatowski and Davout to bypass him, and to assume rearguard duties himself.^[9] Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of Ottoman Empire. ...

The Russians, meanwhile, organized themselves into three groups while pursuing the French.^[10]

First, following Davout and harassing the French incessantly, were 5,000 Cossacks commanded by Ataman Platov. This group was supported by General Paskevich’s 26th Division, comprised of 4,000 troops. Marching slightly to the south was General Miloradovich with the II and IV Infantry Corps, some 14,000 troops in all, and the II and III Cavalry Corps, which amounted to 3,500 soldiers. Miloradovich coordinated the activity of all of these troops, including those of Platov and Paskevich.^[11]

The main Russian army led by Mikhail Kutuzov, some 70,000 troops in all, marched further to the south.^[12] Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov (September 16, 1745 – April 28, 1813 (n. ...

On the evening of November 2nd, while conducting reconnaissance south of the Smolensk-Moscow road, Miloradovich, together with his cavalry commanders General Korff and General Sievers, noticed a gap between Davout’s troops, situated to the east at Fedorovskoye, and the troops of Eugene and Poniatowski, located tothe west just outside of Vyazma. Recognizing an opportunity to isolate and destroy Davout’s corps, the aggressive Miloradovich decided to attack early the next morning.^[13]

Action

The Russian cavalry attacks

At 8 AM on the morning of November 3rd, Miloradovich’s cavalry attacked the disorganized French column holding the length of road which separated Davout from Eugene and Poniatowski. Miloradovich also ordered his artillery, positioned on nearby heights, to begin a cannonade.^[14] The attack was a complete success, as it captured the French IV Corps baggage train and sent the French troops fleeing in disarray.^[15] Miloradovich then placed infantrymen and horse batteries astraddle the road, thereby severing Davout’s connection with the rest of the French army.^[16]

Simultaneous to Miloradovich’s attack to the west of Davout, Platov’s Cossacks attacked Davout from the east, supported by Paskevich’s 26 Division infantrymen.^[17] Davout’s infantrymen formed squares to meet the attack from Platov and Paskevich, and his artillerymen set-up their pieces to return Miloradovich’s fire.^[18] The 14,000 exhausted, hunger-weakened soldiers of Davout’s Corps were now at risk of being overwhelmed and destroyed by the Russians.

Eugene’s counterattack

Fortunately for Davout, there was however a weakness in the Russian plan of attack, in that the Russian cavalry had attacked the Vyazma-Fedorovskoye road that morning without the full support of the II and IV Infantry Corps (led by Eugene of Württemberg and General Ostermann-Tolstoy respectively), which were located to the south and would not be able to reach the battlefield until 10 am, two hours after the action commenced. Miloradovich, fearing that the gap between Davout and the rest of the army would close before he could exploit it, felt it expedient to launch his cavalry attack without having the balance of his infantry on hand.^[19] Lacking sufficient numbers of infantrymen to consolidate their hold on the Vyazma-Fedorovskoye road, Miloradovich’s cavalry was vulnerable to a determined French counterattack. Alexander Ivanovich Count Ostermann-Tolstoy (1772 â€“ 12 February 1857) was a Russian nobleman and soldier in the era of the French Revolutionary Wars. ...

At this juncture — before the 10 am arrival of the Russian II and IV Infantry Corps —, Davout’s fortunes changed for the better. His infantrymen to the east repulsed Platov and Paskevich with steady, disciplined musketfire.^[20]^[21] More importantly, Eugene heard the cannonfire engulfing Davout’s position to the rear, and immediately ordered his troops to counterattack Miloradovich and regain possession of the Vyazma-Fedorovskoye road.^[22]

Eugene’s counterattack fell on the rear of the troops Miloradovich had positioned on the road facing Davout. This counterattack was conducted by two of Eugene’s Italian divisions, one division of Poles from Poniatowski’s V Corps, and a single regiment of troops sent to the scene by Ney, whose III Corps was positioned in the heights near Vyazma.^[23] Davout, upon seeing these troops advancing to rescue him, sent his infantrymen to attack as well.^[24]

Thanks to Eugene’s counterattack, a passageway had been created on the Vyazma-Fedorovskoye road for Davout to continue his retreat.

Miloradovich repositions his troops

The Russians at this point had been repulsed at all points, but they were hardly finished with the battle.

Having pulled back from Eugene’s attack, Miloradovich ordered his troops to reposition themselves parallel to the road.^[25] A murderous cannonade was then commenced against Davout’s troops as they retreated along the road toward Vyazma.^[26] Davout’s artillery was unable to respond effectively to the Russian fire, and panic broke out among his troops.

Louis Philippe, comte de Ségur, an observer of the action on the French side, describes this moment in the battle thusly: Louis Philippe, comte de SÃ©gur (December 10, 1753 - August 27, 1830) was a French diplomatist and historian. ...

The damage wrought by the Russian artillery on Davout’s troops was such that many of them were compelled to abandon the road, and to retreat across an open field in their desperation to reach safety behind Eugene’s position.^[28] By 10 am, when the rest of Miloradovich’s infantry arrived, Davout’s battered corps had taken shelter behind Eugene.^[29]

Eugene’s troops, too, came under pressure from the Russians and were obliged to fall back.^[30] General Sir Robert Wilson, an Englishman who observed the action from the Russian side, describes the combat at this moment as follows: Sir Robert Thomas Wilson Sir Robert Thomas Wilson (1777 â€“ 1849) was a British general and politician who served in Egypt, Prussia, and was seconded to the Imperial Russian Army in 1812. ...

According to Segur, the Russian cannonshot and musketry at this point were “frighteningly effective.”^[32]

At 2:00 PM, Ney, Eugene, and Poniatowski conferred, and they apparently concluded that victory was not possible given the disorganizing effect on the French units caused by the Russian aggression.^[33] Soon, Eugene, Davout, and Poniatowski had all retreated into Vyazma.^[34]

At some point prior to the three French corps falling back to a position on the heights protected by Ney, Miloradovich urgently requested reinforcements from Kutusov, as he recognized that the French were vulnerable and the opportunity for a great victory may have presented itself. Kutusov, who was now within earshot of the battle with his main army (just 20 miles away), sent only the 3000 cuirassiers of General Uvarov and nothing more.^[35]

Final Russian assault on Vyazma

At 4 pm, the fighting spread into the town of Vyazma itself, which at this point was consumed by flames. By now the infantry of General Choglokov (from Ostermann-Tolstoy’s corps), as well as detachments of Platov’s Cossacks were engaging the French in torrid, close quarters combat on the streets of Vyazma.^[36] The French were hard pressed, and had to fight desperately to hold the Russians off while evacuating the town.^[37]

By 8 pm, the fighting was over. The corps of Davout, Eugene, and Poniatowski were now retreating west of Vyazma, bruised but safe. Ney’s rearguard was last to withdraw from the town, suffering heavy losses in a final bayonet fight with an attacking force of Russian grenadiers.^[38]

In order to cover their retreat, the French had set large sections of Vyazma on fire, the result being many wounded and dying on both sides burning to death. Worse yet, the French are reported to have locked civilians and Russian prisoners in buildings before setting them aflame. Fortunately, the Russian troops pouring into the town were able to save some of these victims.^[38]^[39]

That evening, Ney’s corps remained on the western outskirts of Vyazma to block the Russians. However, given the Russians’ aggression, great danger remained, and according to Caulaincourt, even Ney had to “continue his retreating movement before dawn in order not to risk the loss of his troops.”^[40]

The next day, withdrawing along a road heaped for miles with burning, overturned wagons, blown-up ammunition caches, the dead and the moans of the dying — the detritus of the French defeat^[41] — Ney dispatched an entire series of grim reports to Napoleon detailing the lost battle.^[42]

The consequences

The Battle of Vyazma represented a defeat of the Grande Armee’s rearguard, as French losses in this battle, 6,000 to 8,000 killed and wounded, including 4,000 lost as prisoners to the Russians, were prohibitive. The shock of the Russian attack reduced many French units to a state of disarray, and owing to the speed with which their retreat had to be resumed, order was never restored within them. These newly disorganized units became easy targets for Cossack raids in the following days. Two-headed eagle emblem of the Byzantine Empire. ... Vyazma (Russian: ) is a town in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vyazma River, about halfway between Smolensk and Mozhaysk, at , . Throughout its turbulent history, the city defended western approaches to the city of Moscow. ...

General Armand de Caulaincourt, the famed memoirist who participated in the events of 1812 from the French side, perhaps best summarized the effects of Vyazma on his army with the following rueful words:

Russian casualties at Vyazma were no more than 1800 killed and wounded, out of 26,500 troops involved.

Notes

^ Caulaincourt, page 197.
^ Segur, page 168.
^ See Riehn, pages 300–302, for a discussion of the severe logistical problems facing the French army in Moscow. The lengthy road connecting Moscow to the closest French supply depot, Smolensk, was 270 miles long and impossible to defend. The road was choked by partisan activity and Cossack raiding parties. French supply trains were routinely wiped out and 15,000 French troops were captured along this road in September and October alone.
^ The deterioration of the French army’s combat ability and discipline in the first two weeks of its retreat is well documented. For a discussion of this situation, see Chandler, page 823, Riehn, pages 335-337, Cate, pages 343–347, Zamoyski, page 377–385. In the 17 days between the evacuation of Moscow and the Battle of Vyazma, half of the troops of Ney, Davout, Eugene and Poniatowski had deteriorated to the status of stragglers.
^ Zamoyski, page 385; Riehn, page 322, describes the beginning of the breakdown in troop discipline in Moscow; on page 341, how starvation during the retreat accelerated the deterioration in discipline.
^ Esposito and Elting, map 120
^ See Riehn, pages 338–339 for more details regarding the arrangement of this retreating train of troops
^ Riehn, pages 338-339
^ Cate, page 348
^ Cate, page 348
^ This data is derived from Cate, page 348, and Riehn, pages 337, and 345-346. Miloradovich’s seniority is presumed.
^ See Riehn’s table and notes, pages 345-348. Kutuzov’s full strength is presumed
^ Cate, page 348-349. Wilson, page 242, writes that Miloradovich sent a message to Kutusov, 30 miles away at Dubrova, requesting the main army’s support in the upcoming action.
^ Wilson, page 242
^ Cate, page 349
^ Cate, page 349
^ Riehn, page 339
^ Riehn, page 339
^ Cate, page 349.
^ Cate, page 349.
^ Wilson, Beskrovny, and Zhilin describe Platov’s and Paskevich’s attack as being successful, but their words are unconvincing in light of the accounts provided by Riehn, Tarle, and Cate.
^ Riehn, page 339
^ Wilson, page 243, and Cate, page 349.
^ Wilson, page 243<./ref> Miloradovich’s cavalry and his small body of infantrymen were now attacked from the east and the west, including being enveloped in French artillery shot, and were compelled to retreat from the road.<ref>Wilson, page 243.</li> <li id="_note-22">'''[[#_ref-22|^]]''' Cate, page 349.</li> <li id="_note-23">'''[[#_ref-23|^]]''' Beskrovny L.G, Zhilin, and Tarle</li> <li id="_note-24">'''[[#_ref-24|^]]''' Segur, page 167.</li> <li id="_note-25">'''[[#_ref-25|^]]''' Segur, page 167.</li> <li id="_note-26">'''[[#_ref-26|^]]''' Riehn, page 339.</li> <li id="_note-27">'''[[#_ref-27|^]]''' Riehn, on page 339, states that “…when the Russian infantry approached from the south at 10 am, Davout had already passed behind Eugene’s receiving position. Eugene made a right turn and faced the Russians, but he was pressed back via Myasoyedova.” Note that Wilson’s description of this juncture of the battle compliments Riehn’s.</li> <li id="_note-28">'''[[#_ref-28|^]]''' Wilson, page 244.</li> <li id="_note-29">'''[[#_ref-29|^]]''' Segur, page 167.</li> <li id="_note-Segur167-168">'''[[#_ref-Segur167-168_0|^]]''' Segur, pages 167–168.</li> <li id="_note-30">'''[[#_ref-30|^]]''' Riehn, page 339. Many of Davout’s troops are acknowledged by all sources to have broken ranks and fled at this juncture. Noteworthy is that even Eugene’s and Poniatowski’s troops were in some degree of disorder due to the Russian pressure.</li> <li id="_note-31">'''[[#_ref-31|^]]''' Wilson, page 245; Segur, page 167. Perhaps Kutusov at this moment was thinking of his experience at Durrenstein, in 1805, when his forces in overwhelming numbers attacked [[Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier|Mortier]]’s corps, intending to destroy Mortier before the rest of the Grande Armée arrived. In the ensuing battle, Mortier was severely mauled, but held his position just long enough for the Grande Armée to appear distantly on the horizon. Kutusov, lacking the resources to fight Napoleon’s entire army, was obliged to retire and to let Mortier survive. At Vyazma in 1812, a heavy attack by Kutusov’s main army on Eugene, Poniatowksi, Davout and Ney might have destroyed the numerically inferior enemy in one sweeping blow, but it’s also possible that Napoleon’s [[Imperial Guard]] and [[Jean-Andoche Junot|Junot]] would have arrived on the scene had the battle stretched into a second day of combat.</li> <li id="_note-32">'''[[#_ref-32|^]]''' Beskrovny L.G, Zhilin, and Tarle. As to whether the Russians pressed a successful offensive into Vyazma or if the French were holding the Russians at bay while executing a staged withdrawal, the sources yield conflicting information. Tarle, page 341, states that Choglokov's troops accidentally outpaced the main Russian force. Tarle claims also that Miloradovich and Platov remained outside of Vyazma until the French had withdrawn.</li> <li id="_note-33">'''[[#_ref-33|^]]''' Segur, page 168, describes how General Morand and General Compans fended off the Russians during the French evacuation of the town; they were ambushed unexpectedly by Russian infantry.</li> <li id="_note-Wilson247">^ [[#_ref-Wilson247_0|<sup>'''''a'''''</sup>]] [[#_ref-Wilson247_1|<sup>'''''b'''''</sup>]] Wilson, page 247.</li> <li id="_note-34">'''[[#_ref-34|^]]''' Beskrovny LG, Zhilin, and Tarle.</li> <li id="_note-Caulaincourt198">'''[[#_ref-Caulaincourt198_0|^]]''' Caulaincourt, page 198.</li> <li id="_note-35">'''[[#_ref-35|^]]''' Wilson.</li> <li id="_note-36">'''[[#_ref-36|^]]''' Caulaincourt, page 198–199.</li> <li id="_note-37">'''[[#_ref-37|^]]''' Caulaincourt, page 197.</li></ol></ref>

Contents

Background

Action

The Russian cavalry attacks

Eugene’s counterattack

Miloradovich repositions his troops

Final Russian assault on Vyazma

The consequences

Notes

References

Contents

Background GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Action

The Russian cavalry attacks

Eugene’s counterattack

Miloradovich repositions his troops

Final Russian assault on Vyazma

The consequences

Notes

References

Background