In the First battle of Polotsk, which took place on August 17-18, 1812, Russian troops under the command of Peter Wittgenstein defeated French troops led by Nicolas Oudinot and stopped their advance to Saint Petersburg. The first battle of Polotsk should be distinguished from the second battle of Polotsk which took place during the same campaign two months later. Combatants First French Empire Russian Empire Commanders Napoleon Eugène de Beauharnais Jérôme 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... August 17 is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... August 18 is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1812 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Polatsk (Belarusian: По́лацак, По́лацк; Polish: Połock, also spelt as Polacak; Russian: По́лоцк, also transliterated as Polotsk, Polotzk, Polock) is the most historic city in Belarus, situated on the Dvina... 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. ... Nicolas Charles Oudinot (April 25, 1767 - September 13, 1847), duke of Reggio, was a marshal of France. ... Laurent, Marquis de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, Marshal of France Laurent, Marquis de Gouvion Saint-Cyr (April 13, 1764 – March 17, 1830) was a French marshal. ... 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 17,000–22,000 23,000–28,000 Casualties 3,500–4,500 5,500 dead, 1000 prisoners The Battle of Klyastitsy is a relatively minor engagement which took place near the village of Klyastitsy (Russian: Клястицы) (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... Combatants Russian Empire First French Empire Commanders Count Levin August von Bennigsen Vice-King Joachim Murat Strength 97,000 present, only 36,000 of whom actually participated in the battle. ... 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, Józef 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... Combatants Russian Empire First French Empire Commanders Prince Peter Wittgenstein Marshal Claude Victor and Marshal Nicholas Oudinot Strength 30,000 troops approximately 25,000 troops available; 6,000 involved on the 1st day; 5,000 involved on the 2nd day Casualties 3000 3000 At the Battle of Smoliani (November 13... 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. ... Prince Peter Khristianovich Wittgenstein (1769-1843) was a Russian Field Marshal distinguished for his services in the Napoleonic wars. ... Nicolas Charles Oudinot (April 25, 1767 - September 13, 1847), duke of Reggio, was a marshal of France. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and...

After the battle of Klyastitsy and several minor losses Oudinot's Corps retreated to Polotsk. In the early morning of August, 17 the 1st Infantry Corps led by Wittgenstein attacked the French positions near the village of Spas, forcing the French to retreat. Oudinot transported additional units to the sector of the attack and also counterattacked in the centre. By the night both the French and the Russians managed to keep their positions. Oudinot was wounded and had to hand over the administration to Gouvion Saint-Cyr. Combatants Russian Empire First French Empire Commanders Prince Peter Wittgenstein Nicolas Oudinot Strength 17,000–22,000 23,000–28,000 Casualties 3,500–4,500 5,500 dead, 1000 prisoners The Battle of Klyastitsy is a relatively minor engagement which took place near the village of Klyastitsy (Russian: Клястицы) (Drissa... Polatsk (Belarusian: По́лацак, По́лацк; Polish: Połock, also spelt as Polacak; Russian: По́лоцк, also transliterated as Polotsk, Polotzk, Polock) is the most historic city in Belarus, situated on the Dvina... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ... Laurent, Marquis de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, Marshal of France Laurent, Marquis de Gouvion Saint-Cyr (April 13, 1764 – March 17, 1830) was a French marshal. ...

The next morning Gouvion Saint-Cyr undertook a major offensive. He managed to mislead Wittgenstein about the area of the offensive, regroup his troops and suddenly attack the left flank and centre of the Russian positions. In the beginning the offensive was a major success, the French troops crushed the Russians and captured seven cannons. When the defeat seemed imminent, Wittgenstein organized cavalry counterattack. It caused a scare among the French who had to ceased the offensive and retreat. On the other hand, Wittgenstein retreated to the Drissa. For the next two months both the French and the Russians ceased any attempts to upset the balance of powers. Soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat are commonly known as cavalry (from French cavalerie). ...