At the Second Battle of Polotsk (October 18—October 20, 1812), the Russians under General Peter Wittgenstein attacked and defeated a Franco-Bavarian force under Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr. In the aftermath of this success, the Russians took Polotsk and dismantled Napoleon’s operations in Belarus. Wittgenstein's victory set the stage for the Battle of Berezina in November, in which three Russian armies converged on Napoleon from separate directions. Combatants First French Empire Kingdom of Italy Kingdom of Naples Duchy of Warsaw Confederation of the Rhine Kingdom of Bavaria Kingdom of Saxony Kingdom of Westphalia Swiss Confederation Austrian Empire Kingdom of Prussia Russian Empire Commanders Napoleon Eugène de Beauharnais Jérôme Bonaparte Jaques MacDonald Prince Schwarzenberg Alexander... Image File history File links Battle_polotsk. ... is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the overture by Tchaikovsky, see 1812 Overture; For the wars, see War of 1812 (USA - United Kingdom) or Patriotic War of 1812 (France - Russia) For the Siberia Airlines plane crashed over the Black Sea on October 4, 2001, see Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 1812 was a leap year starting... 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... Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ... 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... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Map of the First French Empire in 1811, with the Empire in dark blue and satellite states in light blue Capital Paris Language(s) French Government Monarchy Emperor  - 1804 - 1814/1815 Napoleon I  - 1814/1815 Napoleon II Legislature Parliament  - Upper house Senate  - Lower house Corps législatif Historical era Napoleonic... Prince Peter Khristianovich Wittgenstein (1769-1843) was a Russian Field Marshal distinguished for his services in the Napoleonic wars. ... 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. ... Combatants First French Empire Kingdom of Italy Kingdom of Naples Duchy of Warsaw Confederation of the Rhine Kingdom of Bavaria Kingdom of Saxony Kingdom of Westphalia Swiss Confederation Austrian Empire Kingdom of Prussia Russian Empire Commanders Napoleon Eugène de Beauharnais Jérôme Bonaparte Jaques MacDonald Prince Schwarzenberg Alexander... 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 3,000 killed and wounded, 800 prisoners, eight guns 3,300 The Battle of Ostrovno took place on July 25 and 26 1812... 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. ... Combatants Russian Empire First French Empire Commanders Prince Peter Wittgenstein Nicolas Oudinot, Marquis Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr Strength 22,000 troops; 135 cannon 18,000 troops; 120 cannon Casualties 4,500-5,500 6,000 In the First battle of Polotsk, which took place on August 17-18, 1812, Russian... 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 I Mikhail Kutuzov Strength 82,400 infantry 26,700 cavalry 14,900 artillery troops with 587 guns[1] 72,000 infantry 17,300 cavalry 14,500 artillery troops with 637 guns[2] Casualties ~6,600 killed ~21,400 wounded [3] ~43,000... 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 23,000-27,000 Casualties 8,000-12,500 8,000 At the Second Battle of Polotsk (October... 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... Combatants First French Empire Russian Empire Commanders Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov Strength 42,000 regulars, 39,000 stragglers 60,000-80,000 Casualties 6,000-13,000 killed, 20,000-26,000 captured ~ (almost all stragglers) 5,000 The Battle of Krasnoi (Krasny) (November 15 to 18, 1812... 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. ... is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the overture by Tchaikovsky, see 1812 Overture; For the wars, see War of 1812 (USA - United Kingdom) or Patriotic War of 1812 (France - Russia) For the Siberia Airlines plane crashed over the Black Sea on October 4, 2001, see Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 1812 was a leap year starting... Prince Peter Khristianovich Wittgenstein (1769-1843) was a Russian Field Marshal distinguished for his services in the Napoleonic wars. ... 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. ... 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. ...

Background

While advancing on Moscow, Napoleon left a contingent of French and German troops at Polotsk to guard his northern flank against Wittgenstein.The French defensive bastion at Polotsk, alternately commanded by St. Cyr and Oudinot and located about 200 miles west of the Polish border and about 150 miles northwest of Smolensk, was extremely important to Napoleon for several reasons. 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... Nicolas Charles Oudinot, Duke of Reggio (April 25, 1767, Bar-le-duc – September 13, 1847, Paris), was a marshal of France. ... A view of Smolensk in 1912. ...

By establishing a firm front at Polotsk, Napoleon kept Wittgenstein's command at bay. It was critical to French interests that Wittgenstein not be allowed to march south, because such an advance by the Russians would lead to Napoleon’s Grande Armee, hundreds of miles to the east, being exposed to an attack in its rear while it was engaging the main Russian army near Moscow. Such a development would sever the Grande Armee’s communications with Europe and it would be at risk of being encircled. La Grande Armée (in English, the Big or Grand Army) is the French military term for the main force in a military campaign. ... Moscow (Moskva) (Russian: , romanised: Moskva, IPA: see also other names) is the capital of Russia and the countrys economic, financial, educational, and transportation centre. ...

Furthermore, the French position at Polotsk was important because it served to protect Vitebsk, which was one of three massive supply depots Napoleon had established in western part of Russian Empire (nowadays Belarus). These three supply depots — the other two being Minsk and Smolensk — were to fuel Napoleon's war effort in the winter should the Grande Armee need to continue the campaign longer than originally anticipated. Coat of arms of Vitebsk. ... Location of Minsk, shown within the Minsk Voblast Coordinates: Country Subdivision Belarus Minsk Founded 1067 Government  - Mayor Mikhail Pavlov Area  - City 305. ...

Throughout the summer and early fall of 1812, Russians and French were stalemated at Polotsk, which meant that St. Cyr's troops were accomplishing their objective of holding the "Dwina Line". The first battle of Polotsk, an inconclusive engagement fought in August, had the effect of keeping Wittgenstein's army at bay and was therefore considered a success by Napoleon. Combatants Russian Empire First French Empire Commanders Prince Peter Wittgenstein Nicolas Oudinot, Marquis Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr Strength 22,000 troops; 135 cannon 18,000 troops; 120 cannon Casualties 4,500-5,500 6,000 In the First battle of Polotsk, which took place on August 17-18, 1812, Russian...

By mid-October, however, the stategic balance of power at Polotsk had shifted dramatically. Wittgenstein's force had been massively reinforced and was now numerically superior to the French force it confronted. Wittgestein at this point was in command of close to 50,000 troops. This force was comprised of 31,000 regular troops and 9,000 militiamen at Polotsk itself, and a second force of 9,000 troops under General Steingal operating in the rear and flank of Polotsk.

Against this Russian juggernaut, the French under St. Cyr had no more than 23,000 to 27,000 troops. On October 18th, Wittgestein opened his offensive against the French "Dwina Line".

Action

19th century russian lithograph depicting Wittgenstein's Chevaliers-Gardes fighting the second battle of Polotsk.

Modern view of Dwina River in Polotsk.

On the first day of combat, the Russians made seven consecutive frontal assaults on Polotsk, while Steingal's force began advancing on the French rear. The fighting at Polotsk was torrid and bloody, with the French losing close to 8,000 troops, and the Russians suffering 8,000 to 12,000 casualties. All seven Russian attacks were beaten back by the end of the day. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 780 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2600 × 2000 pixel, file size: 3. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 780 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2600 × 2000 pixel, file size: 3. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2288 × 1712 pixel, file size: 597 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Cathedral of Saint Sophia. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2288 × 1712 pixel, file size: 597 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Cathedral of Saint Sophia. ...

St. Cyr could claim to have won round one in this bitter battle, but the affair was not over. Planning to renew his attack once Steingal's forces arrived, Wittgenstein maintained a heavy artillery bombardment of Polotsk, and before long much of the town was consumed by fire.

Late on the next day, October 19, Steingal advanced to within four miles of Polotsk, and St. Cyr realized he was threatened with encirclement. That night, knowing that their position was untenable, the French began evacuating Polotsk. Fierce house-to-house combat ensued in the town as the Russians launched their final attack. is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Acting decisively to secure his battered forces' southern retreat route, St. Cyr ordered his Bavarian contingent to drive Steingal back early the following day, October 20. This task was accomplished by the Bavarians impressively, as Steingal was compelled to retreat with heavy casualties. The French thus saved themselves from encirclement by the Russians, but still, the battle for Polotsk had been lost. is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

After three days of combat, St. Cyr's forces had been reduced to no more than 15,000 weary troops, in full retreat before Wittgenstein's 38,000 Russians. Two weeks later, Wittgenstein's troops captured the French supply depot at Vitebsk, inflicting a logistical disaster on Napoleon's fast collapsing Russian operation. Napoleon's northern front — the "Dwina Line" — was broken, and the consequences for Napoleon’s Russian invasion were grim.

References

• Napoleon In Russia: A Concise History of 1812, Digby Smith, Pen & Sword Military, ISBN 1-84415-089-5
• The War of the Two Emperors, Curtis Cates, Random House, New York, ISBN 0-394-53670-3
• Moscow 1812: Napoleon’s Fatal March, Adam Zamoyski, Harper Collins, ISBN 0-06-107558-2
• The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Source, Digby Smith, Greenhill Books, ISBN 1-85367-276-9
• The Campaigns of Napoleon, David Chandler, The MacMillan Company, ISBN 0-02-523660-1
• Napoleon’s Invasion of Russia 1812, Eugene Tarle, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-374-97758-5
• 1812 Napoleon’s Russian Campaign, Richard K. Riehn, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., ISBN 0-471-54302-0
• Atlas for the Wars of Napoleon – West Point Military History, Thomas E. Griess, editor, Square One Publishers, ISBN 0-7570-0155-6