All language subtitles for 1812. Napoleonic Wars in Russia. Episode 4. Documentary Film. Russian History. (inglés)

Napoleon was waiting for Alexander’s I answer

in burnt and looted Moscow. The trice Emperor offered

to sign the truce but the Russian Tsar was keeping silence.

The undefeated Russian Army was stationed by Tarutino.

The guerillas were ravaging French carts and rear detachments.

The burnt city was all what Napoleon got in Russia.

NAPOLEONIC WARS IN RUSSIA

The fires ended.

The bells of the Moscow churches were silent.

People were afraid of going out in the streets

as murders, thefts and marauding knew no bounds.

The discipline in Napoleon’s army was declining.

Soldiers would go to steal something even when standing on duty.

The worst thieves were soldiers from Italy, Prussia,

Poland and Westphalia. There was no bread.

A once great army succumbed to alcohol.

Emperor knew that it was unthinkable to stay in a burnt city

with an army that was only interested in looting.

He suggested burning what was left of Moscow

and go to Petersburg. But his Marshals were against it.

It would have been sheer madness to go to the north

with the diminished army and with Kutuzov’s troops

breathing down their necks. Go there being in Moscow,

in the Kremlin! However Napoleon didn’t feel like a winner.

The Russian Emperor was still keeping silence.

So he decided to address Kutuzov.

He entrusted General Lorristone with an honorable mission

to go to the Russian Commander-in-Chief’s headquarters.

I need peace. I need it absolutely, no matter what.

Just save our dignity.

It must be cold in Moscow. Look, they came to get warm.

And to ask for mercy!

Samoylov, bring the water faster! I’ll get cold!

I’m coming, Your Honor!

Do we have some food?

I have no powers to negotiate peace.

Kutuzov was in a difficult situation.

Many people of his entourage didn’t approve of his meeting

with Napoleon’s messenger. Lorristone was complaining

of the barbaric actions of the peasants with the French.

My dear Count, what can I do?

The Russian folks look at the French like at the Tatars

intruding under Genghis Chan’s lead.

There is some difference.

The Russian people can’t see any.

Lorristone had to arrange a meeting with Alexander I

in Petersburg by any means. But his short talk

with Kutuzov brought no results.

The Commander-in-Chief just promised to refer

all suggestions on signing peace to his Emperor.

In fifteen days Kutuzov was meeting a new messenger

with a letter from Marshal Betrier.

He begged the Russian Field-Marshal to stop the guerilla war.

This is what Kutuzov answered Marshal Bertier:

“It’s hard to stop people that knew no war

inside their state for 300 years and is ready

to scarify their lives for the Motherland.

It makes no difference between what is appropriate

and what is not appropriate in conventional warfare”.

In Moscow the host of the European continent,

the God-given Emperor of the French, King of Italy etc.

had to answer one simple question – what to do?

The main army of Napoleon was intruding into Russia

like a wedge. His garrisons along the Smolensk Road

were defending communication lines and the rear.

The right flank was by the Belorussia’s border

and the left was on the north by Polotsk.

Emperor took a decision to leave Moscow, retreat to Smolensk

where the food for his army was to be gathered,

and spend the winter there.

He planned to leave Moscow on October 8,

after the parade of the troops on the Red Square.

It was quiet in Tarutino where the Russian army was stationed.

Reinforcements and home guards were arriving to the camp.

People brought food and warm clothes.

Nearby, in about 8 km, alone the Chernishni River

the French vanguard under General Murat’s command

was stationed. It was watching the Russian army.

The head of the main Kutuzov’s headquarters General Bennigsen

decided to use the enemy’s carelessness on the left flank.

The Cossacks reported that the rear of the French by the woods

was not protected and Murat had no reserves close by.

Bennigsen fashioned out an attack plan.

Kutuzov was against it but then he gave in.

He gave Bennigsen a third of the troops and appointed October 5

as a date of the offensive.

However when the Commander-in-Chief came to the troops,

he saw that they didn’t know of his order.

The army wasn’t ready for the offensive.

Kutuzov was furious. He cancelled the attack.

I’ve warned you! What have you been waiting for? How terrible!

What are you looking at me for? Mount the horses! Be quick!

However generals talked his into changing the date

of the attack for October 6.

The Cossacks of Orlov-Denisov were to strike

at Murat’s rear units. The Second Infantry Corps

of General Baggovut was advancing from the front.

There were the Third and the Fourth Infantry Corps

on the left flank.

The night forest and sluggishness of the commanders

prevented the Russian troops from taking their positions

in time. The task was fully fulfilled only

by Orlov-Denisov’s column. He decided to attack

without waiting for the rest.

The arrival of the Cossacks took Murat by complete surprise.

The French left their carts and artillery and retreated.

The French batteries were ready to meet Baggovut’s troops,

though, when they came out of the woods.

Realizing that the time advantage was lost

General led his chasseurs into the attack.

Baggovut Karl Fedorovitch was the General-Lieutenant,

the closest assistant of Bagration, the participant

of the Russian-Turkish war. For the bravery

demonstrated by Pultusk he was awarded

by the Cross of St. George of the Third Class.

He participated in battles of Preisish-Eylau, Fridland and Abo.

The hero of the war with the Swedes. In the war of 1812

he was the commander of the Second Infantry Regiment.

He died in a battle at the Chernishnya River.

Baggovut’s Death perturbed the attackers.

The soldiers didn’t know who was in charge anymore.

The real chance of defeating Murat’s left flank was wasted.

The Cossacks found rich carts and started looting them

forgetting about the enemy. Murat rushed to his soldiers

and stopped their retreat with his personal example.

He led them into the battle.

The factor of surprise was lost in other places too.

Bennigsen asked Kutuzov to throw all the troops

into the attack but the Commander-in-Chief refused him.

Murat retreated by Spas-Kupla, fortified his batteries

and stopped the advance of the Russians.

The Russians returned to their camp.

They took 36 guns and 1,500 prisoners.

Over 1,000 died on the battlefield.

The main forces of Murat were not defeated.

But he lost about 15 per cent of life force

and one third of his artillery.

That battle spoiled the relations between Kutuzov

and Bennigsen for good. In his letter to Alexander I

he accused the Commander-in-Chief of passivity.

The Tsar ordered to award the Commander-in-Chief

with a golden lance with diamonds and a laurel wreath.

Bennigsen got 100,000 rubles. Emperor sent Bennigsen’s report

back to Kutuzov who didn’t expect such meanness.

Come in, dear!

The lance!

Did you drink the 100 g?

Aye-aye!

Ask him in.

Come in, Count. Here is the lance and 100,000.

Come in, come in.

Please do us a favor and read this.

This is what General wrote Tsar about us.

Napoleon got to know about Murat’s defeat

at the Great Army’s inspection.

Emperor ordered to go out of Moscow on October 7,

a day before previously planned.

“We’ll finally defeat the Russian army,

seize the armory in Tula and all the roads

to Russia’s southern provinces.

Napoleon’s army was leaving Moscow like a Gypsy band.

Soldiers and officers were bringing winter clothes,

fabrics and furs and also looted valuables.

One French General remembered: “One could think

that it was a caravan, a wandering tribe or some ancient army

returning after some huge raid with prisoners and loot”.

There was still some food in Moscow.

But the French left most of it for they lacked horses.

There were not enough horses even for the artillery.

The carts were sagging under looted treasures.

Emperor was no better than his soldiers.

While in the Kremlin he took silver, golden frames

torn away from icons, and some personal belongings

of the Russian tsars. Napoleon’s soldiers even sawed down

a gold-plated cross from Ivan the Great’s bell tower

thinking that it was from pure gold.

The French command made a grave mistake.

All the horses in the army had horseshoes without pins.

Realizing that the Russian winter was looming ahead

Caulaincourt offered to urgently reshoe the horses.

However Napoleon merely laughed at him.

The French army consisting of about 110,000 people left Moscow.

In the morning Napoleon followed.

Explosions blasted in the city right away –

Napoleon ordered his miners to blow the winery up.

The Simonov monastery was on fire.

In two days blasts were heard in the Kremlin.

The Arsenal Building and a part of the Kremlin’s wall

"were blown up. The earth shook; "

the towers and walls of constructions of the Kremlin

and other buildings of the city were shattering.

The Hall of Facets and some cathedrals caught fire.

Thankfully rain started.

It wetted the fuses, so the charges failed to explode.

That saved Ivan the Great’s bell tower for the descendants.

The explosions were going on for two more days.

Several buildings fell in Kitay-Gorod.

Moaning of the wounded was heard everywhere.

The last detachments of Marshal Mortier left the city.

That very day Ensign Yazikov with a detachment

of the Cossacks went to Moscow for reconnaissance.

It must be in Moscow, Your Honor!

We’ll get to know that now. Come on!

The Cossacks were going deeper and deeper into the city.

They were the first to get to know

an incredible piece of news – Napoleon left Moscow!

At the same time guerillas from Seslavin’s detachment

noticed Napoleon and his guards on the Kaluga Road.

Captain didn’t believe their own people

and ordered to take prisoners.

The army left Moscow four days ago.

May I have some water?

Give him to drink.

Thank you. Emperor and his troops

are moving to Maloyaroslavets.

Send a messenger to Dokhturov. Be quick!

General Dokhturov relayed that important information

to Kutuzov at once. Field-Marshal decided to act immediately

and defeat the enemy with his major forces.

Dokhturov moved his corps to Fominskoye.

Prisoners taken by Seslavin informed

that the entire army was moving to Maloyaroslavets.

Napoleon was planning to go to Kaluga after that,

capture it, take the food prepared for the Russian army

and then turn to the Kaluga Road and go to Smolensk.

The Road from Kaluga to Smolensk was more suitable

for movement of the French troops

than the Old Smolensk Road that they ravaged.

A vanguard from Beauharnais’s Corps

reached Maloyaroslavets in the evening of October 11.

Maloyaroslavets was a little town on the Luzha River.

The town was situated on the right back of the river.

To hinder the French the locals disassembled the bridge.

However the French miners restored the bridge quickly.

The vanguard brigade entered the city.

The French could only move forward to Kaluga

after seizing Maloyaroslavets.

The Cossack Regiment of ataman Platov

arrived in the town at night. At dawn two battalions

of Dokhturov’s chasseurs approached Maloyaroslavets.

They were literally falling from tiredness

but still engaged in the battle immediately.

Yermolov took the command over the infantry.

The French left the main part of the town,

retreated to the river and hid behind stone walls

of the monastery. However the reinforcements

managed to press the Russian regiment out of Maloyaroslavets.

Meanwhile Dokhturopv’s main forces approached the town.

The chasseurs of the Sixth Regiment and infantrymen

rushed into the attack blowing horns and shouting “Hurray!”

They seized the town.

The French had to hide in the monastery again.

Realizing that he had to keep Maloyaroslavets

by any means Yermolov was throwing his troops

into battle right from the road.

He stationed two artillery companies in the town

that were firing at the bridge.

Soon the French artillery came too.

Both Napoleon and Kutuzov heard the thunder of the battle.

Emperor ordered his troops to speed up.

Kutuzov sent ahead the Seventh Infantry Corps led by Rayevskiy.

By 8 a.m. the French reserves came to Maloyaroslavets.

They almost managed to capture the town.

The Russians only consolidated their positions

in the outskirts, by an old cemetery.

At about 11 a.m. a fresh French division entered the town.

The Libavskiy Infantry Regiment arrived to Yermolov.

By noon the town passed hands four times.

Maloyaroslavets was burning like a huge fire

in which about 18,000 soldiers were fighting.

Each fresh thousand of soldiers that was arriving

in the town was changing the course of the battle.

Napoleon was watching the battle.

One French officer recalled: “A terrible battle ensued

among the flames. The majority of the falling wounded

burnt to death at place.

Their mutilated corpses were a dire sight”.

According to different estimates,

Maloyaroslavets passed hands from 8 to 12 times.

The battle started by a thousand of the Russian chasseurs

and 600 French infantrymen finished with consolidation

by Maloyaroslavets of 70,000 Napoleon’s soldiers

and 90,000 Kutuzov’s men.

Like in the Battle of Borodino, both warring parties

took no prisoners. The battle only stopped at night.

The burnt city was seized by the French,

but the Russians took it into a close circle

preventing the enemy from moving anywhere.

Kutuzov ordered the army to retreat to the south

to previously prepared positions

to control all the roads from the town.

Only Miloradovitch’s rear guard stayed by Maloyaroslavets.

Napoleon was confused. Both armies suffered great losses.

However the French army decreased every day for hundreds

of sick, lagging behind or deserters

while every day brought hundreds of fresh recruits

and home guards to the Russians.

The French Emperor understood that Kutuzov was trying

to tire his army out. The French were already losing that war.

“That devil Kutuzov won’t get a new battle from me!”

On October 15 Emperor gave an order

to leave Maloyaroslavets and return to the Old Smolensk Road.

It was the first time Napoleon refused to wage a major battle.

It was the first time during the campaign

when he decided to turn his back on the enemy.

The Russians had full strategic initiative now.

In the evening of the same day

Napoleon’s personal doctor got the Emperor’s order

to prepare a poison for him. Napoleon didn’t part

with his valuable flask till the end of the campaign.

The French army was forced to retreat along the same road

it took when advancing to Moscow.

They moved through the looted villages, dried-out wells

and ravaged fields. It was impossible to find food

or forage along that road. Unburied corpses of people

and horses provoked outbreaks of plague and cholera.

After the war to avoid epidemics in one Mozhaysk uyezd

over 56,000 corpses of people

and over 31,000 corpses of horses were burnt.

In Moscow over 12,000 bodies of people

and 12,500 corpses of horses were burnt.

Napoleon was retreating from Maloyaroslavets to Borovsk,

Vereya and Mozhaysk. He ordered to take from the locals

anything that might be of use and burn cities and villages

after them. When leaving Borovsk the French burnt it flat.

The same fate awaited Vereya. In one settlement

the Russian soldiers came barely in time to open the doors

of an already burning church where the invaders locked up

over 300 Russian prisoners and locals.

The French army was passing Borodino as well.

They were walking along the unburied dead,

damaged cannons and corroding weapons.

Long live the Emperor!

The retreating French Army was starving.

The situation was worsening by the day. It was hunger

and not cold that brought the downfall of Napoleon’s army.

The Russian General Kreitz wrote:

“The French authors have unjustly named the cold

the reason for Napoleon’s army defeat.

From Maloyaroslavets to Vyazma it was very warm.

Light frosts started from Vyazma to Smolensk.

First snow fell by Yelnya, but it was minor”.

When first slippery ice covered the roads

the French horses started to slip.

They were breaking their legs when falling.

Armand de Caulaincourt wrote: “The horses were falling

and remained lying on the road

because they were not horseshoed to keep on their legs

on the ice. They were cut to pieces before they were dead”.

The French started leaving their carts and cannons.

The army was losing not only what it looted

but also the food, medicines and ammunition.

Armand de Caulaincourt: “From that moment on

all the great misfortunes of our retreat started.

The Emperor would leave his carriage twice or trice a day

and go on foot, leaning on somebody’s shoulder.

The road was littered with corpses. One wouldn’t see

such terrible things even on the battlefield”.

The guards with the Emperor were tens of kilometers

ahead of the rest. The guards were taking all the food

they could find in the villages.

The soldiers that were following them got practically nothing.

When moving from Vyazma to Smolensk

the Russian General Kreitz who was going along his regiment

heard some noise in the forest. On entering it he was terrified

to see that the French were eating the meat

of one of their dead comrades.

There are numerous accounts of the cannibalism.

Voyekov wrote in his letter to poet Derzhavin:

“Hunger made them eat not only their dead horses.

Many people saw that they were roasting

the meat of their own dead compatriot”.

Only those who didn’t leave their unit

and stuck to the military discipline could survive

in the French army. Scattered groups and lonely soldiers,

even if they had some food with them,

were doomed to die or be taken prisoners.

The pointless burning of the Kremlin, burnt villages

and towns, looting and murders for the piece of bread

invoked great bitterness among the locals.

The guerillas knew no mercy

towards the prisoners as the French were used to.

They caught and stabbed with pitchforks groups of the French

that lagged behind, took carts with food and killed marauders.

Many villages organized the peasants’ units

that were defending their settlements. Napoleon’s soldiers

couldn’t even enter a village to beg for some food.

Despite vulnerability of the French troops

Kutuzov didn’t rush to attack them. He justly believed

that in that situation the enemy was destined to die,

so he was sparing his army.

Only Platov’s Cossacks were sent

along the Old Smolensk Road to pursue the retreating French.

The rest of the troops were moving along a parallel road.

The situation of the Russian army was pitiful too.

But the Russian soldiers, although worn-out by the marshes,

still had a chance to eat and find a place to spend the night.

Besides Kutuzov was able to prevent Napoleon

from turning to the south. The French couldn’t go to the north,

to St.-Petersburg. Bogs and lakes in that direction

were practically impassable in autumn and winter.

Kutuzov ordered the Cossacks and the guerillas

to catch up with the enemy and wake them up at nights.

During the day the French huddled together

plodding their way along the road. At nights their camps

were attacked by the Cossacks, Hussars, Home Guards

and the guerillas. Worn-out, sick and hungry French soldiers

were surrendering by thousands.

Napoleon pinned his last hopes on Smolensk.

He counted on finding food stocks in the city.

The Emperor hoped to warm and strengthen

his worn-out army there. He was planning

to get his reserves there to continue with the campaign.

Anrie! We’re almost there!

We’ll be in Smolensk by this evening!

During the last marshes before Smolensk

a snowfall started, that hampered the troops’ movement.

Cases of frostbites became more numerous.

In Smolensk the French were in for a disappointment.

The quartermasters that were to prepare all the necessary staff

didn’t manage to do it. There was hardly any food

or firewood in the storehouses.

Masses of hungry and spiteful soldiers behaved in a way

that made any organized food distribution impossible.

Only the guards got everything they needed

that invoked dissatisfaction of the rest.

But the guards were sticking to the discipline

and had working weapons,

therefore nobody dared rebel against them.

The hungry soldiers of Napoleon’s army looted everything

that could find. A real war was waged for food. At night

people with bread would get attacked and murdered.

Executions did little to restore order.

It’s hard to scare those who are

on a verge of hungry death every day with an execution.

On November 2 the army left Smolensk

and moved towards the Neman River.

Meanwhile the units of Miloradovitch and Platov

walked the city around and cut the Smolensk Road

by the torn of Krasnoye.

On November 4 Miloradovitch’s vanguard

met the Fourth Corps of Eugene Beauharnais.

The French wanted to have a breakthrough.

Rayevskiy’s Corps that was blocking their way

bore serious losses and was forced to retreat.

Miloradovitch put all available cannons

along the Smolensk Road. On November 5

on Kutuzov’s order the Russian cannons

were relentlessly firing at the retreating French troops.

The cavalry was attacking the enemy diminishing its ranks.

Napoleon left one division in Krasnoye

and led the guards onto the Smolensk Road.

Only a couple of well-organized units

managed to break through from Smlensk to Orsha.

Scattered groups of soldiers either died or surrendered

without any resistance.

Marshal Ney’s Corps was the last to retreat.

Ney’s detachments were encircled on a little elevation.

Right here three months ago Neverovskiy’s division

surrounded by the French was repelling Murat’s attacks.

Now troops of Marshal Ney found themselves in a trap.

Closed ranks of the Russian infantry met the French.

Ney was pressed on from all sides.

The Russian were breathing down his neck.

They were sure that the following day the enemy would

either surrender or die. So they send a messenger to Ney.

Remember! Marshals of France never surrender!

There were no roads and the forests were covered with snow.

But Ney with his soldiers managed to break through

to the Dnieper. Strong cold helped the French this one time.

At night Marshal led his people ahead on thin ice.

Soon the ice started to break.

At the river crossing Ney lost 2,200 people

out of 3,000 soldiers and officers.

When Ney came to his Emperor in Orsha

Napoleon didn’t recognize his Marshal in a ragged soldier.

Only 800 people survived of his detachment.

After Smolensk Napoleon ordered all the units

to take the Emperor’s eagles from the banners

and burn the banners not to let the Russians have them.

The war was lost. He had to save people that remained.

Petersburg expected the battle by Krasnoy to end

in the defeat of the French and captivity of Napoleon.

But it didn’t happen.

Kutuzov saw that the enemy only wanted one thing –

to get out of Russia not to die from cold and hunger.

The Commander-in-Chief was perfectly happy with that.

Alexander I demanded more active actions from Kutuzov.

He had political reasons for that.

If the Russian army defeated Napoleon,

the position of Russia in Europe would strengthen.

However if Napoleon left Russia alive

the war would go on for some more years.

The Russian generals were torn by patriotism and ambitions.

They also wanted to come out as the tyrant’s winners.

Many of them, especially Bennigsen, complained to the Tsar

of Kutuzov accusing him of passivity

and sometimes even in cowardice.

Robert Wilson, the British Commissar at the Russian Headquarters

demanded an offensive from Kutuzov too.

Kutuzov answered him on that:

“My task is to drive the enemy out of Russia.

I see no necessity in complete destruction of Napoleon

because the fruits of such victory

will be enjoyed by England and not by Russia”.

England indeed had no forces to oppose France.

The British concentrated all their efforts

on ravaging Napoleon’s army with the Russian hands.

Kutuzov expected that Napoleon had about 90,000 people

in his disposal and could throw about 30, 40

or 50 thousand soldiers into the battle.

But the Field-Marshal knew from experience

that Napoleon remained Napoleon

even when he only had 20,000 people.

An open battle could devastate the enemy.

But Russia could lose its army too.

Kutuzov could not let that happen.

Meanwhile on order of Alexander I

who was acting independently

the Corps of General Wittgenstein from the north

and the army of Admiral Chichagov from the south

were hurrying to intercept Napoleon’s army.

Wittgenstein Petr Christianovitch,

the General Field-Marshal. He was the commander

of the First Infantry Corps at the beginning of the war.

He was wounded twice in the battles.

After Kutuzov’s death he was appointed

the Commander-in-Chief of the army.

After getting reinforcements in the end of October

Wittgenstein started an offensive against the French Corps

of General St.-Syr who was covering Polotsk.

St.-Syr retreated to the Old Smolensk Road.

Chichagov’s army was moving from Moldova.

By Lutsk it joined the Third Army

of General Tormasov.

Chichagov posted 27,000-strong detachment

against the Austrian Corps of Schwarzenberg

and Saxon Corps of Renier. He led 25,000 men

that remained to Minsk.

Chichagov Pavel Vasilyevitch, the Admiral,

the Minister of the Naval Forces of Russia

and the commander of the Black Sea squadron.

At the beginning of war he became the commander

of the Moldavian Army. In 1813 he resigned and left Russia.

Chichagov entered Minsk almost without a fight.

The Russians got the French storehouses.

Soon the Russian vanguard under the command

of General Lambert stormed Borisov

where Napoleon was planning to cross the Berezina River.

After the battle by Krasnoye Kutuzov

intentionally delayed his army’s advance.

Napoleon managed to rush forward for over 100 km.

Only the guerillas and Platov’s Cossacks

were pursuing the enemy. The Commander-in-Chief

explained his sluggishness with great tiredness

of people and horses.

Bennigsen suggested choosing the best horses,

harnessing them in 200 cannons and continuing the pursuit.

Another scandal brewed.

I told you – no!

From the letter of Kutuzov to Alexander I:

“I’m happy to report to Your Highness

that because of nervous fits of General Bennigsen

I ordered him to go to Kaluga

and wait for your further appointments there”.

Bennigsen resigned but stayed with the army until December 1.

He is not happy. They must have quarreled.

Kutuzov delayed the marsh all right

but still ordered Chichagov and Wittgenstein to hurry up

and intercept the remainders of Napoleon’s army

by the Berezina River.

On approaching Borisov Napoleon ordered

to kick the Russian vanguard out of there.

The Russian troops left the city

destroying the only bridge across the Berezina.

On studying the landscape the Emperor ordered to build

a false crossing across the river in 25 km to the south

of Borisov. He stationed some artillery batteries there

and carried out a series of demonstrational maneuvers.

While Chichagov was pulling his forces

to the prospected crossing

the detachments of the French miners to the north of Borisov

constructed two bridges across the river.

One was for the infantry and another one just in 180 m

from the first – for the artillery and the carts.

The French miners who were building the bridges

were standing in icy water up to their shoulders

having no vodka to warm them up.

Almost all of these soldiers who saved the remains

of the army died later from hypothermia.

Chichagov got to know about the real crossing

of the French only on November 14,

when the French were already moving towards the bridges.

By 2 p.m. on November 15 the Emperor’s guards

and a part of infantry had already crossed the river.

According to Napoleon’s order only capable military units

could pass the bridges. Chaos ensued by the crossing.

Dozens of soldiers that lagged behind, carts with wounded,

refugees among whom were women and children

accumulated by the bridges.

At that moment Napoleon had about

30 to 40 thousand capable soldiers. However Kutuzov

and Chichagov believed that he had no less than 90,000 men.

That’s why neither of them was in a rush to start the offensive.

Wittgenstein was the only one who was moving forward

having no regard either for the distance,

or for the weather, or for the enemy forces.

Having 35,000 men on November 15 by Borisov

he attacked the French Corps of General Victor

who was covering the crossing from the north.

An entire French Division – 2,000 people – surrendered

to the Russians. By 9 a.m. of the following day

Wittgenstein’s vanguard broke through to the bridges.

Napoleon put about 12,000 men against him.

Chichagov approached the crossing from the western bank.

He was also opposed by 12,000 of French infantrymen.

Because of slippery banks, snow and dirt

the Russians couldn’t use their advantage of having the cavalry.

But by the evening of November 16 Wittgenstein managed

to break through to the river and put his guns there.

Scared people were rushing for the bridges crushing each other.

One of the bridges collapsed. At night the soldiers of Victor

who were covering the crossing moved to the western bank

throwing the carts, wounded and sick

from the bridge that still stood.

In the morning of November 17 the troops of Chichagov,

Wittgenstein and Platov’s Cossacks approached the crossing.

At 9 a.m. the French set the bridges on fire.

A gigantic wagon of carts and thousands of people

who didn’t manage to cross the river in time

remained on the eastern bank. The encirclement didn’t happen.

Napoleon escaped.

Over 20,000 French soldiers and officers were killed,

wounded or taken prisoners in the battle by the Berezina.

The Russians captured about 15,000 wounded

and a gigantic wagon of carts and lost about 6,000 men.

In three days after the crossing Napoleon’s army

amounted to just 9,000 capable soldiers.

On November 23 in a town of Smorgin by Vilno

Napoleon bid farewell to his generals and left for France

“to bring 300,000 soldiers from there“.

Marshal Murat took the command over.

But the remainders of the army lost all sense of discipline.

Everybody was saving his life as he could.

Soon Murat left the army too, leaving the command

with Eugene Beauharnais.

On November 28 Seslavin’s detachment entered Vilno.

He was followed by troops of Chichagov and Kutuzov.

In a few days all remains of the French troops

were driven away from the territory of the Russian Empire.

According to historians’ estimates in June of 1812

450,000 soldiers of Napoleon’s army invaded Russia.

Later another 160,000 came as reinforcements.

In six months on December 14 by Kovno

1,600 people crossed the Neman to Poland.

They were joined by the remains of the troops

from other directions. According to estimates

of the Prussian bureaucrat Auerswald 255 French generals,

5,111 officers, 26,950 soldiers passed the Eastern Prussia

from Russia. “They were in a bad state and mostly unarmed”,

Auerswald wrote.

According to the Russian historian of the 19th century

Modest Bogdanovitch the losses of the Russian troops

during the campaign amounted to about

210 thousand soldiers and home guards.

On getting to Vilno Kutuzov heaved a sigh of relief.

The Field-Marshal couldn’t believe that he triumphed

over Napoleon and saved his army.

In one of the conversations with General Yermolov

Mikhail Illarionovitch confessed: “My dear!

If somebody said to me two or three years ago

that the fate would choose me to defeat Napoleon,

a giant whom the entire Europe feared I’d spit him in the face!”

On January 1 of 1813 the Russian troops crossed the Neman

wishing to do away with the enemy. Austria and Prussia

cancelled their union with France and joined Russia.

They offered Alexander I to appoint Field-Marshal Kutuzov

the Commander-in-Chief of the joint armies.

But the fate had it the other way. Kutuzov caught a cold

and got sick. On April 16 of 1813 he died in Buntzlau

(now Boleslavets, Poland).

The body of the military leader was buried

in the Kazan cathedral.

The war with Napoleon raged for another year.

He was rather fast to restore his army. But from January of 1814

the battles had only been waged on the territory of France.

On March 31 of 1814 the Russian troops entered Paris.

Neither England nor Austria nor Prussia

nor other states of Europe could oppose Napoleon’s army.

Only Russia managed it. Its generals and officers considered

“devastation of the enemy to the last limit of possibility”

the main task of the army’s actions.

The brave Russian soldiers who were rushing

at the enemy’s cannons with their guns came to Paris.

To celebrate the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812

many monuments and memorials were erected.

The most famous among them are the Cathedral

of the Christ the Savior and the ensemble of the Palace Square

with the Alexander’s Column. The Military Gallery

of the Winter Palace was decorated with 332 portraits

of the Russian generals who participated in the war.

The Field-Marshal of the Russian army

Mikhail Illarionovitch Kutuzov wrote about the Battle

of Borodino of August 28, 1812:

“That day will be the eternal monument

to the bravery and courage of the Russian troops”.

Created by Valeriy Babitch, Directed by Pavel Tupik

Director of Photography – Dmitry Kiptiliy

Music by Boris Kukoba, Hosted by Sergey Chonishvili and Yevgeniy Sinchukov

Produced by Valeriy Babitch, Vlad Ryashin, Oleg Volnov and Konstantin Ernst