Questions about Mikhail Kutuzov
Short answers, pulled from the story.
How did Mikhail Kutuzov defeat Napoleon in 1812?
Kutuzov defeated Napoleon through attrition warfare rather than decisive battle. After the Battle of Borodino on the 7th of September 1812, he abandoned Moscow and withdrew to Tarutino, allowing Napoleon's army to occupy and then be stranded in Moscow while Russian forces rebuilt their strength. Napoleon left Moscow in October 1812 and was forced onto a devastated route north, where Kutuzov pursued and struck him at Vyazma, Krasnoi, and the Berezina. Of the more than 600,000 soldiers who entered Russia, roughly 110,000 remained by the 14th of December 1812.
How many times was Mikhail Kutuzov shot in the head?
Kutuzov was shot in the head twice, both times in the left temple. The first wound occurred in 1774 at Alushta in the Crimea, when a bullet passed through his skull and exited near his right eye. The second wound happened in 1788 during the Second Russo-Turkish War, striking almost exactly the same spot. Both times doctors feared he would not survive; both times he recovered, though his right eye remained permanently twisted and his head-pains worsened after each injury.
What role did Alexander Suvorov play in Kutuzov's military education?
Suvorov commanded the Astrakhan Infantry Regiment when Kutuzov joined it as a captain in 1762, and Kutuzov served under him again in the Crimea from 1776 to 1782. Suvorov taught Kutuzov that effective orders should be simple and direct, that commanders must lead from the front, and that close personal relationships with soldiers produced a more effective army. By 1782 Suvorov promoted Kutuzov to brigadier general and wrote that he would not even need to tell Kutuzov what needed to be done for him to carry out an objective.
Where is Mikhail Kutuzov buried?
Kutuzov is buried in front of the Kazan Cathedral in Saint Petersburg. Boris Orlovsky created the monument that marks the site. Memorials to Kutuzov also stand at Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow and in Boleslawiec, Poland, the town formerly known as Bunzlau in Silesia where he died on the 28th of April 1813.
How did Leo Tolstoy portray Mikhail Kutuzov in War and Peace?
In his 1869 novel War and Peace, Tolstoy portrayed Kutuzov as a gentle, spiritual man whose clarity about the true nature of warfare contrasted sharply with Napoleon's cold arrogance. Tolstoy wrote that Kutuzov's insight and national sentiment elevated him to a point where his efforts were directed not to killing and exterminating men but to saving and having pity on them. Tolstoy was connected to Kutuzov's family by descent, as Kutuzov's eldest daughter Princess Praskovya had married into the Tolstoy family.
Why was Kutuzov appointed commander-in-chief of Russian forces in 1812?
Kutuzov was appointed commander-in-chief on the 17th of August 1812 after Tsar Alexander I needed to replace Barclay de Tolly following the fall of Smolensk. Kutuzov was popular with the troops because he was Russian, brave, had proven himself in battle, and was known for caring about soldiers' well-being. The nobles and clergy also held him in high regard. Alexander I personally disliked Kutuzov and still blamed him for the defeat at Austerlitz, but he had no other viable choice.