Battle of Maloyaroslavets
On the 19th of October 1812 Napoleon left Moscow and marched southwest toward Kaluga. Eugène de Beauharnais led the advance guard of this massive force. Wilson estimated the army leaving Moscow contained 90,000 effective infantrymen. Another 14,000 feeble cavalrymen accompanied them on the road. More than 20,000 non-combatants including sick and wounded followed the fighting units. Alexis Joseph Delzons commanded the lead units moving to Maloyaroslavets. Local authorities had destroyed bridges across the Luzha River before his arrival. Delzons' soldiers entered the city over a dam instead of using the broken crossings. They built a pontoon bridge next to the destroyed one to cross the water. On the evening of October 23 Delzons placed two battalions inside the village.
General Dokhturov entered the town from the south on the 24th of October 1812. He found French spearheads already holding a bridgehead there. Fierce fighting began immediately between the opposing forces. General Raevsky arrived with 10,000 more Russian troops to reinforce the attack. They took the town but failed to secure the bridgehead itself. De Beauharnais threw in his 15th Italian division under Domenico Pino. By evening they expelled the Russians from the streets again. Armand Charles Guilleminot was the first man to enter the city during the chaos. The town changed hands no fewer than eight times that day. French casualties reached about 6,000 to 8,000 men killed or wounded. The Russians lost about 8,000 men in the same engagement. Marshal Kutuzov arrived and decided against a pitched battle for the following day.
On the 25th of October 1812 at about two in the morning Kutuzov retired his army southwards. He moved behind the rivulet of Koricza to secure the road to Kaluga. Robert Wilson a British general attached to the Russian army protested this decision. Wilson favored an aggressive strategy against Napoleon instead of retreat. According to Wilson's memoirs Kutuzov replied that total destruction of Napoleon might not benefit the world. Kutuzov stated succession would fall to Britain which already commanded the sea. His domination would then be intolerable to other continental powers. This strategic choice allowed Napoleon to face starvation on the northern route. The main French and Italian forces won a tactical victory but failed strategically. Napoleon realized the way through Kaluga and Medyn was closed without another Borodino. Kutuzov fulfilled plans to force Napoleon onto the devastated northern path.
On the 26th of October Napoleon decided to retreat over Mozhaisk and Borodino to Smolensk. Reasons for this strange detour remain unknown to historians today. The march covered two hundred and sixty miles through a devastated country. Towns along the route had been sacked and burnt offering no shelter or supply. Inclemency of winter threatened the remaining troops with death from cold. On the night of October 27 the rear guard left ruins of the city. They crossed to the northern bank of the Luzha River to join the general retreat. Platov and his Cossacks directly followed Napoleon after Kutuzov gave the order. Napoleon carried a bag containing lethal poison hung by a string around his neck. He nearly got caught by a Cossack regiment at daybreak on the 25th. A corps of grenadiers saved him from capture that morning.
The immediate result of the battle on the 24th was a strange French tactical victory. The army secured a bridgehead but did not attempt to hold the city again. Long-term results became a Russian strategic victory as they disturbed Napoleon's ability to wage war. The next major battle for the Russian army occurred on the 3rd of November 1812. This engagement took place at Vyazma against the retreating forces. The last battle in this campaign for Napoleon happened between the 26th and the 29th of November 1812. It occurred at Berezina where the Grand Army faced near destruction. The Battle of Krasnoi began on the 15th of November 1812 three weeks later. Historical assessments view Maloyaroslavets as the turning point in the invasion. Napoleon's fatal march through Mozhaisk led to starvation and defeat along the northern route.
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Common questions
What happened during the Battle of Maloyaroslavets on the 24th of October 1812?
The town changed hands no fewer than eight times that day while French casualties reached about 6,000 to 8,000 men and Russian losses totaled about 8,000 men. General Raevsky arrived with 10,000 more Russian troops to reinforce the attack but they failed to secure the bridgehead itself.
Why did Marshal Kutuzov retreat his army southwards on the 25th of October 1812?
Marshal Kutuzov retired his army southwards behind the rivulet of Koricza to secure the road to Kaluga because he believed total destruction of Napoleon might not benefit the world. His strategic choice allowed Napoleon to face starvation on the northern route instead of continuing toward Moscow.
How many effective infantrymen left Moscow with Napoleon on the 19th of October 1812?
Wilson estimated the army leaving Moscow contained 90,000 effective infantrymen accompanied by another 14,000 feeble cavalrymen. More than 20,000 non-combatants including sick and wounded followed the fighting units on the road.
What was the outcome of the Battle of Maloyaroslavets for Napoleon's invasion of Russia?
Historical assessments view Maloyaroslavets as the turning point in the invasion where Napoleon's fatal march through Mozhaisk led to starvation and defeat along the northern route. The main French and Italian forces won a tactical victory but failed strategically while Long-term results became a Russian strategic victory.
When did the last battle in this campaign for Napoleon happen at Berezina?
The last battle in this campaign for Napoleon happened between the 26th and the 29th of November 1812 when the Grand Army faced near destruction. This engagement occurred after the Battle of Krasnoi began on the 15th of November 1812 three weeks later.