Battle of Berezina
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Berezina (or Beresina) took place November 26–29, 1812 between the French army of Napoleon, retreating after his invasion of Russia and crossing the Berezina
(near Borisov, Belarus
), and the Russian armies under Mikhail Kutuzov, Peter Wittgenstein
and Admiral Pavel Chichagov
. The battle ended with a mixed outcome. The French suffered very heavy losses but managed to cross the river and avoid being trapped. Since then "Bérézina" has been used in French
as a synonym for "disaster
."
The French had suffered a defeat just two weeks earlier during the Battle of Krasnoi
. However, reinforcements who had been stationed near the Berezina during Napoleon's initial advance through Russia brought the numerical strength of the Grande Armée back up to some 30,000 to 40,000 French soldiers capable of fighting, as well as 40,000 non-combatants. The Russians had approximately 61,000 troops at the Berezina, with another 54,000 under Kutuzov just 40 miles to the east who were approaching the river.
The nearby bridge at Borisov had been destroyed and most of the equipment to build a pontoon bridge had been destroyed only a few days earlier. Fortunately, for the French, the commander of the bridging equipment General Jean Baptiste Eblé
had kept crucial forges, charcoal and sapper tools and only needed protection from Chichagov's force on the far west bank to span the river.
Marshal Oudinot
was given the task of drawing off the admiral and made a move towards the south. The plan worked and so Eblé's Dutch engineers braved ferociously cold water to construct the vital 100-metre bridge. Cavalry quickly crossed it followed by infantry to hold the bridgehead. The rearguard infantry suffered terrible losses (of the four Swiss Regiments of Oudinot's corps, only 300 soldiers survived), but managed to cover both positions and the retreat. This struggle is depicted in the Beresinalied
.
A second structure opened within hours and cannons were taken across it to bolster the defensive perimeter. Their arrival was just in time as Chichagov realised his error and attacked the 11,000 French troops.
By midday of the 27th, Napoleon and the Imperial Guard were across and the strategy now swung to saving the rearguard, which was fighting against Wittgenstein's arriving army.
One of the spans broke in the late afternoon but more feats of engineering skill had it repaired by early evening. Marshal Davout
and Prince Eugene
got their corps across leaving Marshal Victor
's IX Corps to hold off the enemy on the east bank.
Boosting his firepower with artillery from across the river, Victor held out until after midnight when his forces were able to join their colleagues and push Chichagov aside and continue the retreat to France.
s. Russian casualties were also high, and although a very moderate XIXth century Russian estimate places them at 6,000 they probably exceeded 20,000 men. Historian Alain Pigeard offers more moderate figures (combatants only): between 13,000 and 16,000 men (2000 killed, 7,000-10,000 wounded, plus the entire Partouneaux division killed, wounded or prisoners) for the French, 13,000 men (10,000 dead or wounded, 3,000 prisoners on the right bank) for the Russians. Among the French casualties were 3 generals and 4 colonels, killed during this battle. Pigeard's estimate is reflective of more recent research, with most modern historians placing French losses at around 15,000 combatants and 10,000 stragglers. Russian losses are usually placed up to 15,000 combatants.
According to the modern Russian encyclopedia, the Russian army lost from 8,000 to 15,000 killed, wounded and prisoners during 4 days; French casualties were from 25,000 to 40,000 Richard K. Riehn estimated French losses at about 30,000, most of these were stragglers the actual battle being relatively small with about 10,000 French and 14,000 Russians actually involved.
Berezina River
The Berezina is a river in Belarus and a tributary of the Dnieper River.The Berezina Preserve by the river is in the UNESCO list of Biosphere Preserves.-Historical significance:...
(near Borisov, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
), and the Russian armies under Mikhail Kutuzov, Peter Wittgenstein
Peter Wittgenstein
Ludwig Adolph Peter, Prince Wittgenstein was a Russian Field Marshal distinguished for his services in the Napoleonic wars.-Life:...
and Admiral Pavel Chichagov
Pavel Chichagov
Pavel Vasilievich Chichagov or Tchichagov was a Russian military and naval commander of the Napoleonic wars.He was born in 1767 in Saint Petersburg, the son of Admiral Vasili Chichagov and his English wife. At the age of 12 he was enlisted in the Guard. In 1782 he served in a campaign in the...
. The battle ended with a mixed outcome. The French suffered very heavy losses but managed to cross the river and avoid being trapped. Since then "Bérézina" has been used in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
as a synonym for "disaster
Disaster
A disaster is a natural or man-made hazard that has come to fruition, resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment...
."
Background
As the surviving masses of the Grande Armée struggled on for the perceived safety of the west, the Russian armies closed in on them.The French had suffered a defeat just two weeks earlier during the Battle of Krasnoi
Battle of Krasnoi
The Battle of Krasnoi was a series of skirmishes fought in the final stage of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow. This encounter was noteworthy because of the heavy losses inflicted on the remnants of the Grande Armée by the Russians under General Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov...
. However, reinforcements who had been stationed near the Berezina during Napoleon's initial advance through Russia brought the numerical strength of the Grande Armée back up to some 30,000 to 40,000 French soldiers capable of fighting, as well as 40,000 non-combatants. The Russians had approximately 61,000 troops at the Berezina, with another 54,000 under Kutuzov just 40 miles to the east who were approaching the river.
Battle and crossing
Napoleon's plan was to cross the Berezina River and head for Poland, while his enemies wanted to trap him there and destroy him. Napoleon's original plan to cross the frozen river quickly proved to be impossible, as the usually frozen waterway had thawed and was now impassable.The nearby bridge at Borisov had been destroyed and most of the equipment to build a pontoon bridge had been destroyed only a few days earlier. Fortunately, for the French, the commander of the bridging equipment General Jean Baptiste Eblé
Jean Baptiste Eble
Jean Baptiste Eblé was a French General, Engineer and Artilleryman during the Napoleonic Wars. He is credited with saving Napoleon's Grand Army from complete destruction in 1812.-Biography:...
had kept crucial forges, charcoal and sapper tools and only needed protection from Chichagov's force on the far west bank to span the river.
Marshal Oudinot
Nicolas Oudinot
Nicolas Charles Oudinot, 1st Comte Oudinot, 1st Duc de Reggio , was a Marshal of France.-Early life:...
was given the task of drawing off the admiral and made a move towards the south. The plan worked and so Eblé's Dutch engineers braved ferociously cold water to construct the vital 100-metre bridge. Cavalry quickly crossed it followed by infantry to hold the bridgehead. The rearguard infantry suffered terrible losses (of the four Swiss Regiments of Oudinot's corps, only 300 soldiers survived), but managed to cover both positions and the retreat. This struggle is depicted in the Beresinalied
Beresinalied
The Beresinalied, originally known as Unser Leben gleicht der Reise is a Lied composed by Friedrich Wilke after the 1792 poem die Nachtreise by Ludwig Giseke....
.
A second structure opened within hours and cannons were taken across it to bolster the defensive perimeter. Their arrival was just in time as Chichagov realised his error and attacked the 11,000 French troops.
By midday of the 27th, Napoleon and the Imperial Guard were across and the strategy now swung to saving the rearguard, which was fighting against Wittgenstein's arriving army.
One of the spans broke in the late afternoon but more feats of engineering skill had it repaired by early evening. Marshal Davout
Louis Nicolas Davout
Louis-Nicolas d'Avout , better known as Davout, 1st Duke of Auerstaedt, 1st Prince of Eckmühl, was a Marshal of France during the Napoleonic Era. His prodigious talent for war along with his reputation as a stern disciplinarian, earned him the title "The Iron Marshal"...
and Prince Eugene
Eugène de Beauharnais
Eugène Rose de Beauharnais, Prince Français, Prince of Venice, Viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy, Hereditary Grand Duke of Frankfurt, 1st Duke of Leuchtenberg and 1st Prince of Eichstätt ad personam was the first child and only son of Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais and Joséphine Tascher de la...
got their corps across leaving Marshal Victor
Claude Victor-Perrin, duc de Belluno
Claude Victor-Perrin, First Duc de Belluno was a French soldier and military commander during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...
's IX Corps to hold off the enemy on the east bank.
Boosting his firepower with artillery from across the river, Victor held out until after midnight when his forces were able to join their colleagues and push Chichagov aside and continue the retreat to France.
Casualties
While some 22,000 French men became casualties, these included a great number of stragglers, many of them civilians. A higher estimate is provided by historian Jacques Garnier, who places French losses at 25,000 combatants, 25 cannon and 20,000 civilian stragglers, of which around 10,000 were massacred by cossackCossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
s. Russian casualties were also high, and although a very moderate XIXth century Russian estimate places them at 6,000 they probably exceeded 20,000 men. Historian Alain Pigeard offers more moderate figures (combatants only): between 13,000 and 16,000 men (2000 killed, 7,000-10,000 wounded, plus the entire Partouneaux division killed, wounded or prisoners) for the French, 13,000 men (10,000 dead or wounded, 3,000 prisoners on the right bank) for the Russians. Among the French casualties were 3 generals and 4 colonels, killed during this battle. Pigeard's estimate is reflective of more recent research, with most modern historians placing French losses at around 15,000 combatants and 10,000 stragglers. Russian losses are usually placed up to 15,000 combatants.
According to the modern Russian encyclopedia, the Russian army lost from 8,000 to 15,000 killed, wounded and prisoners during 4 days; French casualties were from 25,000 to 40,000 Richard K. Riehn estimated French losses at about 30,000, most of these were stragglers the actual battle being relatively small with about 10,000 French and 14,000 Russians actually involved.
Sources
- Tulard, Jean - "Dictionnaire Napoléon”; Librairie Artème Fayard, 1999, ISBN 2-213-60485-1
- Pigeard, Alain - "Dictionnaire des batailles de Napoléon", Tallandier, Bibliothèque Napoléonienne, 2004, ISBN 2-84734-073-4
- Pigeard, Alain - "La Bérézina", Napoléon Ier Editions 2009