The Battle of Maloyaroslavets took place on 24 October 1812, between the Russians, under Marshal

Marshal

Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...

 Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov

Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov

Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov was a Field Marshal of the Russian Empire. He served as one of the finest military officers and diplomats of Russia under the reign of three Romanov Tsars: Catherine II, Paul I and Alexander I...

, and part of the corps of Eugène de Beauharnais

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...

, Napoleon's stepson, under General

General

A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....

 Alexis Joseph Delzons

Alexis Joseph Delzons

Alexis Joseph Delzons was a French general of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was killed in the battle of Maloyaroslavets.-French Revolutionary Wars:...

 which numbered about 20,000 strong.

Prelude

On 19 October, Napoleon evacuated Moscow and marched south-west to Kaluga

Kaluga

Kaluga is a city and the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River southwest of Moscow. Population: It is served by Grabtsevo Airport.-History:...

, de Beauharnais leading the advance. Unaware of this, and believing the force sighted at Fominskoye, 40 miles south-west of Moscow, was a foraging party, Kutuzov sent General Dokhturov

Dmitry Dokhturov

Dmitry Sergeyevich Dokhturov was a Russian Infantry General and a prominent military leader during the Patriotic War of 1812....

 with 12,000 infantry, 3,000 cavalry and 84 guns to surprise it. While on the road, Dokhturov learned this force was the Grande Armée and decided to hold out until reinforcements came at the road junction and town of Maloyaroslavets

Maloyaroslavets

Maloyaroslavets is a town in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Luzha River , southwest of Moscow and northeast of Kaluga. Population: 21,200 ....

, on the Luzha River

Luzha River

Luzha River is a river in Kaluga Oblast in Russia, which originates in Moscow Oblast. It is a right tributary of the Protva River . The length of the river is . The area of its drainage basin is . The Luzha freezes up in November and breaks up in April...

.

The battle

Dokhturov entered the town from the south and found the French spearhead had seized a bridgehead. Fierce fighting began; the town changed hands five times. General Raevski arrived with 10,000 more Russians; once more they took the town, though not the bridgehead. De Beauharnais threw in his 15th (Italian) division, under Domenico Pino

Domenico Pino

Domenico Pino was an Italian soldier. He served as General of Division in Napoleon's Grande Armée.-Biography:...

 (Minister of War of the Kingdom of Italy), and by evening they had again expelled the Russians. During the course of the engagament the town changed hands no fewer than 8 times and it was quoted that the French and in particular the Italian Royal Guard under Eugène de Beauharnais

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...

 'fought like lions'. Marshal Kutuzov arrived, decided against a pitched battle with the Grand Army the next day, and to retire instead to the prepared line of defense at Kaluga. The mainly French and Italian forces won a victory on the day, only to realize that "unless with a new Borodino" the way through Kaluga is closed. This allowed Kutuzov to fulfill his strategic plans to force Napoleon on the way of retreat in the north, through Mozhaisk and Smolensk

Smolensk

Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...

, the route of his advance that he had wished to avoid. French casualties were about 5,000, including Delzons killed, while the Russians lost 6,000.

Critical Effects

After encountering such strong resistance on the South-Westerly road, Napoleon crucially decided to retreat directly West, over the land that had not only been devastated by the original French advance, but also the Russian scortched earth policies. Had Napoleon continued along the road South-West, it is possible that the entire campaign and subsequent campaigns would have been different.

The Battle of Italians

The victory was actually due to the courage of the Italian soldiers, that were praised by Napoleon. In facts, this battle is remembered as the "Battle of the Italians".