NAPOLEON’S INVASION OF RUSSIA IN 1812 – PART FIVE Borodino itself was a village on the banks of the River Kalatsha, crossed by the Smolensk to Moscow road. Kutuzov put Barclay de Tolly’s First Army on his right, covering the bridge where the road crossed the river just east of Borodino with Bagration on his left, and constructed such earthworks as his men could dig in the time available. Having studied Napoleon’s methods Kutuzov was prepared for the French to attempt a wide flanking movement intended to envelop the Russian right flank and he stood by a cavalry force of Cossacks ready to counter that. Five years previously that is what Napoleon probably would have done, but the quality of his soldiers was not that of the men of Austerlitz or Jena, and in any case the banks of the river were very steep even for infantry. Davout was in favour of a sweep to the south, round the Russian left flank, but the emperor dismissed that too, and considered that the best he could do would be to attack frontally with dense columns of infantry. The attack was to begin on the morning of 7 September with a French artillery bombardment of 100 guns, and at 0700 they duly opened fire. Then it was discovered that far from pounding Bagration’s men, many of whom were not able to shelter behind the earthworks but were in the open, the cannon balls were falling short – the range was too great! Here was an example of how Napoleon’s powers had declined. He was suffering from a heavy cold and the stomach complaints that were to dog him for the rest of his life, but he was a gunner, an expert on the employment of artillery and he should never have allowed such a faulty deployment. Eventually the guns were moved forward until the twelve pounders were 1200 yards from the enemy, from where they opened fire.
NAPOLEON'S INVASION OF RUSSIA IN 1812 - PART FIVE
NAPOLEON'S INVASION OF RUSSIA IN 1812 - PART…
NAPOLEON'S INVASION OF RUSSIA IN 1812 - PART FIVE
NAPOLEON’S INVASION OF RUSSIA IN 1812 – PART FIVE Borodino itself was a village on the banks of the River Kalatsha, crossed by the Smolensk to Moscow road. Kutuzov put Barclay de Tolly’s First Army on his right, covering the bridge where the road crossed the river just east of Borodino with Bagration on his left, and constructed such earthworks as his men could dig in the time available. Having studied Napoleon’s methods Kutuzov was prepared for the French to attempt a wide flanking movement intended to envelop the Russian right flank and he stood by a cavalry force of Cossacks ready to counter that. Five years previously that is what Napoleon probably would have done, but the quality of his soldiers was not that of the men of Austerlitz or Jena, and in any case the banks of the river were very steep even for infantry. Davout was in favour of a sweep to the south, round the Russian left flank, but the emperor dismissed that too, and considered that the best he could do would be to attack frontally with dense columns of infantry. The attack was to begin on the morning of 7 September with a French artillery bombardment of 100 guns, and at 0700 they duly opened fire. Then it was discovered that far from pounding Bagration’s men, many of whom were not able to shelter behind the earthworks but were in the open, the cannon balls were falling short – the range was too great! Here was an example of how Napoleon’s powers had declined. He was suffering from a heavy cold and the stomach complaints that were to dog him for the rest of his life, but he was a gunner, an expert on the employment of artillery and he should never have allowed such a faulty deployment. Eventually the guns were moved forward until the twelve pounders were 1200 yards from the enemy, from where they opened fire.