Krasnoi

The march from Moscow to Smolensk was a nightmare. Napoleon’s army lost half of its remaining strength to a combination of starvation, exposure to harsh weather, Cossack and partisan raids and desertion. Smolensk did indeed contain supplies, but Russian advances …

1812-11-17

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The march from Moscow to Smolensk was a nightmare. Napoleon’s army lost half of its remaining strength to a combination of starvation, exposure to harsh weather, Cossack and partisan raids and desertion. Smolensk did indeed contain supplies, but Russian advances threatened to surround Napoleon. The retreat had to continue and there was not sufficient transport to bring along the supplies. Not expecting an attack by the cautious Kutusov, Napoleon marched out of Smolensk one Corps at a time, resulting in a column some 40 miles long. Napoleon was attempting to regroup his forces at Krasnoi, when Kutuzov’s army did the unexpected, attacking and defeating Eugene’s IV Corps. Napoleon was in a dire position. His retreat path was blocked and prudence dictated retreat, but he desired to stand long enough to give Devout’s and Ney’s corps the opportunity join him. Davout’s corps did arrive, but was promptly bombarded and scattered. Ney’s retreat route was cut when the Russians occupied Uvarovo. Napoleon knew he was now heavily outnumbered, and if the Russians made a determined attack, all would be lost. He gambled. He sent his Old Guard forward into the jaws of the Russian Army to make an aggressive feint, while the Young Guard was to attack and retake Uvarovo. So great was the Guard’s reputation that Kutuzov canceled the planned attack and pulled back, choosing to bombard the Guard at long range. General Bennigsen, second in command to Kutusov, seeing the opportunity to destroy part of the French Guard, ordered Galitzin to re-take the village of Uvarovo. The Young Guard took heavy casualties from Russian artillery and repeated attacks, but held until nightfall. Napoleon, recalled the Guard and resumed the retreat, but the decision was not easy, for it meant leaving Ney’s III Corps to its fate.

Krasny, Russia

The Battle of Krasnoi (Krasny) was a series of skirmishes fought in the final stage of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow. The Russians under General Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov inflicted heavy losses on the remnants of the Grande Armée. Lacking sufficient artillery, cavalry and supplies to wage battle, Napoleon's objective at Krasnoi was to collect his scattered troops and to resume his retreat. Despite the vast superiority of his forces, Kutuzov refrained from launching a full-scale offensive during the four days of fighting as he did not want to risk a pitched battle.

Wikipedia: Battle of Krasnoi

French

Russians

French Invasion of Russia