Napoleon in 1812

Chapter 7

2. Battle of Hrodna – 1

General Barclay and Prince Bagration predicted that Napoleon would divide the forces of the expedition into two or more. The French expeditionary forces were not only made of French soldiers. There were allies of France from different nations, such as Poland, Austria, Prussia, Italy, the Confederation of the Rhine and Denmark, as well as military forces from satellite countries. According to the testimony of the Austrian officers and the French deserters, the leaders of the expedition were considering canceling everything due to a massive revolt in Paris. They had to go back to Paris to subdue the rebellion, so they could not bring foreign troops in France, right? And especially armies of France’s potential enemies, such as Austria and Prussia.

“We will never let the expeditionary forces go away. Napoleon knows this very well. He must separate his army to stop our troops.”

“The expeditionary forces will have no choice but to be divided.”

This was the situation that Barclay and Bagration were aiming for.

‘Each division of the army will not be the exclusive property of the Nabot. You’ll see, donkey-like French! The price to pay for invading the land of the Russian Empire will never be small!

Good news came to the Russian army, who was staying in the city of Lida while grinding their teeth and preparing for battle. The French expeditionary forces were divided into at least three parts.

Napoleon’s corps, consisting only of French soldiers, including the Imperial Guard. (1st Corps)

The Polish corps, which was the main force of the Duchy of Warsaw under Poniatowski. (2nd Corps)

Finally, a mixed coalition with soldiers from Austria, Prussia, the Confederation of the Rhine, Italy, etc. (3rd Corps)

“As soon as the 1st Corps finished clearing their campsite near the Neman River, they immediately left. As predicted, they seem to be marching toward the free city.”

It was the words of Colonel Raevsky.11, the chief of staff. Napoleon was retreating in a hurry with his own corps. It further cemented the Russian generals’ sentiment that the revolt in Paris was true and that its size and power were extraordinary. Barclay, who had been suspicious until the end, could now have some confidence. On that day, the armies of Barclay and Bagration waiting in the city of Lida moved.

“The three corps of the expeditionary force are located right here.”

The armies of Barclay and Bagration stopped marching after the whole day and stayed overnight in the city of Astryna between Hrodna and Lida. Time was the crucial parameter of the operation. They started without making any plans, and then had time to conduct operational briefings at the camp at night. It was to organize the operation while marching. The chief of staff of the Bagration’s corps, and the leader of Bessarabia, pointed at three places on a map showing the Neman River area.

Hrodna, Augustów, Ostrołęka.

“According to intelligence from Austria and Prussia, Napoleon’s 1st Corps is currently staying in the city of Ostrołęka. In Augustów, the Duke of Warsaw, Poniatowski, is stationed with the Polish soldiers, while the rest of the remaining troops have been deployed to Hrodna.”

Staff calculated the distance between Hrodna, Augustów, and Ostrołęka and put it on the map.

Hrodna-Augustów: 25 miles Augustów-Ostrołęka: 45 miles Ostrołęka-Hrodna: 58 miles

The distance between Hrodna and Augustów could be traveled in just one day if they rushed hard, but Augustów-Ostrołęka and Ostrołęka-Hrodna would take at least two or three days. There was a tight time gap between the separated expeditionary forces, which the Russians had to take advantage of.

“Therefore, we will defeat the Allied Corps in Hrodna first, and then stand by there, making their defense and artillery ours. I dare say that it would be the most reasonable tactic to defeat additional enemy troops coming from Augustów and Ostrołęka.”

Destroying the nearest enemy and holding a favorable position to defend against the enemy’s large army. The goal was to last until Alexander I brought the newly conscripted troops to support them. It was a reasonable decision. In this situation, this was the best anyone could think of. The Russians who remembered the Battles of Austerlitz and Friedland knew well their fear of the French army. The French could surround them in no time and attack from all directions.

“We have to move quickly. Quickly defeating the 3rd Corps and quickly taking over Hrodna.”

Everyone nodded at Prince Bagration’s words. They had to destroy Hrodna’s corps and capture all major bases and artillery. That was the first goal of the Russian army.

“… This is the wisdom of God, receive it with reverence.”

“O Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen. Alleluia!

In the early morning of July 5th, 1812, before the battle, the Russian generals held the prayers of the Orthodox Church. Before the Battle of Poltava!21, Peter the Great had encouraged the entire officers to participate in the prayers and had won the battle, creating a turning point in the Great Northern War.131 Since then, Russia had worshiped the Lord Jesus Christ, hoping for victory, whenever there had been a great battle.

“O Lord, save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance!”

The bell rang to announce the end of the prayers. The Russians resumed their march. The Russian troops, divided into the Bagration and Barklay Corps, arrived in the Hrodna Plains at noon on July 5th. General Barclay was strictly controlling the information leaking about the Russian movements, but it was unlikely that a first-class army could not detect such a large force moving.

When they arrived, Hrodna had already been turned into a huge defensive city. Deep trenches and ditches had been dug in the front, and stone walls and bastions had been piled up everywhere to hinder the army’s advance. Artillery had been installed on high grounds, such as hills. Behind all that, the expeditionary force with a perfect defensive formation was waiting. Feeling their strength and determination, General Barclay remained silent, but some other people got excited when they saw the situation.

“80,000! No matter how prepared they are, they are only 80,000. And most of the soldiers are not from France!”

“Hahaha! It’s nothing! A small army that will be wiped out if we sweep through!”

More than the number of soldiers, the fact that they were mixed troops from various countries, and not French, further increased the confidence of the Russian generals and officers. The Bagration Corps, which had claimed the leading position to strike, had already begun fighting against the enemy. They were aggressively attacking the bastion on the right side of the enemy camp. The expeditionary forces guarding the bastion took advantage of their height and artillery, but the Bagration Corps rushed like a swarm of bees and attacked them quickly.

As such, the Russian army seemed to be victorious right from the beginning of the war.

TL notes

[1] Nikolay Raevsky

[2] The Battle of Poltava (1709) was a decisive victory of Peter the Great over the Swedish Empire during the Great Northern War.

[3] The Great Northern War opposed a Russian coalition to the Swedish Empire (1700-1721), ending with the defeat of Sweden, leaving Russia as the new dominant power in the Baltic region and as a new major force in European politics.