Pages of history. Foreign campaigns of the Russian army Battle of 1813 1814

The expulsion of the French army from Russia did not remove the threat of a new invasion from the peoples of Europe. The fight had to be continued until the enemy was completely defeated. The Russian army acted selflessly. “It was first about our own salvation, and then about the salvation of the whole of Europe, and therefore the whole world,” wrote V. G. Belinsky, emphasizing the just nature of the struggle of peoples in 1812-1814.

On January 1 (13), 1813, the Russian army crossed the river. Neman and joined the Duchy of Warsaw. The campaign of 1813 began. On February 15 (27), 1813, in the city of Kalisz, an agreement on peace, friendship, offensive and defensive alliance was signed between Russia and Prussia, according to which both parties pledged to mutually assist each other in the fight against Napoleon.

Led by M.I. Kutuzov, the Russian army advanced in a western direction, liberating Polish and Prussian cities. Eleven days after the signing of the Treaty of Kalisz, Russian troops entered Berlin. The Russian command saw the unity of efforts of the Russian and German peoples as an important means of achieving the main goal of the war - to put an end to Napoleon.
The change in the situation in Prussia, as well as the successes of the Russian army, were viewed with caution by the Prussian government. King Frederick William III tried to restrain the active actions of the Prussian troops and prevent them from uniting with the Russian army, which contradicted the terms of the Kalisz Treaty and the tactics of M. I. Kutuzov, aimed at uniting forces and strengthening armies with reserves. But the Russian Commander-in-Chief failed to complete the job he started. In April 1813, having caught a bad cold, he
died in a small town in Silesia Bunzlau. Later an obelisk was erected here in his memory.

Led the Russian-Prussian army General P. X. Wittgenstein, and after his unsuccessful actions Barclay de Tolly was appointed Commander-in-Chief.

So far only Prussia has acted alongside Russia. Austria continued to play a double game and waited to see which side the scales would lean towards. She feared both Napoleon's domination and the strengthening of Russia, although Prussia's accession to the anti-Napoleonic coalition had a sobering effect on her.

Napoleon, meanwhile, managed to form a new army. After a series of mobilizations, he assembled almost the same army as Russia and Prussia had together - 200 thousand soldiers. On April 20 (May 4), 1813, he defeated the allies at Lutzen and Bautzen, where they lost 20 thousand soldiers and retreated, leaving the left bank of the Elbe. French troops occupied Dresden and Breslau. These successes of Napoleon forced the allies to offer the Emperor of France a truce, which was necessary for both sides. It was signed in Plesvitsa on May 23 (June 4), 1813, through the mediation of Austria.

The truce allowed Russia and Prussia to resume negotiations with England on subsidies, and with Austria on joint actions against Napoleon, and helped strengthen the Prussian army with reserves. During the truce, Napoleon hoped to bring up fresh forces and prepare for a new offensive.

Napoleon's determination to continue the war, the advance of the allied armies to the Elbe, which created the threat of invasion of Austria if it acted on the side of France, put an end to the Habsburgs' hesitation. On August 28 (September 9), 1813, Austria became part of the anti-Napoleonic coalition, signing the Teplitz Treaty of Friendship and Defensive Alliance with Russia. Both states pledged to act in concert in Europe; in the event of a threat to one of them, provide assistance with a corps of 60 thousand people; they were not to make peace or truce without mutual agreement.

From the end of the summer of 1813, the situation changed in favor of the Allies. The states of the Rhineland and Sweden went over to the side of the coalition. The Allied army now numbered about 500 thousand people (against 400 thousand enemy).

The international and domestic situation of France became increasingly tense. Dissatisfaction with Napoleon's policies grew in the country, and his prestige in the army fell. The emperor was abandoned by some of his close associates: General Jomini went into Russian service; a little later Napoleon was left by his brother-in-law Murat.

In such a situation, on October 4-6 (16-18), 1813, a battle took place near Leipzig, which went down in history as the “battle of the nations.” Fought on the side of the Allies Russian, Prussian, Austrian and Swedish troops;

acted on the side of Napoleon French, Poles, Belgians, Dutch, Saxons, Bavarians, Württembergers, Italians. In total, more than 500 thousand people took part in the battle on both sides. This battle lasted for three days, which began successfully for the French, but ended in a heavy defeat for the Napoleonic army.

During the battles, the Saxon army betrayed Napoleon, going over to the side of the coalition. Russian and Prussian troops played the main role in the Battle of Leipzig. They were the first to enter Leipzig, putting the enemy to flight.

The Battle of Leipzig was the culmination of the campaign of 1813. In this battle, Napoleon lost more than a third of his army (at least 65 thousand, allies - about 55 thousand people); France's reserves were depleted: all conscription ages were mobilized. The French army fought back to the Rhine. In November 1813, Napoleon was in Paris and again prepared forces for new battles. The Leipzig defeat did not force the Emperor of France to stop fighting and turn to the European powers with a peace proposal. A new war was required on the territory of France, where the Allies entered in January 1814.

The liberation of Germany and the further retreat of Napoleonic troops increased the contradiction in the Allied camp. The Austrian government, wanting to maintain France as a counterweight to Russia, insisted on negotiations with Napoleon, threatening otherwise to leave the coalition.

On February 17 (March 1), 1814, the so-called Quadruple Treaty in Chaumont was signed between Russia, Austria, Prussia and England, which contained preliminary conditions for peace. The most controversial issues (Polish, Saxon) were not discussed in Chaumont, so as not to strengthen the already deep ones differences in the Allied camp. The powers agreed to give France territory within the borders of 1792 and thereby restore European balance. The terms of this treaty largely prepared the decisions of the Congress of Vienna. The continuous wars that Napoleon waged caused discontent not only in the conquered states, but also in his own country. This, in particular, manifested itself with the appearance of allied troops on French territory. The residents of Paris and even Napoleonic guards defended the city without much tenacity. The Emperor himself
there was none in the capital. Having learned about the surrender of Paris, Napoleon tried to gather troops and recapture the city from the enemy, but upon arriving in Fontainebleau, he was forced under pressure from the marshals to sign an act of abdication.

March 18 (30), 1814 Paris capitulated. The allied armies led by Alexander I entered the capital of France on March 31 and were greeted by a demonstration of supporters of the old order. The Emperor of Russia tried not to hurt the national pride of the French. He gave the order to establish control over the behavior of soldiers and officers of the allied armies, abolished the offensive ceremony of presenting the keys to the city, as if contrasting his behavior (worthy of a winner) with the actions of the French emperor in the Russian capital. Bonaparte at the end of April 1814 was sent to the island. Elba. A provisional government was formed in Paris, headed by Tale Iran. The Senate he convened announced the deposition of Napoleon and the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty. At the beginning of May 1814, the new king Louis XVIII, the brother of the executed Louis XVI, arrived in the capital.

Russian army in Europe, 1813-1814.

After the expulsion of Napoleon's army from Russia, Russian troops continued their victorious campaign in Germany. Emperor Alexander I, covered in glory, saw himself as the liberator of Europe from the Napoleonic yoke. His intention found wide support at the courts of European monarchs. Alexander was compared to the legendary Agamemnon - the “king of kings”, the leader of all Greek states in the Trojan War.

While the main Russian forces wintered around Vilno, military operations continued in Lithuania. Prussian troops, under the command of Napoleonic Marshal MacDonald, concluded a truce with the Russians. This circumstance contributed to the occupation of Königsberg by the troops of General Wittgenstein at the end of December 1813 (beginning of January 1814 according to the new style).

After a short rest, the Main Army under the command of Field Marshal Kutuzov crossed the Neman River and invaded Polish territory. On January 27 (February 8), the Russians entered Warsaw without a fight. The Austrian corps of Schwarzenberg, formally bound by an alliance with Napoleon, went to Krakow and did not interfere with the Russians. Napoleonic Europe was bursting at the seams, while the French Emperor, who hastily returned to Paris, was gathering a new army.

Prussia was the first to join the sixth coalition against France, concluding an alliance treaty with Russia in March 1813. In Napoleon's absence, the mission of holding back the Allies on the Elbe fell to his stepson Eugene Beauharnais. In mid-April, the emperor himself headed for Germany with hastily recruited troops, which largely consisted of untrained conscripts. He intended, relying on numerous fortresses occupied by French garrisons, to push the Russians back to the borders and defeat the Prussians before other states joined the coalition.

The first major battle of the 1813 campaign took place at Lützen on May 2 (all dates are given in the new style). After Kutuzov's death at the end of April, command passed to General Wittgenstein. He decided to strike at Napoleon's army, which was stretched out on the march. However, the French counter-offensive led to a heavy defeat for the Allies. Their retreat allowed Napoleon to reoccupy Saxony. The Allies gained a foothold at Bautzen, where the numerically superior French attacked the position on 20 and 21 May. The battle ended in defeat for the Russians and Prussians, who retreated again. As after Lützen, the lack of cavalry prevented Napoleon from organizing the pursuit and defeating the enemy.

On June 4, the Pleiswitz Truce was concluded. Its effect actually lasted until mid-August. Napoleon received the necessary respite to recruit an army and transfer units from Spain. However, the allies also did not waste time. The Sixth Coalition was significantly strengthened by Sweden, whose crown prince was the former Napoleonic Marshal Bernadotte. Then Austria entered the war, providing the Allies with a significant numerical superiority. For Napoleon this was a heavy blow, since until the last he hoped for the loyalty of the Austrian emperor, his father-in-law.

The new Allied plan (Trachenberg), developed during the armistice, divided their forces into three large armies: the Bohemian under the command of the Austrian field marshal Schwarzenberg, the Silesian under the command of the Prussian military leader Blücher. The Northern Army was commanded by Bernadotte. Each of these armies had Russian contingents. The armies had to act together. One of the features of the plan was that the allies decided, if possible, not to give battle to Napoleon himself, but to attack individual corps of his marshals.

Napoleon stayed in Dresden, the capital of Saxony, which was still friendly to him, until mid-August. Hostilities resumed as the Allies marched on Dresden. In the general battle on August 26 and 27, Napoleon again won a brilliant victory. However, its results were zero due to a series of defeats of individual units of Napoleonic army. Marshal Oudinot, advancing on Berlin, was defeated on August 23 at Grossbeeren. His replacement, Marshal Ney, was defeated at Dennewitz on September 6. On August 26, Blucher defeated MacDonald at the Katzbach River. On August 30, in the bloody battle of Kulm, General Vandamme, a potential candidate for the marshal's baton, was surrounded and captured.

The fate of the war in Germany was decided in the “Battle of the Nations” at Leipzig on October 16-19. A huge superiority in forces brought victory to the allies this time. During his retreat to the borders of France with the remnants of his army, Napoleon was able to defeat the Bavarians, who had just joined the coalition, at Hanau.

Apart from a few besieged fortresses that still held out in Germany, the war moved into French territory. The Confederation of the Rhine, created by Napoleon in 1806, collapsed. From now on he had to rely only on his own strength. On New Year's Eve, Blucher's army crossed the Rhine. Other troops advanced through Switzerland. Alexander sought to enter Paris as quickly as possible, but it took three months of endless fighting to achieve this goal. The 1814 campaign is recognized by military historians as Napoleon's masterpiece. Possessing only a small army, the emperor managed to win a series of victories: Montmirail, Champaubert, Vauchamp, Montero, Craonn, Reims... Nevertheless, the allies did their best to slow down peace negotiations. Military operations were also carried out in other directions: in Italy, in the Alps, in southwestern France. The last battle for Russian troops in the main direction was the battle for Paris on March 30. The next day the capital capitulated and Allied troops entered the city. The Parisians looked with particular curiosity at the Cossacks, who seemed to them to be complete savages.

The entry into Paris marked the end of the Russian army's foreign campaigns. Napoleon abdicated the throne and was exiled to the island of Elba. In 1815 he regained the throne, but suffered a final defeat at Waterloo on 18 June. Russian troops did not participate in this battle, although they were already on the march towards Belgium, where the last act of the Napoleonic wars took place.

Foreign campaigns of the Russian army of 1813-1814 - military operations of the Russian army together with Prussian, Swedish and Austrian troops to complete the defeat of the army of Napoleon I and the liberation of the countries of Western Europe from the French conquerors. On December 21, 1812, Kutuzov, in an order to the army, congratulated the troops on expelling the enemy from Russia and called on them to “complete the defeat of the enemy on his own fields.”

Russia's goal was to expel French troops from the countries they had captured, deprive Napoleon of the opportunity to use their resources, complete the defeat of the aggressor on his own territory and ensure the establishment of lasting peace in Europe. On the other hand, the tsarist government aimed to restore feudal-absolutist regimes in European states. After his defeat in Russia, Napoleon sought to gain time and again create a mass army.

The strategic plan of the Russian command was built with the expectation of withdrawing Prussia and Austria from the war on Napoleon’s side as quickly as possible and making them allies of Russia.

Offensive actions in 1813 were distinguished by their large spatial scope and high intensity. They deployed at the front from the shores of the Baltic Sea to Brest-Litovsk, and were carried out to great depths - from the Neman to the Rhine. The 1813 campaign ended with the defeat of Napoleonic troops in the Battle of Leipzig on October 4-7 (16-19), 1813 (“Battle of the Nations”). Over 500 thousand people took part in the battle on both sides: the allies - over 300 thousand people (including 127 thousand Russians), 1385 guns; Napoleonic troops - about 200 thousand people, 700 guns. Its most important results were the formation of a powerful anti-French coalition and the collapse of the Confederation of the Rhine (36 German states under Napoleon's protectorate), the defeat of the army newly formed by Napoleon and the liberation of Germany and Holland.

By the beginning of the 1814 campaign, the Allied forces deployed on the Rhine numbered about 460 thousand people, including over 157 thousand Russians. In December 1813 - early January 1814, all three allied armies crossed the Rhine and began an offensive deep into France.

In order to strengthen the coalition, on February 26 (March 10), 1814, the Treaty of Chaumont was signed between Great Britain, Russia, Austria and Prussia, according to which the parties pledged not to enter into separate peace negotiations with France, to provide mutual military assistance and to jointly resolve issues about the future of Europe . This agreement laid the foundations of the Holy Alliance.

The 1814 campaign ended with the capitulation of Paris on March 18 (30). On March 25 (April 6) in Fontainebleau, Napoleon signed the abdication of the throne, then was exiled to the island of Elba.

The wars of the coalitions of European powers with Napoleon I ended with the Congress of Vienna (September 1814 - June 1815), in which representatives of all European powers took part, except Turkey. The goals of the Congress were: international legal formalization of a new balance of power between European powers; restoration of the political system in Europe, liquidated during the Great French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, and ensuring its stability for a long time; creation of guarantees against the return to power of Napoleon I; satisfaction of the territorial claims of the winners; restoration of overthrown dynasties.

As part of this event, treaties were concluded that consolidated the political fragmentation of Germany and Italy; The Duchy of Warsaw was divided between Russia, Prussia and Austria. France is deprived of its conquests.

January 13, 1813, Russian troops led by the commander-in-chief, field marshal Mikhail Kutuzov, crossed the Neman in a western direction. From this moment on, it is customary to count down the foreign campaign of the Russian army, which ended with the triumphant capture of Paris in March 1814.

In such a victorious tone filled with fanfare, various “Five, seven, ten, twenty facts about the foreign campaign of the Russian army” are usually compiled for this significant date. Copied and rewritten hundreds of times, first from reference books, and then from each other, they can give little to the mind, heart or even vanity: it is already clear that it is difficult to immediately list a dozen European capitals where the Russian army has not paid a visit .

Therefore, at least once it’s worth taking a break from the continuous “hurray, we’re breaking!” and ask a simple question: was this very campaign necessary at all, and what did it bring to Russia? And to prevent your brain from bursting due to unaccustomed use from the abundance of adrenaline and overexertion, you can formalize this matter traditionally: as “Five Facts.”

1. The civil and military elite of Russia did not see the need to persecute Napoleon and liquidate his empire.

Here are the words Secretary of State of the Russian Empire Alexander Shishkov: “We are going solely for the Europeans, leaving burned Moscow, defeated Smolensk and bloodied Russia unattended, but with new needs to demand from it both troops and maintenance for them. Russia sacrifices itself for others and fights more for glory than for its own benefit.”

Here is the opinion of Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov: “I am not at all sure that the complete destruction of the empire Napoleon would already be such a benefit for the world... His inheritance would go not to Russia or any other continental power, but to that power that already now rules the seas and whose domination would then become unbearable.”

Here he says diplomat Karl Nesselrode: “The war that has arisen between us and France cannot be considered as an enterprise begun by us with the intention of liberating Europe... The correctly understood interests of Russia obviously require a lasting and strong peace, after her successes against the French armies have strengthened her life and independence."

2. The very name “Overseas Campaign of the Russian Army” is very controversial.

Only the first stage of the campaign can be called this: January-February 1813. At the end of March, Prussia took the side of Russia and declared war on France. Little by little, by the autumn of 1813, an anti-Napoleonic coalition had formed from Sweden, Great Britain, Austria, Saxony, Denmark and several other smaller players. Russian troops prevailed there in numbers, but the leadership was quickly intercepted by anyone but ours. For example, the commander-in-chief in the loudest and most glorious battles, including the “Battle of the Nations” near Leipzig and the capture of Paris, was an Austrian Carl Philipp zu Schwarzenberg. What adds particular elegance to this fact is that in 1812, Karl Schwarzenberg was one of the military leaders of Napoleon’s “Grand Army” that invaded Russia. The Austrian then commanded a corps of thirty thousand and fought with armies General Alexander Tormasov And Pavel Chichagova.

Karl Philipp zu Schwarzenberg. Source: Public Domain

3. The price of fame was too high

Everything is very simple here. The combat losses of the Russian army during the campaign of 1812 amounted to about 80 thousand people. This is a period of constant retreat, the meat grinder of Smolensk, Borodino and Maloyaroslavets, the surrender of Moscow and other not very fun things.

But the “continuous victory parade march” of the Foreign Campaign cost our army 120 thousand combat losses. Exactly one and a half times more. The difference is also that the campaign of 1812 is not called the Patriotic War for nothing. The words from a song about another - the Great Patriotic War - are quite applicable to it: “This means that we need one victory, one for all, we will not stand up for the price.” Why the Russians died on the fields of Europe is not entirely clear. But it is obvious that the prophetic dying words of Mikhail Kutuzov came true: “The easiest thing is to go beyond the Elbe now. But how will we come back? With a snout covered in blood?

To this we can add non-combat losses, among which an important place was occupied by the banal desertion of Russian soldiers in already defeated France. What did I write about? former mayor of Moscow, Count Fyodor Rostopchin: “Old non-commissioned officers and ordinary soldiers remain in France... They go to farmers who not only pay them well, but also give their daughters for them.”

4. “Punish the innocent and reward the innocent”

Exactly a month before the start of the Foreign Campaign, December 12, 1812, Russian Emperor Alexander I made a broad propaganda gesture: he declared an amnesty to all Poles who participated in Napoleon’s Russian campaign. It is difficult to say how many of them remained at that time, but at the very beginning of Bonaparte’s invasion, up to 80 thousand people stood under the banner of the “Grand Army”.

There is a lot of evidence left about what they did in Russia. Here are just a few. “The most cruel torturers and barbarians of all the peoples who made up Napoleon’s horde were the Poles and Bavarians.” “In general, it was noticed that the most important outrages were committed mainly by Poles.” “The greatest outrages were committed in Moscow by the Germans and Poles, not the French. This is what eyewitnesses who were in Moscow for six terrible weeks say.” “The captured Poles, knowing how they are hated among us, pretend to be Dutch.”

And now an amnesty is being declared to these “cruelest torturers.” With only one goal: to demonstrate to the whole world good intentions before going further west. They say that Europe does not need to be afraid of a Russian man with a gun: look, we have even forgiven the Poles everything!

Moreover, in 1815, the Kingdom of Poland within the Russian Empire was granted a Constitution. This outraged the Russian nobles to the core and greatly contributed to the Decembrist movement. Poland itself became a headache for the Russian tsars for many years, a source of unrest and a hotbed of uprisings.

5. Zero prestige

And all these efforts, sacrifices and losses went to waste. Russia's international prestige, if at all, increased, but not for long and insignificantly. Very soon Russia acquired the nickname “Gendarme of Europe”. Desired prestige was measured rather in negative terms. This is what the Russian diplomat Fyodor Tyutchev, better known to us as a lyric poet, wrote exactly thirty years after the Foreign Campaign:

“That power, which the generation of 1813 greeted with noble delight, has been transformed into a monster for the majority of people of our time. Now many people look at Russia as some kind of cannibal of the 19th century... However, it was these soldiers who liberated Europe. These, as you call them, “convicts,” these “barbarians,” shed blood on the battlefields in order to achieve the liberation of Europe.”

The strategic plan of the Russian command was built with the expectation of withdrawing Prussia and Austria from the war on Napoleon’s side as quickly as possible and making them allies of Russia.

The 1814 campaign ended with the capitulation of Paris on March 18 (30). On March 25 (April 6) in Fontainebleau, Napoleon signed the abdication of the throne, then was exiled to the island of Elba.