The Battle of Borodino took place on September 7, 1812, during the Russian Campaign, and it was fought between the French Army, under Napoleon Bonaparte, and the Russian Imperial Army, led by Mikhail Kutuzov, near the village of Borodino, Russia. Reinforced by Polish, German and Italian troops, the French Army was composed of 145,000 men and 600 artillery pieces. The Russian Army consisted of about 130,000 soldiers.
The Russian Campaign had begun in June 1812, when the French Great Army made their way into Russian territory, heading towards Moscow. At the beginning, the Russians had avoided a direct encounter with the French as they constantly pulled back, following a scorched earth policy. However, the Russian commander finally decided to set up a defensive line at Borodino.
Preceded by an earlier clash between a French cavalry regiment and Russian infantry units at Shevardino, the Battle of Borodino began on the early morning of September 7, with a French cavalry attack on the Russian lines. Both French and Russian fought ferociously. Having withstood several waves of French cavalry charge, the Russian left wing began to collapse, with many casualties. As a result, Mikhail Kutuzov ordered a retreat.
Although the French defeated the Russians, they also suffered a high number of casualties, 17,000 dead and about 19,000 wounded, which included several generals. Approximately 20,000 Russians fell in action during this battle.
French Commanders: Napoleon Bonaparte, Michel Ney, Joachim Murat
Russian Commanders: Mikhail Kutuzov, Pyotr Bagration
Below, the French infantry takes a Russian redoubt during the Battle of Borodino.
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