Battle of Borodino
7th September 1812

Battle of Borodino, 7th September 1812

Battle of Borodino

After the French army capture of the Russian town of Smolensk on August 18th 1812, Napoleon advanced his army deeper into Russia. On the 5th of September the cavalry under the command of Marshal Joachim Murat came across the Russian army under its commander Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov in and around the village of Borodino. The Russian army had been busy fortifying the town in readiness to face the French army.

On the 6th of September Napoleon deployed his army of 86,000 infantry and 28,000 cavalry and a total of 587 artillery pieces against the Russian force of 72,000 infantry, 18,000 cavalry and 640 artillery pieces. The Russian force also had at its disposal a total of over 17,000 Cossacks and Militia. The French started their assault the following day, the 7th of September.

The French right wing started the attack under the command of Marshal Louis Davout and the other flank, the left was commanded by Napoleon's stepson, Eugene de Beauharnais. They too entered the battle by attacking the town of Borodino. During the afternoon of the fighting the Russian commander withdrew his troops to the second ridge due to the thousands of casualties he was sustaining under the relentless bombardment of the French artillery which seemed to be dominating the battle. Amongst the dead was the Russian commander of the 2nd army Prince Petr Bagration who had been mortally wounded. But due to their own losses the French were in no position to pursue the Russians and continue the fighting.

The Russian army had lost some 45,000 men killed or wounded and the French casualties were 29,500. The Russian army retreated 70 miles outside Moscow but abandoned the city. Some French units entered Moscow on the 14th. Within 24 hours large fires had broken out across Moscow and over the following three days most of the Russian capital had been destroyed. Napoleon stayed in Moscow for 5 weeks, but decided to plan his retreat, leaving Moscow on the 19th October 1812. The Battle of Borodino had been the bloodiest battle of the 19th century.

OUR RECOMMENDATION FOR THIS BATTLE

Napoleon at the Battle of Borodino by Robert Hillingford.

DHM940. Napoleon at the Battle of Borodino by Robert Hillingford.

Open edition print.

Image size 25 inches x 15 inches (64cm x 38cm)

Price : £43.00

Battle of Borodino Art Prints

The battle of Borodino took place during Emperor Napoleons disastrous Russian invasion of 1812 and was one of the most crucial battles of the entire Napoleonic era. The two sides met just 60 miles from Moscow on September 7th 1812. For a man who had earned a reputation as a military genius, Napoleon failed to make the most of his long-awaited opportunity: he simply hurled his troops at the determined Russians. The result was the single biggest bloodbath of the Napoleonic wars - more than 68,000 troops were either killed or wounded. Featuring superb feature-film battle reconstructions, this is the story of the battle that forced Napoleon to turn for home and begin the infamous retreat from Moscow. It also includes period imagery and expert interpretation and analysis by leading authorities on the Napoleonic wars. The Battle of BorodinoClick For DetailsCROM1102
Sous-Lieutenant Ferdinand de la Riloisiere of 1st Regiment of Carabiniers, moments before he received a mortal wound, in the charge of the 2nd reserve cavalry Corps, against the reavski Redoubt. Despite his injury he survived for several days after the battle and was presented with the cross of the Legion of Honour only hours before his death. La Moscowa, The Battle of Borodino, 7th September 1812 by Mark Churms.Click For DetailsDHM0247
DHM605. Charge of the Russian Cuirassiers at Borodino by Jim Lancia. Charge of the Russian Cuirassiers at Borodino by Jim Lancia.Click For DetailsDHM0605
DHM940. Napoleon at the Battle of Borodino by Robert Hillingford. Napoleon at the Battle of Borodino by Robert Hillingford.Click For DetailsDHM0940
The French 1st Carabiniers and the Russian Iziumsk Hussars at the Battle of Borodino, 7 September 1812. Following the capture of the Raevsky Redoubt sometime after 2:00P.M. on 7 September 1812, Napoleons forces were on the verge of a victory on the road to Moscow. As the clouds of black powder smoke darkened the mid-afternoon sky, Prince Eugene de Beauharnais gathered all the available cavalry of the Grande Armee, and hurled them at the already badly mauled Russian forces standing behind the smashed earthen fortification. Passing by the Raevsky Redoubt and flooding the plateau beyond, French cavalry consisting of elements of Montbruns 2nd Reserve Cavalry Corps and Grouchys 3rd Reserve Cavalry Corps became embroiled with Russian regiments of horse in a fight that General Barclay de Tolly described as one of the most stubborn cavalry battles of history. During the ebb-and-flow of this two-hour contest for the control of the Russian center, the French 1st Carabinier Regiment was pitted against the Iziumsk Hussars of Major General Korffs Russian II Cavalry Corps. Finally, after suffering severe casualities that seemed to mirror the carnage strewn across the entire battlefield of Borodino, the cavalry action receded without either side claiming a clear-cut victory. The Melee by Keith Rocco.Click For DetailsKR0013
Saxon Gardes du Corps Officer and The Survivors of the French heavy cavalry attack on the Great Redoubt at the Battle of Borodino in the Napoleonic Wars. Die Uberlebenden by Mark Churms.Click For DetailsMC0014
OUR RECOMMENDATION FOR THIS BATTLE

La Moscowa, The Battle of Borodino, 7th September 1812 by Mark Churms.

DHM247. La Moscowa, The Battle of Borodino, 7th September 1812 by Mark Churms.

Sous-Lieutenant Ferdinand de la Riloisiere of 1st Regiment of Carabiniers, moments before he received a mortal wound, in the charge of the 2nd reserve cavalry Corps, against the reavski Redoubt. Despite his injury he survived for several days after the battle and was presented with the cross of the Legion of Honour only hours before his death.

Signed edition prints.

Image size 32 inches x 15 inches (81cm x 38cm)

Price : £95.00

Battle of Borodino

Battle of Borodino

After the French army capture of the Russian town of Smolensk on August 18th 1812, Napoleon advanced his army deeper into Russia. On the 5th of September the cavalry under the command of Marshal Joachim Murat came across the Russian army under its commander Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov in and around the village of Borodino. The Russian army had been busy fortifying the town in readiness to face the French army.

On the 6th of September Napoleon deployed his army of 86,000 infantry and 28,000 cavalry and a total of 587 artillery pieces against the Russian force of 72,000 infantry, 18,000 cavalry and 640 artillery pieces. The Russian force also had at its disposal a total of over 17,000 Cossacks and Militia. The French started their assault the following day, the 7th of September.

The French right wing started the attack under the command of Marshal Louis Davout and the other flank, the left was commanded by Napoleon's stepson, Eugene de Beauharnais. They too entered the battle by attacking the town of Borodino. During the afternoon of the fighting the Russian commander withdrew his troops to the second ridge due to the thousands of casualties he was sustaining under the relentless bombardment of the French artillery which seemed to be dominating the battle. Amongst the dead was the Russian commander of the 2nd army Prince Petr Bagration who had been mortally wounded. But due to their own losses the French were in no position to pursue the Russians and continue the fighting.

The Russian army had lost some 45,000 men killed or wounded and the French casualties were 29,500. The Russian army retreated 70 miles outside Moscow but abandoned the city. Some French units entered Moscow on the 14th. Within 24 hours large fires had broken out across Moscow and over the following three days most of the Russian capital had been destroyed. Napoleon stayed in Moscow for 5 weeks, but decided to plan his retreat, leaving Moscow on the 19th October 1812. The Battle of Borodino had been the bloodiest battle of the 19th century.

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