the lion of the russian army - Florida State University

Po. 114 Suvorov dispatched Ataman Adrian Denisov to reinforce Bagration and observe
his actions. 115
Relations between Bagration and Denisov were tense from the beginning of the
war. Denisov commanded Cossack regiments and was attached to Bagration’s advance
guard in the opening of the campaign. However, he was offended by being subordinated
to Bagration, whom he considered junior in rank. He recalled, “I initially wanted to
appeal this matter, but my friends advised me to put up with it. [When we met for the first
time,] Prince Bagration treated me with sympathy and was not opposed [to the fact] that
only [my] regiments, not me, would report to him. Meantime, I hoped that the military
actions would give me a chance to distinguish myself and earn promotion.” 116 As he rode
to meet Bagration, Denisov belived the time had come for him to act.
Denisov found Bagration in the town near Tortona. Prince Peter welcomed and
invited him to dinner, but the haughty Cossack remained suspicious of his intentions.
During the night, Denisov inquired about the enemy positions and, in early morning, he
decided “to tempt the fortune” 117 by attacking the fortress of Tortona with the Cossacks,
despite the fact that the fortress was well defended by the French. To conceal his designs,
he asked Bagration to give him the Cossack regiments, without specifying why he needed
them. Prince Peter refused to commit a single Cossack and dispatched Denisov to
observe the French positions near Alessandria. Thus, the relations between the two
officers became more strained and several days later, when Bagration criticized him for
114 Disposition of Advance guards of Major Generals Bagration and Chubarov, 6 May 1799,
A.V. Suvorov: Documents, IV, 51; Disposition of the Russian Troops, 6 May 1799, in Miliutin,
Campaign of 1799, II, 422; Orlov, Study of Suvorov’s Military Operations, 109.
115 Denisov noted in his memoirs, “[Suvorov] called for me, “Prince Bagration fell back with
his advance guard from Tortona, but I doubt he might have retreated [my emphasis]. Hurry up
and make up for his mistakes.” Notes, 108. No other source indicates that Suvorov dispatched
Denisov to ‘correct’ Bagration’s actions. It is noteworthy that Denisov referred to Bagration’s
alleged ‘retreat.’ Suvorov was well known for his aversion to retreats. He even prohibited
pronouncing this word in his presence.
116 Ibid., 92.
117 Ibid., 109
41