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the lion of the russian army - Florida State University

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campaign. Russia was ready to commence war at any moment. 60 It was Prussia’s<br />

alliance with France that compelled Alexander to halt all <strong>of</strong>fensive operations and accept<br />

defensive strategy. Without alliances with Poland, Prussia, and Austria, any attempt by<br />

<strong>the</strong> Russian <strong>army</strong> to wage <strong>of</strong>fensive war against France was doomed.<br />

Meanwhile, Napoleon had reorganized and concentrated his <strong>army</strong> on <strong>the</strong> Vistula,<br />

preventing any possibility <strong>of</strong> a Russian <strong>of</strong>fensive. But <strong>the</strong> commanders <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Russian<br />

corps, including Peter Bagration, not being adequately informed <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se events, still<br />

believed that <strong>the</strong> beginning <strong>of</strong> an <strong>of</strong>fensive was only a matter <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> time and continued<br />

preparations. As late as June 1812, Chief <strong>of</strong> Staff <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> 1 st Western Army, General<br />

Alexander Ermolov, remarked that “at <strong>the</strong> present moment, everything is arranged for <strong>the</strong><br />

<strong>of</strong>fensive: armies are deployed close to <strong>the</strong> frontiers, huge warehouses are established in<br />

Belostoc, Grodno and Vilna gubernias, on <strong>the</strong> frontiers <strong>of</strong> our territory.” 61<br />

Thus, one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> main causes <strong>of</strong> misconception <strong>of</strong> Bagration and o<strong>the</strong>r Russian<br />

generals was <strong>the</strong> lack <strong>of</strong> information <strong>the</strong>y should have possessed. Mistrustful <strong>of</strong> his<br />

generals, Alexander concealed most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> military intelligence as well as military plans.<br />

General Levin Bennigsen, who was at <strong>the</strong> main headquarters, confessed, “Emperor did<br />

not show me any [approved] operational plan and I do not know any person who had<br />

seen it.” 62 With his headquarters at Volkovysk on <strong>the</strong> frontiers, Bagration received<br />

scarce information and had to rely on his intelligence. Thus, he had no accurate<br />

information on current events or <strong>the</strong> strategy employed by <strong>the</strong> general headquarters.<br />

Ano<strong>the</strong>r reason for Bagration’s <strong>of</strong>fensive strategy laid in <strong>the</strong> attitude <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

Russian military toward <strong>the</strong> idea <strong>of</strong> retreat. Russia had not witnessed an incursion on its<br />

60 Headquarters’ Archives, V, 268-270; 302-304; 313-15; also Russian Military Archive, f.<br />

VUA. d. 434, 50-59.<br />

61 Alexander Ermolov, Zapiski A.P. Ermolova [Memoirs <strong>of</strong> A.P. Ermolov], (Moscow, 1865),<br />

I, 6-7.<br />

62 Russkaya Starina, 1909, No. 6, 517.<br />

623

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