the lion of the russian army - Florida State University

Deployed in strategically vulnerable positions, Bagration was able to elude the superior
French forces and successfully retreat to Smolensk. For twenty-five days the 2 nd Western
Army, with the enemy constantly on its rear and flanks, had marched over 500 miles and
fought several successful rear guard actions. Bagration observed, “even the great
Suvorov would have been surprised by the hardships these troops had experienced and
the swiftness of marches made by the 2 nd Army, all accomplished on sandy roads and
marshy terrain….” 70 A long time friend and comrade in arms, General Alexander
Ermolov later acknowledged the exceptional courage, devotion, and endurance of
Bagration’s troops:
The 1 st Army was exhausted by the continuous withdrawal and soldiers
began to mutiny; there were cases of insubordination and agitation.
Confidence in the commander-in-chief was gradually undermined among
the corps and division commanders. At the same time, the 2 nd Western
Army arrived [at Smolensk] in an absolutely different state. The sound of
music, joyful songs animated [ the souls of the] soldiers. These troops
showed only the pride for the danger they escaped from and readiness to
overcome new dangers. It seemed as if the 2 nd Western Army did not
retreat from the Nieman to the Dnieper, but covered this distance with a
triumph. 71
Bagration showed himself as a skillful, perceptive commander who recognized
Napoléon’s strategy and consequently evaded it. At the beginning of the war, the Russian
armies were inferior to the French and dispersed along the frontiers. According to
General Phull’s strategy, Bagration’s army was designed to form a junction with the main
forces of Barclay de Tolly. The 1 st Western Army retreated unhindered, but Bagration’s
troops had to fight and elude the superior French forces. This made the mission of the 2 nd
Western Army far more complicated and dangerous. Skillfully maneuvering and waging
persistent rear guard fights, Bagration managed to escape the encompassing maneuvers
70 Bagration to Alexander, 22 July 1812, Correspondence of Bagration, 207.
71 Yermolov, Memoirs, I, 155
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