the lion of the russian army - Florida State University

the two armies were not united, decided sent Bagration eastward with his army on the eve
of the major engagement at Smolensk. 85 As he marched along the Dnieper, Bagration
sent several messages to Barclay imploring him to stand firm at Smolensk and later he
stated that Barclay de Tolly gave him his word of honor that the 1 st Western Army would
not surrender Smolensk. 86 It is remarkable that Bagration with his knowledge of Barclay
de Tolly and his intentions expected him to fight anything more than a delaying action.
At the night of 18 August, the last defenders of Smolensk retired, burning the
bridges behind them and joined the main Russian forces on the right bank. Two hours
later the French advance guards moved in and occupied the city. Smolensk was
destroyed; from 2250 buildings only 350 remained by the end of the battle 87 , and less
than 1,000 of inhabitants (from the original 15,000) had stayed in the city. 88 The
Russians lost about 12,000 men, while the French casualties amounted to some 10,000
killed and wounded. 89
85 Kochetkov, Barclay de Tolly, 43; also, Bagration to Rostopchin, 26 August 1812,
Dubrovin, Patriotic War in Letters of Contemporaries, 95-98; Bogdanovich, History of the
Patriotic War of 1812, I, 259; Aglamov, Historical Materials of the Semyenovsky Lifeguard
Regiment, 42.
86 Bagration to Barclay de Tolly, 17 August 1812, Dubrovin, Patriotic War in Letters of
Contemporaries, 82; Bagration to Alexander, 19 August 1812, Correspondence of Bagration,
234-35.
87 V. Grachev, Smolensk I ego Gubernya v 1812, [Smolensk and its Gubernya in 1812
campaign], (Smolensk, 1912), 65; Memoirs of Baron Lejeune, aide-de-camp to Marshals
Berthier, Davout, Oudinot (London, 1987), II, 167. Napoleon ordered the Assumption Cathedral
and several other churches of Smolensk to be protected.
88 Tarle, Napoleon’s Invasion of Russia, 148.
89 The number of casualties of both sides is still matter of dispute. The Russian sources
acknowledge between 4,000 and 10,000 men, though usually a number of 12,000 killed and
wounded is considered more realistic. Bagration to Alexander, 19 August 1812, Correspondence
of Bagration, 235; Troitsky, 1812: The Glorious Year of Russia, 115; Vorontsov, The Patriotic
War of 1812 in Smolensk Gubernya, 126; Buturlin, Napoleon’s Invasion of Russia, I 226;
Garnich, 1812, 90; Zhilin, Destruction of the Napoleonic Army in Russia, 123; A. Mikhailovsky-
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