the lion of the russian army - Florida State University

On 24 August the 1 st and 2 nd Western Armies were deployed at Dorogobouzh,
while their commanders spent morning surveying the positions that proved to be
unacceptable. 102 The next morning the Russians left Dorogobouzh and retreated to
Vya’zma, where they found a strong position at Tsarevo-Zaimische on which they could
agree. Bagration was not completely satisfied with the terrain 103 ; but both he and
Barclay believed that better position could not be found at a safe distance from the
capital.
After the loss of Smolensk, Barclay’s position in the army became more tenuous.
British commissioner to the Russian army Sir Robert Wilson recalled,
The spirit of the army was affected by a sense of mortification and all
ranks loudly and boldly complained; discontent was general and discipline
relaxing. The nobles, the merchants and the population at large, were
indignant at seeing city after city, government after government
abandoned, till the enemy’s guns were almost heard at Moscow and St.
Petersburg doubted of its safety. The removal [of Barclay de Tolly]… had
become a universal demand. 104
War of 1812 in Smolensk Gubernya, 155; Memoires du Löwernstein, 234-35.
102 An interesting incident took place at Dorogobouzh. Coming back from a reconnaissance,
commanders-in-chief discovered that the troops were poorly deployed. Later, when the campaign
was over, General Yermolov remarked, “this fact was immediately concealed! Bagration insisted
on punishment of Quartermaster-General Toll, who deployed the army with its rear facing the
French…. [Bagration] requested his reduction in ranks for this unjustifiable blunder.” Zhirkevich,
The Notes, Russkaya Starina, 8 (1874): 653; Vorontsov, The Patriotic War of 1812 in Smolensk
Gubernya, 155.
103 Bagration emphasized that position did not have access to the drinking water. Bagration
to Barclay de Tolly, 28 August 1812, Aglamov, Historical Materials of the Semyenovsky
Lifeguard Regiment, 289.
104 Wilson, Narrative of events…., 130.
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