the lion of the russian army - Florida State University

attle and the actual number of the French who fought in the battle was some 112,000
soldiers. 50
In general, the Russian army was in better condition than Napoleon’s troops. The
artillery not only had numerical superiority over the French (640 to 587), but also the
advantage in calibre. Bagration spent 6 September resting his troops and preparing for the
battle. He demonstrated deep concern for his troops. General Mayevsky recalled, “The
next day [after Shevardino] I was asleep in the courtyard. Prince [Bagration], passing me
by with his retinue, moved so quietly and silently as we usually do while approaching the
room of a beloved who is asleep. Such attention to his troops… only strengthened their
feeling of loyalty to this commander.” 51
The battle of Borodino commenced early on the morning of 7 September. Shortly
after 6:00 a.m. the artillery of the Imperial Guard welcomed the dawn with the first
cannon shots, and the Russians soon replied. 52
50
From the initial 450,000 men, some 30,000 Austrians of General Karl Philip
Schwarzenberg and General Reynier’s 7 th Corps remained on the right flank opposing Alexander
Tormasov’s 3 rd Western Army around Kobrin; in the north, the 10 th Corps under Marshal
Jacques-Etienne Macdonald and the 6 th Corps of Marshal Laurent Gouvin Saint-Cyr fought
against General Wittgenshtein. The artillery of the Old Imperial Guard was employed during the
battle and one regiment of the Young Guard was moved to support the right flank of the French
army, but this unit did not take part in the battle.
51 “Iz vospominanii S.I. Mayevskogo,” [From S.I. Mayevsky’s Recollections], Borodino:
Documents, Letters and Recollections, 370.
52 It was soon found that the range was too great and the French cannons had to be moved
forward to some 1,300 yards. Duffy, Borodino, 95. Inspector-General of the French artillery
Lariboissière later stated that the French fired 60,000 cannon balls and 1,400,000 musket shots
during the battle, that gives 100 canon and 2,300 musket shots in a minute. Denniée, Itineraire de
l’empereur Napoleon, 81.
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