History_of_War_43_2017

Frontline
HEROES & COMMANDERS
The French invasion of Russia revealed significant flaws in the respective
commanders-in-chief but often great virtues in their subordinates
PYOTR BAGRATION
THE AGGRESSIVE GEORGIAN PRINCE
YEARS: 1765-1812 COUNTRY: RUSSIA
A member of the Georgian royal family, Prince
Bagration joined the Russian army in 1782 and
was the subordinate commander to Generalissimo
Alexander Suvorov during the Italian and Swiss
expeditions of 1799-1800. He gained further
experience fighting at the battles of Ulm, Austerlitz,
Eylau and Friedland. Bagration’s relationship with
Tsar Alexander I was strained but in 1812, he was
appointed to command Russia’s 2nd Army.
The prince vigorously advocated fighting the Grande
Armée in open battle but this clashed with Barclay de
Tolly’s policy of making the French march deeper into
Russian territory. Bagration’s frustration led him to
actively campaign to remove Barclay from command
but he also won victories on the retreat towards
Moscow. After fighting the Grande Armée to a draw
at the Battle of Mogilev and a failed counterattack at
Smolensk, Bagration commanded the left wing at the
Battle of Borodino where he was mortally wounded
and eventually died of an infected wound on 24
September 1812.
Despite being
popular among
his troops and
a talented
battlefield
commander,
Bagration lacked
strategic grasp
and his animosity
towards Barclay
de Tolly was
arguably
misguided
OF 1812
NAPOLEON BONAPARTE
THE OVERAMBITIOUS BUT LACKLUSTRE EMPEROR YEARS: 1769-1821 COUNTRY: FRANCE
At the beginning of 1812 Napoleon, the former
Corsican artilleryman, was at the peak of his
powers. He had become emperor of the French and
the ‘Master of Europe’ through a series of brilliant
victories and campaigns including the Battle of
Austerlitz in 1805 where he defeated the Austrians
and Russians. Among the losers of this battle were
Mikhail Kutuzov and Tsar Alexander I himself, so
for the next seven years Napoleon believed he
could bend the Russians to his will. He was gravely
mistaken and when Alexander refused to blockade
Britain along with Napoleonic Europe, the emperor
arguably made his first strategic mistake by letting
his pride overrule sense and he invaded Russia.
Unlike his previous campaigns, Napoleon made
continual mistakes in Russia that cost him and
his huge army dear. By taking the bait of following
Barclay de Tolly’s, and then Kutuzov’s, army deeper
into Russian territory, his own supply lines became
dangerously overstretched. At Borodino, one of
the bloodiest battles in history, the emperor was
in uncharacteristically bad form and spent most
of the day sitting in a chair looking through a
telescope. A staff officer observed, “We were all
surprised not to see the active man of Marengo,
Austerlitz etc. We did not feel satisfied; our
judgements were severe.”
Following the Pyrrhic victory, Napoleon captured
Moscow but was then humiliated when he saw it
burned by its own inhabitants, denying him supplies
and glory. Now losing the initiative he would not
give up having an “extraordinary blind faith in
his own star” but Moscow had to be abandoned
and the subsequent retreat was a disaster. Even
the emperor was forced to exchange his famous
bicorn hat in favour of Polish winter clothing but
he occasionally showed flashes of his old genius,
particularly at the Berezina. However, Napoleon
eventually abandoned his own
army to die and took a fast sleigh
back to Paris, blaming everyone
but himself for the disaster.
Napoleon near
Borodino. The
emperor seemed
distracted while the
battle raged nearby,
prompting several
to observe that this
was not the dynamic
man who had made
Europe tremble
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