The
Battle of
Borodino: French Reports
By Alexander Mikaberidze
General Joseph Poniatowski to Alexander Berthier. 7 September 1812, 10:00
p.m., on the battlefield
My Lord, I have the honor to apprise Your Most Serene Highness of today's
activities. At five in the morning, the 5th Corps started its movement around
the woods. We reached the old road from Smolensk to Moscow and followed this
road and at the debouch of the woods, in the plain, we saw a strong column
of infantry near the village of Passarevo. I had deployed a battery of 6-
and 12- pounders on a knoll on the left of the road- and after striking upon
the column for some time, I had my infantry quickly advance and with brisk
force seized the village of Passarevo, and in a second attack the small wood
that is before the village.
The countryside is full of woods and thickets, from the
small wood to the top of the knoll which dominates the whole plain and which
was strongly occupied by the enemy. I dispatched three battalions in extended
order into the brushes that were full of a great number of Russian chasseurs
on foot. A lively fusillade was at once engaged as well as a very strong
cannonade, which lasted until noon. I gave orders to also take the knoll
in an assault. The first battalions, with great efforts, were able to surround
it; but even though they were supported by other battalions, it became impossible
for them to sustain their efforts against a force infinitely superior. We
were repulsed from the knoll, but we managed to maintain position in the
underwood according to the order given by His Majesty, and I had my batteries
continue to strike the summit of the knoll where the enemy had 12 large-calibre
pieces.
We remained in that position until two o'clock in the afternoon when, noticing
we were making considerable progress on the centre, I ordered another attack
to be done on the knoll, supported by the cavalry which arrived by the back
of the knoll at almost the same time as the infantry, and we were able to
establish ourselves there. The enemy made some efforts to recapture it; not
only was it brusquely repulsed but I vigorously pursued it with some infantry,
cavalry and mounted artillery as far as one league or more. The cavalry made
several charges on the infantry, which suffered great losses. We took very
few prisoners because the cavalry sabred everything that came its way after
it had received several rounds. We only took one caisson containing munitions
for 12-pounders, and a number of charged howitzers. The prisoners we took
will be sent to the headquarters tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, I have the honour to send to Your Most Serene Highness an officer
who has just abandoned the Russian flags, desiring, as a Pole, to serve his
country. He is in a good position to give us some very good information.
According to what he has told me, it would appear that today the 5th Corps
saw in front of it the army corps of Tutshkov [Tuchkov], composed of the
grenadier division of Stroganov, named the second guard, and the division
of Kanowitzin [Konovnitsyn], more than two battalions of grenadiers in reserve,
two regiments of militia, one regiment of uhlans and one of hussars.
I cannot but applaud the happy result that I owe to the bravery and the
zeal of the generals, officers and the troops. Before I can inform Your Most
Serene Highness of the names of those who distinguished themselves, I would
like to recommend to Your Most Serene Highness General Sebastiani, whose
great advice helped me as much in the dispositions as did his vigorous action
in the execution.
Tomorrow I will have the honour to transmit to Your Most Serene Highness
the roll call with the exact loss suffered by the 5th Corps. The loss of
the enemy has been extremely considerable, as witnessed by the battlefield
and the declaration of the officer previously mentioned.
I await the orders of Your Most Serene Highness, and have the honour to
be, etc.
The general commanding the 5th Corps
[Signed] Joseph, Prince Poniatowski
[I would like to express my gratitude to J. David Markham for granting me
permission to use translations of battle reports from his book Imperial
Glory: The Bulletins of Napoleon’s Grand Armée, 1805-1814 (London:
Greenhill Books, 2003).]
Placed on the Napoleon Series: April 2008
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