December 2 -14,1812
(Zhilin "The Patriotic War Of 1812", Moscow,1988;
Beskrovny L.G. "Russian Military Art Of XIX Century", Moscow,1974;
E.V.Tarle, Complete Works, Volume VII., Moscow 1959)
For the participants and witnesses of the Berezina crossing, two memories would last forever: the strategic victory of Napoleon over the Russians when he seemed threatened with total destruction, and the terrible picture of the massacre after the crossing of the Emperor with the Guard and remains of the army on the Western bank of the Berezina.
An episode of the war of 1812
(from the picture by Willewalde)
"That evening the large plain of Veselovskaya was a horrible and unimaginable picture: it was covered with carriages and coaches broken apart and piled on one another; bodies of dead women and children who had followed the French army from Moscow, escaping the troubles of the city, or wishing to follow their countrymen.Russian were to finish the destruction of the enemy - piece by piece. Kutuzov sent Chichagov and Wittgenstein against the Corps of Macdonald and Miloradovich - against the Corps of Renier and Shwarzenberg.
All struck by death in different ways. The fate of these miserable people between two fighting armies was a terrible death: many of them trampled down by horses or heavy carriages, many killed by the hail of bullets and cannon-balls, many of them drowned in the river with the soldiers, many were pierced by the cossack's long lances and left to freeze in the snow. According to a very conservative counting, about ten thousand people were slaughtered."
Kutuzov, himself, with the general forces. would move on to the Vilno that had been left by the Russian troops a half of a year before.
But they had to reach Vilno, and this would not be easy. By the end of 1812 the Russian army was starving: "The privations they suffered on the march from the Berezina to Vilno were terrible. Soldiers and officers too were constantly in need of more food".
Only the cossacks of Ataman Platov, who were able occasionally to capture French transports or find food elsewhere, made it possible for many Russian regiments to survive such conditions. There was no regular supply at all.
"After a march, the old soldiers, in spite of their tiredness, took off their haversacks and went some versts from the camp to find bread, corn and other food for themselves and their comrades". The Guards officers in groups of two or three, "Went as privates to seek food.
These attempts entailed great difficulties": the soldiers and officers, worn out by the terrible frosts, tired out and without food for days, came back with frostbitten hands and feet, and sometimes did not come back at all. They gave their lives in futile attempts to find somewhere a bit of state bread.
The very hard frosts began soon after the Berezina crossing. They had not been severe before, and from time to time alternated with warmer days. But from November,28 began the temperature was about -20 to -23 (-25C to -29C) and even -28 degrees Reamur (-35C) lasted until December,12. Some nights the temperature was -30 degrees Reamur (-37C).
This new disaster finally destroyed the remains of the Napoleonic army.
Dressed poorly, the men just fell down and froze in the snow. The shabby rags of their uniforms and their broken boots could not save them from the terrible frost. The bitter cold annihilated the remainder of the French army quickly. Men worn out by starvation and marching in deep snow froze to death by the thousands.
Even In these disastrous days Marshal Ney could still collect a small group of effective troops and return fire, but it was an exception rather than the rule. And it must be noted that the Russian pursuit was also weakened by the hard frosts.
Segur, who had suffered these times with the French army, said that about 60 thousand crossed the river Berezina with Napoleon and 20 thousands more (from the Corps that were on the flanks) joined them on the right bank, from the river to the village of Molodechno . And from these 80 thousand people, about 40 thousand died on the way to Vilno (1) and many others perished between Vilno and the Niemen. From the Berezina to Molodechno the frost was severe, it was never less than -21 degrees Reamur (-26C), and during the march from Molodechno to Vilno it became worse.
When the French entered Vilno the frost was -27 degrees Reamur (-34C). Segur, who had suffered these times with the French army, said that about 60 thousand crossed the river Berezina with Napoleon and 20 thousands more (from the Corps that were on the flanks) joined them on the right bank, from the river to the village of Molodechno . And from these 80 thousand people, about 40 thousand died on the way to Vilno (1) and many others perished between Vilno and the Niemen. From the Berezina to Molodechno the frost was severe, it was never less than -21 degrees Reamur (-26C), and during the march from Molodechno to Vilno it became worse. When the French entered Vilno the frost was -27 degrees Reamur (-34C).
When Napoleon gathered the Marshals in the village Smorgon and told them of his decision to leave, some of them protested because they thought the Emperor's leaving would finally ruin the army. But, in fact, the army did not exist, so this argument meant nothing. Napoleon did not consider his leaving a flight to save himself and the Marshals agreed: the army was moving to Vilno and Kovno, and Napoleon had traveled 8 days ahead of it (he had left on December,6 and the last line went over the Niemen on December,14). In this 8 days nothing had threatened Napoleon and his presence would not change anything for the better.
On December,9 the first crowds of half-frozen and starving men stumbled into Vilno. They acted like drunks, breaking into and pilfering the storehouses to feed themselves until those who followed them would come and drive them away. The next day, the first Russian detachments arrived at Vilno. General Luason's Corps, partially functioning, tried to defend the city, but from his forces of 15 thousand, 12 thousand had died of cold in the past three days near Vilno. The forces of Bavarian Gerenal Wrede was also very weak.
Marshal Ney took command of the retreat from Vilno to Kovno and the Niemen. Ataman Platov with his cossacks was already in the Vilno suburbs. Ney moved from Vilno to the Niemen, firing back at the pressing cossacks, and was covering the road with the dead bodies of his soldiers. He entered Kovno on the night of December 13th and finally had time to feed his starving and worn out soldiers.
In Vilno and Kovno people did not know about the Napoleonic army defeat till the last days. On December 2nd in Kovno they celebrated Napoleon's crowning anniversary with lights, and on December,6 the inhabitants were told that Napoleon had supposedly won a great victory at the Berezina river. (2)
The story was that the French captured about 9 thousand Russians and 12 artillery guns and this victory was over the Russian Corps of Admiral Chichagov and General Wittgenstein.
"This report was read in the town to the beat of drums, a lot of messages were stuck of the house walls and in the evening the whole town was illuminated" - it was written so in a diary of a Kovno inhabitant (3)
And even when they were surprised to see the starving, half-frozen and unhappy crowd of French soldiers, most of them did not immediately realize that the French army had been utterly defeated. The Vilno and Kovno inhabitants still obeyed Marshal Ney without argument. There were big storehouses in Kovno so the soldiers could fortify themselves when they were in town.
At daybreak on December 14th, there was an exchange of fire with the small Russian detachment that came to Kovno and tried to prevent Marshal Ney from crossing the river Niemen. Some Russians crossed the frozen river to meet the French with fire from the opposite bank, but .Ney was able to push them aside and spent the day preparing for the crossing. He had several thousand men, but there were only no more than 1000 or 1500 still able to fight. Some sources say he had less than 800 effective officers and men.
At 8 p.m. on December 14th, 1812, after crossing all his men to the Prussian bank, Marshal Ney, with his little retinue of officers, finally crossed the Niemen. The Russian campaign was over.
During the second half of December, survived units of Marshal Macdonald and small groups of soldiers lost in the huge forests of Lithuania, continued to come to Prussia. Marshal Murat, to whom Napoleon gave the command when leaving for Paris, and after his departure, Vice-King of Italy, Eugene Beauharnais, had less than 30 thousand men at their disposal. These were all that remained of the Great Army, 420 thousand strong, that had crossed the same Niemen on June 24th, 1812, plus the 150 thousand that joined them afterwards.
On December 10th, Ataman Platov entered Vilno with his cossacks, followed shortly by Prince Kutuzov and his considerable retinue. About the same time the Tsar left St.Peterburg for the army.
For Kutuzov the war with Napoleon finished when Marshal Ney with his few troops crossed the Niemen. But for Alexander the war had just begun.
- Segur. Collection Of Works, Volume II, p.392
- State Public Library (SPL), the department of manuscripts, the archive of K.A.Voensky,I,N295, the file "Kovno in 1812 ", the manuscript "The Diary Of The Events In the Kovno Distict Military School
- The same
