What decision was made in files. Why was the council created in files
When Napoleon was informed about the withdrawal of the Russian army, this message did not prompt him to energetic actions. The emperor was in a state of apathy. In addition, the offensive capabilities of the "Grand Army" were severely undermined: the best parts of the French infantry, which were part of the corps of Davout, Ney and Junot, suffered heavy losses at the Semyonov flushes. The French cavalry suffered particularly heavy losses. Only on August 31 did Napoleon decide to inform Europe about a new "brilliant victory" (the eighteenth bulletin was issued for this). He will exaggerate the scale of his "success", declare that the Russians had a numerical superiority - 170 thousand people (later he will state that he attacked "the Russians, consisting of 250,000, armed to the teeth, and defeated them ..." ). In order to prove his success, Napoleon had to enter Moscow. Ney offered to retreat to Smolensk, replenish the army, strengthen communications. Napoleon also refused Murat's proposal to immediately resume the battle.
It was easier to deceive the European public than the army. The "Great Army" took the battle of Borodino rather as a defeat, many of Napoleon's entourage noted the decline in the spirit of soldiers and officers. It was not possible to defeat the Russian army in a general battle; it retreated to in perfect order, and this threatened new battles in the near future, the losses were terrible.
Kutuzov also did not have the opportunity to immediately go on the offensive, the army was bled dry. He decided to retreat to Moscow and, having received reinforcements, to give a new battle to the enemy. Arriving in Mozhaisk, Kutuzov found no reinforcements, no ammunition, no carts, horses, trench tools, which he requested from the military governor of Moscow, Rostopchin. Kutuzov wrote a letter to the governor, where he expressed extreme surprise at this and reminded that it was "about saving Moscow."
On August 27-28 (September 8-9), 1812, Platov fought a rearguard action. He could not hold out west of Mozhaisk and by the end of the day began to retreat under the pressure of Murat's cavalry. He entrenched himself near the village of Modenova and Kutuzov was forced to reinforce the rearguard with two infantry brigades from the 7th and 24th divisions, three regiments of chasseurs, the rest of the 1st cavalry corps, the 2nd cavalry corps and an artillery company. Kutuzov, dissatisfied with Platov's actions, changed him to Miloradovich, who by that time was the commander of the 2nd Army instead of the retired Bagration.
August 28 (September 9) Kutuzov announced gratitude to all the troops that participated in the battle of Borodino. The order for the army spoke of love for the fatherland, the courage inherent in Russian soldiers, and expressed confidence that "having inflicted a terrible defeat on our enemy, we will give him the final blow with the help of God. For this, our troops are going to meet fresh troops, burning with the same zeal to fight against enemy." On August 28-29, Kutuzov distributed the militia warriors between the troops of the 1st and 2nd armies. D. I. Lobanov-Rostovsky, who, with the beginning Patriotic War In 1812, he was appointed military commander in the territory from Yaroslavl to Voronezh, the commander in chief gave the order to send all the reserves at his disposal to Moscow. A. A. Kleinmikhel was supposed to lead three regiments that were being formed in Moscow. In addition, Kutuzov sent an order to Major General Ushakov in Kaluga for the immediate dispatch of 8 infantry battalions and 12 cavalry squadrons to Moscow.
On August 29, Kutuzov informed Emperor Alexander that the battle had been won, but "extraordinary losses" and injuries to "the most needed generals" were forcing him to retreat along the Moscow road. The commander-in-chief notified the sovereign that he was forced to retreat further, since he had not received reinforcements. Kutuzov expected to increase the army by 40-45 thousand bayonets and sabers. However, he did not know that the emperor, without notifying him, forbade Lobanov-Rostovsky and Kleinmichel to transfer reserves to his disposal until a special order. Even before the start of the battle of Borodino, the emperor ordered Lobanov-Rostovsky to send the regiments formed in Tambov and Voronezh to Voronezh, and Kleinmichel to Rostov, Petrov, Pereyaslavl-Zalessky and Suzdal. In addition, the troops sent from St. Petersburg moved to Pskov and Tver, and not to Moscow. This suggests that Alexander I cared more about the fate of St. Petersburg, and not Moscow. His orders objectively led to the disruption of the defense of the ancient capital of the Russian state. Kutuzov did not know about these orders and made his plans based on the arrival of reserve troops.
On August 28, the main forces of the Russian army made the transition from the village of Zemlino to the village of Krutitsy. The rearguard fought back behind the main forces, the Russian troops fought with the vanguard of Murat. The battle lasted from dawn until 5 pm, when it became known about the successful withdrawal of the army. By August 30, the army had made new transition and stopped for the night at Nikolsky (Bolshaya Vyazema). The rearguard retreated with a fight that day. Kutuzov sent the chief of engineers of the 1st Western Army, Christian Ivanovich Trousson, with a tool for fortification work, outside the village of Mamonova (where Bennigsen chose a position for battle). Kutuzov also sent several letters to Rostopchin, repeating previous requests, the commander-in-chief demanded to immediately send all the guns that are in the Moscow arsenal, ammunition, shovels and axes.
On the same day, Kutuzov received Alexander's rescript dated August 24, where it was said that the regiments of Lobanov-Rostovsky would not be attached to the active army, they would be used to prepare a new recruit set. The emperor promised the supply of recruits as they were trained, and Moscow troops, the number of which was allegedly increased by Rostopchin to 80 thousand people. It was a serious blow to Kutuzov's plans, but he still hoped to defend the city. On August 31, the army received an order to move towards Moscow and stop, take a position three miles from it. Kutuzov informed Miloradovich that near Moscow "there must be a battle that would decide the success of the campaign and the fate of the state."
On September 1 (13), the Russian army approached Moscow and settled in the position chosen by Bennigsen. The right flank of the position rested on the bend of the Moskva River near the village of Fili, the center of the position was in front of the village of Troitskoye, and the left flank adjoined the Sparrow Hills. The length of the position was about 4 km, and its depth was 2 km. The position began to actively prepare for the upcoming battle. But when Barclay de Tolly and some other generals got acquainted with the position, they sharply criticized it. In their opinion, the position was extremely uncomfortable for battle. Kutuzov's determination to give a second battle to Napoleon's "Great Army" was shaken. In addition, news was received about the enemy's detour maneuver - significant French forces were moving towards Ruza and Medyn. The Vintzingerode detachment covering this direction, with the help of three Cossack, one dragoon and several infantry regiments, held back the enemy at Zvenigorod for several hours, then was forced to retreat.
Kutuzov, not being able to separate significant forces from the army to advance towards the enemy corps making a roundabout maneuver, waited for the approach of the promised Moscow militia (Moscow squad). However, Rostopchin sent the militias at his disposal to active army even before the Battle of Borodino, more people he did not have, the governor simply did not notify the commander-in-chief about this.
Council in Fili and leaving Moscow
On September 1 (13), a military council was assembled, which was supposed to decide the fate of Moscow. Minister of War Barclay de Tolly, Chief of the General Staff of the 1st Western Army Yermolov, Quartermaster General Tol, Generals Benningsen, Dokhturov, Uvarov, Osterman-Tolstoy, Konovnitsyn, Raevsky, Kaisarov gathered in Fili. Miloradovich was not at the meeting, because he could not leave the rearguard. Kutuzov raised the question of whether to wait for the enemy in position and give him a battle or give Moscow without a fight. Barclay de Tolly replied that it was impossible to accept the battle in the position where the army was standing, therefore it was necessary to retreat along the road to Nizhny Novgorod, where the southern and northern provinces were connected. The opinion of the commander of the 1st Army was supported by Osterman-Tolstoy, Raevsky and Tol.
General Bennigsen, who chose a position near Moscow, considered it convenient for battle and offered to wait for the enemy and give him a fight. Dokhturov supported his position. Konovnitsyn, Uvarov and Yermolov agreed with Bennigsen's opinion to fight near Moscow, but considered the chosen position unfavorable. They proposed an active battle strategy - to go to the enemy themselves and attack him on the move.
Field Marshal Kutuzov (his Serene Highness on August 30 (September 11) was promoted to field marshal general) summed up the meeting and said that with the loss of Moscow, Russia and his first duty were not lost, to save the army, to connect with reinforcements. He ordered to retreat along the Ryazan road. Kutuzov took full responsibility for this step. Considering the strategic situation and expediency, it was a difficult but sure step. Each new day led to the strengthening of the Russian army and to the weakening of Napoleon's forces.
Alexander was not satisfied with Kutuzov's decision, but he himself did not dare to remove him from the post of commander in chief. He referred the question of leaving Moscow to the Committee of Ministers. However, at the meeting of the Committee of Ministers on September 10 (22), where Kutuzov's report was discussed, none of the ministers raised the question of changing the commander-in-chief. Some generals were also unhappy with Kutuzov's actions. Bennigsen sent a letter to Arakcheev, where he expressed his disagreement with the decision of the commander in chief. He became the center of all intrigues against Kutuzov. Barclay de Tolly believed that the general battle should have been given earlier - at Tsarev-Zaimishch and was sure of victory. And in case of failure, it was necessary to withdraw troops not to Moscow, but to Kaluga. Yermolov also expressed his dissatisfaction. He accused Kutuzov of hypocrisy, believing that "Prince Kutuzov showed his intention, before reaching Moscow, to actually give another battle to save her ... in reality, he did not think about it at all." Yermolov's opinion about Kutuzov's duplicity is popular in the historical literature to this day.
On the night of September 1-2, the French avant-garde was on the outskirts of Moscow. Following him, 10-15 km away, were the main forces of the French army. The Russian rear guard at dawn on September 2 was 10 km from the old capital. At about 9 o'clock, French troops hit Miloradovich's troops and by 12 o'clock pushed him back to Poklonnaya Hill. Miloradovich occupied the line on which the main forces had previously stood. At this time, the Russian army was passing through Moscow. The first column went through the Dorogomilovsky bridge and the city center, the second - through Zamoskvorechye and the Stone bridge. Then both columns headed for the Ryazan outpost. Together with the army, the townspeople left (out of 270 thousand of the city's population, no more than 10-12 thousand people remained), convoys with the wounded - about 25 thousand people were evacuated on five thousand carts (some of the seriously wounded did not manage to be taken out of the city). Kutuzov, through Yermolov, conveyed to Miloradovich an order to hold the enemy by all means until the wounded, convoys and artillery were taken out of Moscow.
The rearguard had difficulty holding back the enemy. Miloradovich was especially worried about the fact that the Winzingerode detachment could not hold the troops of General Beauharnais and the enemy went to the Moscow River and could be in the city earlier than the Russian rearguard. Having received an order from Kutuzov to restrain the enemy, Miloradovich sent an envoy to Murat - the headquarters captain Akinfov. He proposed to the King of the Kingdom of Naples to stop the advance of the French avant-garde for four hours in order to enable the Russian troops and the population to leave the city. Otherwise, Miloradovich promised to lead fighting in the city itself, which could lead to severe destruction and fire. Murat accepted Miloradovich's condition and stopped the offensive. Miloradovich informed Kutuzov about this and suggested that Murat extend the truce until 7 am on September 3. The French agreed to this condition. Apparently, the enemy did not want to destroy the city, where he was going to stop at long time and cause unnecessary irritation among the Russians on the eve of peace (Napoleon was sure that peace negotiations would soon begin). As a result, the Russian army was able to calmly complete the withdrawal.
On September 2 (14), Napoleon arrived at Poklonnaya Gora and looked at the city for a long time through a telescope. Then he gave the order for the troops to enter the city. The French emperor stopped at the Kamer-kollezhsky shaft in anticipation of a delegation of citizens with the keys to Moscow. However, he was soon informed that the city was empty. This greatly surprised the emperor. He perfectly remembered the meetings (similar to a holiday) that were arranged for him in Milan, Vienna, Berlin, Warsaw and other European cities. The deathly silence and the emptiness of the huge city were a sign that foreshadowed the terrible end of the "Great Army".
Before Moscow. Waiting for the deputation of the boyars. Napoleon on Poklonnaya Hill. Vereshchagin (1891-1892).
The French vanguard entered the city at the same time as the Russian rearguard. At the same time, the last units of the main forces of the Russian army were leaving the city. At that moment, people heard several artillery shots in the city. These shots were fired at the gates of the Kremlin on the orders of Murat - a handful of Russian patriots settled in the fortress and fired on the French. The French gunners broke through the gates, the nameless defenders perished. By the end of the day, all city outposts were occupied by the enemy.
Rostopchin and the Russian command did not have time to take out huge stocks of weapons, ammunition and food from the city. We were able to evacuate only a small part. They managed to burn up to half of all the gunpowder and blow up artillery ammunition, the cartridges were drowned in the river. Warehouses with food and fodder were also destroyed (the barges with bread were drowned). Military property was liquidated for a huge amount - 4.8 million rubles. Worst of all, almost all the stocks of weapons that were in the Kremlin arsenal, the arsenal, were left to the enemy. The French got 156 guns, about 40 thousand good guns and other weapons and ammunition. This allowed the French army to replenish the lack of weapons and ammunition that they experienced after the Battle of Borodino.
In Europe, the news of the entry of the "Great Army" into Moscow was perceived as sure sign defeat of the Russian Empire in the war with Napoleonic France. Some of the courtiers began to advocate for peace with Napoleon. In particular, he advocated for peace Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich.
Give a battle near Moscow or leave the city without a fight.
the day before
On the eve of the council, the Russian army deployed to the west of Moscow to give battle to Napoleon. The position was chosen by General Leonty Bennigsen. Despite a severe fever that tormented him for several days, Barclay de Tolly inspected the battlefield on horseback and came to the conclusion that the position was disastrous for the Russian army. After him, A.P. Ermolov and K.F. Tol came to the same conclusions after driving through the location of the Russian troops. In the light of these reports, Kutuzov faced the question of the need to continue the retreat and surrender of Moscow (or give battle right on the streets of the city).
The council was attended by generals M. B. Barclay de Tolly, L. L. Bennigsen, D. S. Dokhturov, A. P. Ermolov, P. P. Konovnitsyn, A. I. Osterman-Tolstoy, who was delayed on the way, strongly N. N. Raevsky, K. F. Tol, F. P. Uvarov, who was late, and also General P. S. Kaisarov, who was on duty that day. There was no protocol. The main sources of information about the council are the memoirs of Raevsky and Yermolov, as well as a letter from N. M. Longinov to S. R. Vorontsov in London.
Bennigsen, who opened the meeting, formulated a dilemma - to fight in an unfavorable position or to surrender the ancient capital to the enemy. Kutuzov corrected him that this was not about saving Moscow, but about saving the army, since one could count on victory only if a combat-ready army was preserved. Barclay de Tolly proposed to retreat to the Vladimirsky tract and further to Nizhny Novgorod, so that in the event of Napoleon's turn to Petersburg, he could block his path.
In his speech, Bennigsen announced that the retreat made senseless bloodshed in the Battle of Borodino. The surrender of the sacred city for the Russians will undermine the morale of the soldiers. Purely material losses from the ruin of noble estates will also be great. Despite the onset of darkness, he offered to regroup and attack the Grand Army without delay. Bennigsen's proposal was supported by Yermolov, Konovnitsyn, Uvarov and Dokhturov.
Barclay de Tolly was the first to speak in the debate, criticizing the position near Moscow and proposing to retreat: “Having saved Moscow, Russia is not saved from the war, cruel, ruinous. But having saved the army, the hopes of the Fatherland are not yet destroyed, and the war ... can continue with convenience: they will have time to join different places troops being prepared for Moscow.
Osterman-Tolstoy, Raevsky and Tol spoke out for the fact that Russia is not in Moscow. The latter pointed out that the army, exhausted by the battle of Borodino, was not ready for a new battle of the same scale, especially since many commanders were disabled by wounds. At the same time, the retreat of the army through the streets of Moscow will make a painful impression on the townspeople. To this, Kutuzov objected that "the French army will dissolve in Moscow, like a sponge in water," and suggested retreating to the Ryazan road.
Based on the opinion of a minority of those present, Kutuzov decided, without giving battle in an unsuccessful position, to leave Moscow (for, according to him, repeating Barclay de Tolly, “Russia is not lost yet with the loss of Moscow”) in order to save the army to continue the war , and at the same time get closer to suitable reserves. This decision required a certain courage, since the measure of responsibility for the surrender of the historical capital to the enemy was very large and could result in the resignation of the commander in chief. No one could predict how this decision would be received at court.
At the end of the council, Kutuzov summoned General Quartermaster D.S. Lansky and instructed him to ensure the delivery of food to the Ryazan road. At night, Kutuzov's adjutant heard him crying. The army, which was preparing for battle, was ordered to retreat, which caused general bewilderment and murmuring. The retreat through the city was carried out at night. The decision to retreat also took the Moscow authorities, headed by Count Rostopchin, by surprise.
After two day marches, the Russian army turned off the Ryazan road to Podolsk onto the old Kaluga road, and from there onto the new Kaluga road. Since part of the Cossacks continued to retreat to Ryazan, the French scouts were disoriented and Napoleon had no idea about the whereabouts of the Russian troops for 9 days.
In the tradition of Tolstoy and Kivshenko, the council is depicted in S. Bondarchuk's epic War and Peace (1967). For reasons of economy of timekeeping, among all the participants in the council in the film, only Kutuzov and Bennigsen were given the floor (moreover, the latter on the movie screen speaks in Russian, which he actually did not own).
The hut of the peasant Mikhail Frolov (often erroneously called Andrei Sevastyanovich Frolov or, following L. Tolstoy, Andrei Sevastyanov), in which the council took place, burned down in 1868, but was restored in 1887, since 1962 - a branch of the Borodino Panorama Museum . The original appearance of the hut is known for certain thanks to a number of sketches made in the 1860s. A. K. Savrasov.
At the end of the letter, she informed him that one of these days she would come to St. Petersburg from abroad.Following the letter, one of the Masonic brothers, less respected by him, burst into Pierre’s solitude and, turning the conversation on Pierre’s marital relations, in the form of fraternal advice, expressed to him the idea that his strictness towards his wife was unfair, and that Pierre deviates from the first rules of the Mason. not forgiving the penitent.
At the same time, his mother-in-law, the wife of Prince Vasily, sent for him, begging him to visit her at least for a few minutes to negotiate a very important matter. Pierre saw that there was a conspiracy against him, that they wanted to unite him with his wife, and this was not even unpleasant for him in the state in which he was. He did not care: Pierre did not consider anything in life a matter of great importance, and under the influence of the anguish that now took possession of him, he did not value either his freedom or his persistence in punishing his wife.
"No one is right, no one is to blame, so she is not to blame either," he thought. - If Pierre did not immediately express his consent to union with his wife, it was only because in the state of anguish in which he was, he was not able to do anything. If his wife came to him, he would not drive her away now. Was it not all the same, in comparison with what occupied Pierre, to live or not to live with his wife?
Without answering anything to his wife or mother-in-law, Pierre once got ready for the road late in the evening and left for Moscow to see Iosif Alekseevich. Here is what Pierre wrote in his diary.
Moscow, November 17th.
I have just arrived from a benefactor, and I hasten to write down everything that I experienced at the same time. Iosif Alekseevich lives in poverty and suffers for the third year from a painful bladder disease. No one ever heard from him a groan, or a word of grumbling. From morning until late at night, with the exception of the hours in which he eats the simplest food, he works on science. He received me graciously and sat me down on the bed on which he was lying; I made him the sign of the knights of the East and Jerusalem, he answered me the same, and with a meek smile asked me about what I had learned and acquired in the Prussian and Scottish lodges. I told him everything as well as I could, conveying the grounds that I offered in our St. Petersburg box and reported on the bad reception that had been given to me, and about the break that had occurred between me and the brothers. Iosif Alekseevich, after a considerable pause and thought, presented to me his view of all this, which instantly illuminated for me everything that had passed and the whole future path that lay before me. He surprised me by asking me if I remember what the threefold purpose of the order is: 1) to keep and know the sacrament; 2) in the purification and correction of oneself for the perception of it, and 3) in the correction of the human race through the desire for such purification. What is the main and first goal of these three? Certainly own correction and purification. Only towards this goal can we always strive, regardless of all circumstances. But at the same time, this is the goal that requires the most labor from us, and therefore, deluded by pride, we, missing this goal, either take on the sacrament that we are unworthy to receive because of our impurity, or take on the correction of the human race, when we ourselves are an example of abomination and depravity. Illuminism is not a pure doctrine precisely because it has become carried away social activities and full of pride. On this basis, Iosif Alekseevich condemned my speech and all my activities. I agreed with him in the depths of my soul. On the occasion of our conversation about my family affairs, he said to me: - The main duty of a true Mason, as I told you, is to perfect himself. But often we think that by removing all the difficulties of our life from ourselves, we will more quickly achieve this goal; on the contrary, my lord, he told me, only in the midst of secular unrest can we achieve three main goals: 1) self-knowledge, for a person can know himself only through comparison, 2) improvement, only by struggle is it achieved, and 3) achieve the main virtue - love for death. Only the vicissitudes of life can show us the futility of it and can contribute to our innate love for death or rebirth into a new life. These words are all the more remarkable because Iosif Alekseevich, despite his severe physical suffering, is never burdened by life, but loves death, to which he, despite all the purity and loftiness of his inner man doesn't feel ready enough yet. Then the benefactor fully explained to me the meaning of the great square of the universe and pointed out that the triple and the seventh number are the foundation of everything. He advised me not to distance myself from communication with the St. Petersburg brothers and, occupying only positions of the 2nd degree in the lodge, to try, distracting the brothers from the hobbies of pride, to turn them to the true path of self-knowledge and improvement. In addition, for himself personally, he advised me first of all to take care of myself, and for this purpose he gave me a notebook, the same one in which I write and will continue to enter all my actions.
Petersburg, November 23rd.
“I live with my wife again. My mother-in-law came to me in tears and said that Helen was here and that she begged me to listen to her, that she was innocent, that she was unhappy at my abandonment, and much more. I knew that if I only allowed myself to see her, I would no longer be able to refuse her desire. In my doubt, I did not know whose help and advice to resort to. If the benefactor were here, he would tell me. I retired to my room, reread the letters of Joseph Alekseevich, remembered my conversations with him, and from everything I deduced that I should not refuse the one who asks and should give a helping hand to anyone, especially a person so connected with me, and should bear my cross. But if I forgave her for the sake of virtue, then let my union with her have one spiritual goal. So I decided and so I wrote to Joseph Alekseevich. I told my wife that I ask her to forget everything old, I ask her to forgive me what I could be guilty of before her, and that I have nothing to forgive her. I was glad to tell her this. Let her not know how hard it was for me to see her again. Settled in a large house in the upper chambers and experiencing a happy feeling of renewal.
As always, even then, high society, uniting together at court and at big balls, was divided into several circles, each with its own shade. Among them, the most extensive was the French circle, the Napoleonic Union - Count Rumyantsev and Caulaincourt "a. In this circle, Helen occupied one of the most prominent places as soon as she and her husband settled in St. Petersburg. She visited the gentlemen of the French embassy and a large number of people known for their intelligence and courtesy, who belonged to this direction.
Helen was in Erfurt during the famous meeting of the emperors, and from there she brought these connections with all the Napoleonic sights of Europe. In Erfurt, she had a brilliant success. Napoleon himself, noticing her in the theater, said about her: "C" est un superbe animal. "[This is a beautiful animal.] Her success as a beautiful and elegant woman did not surprise Pierre, because over the years she became even more beautiful than before But what surprised him was that in these two years his wife managed to acquire a reputation for herself
After the battle of Borodino, the Russian army retreated to Moscow on September 1 due to heavy losses, encamped: the right flank in front of the village of Fili, the center between the villages of Troitsky and Volynsky, and the left flank in front of the village of Vorobyov; the rearguard of the army at the village of Setun.
In the village of Fili at four o'clock in the afternoon, His Serene Highness Prince M. I. Kutuzov appointed Military council. The council was held in the new, thatched hut of the Frolovs. In the hut near the stove there was a camp bed of the commander-in-chief. Thick oak benches stood along the walls and an equally solid oak table in the red corner. He, like a tablecloth, was covered with a map.
The commander-in-chief was sitting on a bench under icons. The generals were seated on both sides of the table. At the military council, the fate of Moscow was to be decided: whether to give a battle near Moscow or leave the city without a fight. The council of war went on for a long time...
The council was held in secrecy, without keeping minutes, so the number of participants is unknown (from 10 to 15 people). It is precisely established that M. I. Kutuzov, M. B. Barclay de Tolly, L. L. Bennigsen, D. S. Dokhturov, A. P. Ermolov, N. N. Raevsky, P. P. Konovnitsyn were present , A. I. Osterman-Tolstoy, K. F. Tol. Based on the testimonies of participants in the Patriotic War of 1813, it can be assumed that M. I. Platov, K. F. Baggovut, F. P. Uvarov, P. S. Kaisarov, V. S. Lanskoy were also present at the council.
There was no unanimity among the military leaders gathered at the council. General M. B. Barclay de Tolly substantiated the point of view on the need to leave Moscow to save the army. His opponent was L. L. Bennigsen, who insisted on fighting to defend Moscow in order to avoid a negative moral impact on the army and society. Some of the generals were inclined to think of a counter attack against Napoleon's army, but this idea, after criticism, did not receive support. Raevsky was for retreat. He said: “Save the army, leave the capital without a fight. I speak as a soldier, not a diplomat: we must retreat!” Karl Fedorovich Baggovut also spoke in favor of retreat. Thus, in addition to Bennigsen, Dokhturov, Konovnitsyn, Uvarov, Platov, Yermolov spoke in favor of fighting. The opposite point of view was supported by Barclay de Tolly, Raevsky, Osterman, Tol and Baggovut.
The final decision was made by M. I. Kutuzov. Mikhail Illarionovich patiently listened to everyone, and then stood up and said: “With the loss of Moscow, Russia has not yet been lost. I make it my first duty to preserve the army, to get closer to those troops that go to reinforce it, and by the very concession of Moscow to prepare for the inevitable death of the enemy. Therefore, I intend, after passing through Moscow, to retreat along the Ryazan road. Gentlemen, I see that I have to pay for everything. I sacrifice myself for the good of the fatherland. As the commander-in-chief - I order: to retreat!
The hut of the peasant A. Frolov, in which the council took place, burned down in 1868, but was restored in 1887, since 1962 it has become a branch of the panorama museum " Battle of Borodino.
red corner
The most honorable place in the hut, in which icons were hung and there was a table. Icons were identified with the altar Orthodox church, and the table - with the church throne. In the shrine, in addition to icons, they kept a vessel with Epiphany water, thunderous candles, twigs of consecrated willow, and an Easter egg. Entering the hut, the person first of all was baptized on the icons in the red corner, and then greeted the owners. The most honored guests were seated in the red corner.
3Fili
At the time of the events depicted in the picture, Fili belonged to the Naryshkins. In 1870, the Moscow-Brest Railway and the station was built. AT late XIX century, the village already closely adjoined Moscow. Most of the population was engaged in horticulture and horticulture, oriented to marketing in the city. Today it is a district of Moscow.
3Kutuzov's solution
Kutuzov decided not to fight in an unsuccessful position, to leave Moscow in order to save the army to continue the war, and at the same time get closer to suitable reserves. This decision required a certain courage, since the measure of responsibility for the surrender of the historical capital to the enemy was very large and could result in the resignation of the commander in chief. No one could predict how this decision would be received at court.
3Surrender Moscow
Barclay de Tolly suggested retreating: “Having saved Moscow, Russia is not saved from the war, cruel, ruinous. But having saved the army, the hopes of the Fatherland are not yet destroyed, and the war ... can continue with convenience: the prepared troops will have time to join in different places beyond Moscow. He was supported by Osterman-Tolstoy, Raevsky and Tol.
3Offer to fight
Bennigsen argued that the retreat made senseless bloodshed in the Battle of Borodino. The surrender of Moscow will undermine the morale of the soldiers. There will also be great material losses from the ruin of noble estates. Despite the onset of darkness, he offered to regroup and attack the French without delay. Bennigsen's proposal was supported by Yermolov, Konovnitsyn, Uvarov and Dokhturov.
3Leonty Bennigsen
Count of the Russian Empire (since 1813), cavalry general in Russian service, who became famous as the commander of the Russian army in the battle of Preussisch-Eylau against Napoleon. The general battle was the first that Napoleon did not win, which was highly appreciated by his contemporaries.
3Alexey Ermolov
Russian military leader and statesman, a participant in many major wars that Russian empire led from the 1790s to the 1820s. General of Infantry (1818) and General of Artillery (1837). Commander-in-Chief at the first stage of the Caucasian War (until 1827).
3Petr Konovnitsyn
Military and statesman: infantry general, minister of war, member of the State Council, Committee of Ministers, Senate. Hero of the Patriotic War of 1812.
3Alexander Osterman-Tolstoy
General from infantry (1817), hero of the Patriotic War of 1812.
3Nikolay Raevsky
Russian commander, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, cavalry general (1813). For thirty years of impeccable service, he participated in many of the largest battles of the era. After the feat near Saltanovka, he became one of the most popular generals of the Russian army. The struggle for the Raevsky battery was one of the key episodes of the Battle of Borodino. Member of the "Battle of the Nations" and the capture of Paris. Member of the State Council. He was closely acquainted with many Decembrists. A.S. was proud of his friendship with Raevsky. Pushkin.
3Karl Toll
Russian general from infantry (1826), participant in the wars with Napoleon and the council in Fili, quartermaster general during the Patriotic War of 1812, since 1833 - chief manager of communications and public buildings.
3Paisiy Kaisarov
Russian general of the era of the Napoleonic wars, general of infantry.
3Fedor Uvarov
Favorite adjutant of Alexander I, a participant in many battles of the Napoleonic Wars, the first chief of the Cavalier Guard Regiment.
3Dmitry Dokhturov
Russian military leader, infantry general (1810). During the Patriotic War of 1812, he commanded the 6th Infantry Corps, led the defense of Smolensk from the French. Near Borodino, he commanded first the center of the Russian army, and then the left wing.
3Michael Barclay de Tolly
An outstanding Russian commander, Minister of War, Field Marshal General (since 1814), prince (since 1815), hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, full cavalier of the Order of St. George. commanded the entire Russian army initial stage Patriotic War of 1812, after which he was replaced by Kutuzov. In the history of military art, according to Western authors, he entered as the architect of the strategy and tactics of "scorched earth" - cutting off the main enemy troops from the rear, depriving them of supplies and organizing a guerrilla war in their rear.
3Mikhail Kutuzov
Russian Field Marshal from the Golenishchev-Kutuzov family, commander-in-chief during the Patriotic War of 1812. The first full knight of the Order of St. George.
3Military Council in Fili. Alexey Kivshenko, 1880
The Council was convened on September 1 (13), 1812, during the Patriotic War, by Commander-in-Chief M. I. Kutuzov in the village of Fili, west of Moscow. The question of whether to give the French a battle near Moscow or leave the city without a fight was submitted for consideration. There was no protocol. The main sources of information about the council are the memoirs of Raevsky and Yermolov.
Loading...
