While the Napoleonic troops are relaxing with drunkenness and robbery in Moscow, and the regular Russian army is retreating, making cunning maneuvers that will then allow it to rest, gather strength, significantly replenish its composition and defeat the enemy, let's talk about cudgel of the people's war, as we like to call the partisan movement of 1812 with the light hand of Leo Tolstoy.
Partisans of the Denisov detachment
Illustration for Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace
Andrey NIKOLAEV
Firstly, I would like to say that this cudgel has a very remote relation to guerrilla warfare in the form in which it existed. Namely, army partisan detachments of regular military units and Cossacks, created in the Russian army to operate in the rear and on enemy communications. Secondly, reading even in Lately various materials, not to mention Soviet sources, one often encounters the idea that supposedly ideological inspirer and their organizer was exclusively Denis Davydov, the famous poet and partisan of that time, who was the first to come out with a proposal to create detachments, like the spanish guerilla, through Prince Bagration to Field Marshal Kutuzov before the Battle of Borodino. I must say that the dashing hussar himself put a lot of effort into this legend. Happens...
Portrait of Denis Davydov
Yuri IVANOV
In fact, the first partisan detachment in this war was created near Smolensk by order of the same Mikhail Bogdanovich Barclay de Tolly, even before Kutuzov was appointed commander in chief. By the time Davydov turned to Bagration with a request to allow the creation of an army partisan detachment, Major General Ferdinand Fedorovich Wintzingerode (commander of the first partisan detachment) was already in full swing and successfully smashing the rear of the French. The detachment occupied the cities of Surazh, Velez, Usvyat, constantly threatened the suburbs of Vitebsk, which caused Napoleon to send the Italian division of General Pino to the aid of the Vitebsk garrison. As usual, we have forgotten the affairs of these "Germans" ...
Portrait of General Baron Ferdinand Fedorovich Wintzingerode
Unknown artist
After Borodino, in addition to Davydov's (by the way, the smallest detachment), several more were created that began active fighting after leaving Moscow. Some detachments consisted of several regiments and could independently solve major combat missions, for example, the detachment of Major General Ivan Semenovich Dorokhov, which included dragoon, hussar and 3 cavalry regiments. Large detachments were commanded by colonels Vadbolsky, Efremov, Kudashev, captains Seslavin, Figner and others. Many glorious officers fought in partisan detachments, including future satraps(as they were previously presented to us) Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf, Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev.
Portraits of Ivan Semenovich Dorokhov and Ivan Efremovich Efremov
George Dow Unknown artist
At the beginning of October 1812, it was decided to surround the Napoleonic army with a ring of army partisan detachments, with a clear action plan and a specific area of \u200b\u200bdeployment for each of them. So, Davydov's detachment was ordered to function between Smolensk and Gzhatsk, Major General Dorokhov - between Gzhatsk and Mozhaisk, Staff Captain Figner - between Mozhaisk and Moscow. In the Mozhaisk area there were also detachments of Colonel Vadbolsky and Colonel Chernozubov.
Portraits of Nikolai Danilovich Kudashev and Ivan Mikhailovich Vadbolsky
George Doe
Between Borovsk and Moscow, the detachments of Captain Seslavin and Lieutenant Fonvizin attacked the enemy's communications. To the north of Moscow, a group of detachments under the general command of General Winzingerode conducted an armed struggle. On the Ryazan road, a detachment of Colonel Efremov operated, on Serpukhovskaya - Colonel Kudashev, on Kashirskaya - Major Lesovsky. The main advantage of partisan detachments was their mobility, surprise and swiftness. They never stood in one place, they constantly moved around, and no one except the commander knew in advance when and where the detachment would go. If necessary, several detachments were temporarily united for large-scale operations.
Portraits of Alexander Samoilovich Figner and Alexander Nikitich Seslavin
Yuri IVANOV
Without detracting from the exploits of the detachment of Denis Davydov and himself, it must be said that many commanders were offended by the memoirist after the publication of his military notes, in which he often exaggerated his own merits and forgot to mention his comrades. To which Davydov simply replied: Fortunately, there is something to say about yourself, why not talk? And it's true, the organizers, Generals Barclay de Tolly and Winzingerode, passed away one after another in 1818, what to remember about them ... And written in a fascinating juicy language, the works of Denis Vasilyevich were very popular in Russia. True, Alexander Bestuzhev-Marlinsky wrote to Xenophon Polevoy in 1832: Between us, be it said, he wrote out more than cut himself the glory of a brave man.
A memoirist, and even more so a poet, and even a hussar, well, how can we do without fantasies :) So let's forgive him these little pranks? ..
Denis Davydov at the head of the partisans in the vicinity of Lyakhovo
A. TELENIK
Portrait of Denis Davydov
Alexander ORLOVSKY
In addition to partisan detachments, there was also the so-called people's war, which was conducted by spontaneously created self-defense units of the villagers and the significance of which, in my opinion, is greatly exaggerated. And it is already teeming with myths ... Now, they say, they concocted a film about the old man Vasilisa Kozhina, whose very existence is still disputed, and nothing can be said about her exploits.
But oddly enough, the same “German” Barclay de Tolly had a hand in this movement, who back in July, without waiting for instructions from above, turned through the Smolensk governor, Baron Casimir Asch, to the inhabitants of Pskov, Smolensk and Kaluga regions with an invocation:
The inhabitants of Pskov, Smolensk and Kaluga! Listen to the voice that calls you to your own comfort, to your own safety. Our irreconcilable enemy, having undertaken a greedy intention against us, fed himself hitherto with the hope that his impudence alone would be enough to frighten us, to triumph over us. But our two brave armies, stopping the daring flight of his violence, with their breasts resisted him on our ancient borders ... Avoiding a decisive battle, ... his robber gangs, attacking unarmed villagers, tyrannize over them with all the cruelty of barbarian times: they rob and burn their houses; they desecrate the temples of God... But many of the inhabitants of the province of Smolensk have already awakened from their fear. They, armed in their homes, with courage worthy of the name of the Russian, punish the villains without any mercy. Imitate them all who love themselves, the fatherland and the sovereign!
Of course, the inhabitants and the peasants behaved differently in the territories left by the Russians. When approaching French army, they went away from home or into the woods. But often, first of all, some people ruined the estates of their tyrannical landowners (we must not forget that the peasants were serfs), robbed, set fire to, ran away in the hope that the French would come now and free them (the land was full of rumors about Napoleon’s intentions to rid the peasants of serfdom ).
Destruction of the landowner's estate. Patriotic War of 1812
The looting of the landowner's estate by the peasants after the retreat of the Russian troops before Napoleon's army
V.N. KURDYUMOV
During the retreat of our troops and the entry of the French into Russia, the landlord peasants often rose up against their masters, divided the master's estate, even tore up and burned houses, killed landowners and managers- in a word, they smashed the estates. The passing troops joined the peasants and, in turn, carried out the robbery. Our picture depicts an episode from such a joint robbery of the civilian population with the military. The action takes place in one of the rich landowners' estates. The owner himself is no longer there, and the remaining clerk was seized so that he would not interfere. The furniture was taken out into the garden and broken. The statues decorating the garden are broken; crushed flowers. There is also a barrel of wine lying around with the bottom knocked out. The wine spilled. Everyone takes whatever they want. And unnecessary things are thrown away and destroyed. A cavalryman on a horse stands and calmly looks at this picture of destruction.(original caption for illustration)
Partisans of 1812.
Boris ZVORYKIN
Where the landowners behaved like human beings, the peasants and yard people armed themselves with what they could, sometimes under the leadership of the owners themselves, attacked the French detachments, carts and rebuffed them. Some detachments were led by Russian soldiers who fell behind their units due to illness, injury, captivity and subsequent flight from it. So the audience was diverse.
Homeland Defenders
Alexander APSIT
Scouts Scouts
Alexander APSIT
It is also impossible to say that these detachments acted on a permanent basis. They organized for as long as the enemy was on their territory, and then disbanded, all for the same reason that the peasants were serfs. Indeed, even from the militias created at the behest of the emperor, runaway peasants were escorted home and subjected to trial. So the detachment of Kurin, whose exploits were sung by Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, lasted 10 days - from October 5 to October 14, until the French were in Bogorodsk district, and then was disbanded. Yes, and not the entire Russian people participated in the people's war, but only the inhabitants of several provinces where hostilities took place, or adjacent to them.
French guards under the escort of grandmother Spiridonovna
Alexey VENETSIANOV, 1813
I started this whole conversation in order, firstly, to understand that our cudgel of the people's war could not stand any comparison with the Spanish-Portuguese guerilla (you can read a little about this), which we allegedly looked up to, and, secondly, to once again show that the Patriotic War was won primarily thanks to the actions of our commanders, generals, officers , soldier. And the emperor. And not by the forces of the Gerasimov Kurins, the mythical lieutenants Rzhevskys, Vasilis Kozhins and other entertaining characters ... Although they could not do without them ... And more specifically, we will talk more about the guerrilla war ahead ...
And finally, today's picture:
Archpriest of the Cavalier Guard Regiment Gratinsky, serving a prayer service in the parish church of St. Euplas, in Moscow, in the presence of the French on September 27, 1812.
Engraving from a drawing by an unknown artist
... Wishing to create a more favorable attitude towards himself among the population, Napoleon ordered not to interfere with the celebration of worship in churches; but this was possible only in a few temples that were not touched by the enemy. From September 15, divine services were regularly performed in the church of Archdeacon Evpla (on Myasnitskaya); divine services were performed daily in the church of Kharitonius in Ogorodniki. The first evangelism in the church of Peter and Paul on Yakimanka made a particularly deep impression in Zamoskorechye...(w-l Tourist's companion No. 3, published for the centenary of the war of 1812)
The unsuccessful start of the war and the retreat of the Russian army deep into its territory showed that the enemy could hardly be defeated by the forces of regular troops alone. This required the efforts of the whole people. In the overwhelming majority of the areas occupied by the enemy, he perceived the "Great Army" not as his liberator from serfdom, but as an enslaver. The next invasion of "foreigners" was perceived by the overwhelming majority of the population as an invasion, which had the goal of eradicating the Orthodox faith and establishing godlessness.
Speaking about the partisan movement in the war of 1812, it should be clarified that the actual partisans were temporary detachments of regular military units and Cossacks, purposefully and in an organized manner created by the Russian command for operations in the rear and on enemy communications. And to describe the actions of the spontaneously created self-defense units of the villagers, the term "people's war" was introduced. That's why popular movement in the Patriotic War of 1812 is integral part more common theme"The People in the War of the Twelfth Year".
Some authors associate the beginning of the partisan movement in 1812 with the manifesto of July 6, 1812, as if allowing the peasants to take up arms and actively join the struggle. In reality, things were somewhat different.
Even before the start of the war, the lieutenant colonel drew up a note on the conduct of an active guerrilla war. In 1811, the work of the Prussian colonel Valentini "Small War" was published in Russian. However, in the Russian army they looked at the partisans with a significant degree of skepticism, seeing in the partisan movement "a pernicious system of divisive action of the army."
People's War
With the invasion of the Napoleonic hordes, the locals initially simply left the villages and went to forests and areas remote from hostilities. Later, retreating through the Smolensk lands, the commander of the Russian 1st Western Army called on his compatriots to take up arms against the invaders. His proclamation, which was obviously based on the work of the Prussian colonel Valentini, indicated how to act against the enemy and how to wage guerrilla warfare.
It arose spontaneously and was a speech by small scattered detachments of local residents and soldiers lagging behind their units against the predatory actions of the rear units of the Napoleonic army. Trying to protect their property and food supplies, the population was forced to resort to self-defense. According to memoirs, “in every village the gates were locked; with them stood old and young with pitchforks, stakes, axes, and some of them with firearms.
The French foragers sent to the countryside for food faced not only passive resistance. In the region of Vitebsk, Orsha, Mogilev, detachments of peasants made frequent day and night raids on enemy carts, destroyed his foragers, and captured French soldiers.
Later, the Smolensk province was also plundered. Some researchers believe that it was from this moment that the war became domestic for the Russian people. Here the popular resistance also gained the widest scope. It began in Krasnensky, Porechsky districts, and then in Belsky, Sychevsky, Roslavl, Gzhatsky and Vyazemsky counties. At first, before the appeal of M.B. Barclay de Tolly, the peasants were afraid to arm themselves, fearing that they would then be held accountable. However, this process has since intensified.
Partisans in the Patriotic War of 1812
Unknown artist. 1st quarter XIX V.
In the city of Bely and Belsky district, peasant detachments attacked parties of the French that made their way to them, destroyed them or took them prisoner. The leaders of the Sychevsk detachments, police officer Boguslavsky and retired major Yemelyanov, armed their villagers with guns taken from the French, established proper order and discipline. Sychevsk partisans attacked the enemy 15 times in two weeks (from August 18 to September 1). During this time, they destroyed 572 soldiers and captured 325 people.
Residents of the Roslavl district created several peasant detachments on horseback and on foot, arming the villagers with pikes, sabers and guns. They not only defended their county from the enemy, but also attacked marauders who made their way to the neighboring Yelnensky county. Many peasant detachments operated in the Yukhnovsky district. Organizing defense along the river. Ugra, they blocked the path of the enemy in Kaluga, provided significant assistance to the army partisan detachment D.V. Davydov.
In the Gzhatsk district, another detachment was also active, created from peasants, headed by an ordinary Kyiv Dragoon Regiment. The detachment of Chetvertakov began not only to protect the villages from marauders, but to attack the enemy, inflicting significant losses on him. As a result, in the entire space of 35 versts from the Gzhatskaya pier, the lands were not devastated, despite the fact that all the surrounding villages lay in ruins. For this feat, the inhabitants of those places "with sensitive gratitude" called Chetvertakov "the savior of that side."
Private Eremenko did the same. With the help of the landowner Michulovo, by the name of Krechetov, he also organized a peasant detachment, with which on October 30 he exterminated 47 people from the enemy.
The actions of the peasant detachments were especially intensified during the stay of the Russian army in Tarutino. At this time, they widely deployed the front of the struggle in the Smolensk, Moscow, Ryazan and Kaluga provinces.
Fight Mozhaisk peasants with French soldiers during and after the Battle of Borodino. Colorized engraving by an unknown author. 1830s
In the Zvenigorod district, peasant detachments destroyed and captured more than 2 thousand French soldiers. Here the detachments became famous, the leaders of which were the volost head Ivan Andreev and the centurion Pavel Ivanov. In the Volokolamsk district, such detachments were led by retired non-commissioned officer Novikov and private Nemchinov, volost head Mikhail Fedorov, peasants Akim Fedorov, Filipp Mikhailov, Kuzma Kuzmin and Gerasim Semenov. In the Bronnitsky district of the Moscow province, peasant detachments united up to 2 thousand people. History has preserved for us the names of the most distinguished peasants from the Bronnitsky district: Mikhail Andreev, Vasily Kirillov, Sidor Timofeev, Yakov Kondratiev, Vladimir Afanasyev.
Don't shut up! Let me come! Artist V.V. Vereshchagin. 1887-1895
The largest peasant detachment in the Moscow region was a detachment of Bogorodsk partisans. In one of the first publications in 1813 about the formation of this detachment, it was written that “the economic volosts of Vokhnovskaya, the head of the centurion Ivan Chushkin and the peasant, Amerevsky head Emelyan Vasilyev, gathered peasants under their jurisdiction, and also invited neighboring ones.”
The detachment numbered in its ranks about 6 thousand people, the leader of this detachment was the peasant Gerasim Kurin. His detachment and other smaller detachments not only reliably protected the entire Bogorodsk district from the penetration of French marauders, but also entered into an armed struggle with the enemy troops.
It should be noted that even women participated in sorties against the enemy. Subsequently, these episodes were overgrown with legends and in some cases did not even remotely resemble real events. Typical example- s, to which popular rumor and propaganda of that time attributed no less than the leadership of the peasant detachment, which in reality was not.
French guards under escort of Grandmother Spiridonovna. A.G. Venetsianov. 1813
A gift for children in memory of the events of 1812. Caricature from the series I.I. Terebeneva
Peasant and partisan detachments fettered the actions of the Napoleonic troops, inflicted damage on the enemy's manpower, and destroyed military property. The Smolensk road, which remained the only protected postal route leading from Moscow to the west, was constantly subjected to their raids. They intercepted French correspondence, especially valuable delivered to the main apartment of the Russian army.
The actions of the peasants were highly appreciated by the Russian command. “Peasants,” he wrote, “from the villages adjacent to the theater of war inflict the greatest harm on the enemy ... They kill the enemy in large numbers, and deliver those taken prisoner to the army.”
Partisans in 1812. Artist B. Zworykin. 1911
According to various estimates, more than 15 thousand people were taken prisoner by peasant formations, the same number were exterminated, significant stocks of fodder and weapons were destroyed.
In 1812. Captured French. Hood. THEM. Pryanishnikov. 1873
During the war, many active members of the peasant detachments were awarded. Emperor Alexander I ordered to award people subordinate to the count: 23 people "in command" - insignia of the Military Order (St. George's Crosses), and the other 27 people - special silver medal"For the love of the fatherland" on the Vladimir ribbon.
Thus, as a result of the actions of military and peasant detachments, as well as militias, the enemy was deprived of the opportunity to expand the zone controlled by him and create additional bases for supplying the main forces. He failed to gain a foothold either in Bogorodsk, or in Dmitrov, or in Voskresensk. His attempt to get additional communications that would link the main forces with the corps of Schwarzenberg and Rainier was thwarted. The enemy also failed to capture Bryansk and reach Kyiv.
Army partisan detachments
Army partisan detachments also played an important role in the Patriotic War of 1812. The idea of their creation arose even before the Battle of Borodino, and was the result of an analysis of the actions of individual cavalry units, by the will of circumstances that fell into the rear communications of the enemy.
The first partisan actions were started by a cavalry general who formed a "flying corps". Later, on August 2, already M.B. Barclay de Tolly ordered the creation of a detachment under the command of a general. He led the combined Kazan Dragoon, Stavropol, Kalmyk and three Cossack regiments, which began to operate in the area of the city of Dukhovshchina on the flanks and behind enemy lines. Its number was 1300 people.
Later, the main task of the partisan detachments was formulated by M.I. Kutuzov: “Since now the autumn time is coming, through which the movement of a large army becomes completely difficult, I decided, avoiding a general battle, to wage a small war, because the separate forces of the enemy and his oversight give me more ways to exterminate him, and for this, being now 50 versts from Moscow with the main forces, I am giving away important units from me in the direction of Mozhaisk, Vyazma and Smolensk.
Army partisan detachments were created mainly from the most mobile Cossack units and were not the same in size: from 50 to 500 people or more. They were tasked with sudden actions behind enemy lines to disrupt communications, destroy it manpower, strike at garrisons, suitable reserves, deprive the enemy of the opportunity to get food and fodder for himself, monitor the movement of troops and report this to the main apartment of the Russian army. Between the commanders of the partisan detachments, interaction was organized as far as possible.
The main advantage of partisan detachments was their mobility. They never stood in one place, constantly on the move, and no one except the commander knew in advance when and where the detachment would go. The actions of the partisans were sudden and swift.
The partisan detachments of D.V. Davydova, etc.
The personification of the entire partisan movement was the detachment of the commander of the Akhtyrsky Hussar Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Denis Davydov.
The tactics of the actions of his partisan detachment combined a swift maneuver and striking an enemy unprepared for battle. To ensure secrecy, the partisan detachment had to be on the march almost constantly.
The first successful actions encouraged the partisans, and Davydov decided to attack some enemy convoy going along the main Smolensk road. On September 3 (15), 1812, a battle took place near Tsarev-Zaimishch on the big Smolensk road, during which the partisans captured 119 soldiers, two officers. At the disposal of the partisans were 10 food carts and a cart with cartridges.
M.I. Kutuzov closely followed the brave actions of Davydov and gave a very great importance expansion of guerrilla warfare.
In addition to the Davydov detachment, there were many other well-known and successfully operating partisan detachments. In the autumn of 1812, they surrounded the French army in a continuous mobile ring. The flying detachments included 36 Cossack and 7 cavalry regiments, 5 squadrons and a team of light horse artillery, 5 infantry regiments, 3 battalions of rangers and 22 regimental guns. Thus, Kutuzov gave the guerrilla war a wider scope.
Most often, partisan detachments set up ambushes and attacked enemy transports and convoys, captured couriers, and freed Russian prisoners. Every day, the Commander-in-Chief received reports on the direction of movement and actions of enemy detachments, repulsed mail, protocols of interrogation of prisoners and other information about the enemy, which were reflected in the log of military operations.
A partisan detachment of Captain A.S. was operating on the Mozhaisk road. Figner. Young, educated, fluent in French, German and Italian, he found himself in the fight against a foreign enemy, not being afraid to die.
From the north, Moscow was blocked by a large detachment of General F.F. Wintzingerode, who, by allocating small detachments to Volokolamsk, to the Yaroslavl and Dmitrov roads, blocked the access of Napoleon's troops to the northern regions of the Moscow region.
With the withdrawal of the main forces of the Russian army, Kutuzov advanced from the Krasnaya Pakhra region to the Mozhaisk road in the area with. Perkhushkovo, located 27 miles from Moscow, a detachment of Major General I.S. Dorokhov as part of three Cossack, hussar and dragoon regiments and half a company of artillery in order to "make an attack, trying to destroy enemy parks." Dorokhov was instructed not only to observe this road, but also to strike at the enemy.
The actions of the Dorokhov detachment were approved in the main apartment of the Russian army. On the first day alone, he managed to destroy 2 squadrons of cavalry, 86 charging trucks, capture 11 officers and 450 privates, intercept 3 couriers, recapture 6 pounds of church silver.
Having withdrawn the army to the Tarutinsky position, Kutuzov formed several more army partisan detachments, in particular detachments, and. The actions of these units were of great importance.
Colonel N.D. Kudashev with two Cossack regiments was sent to the Serpukhov and Kolomenskaya roads. His detachment, having established that there were about 2,500 French soldiers and officers in the village of Nikolsky, suddenly attacked the enemy, killed more than 100 people and took 200 prisoners.
Between Borovsk and Moscow, the roads were controlled by a detachment of Captain A.N. Seslavin. He, with a detachment of 500 people (250 Don Cossacks and a squadron of the Sumy Hussar Regiment), was instructed to act in the area of \u200b\u200bthe road from Borovsk to Moscow, coordinating his actions with the detachment of A.S. Figner.
In the Mozhaisk region and to the south, a detachment of Colonel I.M. Vadbolsky as part of the Mariupol Hussars and 500 Cossacks. He advanced to the village of Kubinsky to attack enemy carts and drive away his parties, having mastered the road to Ruza.
In addition, a detachment of a lieutenant colonel of 300 people was also sent to the Mozhaisk region. To the north, in the region of Volokolamsk, a detachment of a colonel operated, near Ruza - a major, behind Klin towards the Yaroslavl tract - Cossack detachments of a military foreman, near Voskresensk - Major Figlev.
Thus, the army was surrounded by a continuous ring of partisan detachments, which prevented it from carrying out foraging in the vicinity of Moscow, as a result of which a massive loss of horses was observed in the enemy troops, and demoralization intensified. This was one of the reasons why Napoleon left Moscow.
The partisans A.N. were the first to learn about the beginning of the advance of French troops from the capital. Seslavin. At the same time, he, being in the forest near the village. Fomichevo, personally saw Napoleon himself, which he immediately reported. About Napoleon's advance to the new Kaluga road and about the cover detachments (corps with the remnants of the avant-garde) was immediately reported to the main apartment of M.I. Kutuzov.
An important discovery of the partisan Seslavin. Unknown artist. 1820s.
Kutuzov sent Dokhturov to Borovsk. However, already on the way, Dokhturov learned about the occupation of Borovsk by the French. Then he went to Maloyaroslavets to prevent the advance of the enemy to Kaluga. The main forces of the Russian army also began to pull up there.
After a 12-hour march, D.S. By the evening of October 11 (23), Dokhturov approached Spassky and united with the Cossacks. And in the morning he entered the battle on the streets of Maloyaroslavets, after which the French had only one way to retreat - Staraya Smolenskaya. And then be late report A.N. Seslavin, the French would have bypassed the Russian army near Maloyaroslavets, and what the further course of the war would have been is unknown ...
By this time, the partisan detachments were reduced to three large parties. One of them under the command of Major General I.S. Dorohova, consisting of five infantry battalions, four cavalry squadrons, two Cossack regiments with eight guns, on September 28 (October 10), 1812, went to storm the city of Vereya. The enemy took up arms only when the Russian partisans had already burst into the city. Vereya was liberated, and about 400 people of the Westphalian regiment with a banner were taken prisoner.
Monument to I.S. Dorokhov in the city of Vereya. Sculptor S.S. Aleshin. 1957
Continuous exposure to the enemy was of great importance. From 2 (14) September to 1 (13) October, according to various estimates, the enemy lost only about 2.5 thousand people killed, 6.5 thousand Frenchmen were taken prisoner. Their losses increased every day due to the active actions of the peasant and partisan detachments.
To ensure the transportation of ammunition, food and fodder, as well as road safety, the French command had to allocate significant forces. Taken together, all this significantly affected the moral and psychological state of the French army, which worsened every day.
The great success of the partisans is considered to be the battle near the village. Lyakhovo west of Yelnya, which occurred on October 28 (November 9). In it partisans D.V. Davydova, A.N. Seslavin and A.S. Figner, reinforced by regiments, 3,280 in all, attacked Augereau's brigade. After a stubborn battle, the entire brigade (2 thousand soldiers, 60 officers and Augereau himself) surrendered. This was the first time that an entire enemy military unit had surrendered.
The rest of the partisan forces also continuously appeared on both sides of the road and disturbed the French vanguard with their shots. Davydov's detachment, like the detachments of other commanders, all the time followed on the heels of the enemy army. Colonel, following on the right flank of the Napoleonic army, was ordered to go ahead, warning the enemy and raid individual detachments when they stopped. A large partisan detachment was sent to Smolensk in order to destroy enemy stores, convoys and individual detachments. From the rear of the French, the Cossacks M.I. Platov.
The partisan detachments were used no less vigorously in the completion of the campaign to expel the Napoleonic army from Russia. Detachment A.P. Ozharovsky was supposed to capture the city of Mogilev, where there were large enemy rear depots. On November 12 (24), his cavalry broke into the city. And two days later, the partisans D.V. Davydov interrupted communication between Orsha and Mogilev. Detachment A.N. Seslavin, together with the regular army, liberated the city of Borisov and, pursuing the enemy, approached the Berezina.
At the end of December, the entire detachment of Davydov, on the orders of Kutuzov, joined the vanguard of the main forces of the army as his vanguard.
The guerrilla war that unfolded near Moscow made a significant contribution to the victory over Napoleon's army and the expulsion of the enemy from Russia.
Material prepared by the Research Institute (Military History)
military academy General Staff RF Armed Forces
The unsuccessful start of the war and the retreat of the Russian troops deep into the territory of the state showed that the enemy could hardly be defeated by the forces of one regular army. To defeat a strong enemy, the efforts of the entire Russian people were needed. In the vast majority of the counties occupied by the enemy, people perceived Napoleon's troops not as liberators from serfdom, but as rapists, robbers and enslavers. The actions of the invaders only confirmed the opinion of the people - the European hordes robbed, killed, raped, and rampaged in the temples. The next invasion of foreigners was perceived by the overwhelming majority of the people as an invasion, which had the goal of eradicating the Orthodox faith and establishing godlessness.
When studying the topic of the partisan movement in the Patriotic War of 1812, it should be remembered that partisans were then called temporary detachments of regular troops and Cossacks, which were purposefully created by the Russian command to act on the flanks, in the rear and communications of the enemy. Actions spontaneously organized detachments self-defense of local residents was designated by the term "people's war".
Some researchers associate the beginning of the partisan movement during the war of 1812 with the manifesto Russian emperor Alexander I of July 6, 1812, which, as it were, allowed the people to take up and actively join the fight against the French. In reality, the situation was somewhat different, the first pockets of resistance to the invaders appeared in Belarus and Lithuania. And often the peasants did not make out where the invaders were, and where their nobles collaborating with them were.
People's War
With the invasion great army» In Russia, many local residents initially simply left their villages and went to forests and areas remote from hostilities, taking their livestock away. Retreating through the Smolensk region, the commander-in-chief of the Russian 1st Western Army M.B. Barclay de Tolly called on his compatriots to take up arms against the enemy. Barclay de Tolly's appeal informed him how to act against the enemy. The first detachments were formed from local residents who wanted to protect themselves and their property. They were joined by soldiers who had fallen behind their units.
French foragers gradually began to face not only passive resistance, when cattle were driven into the forest, food was hidden, but also the active actions of the peasants. In the area of Vitebsk, Mogilev, Orsha, the peasant detachments themselves attacked the enemy, making not only night, but also daytime attacks on small enemy units. French soldiers were killed or taken prisoner. The people's war gained its widest scope in the Smolensk province. It covered Krasnensky, Porechsky counties, and then Belsky, Sychevsky, Roslavl, Gzhatsky and Vyazemsky counties.
In the city of Bely and Belsky district, the peasants attacked parties of French foragers moving towards them. Police officer Boguslavsky and retired major Emelyanov led the Sychev detachments, establishing proper order and discipline in them. In just two weeks - from August 18 to September 1, they made 15 attacks on the enemy. During this time, they destroyed more than 500 enemy soldiers and captured over 300. Several cavalry and foot peasant detachments were created in the Roslavl district. They not only defended their county, but also attacked enemy units that operated in the neighboring Yelnensky county. Peasant detachments were also active in the Yukhnovsky district, they interfered with the advance of the enemy to Kaluga, assisted the army partisan detachment of D.V. Davydov. In the Gzhatsk district, a detachment created by Yermolai Chetvertakov, a private of the Kyiv Dragoon Regiment, gained great fame. He not only defended the lands near the Gzhatsk pier from enemy soldiers, but also attacked the enemy himself.
The people's war gained even greater scope during the stay of the Russian army in Tarutino. At this time, the peasant movement assumed a significant character not only in Smolensk, but also in Moscow, Ryazan and Kaluga provinces. So, in the Zvenigorod district, people's detachments destroyed or captured more than 2 thousand enemy soldiers. The most famous detachments were led by the volost head Ivan Andreev and the centurion Pavel Ivanov. Detachments led by retired non-commissioned officer Novikov and private Nemchinov, volost head Mikhail Fedorov, peasants Akim Fedorov, Filipp Mikhailov, Kuzma Kuzmin and Gerasim Semenov operated in the Volokolamsk district. In the Bronnitsky district of the Moscow province, local detachments included up to 2 thousand warriors. The largest peasant detachment in the Moscow region was the connection of the Bogorodsk partisans, it included up to 6 thousand people. It was headed by the peasant Gerasim Kurin. He not only reliably defended the entire Bogorodsk district, but he himself struck at the enemy.
It should be noted that Russian women also took part in the fight against the enemy. Peasant and army partisan detachments acted on enemy communications, fettered the actions of the "Great Army", attacked individual enemy units, destroying the enemy's manpower, his property, and interfered with the collection of food and fodder. The Smolensk road, where the postal service was organized, was subjected to regular attacks. The most valuable documents were delivered to the headquarters of the Russian army. According to some estimates, the peasant detachments destroyed up to 15 thousand enemy soldiers, about the same number were taken prisoner. Due to the actions of militia, partisan and peasant detachments, the enemy was unable to expand the zone controlled by him and get additional opportunities to collect food and fodder. The French failed to gain a foothold in Bogorodsk, Dmitrov, Voskresensk, capture Bryansk and go to Kyiv, create additional communications to connect the main forces with the corps of Schwarzenberg and Rainier.
Captured French. Hood. THEM. Pryanishnikov. 1873
army squads
Army partisan detachments also played an important role in the campaign of 1812. The idea of their creation appeared even before the Battle of Borodino, when the command analyzed the actions of individual cavalry detachments, which, by chance, fell into enemy communications. The first partisan actions were started by the commander of the 3rd Western Army, Alexander Petrovich Tormasov, who formed the "flying corps". In early August, Barclay de Tolly formed a detachment under the command of General Ferdinand Fedorovich Wintzingerode. The number of the detachment was 1.3 thousand soldiers. Wintzingerode received the task of covering the St. Petersburg highway, operating on the flank and behind enemy lines.
M.I. Kutuzov attached great importance to the action of partisan detachments, they were supposed to wage a "small war", to exterminate individual detachments of the enemy. Detachments were usually created from mobile, cavalry units, often Cossack ones, they were most adapted to irregular warfare. Their number was usually insignificant - 50-500 people. If necessary, they interacted and combined into larger compounds. Army partisan detachments were given the task of delivering surprise attacks behind enemy lines, destroying his manpower, disrupting communications, attacking garrisons, suitable reserves, disrupting actions aimed at obtaining food and fodder. In addition, the partisans performed the role of army intelligence. The main advantage of partisan detachments was their speed and mobility. The most famous were the detachments under the command of Wintzingerode, Denis Vasilievich Davydov, Ivan Semenovich Dorokhov, Alexander Samoilovich Figner, Alexander Nikitich Seslavin and other commanders.
In the autumn of 1812, the actions of the partisan detachments took on a wide scope, as part of the army flying detachments, there were 36 Cossack and 7 cavalry regiments, 5 separate squadrons and a team of light horse artillery, 5 infantry regiments, 3 battalions of chasseurs and 22 regimental guns. The partisans set up ambushes, attacked enemy carts, intercepted couriers. They made daily reports on the movement of enemy forces, transmitted captured mail, information received from prisoners. Alexander Figner, after the capture of Moscow by the enemy, was sent to the city as a scout, he cherished the dream of killing Napoleon. He failed to eliminate the French emperor, but thanks to his extraordinary resourcefulness and knowledge foreign languages, Figner was able to obtain important information that he transmitted to the main apartment (headquarters). Then he formed a partisan (sabotage) detachment from volunteers and stragglers, which operated on the Mozhaisk road. His enterprises so disturbed the enemy that he attracted the attention of Napoleon, who put a reward on his head.
To the north of Moscow, a large detachment of General Wintzingerode operated, which, having allocated small formations to Volokolamsk, on the Yaroslavl and Dmitrov roads, blocked the enemy’s access to the northern regions of the Moscow region. Dorokhov's detachment was actively operating, which destroyed several enemy teams. A detachment under the command of Nikolai Danilovich Kudashev was sent to the Serpukhov and Kolomenskaya roads. His partisans made a successful attack on the village of Nikolskoe, killing more than 100 people and capturing 200 enemy soldiers. Seslavin's partisans operated between Borovsk and Moscow, he had the task of coordinating his actions with Figner. Seslavin was the first to reveal the movement of Napoleon's troops to Kaluga. Thanks to this valuable report, the Russian army managed to block the enemy's path at Maloyaroslavets. In the Mozhaisk region, a detachment of Ivan Mikhailovich Vadbolsky operated, under his command was the Mariupol hussar regiment and five hundred Cossacks. He established control over the Ruza road. In addition, a detachment of Ilya Fedorovich Chernozubov was sent to Mozhaisk, a detachment of Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf acted in the Volokolamsk region, Viktor Antonovich Prendel near Ruza, behind the Klin in the direction of the Yaroslavl tract - the Cossacks of Grigory Petrovich Pobednov, etc.
An important discovery of the partisan Seslavin. Unknown artist. 1820s.
In fact, the "Great Army" of Napoleon in Moscow was surrounded. Army and peasant detachments prevented the search for food and fodder, kept the enemy units in constant tension, this significantly affected the moral and psychological state of the French army. The active actions of the partisans became one of the reasons that forced Napoleon to decide to leave Moscow.
On September 28 (October 10), 1812, several united partisan detachments under the command of Dorokhov stormed Vereya. The enemy was taken by surprise, about 400 soldiers of the Westphalian regiment with a banner were captured. In total, in the period from 2 (14) September to 1 (13) October, due to the actions of partisans, the enemy lost only about 2.5 thousand people killed and 6.5 thousand enemies were captured. To ensure security on communications, the supply of ammunition, food and fodder, the French command had to allocate more and more forces.
October 28 (November 9) at the village. Lyakhovo, west of Yelnya, the partisans of Davydov, Seslavin and Figner, reinforced by units of V.V. Orlova-Denisov, were able to defeat an entire enemy brigade (it was the vanguard of the 1st Infantry Division of Louis Barage d'Illier). After a fierce battle, the French brigade under the command of Jean-Pierre Augereau capitulated. The commander himself and 2 thousand soldiers were captured. Napoleon was extremely angry when he learned of what had happened, he ordered the division to be disbanded and an investigation into the behavior of General Barague d'Hilliers, who showed indecision and did not provide timely assistance to Augereau's brigade.The general was removed from command and placed under house arrest on his estate in France.
The partisans were also active during the retreat of the "Great Army". Platov's Cossacks attacked the rear units of the enemy. Davydov's detachment and other partisan formations acted from the flanks, followed the enemy army, raiding individual French units. Partisan and peasant detachments made a significant contribution to the common cause of victory over Napoleon's army and the expulsion of the enemy from Russia.
Cossacks attack the retreating French. Drawing by Atkinson (1813).
protracted military conflict. Detachments in which people were united by an idea liberation struggle, fought on a par with the regular army, and in the case of a well-organized leadership, their actions were highly effective and largely decided the outcome of the battles.
Partisans of 1812
When Napoleon attacked Russia, the idea of strategic guerrilla warfare arose. Then for the first time in world history Russian troops a universal method of conducting military operations on enemy territory was applied. This method was based on the organization and coordination of the actions of the rebels by the regular army itself. To this end, trained professionals - "army partisans" - were thrown over the front line. At this time, the detachments of Figner, Ilovaisky, as well as the detachment of Denis Davydov, who was a lieutenant colonel of Akhtyrsky, became famous for their military exploits.
This detachment was separated from the main forces longer than others (for six weeks). The tactics of Davydov's partisan detachment consisted in the fact that they avoided open attacks, swooped in by surprise, changed the direction of attacks, and felt for the enemy's weak points. the local population helped: the peasants were guides, spies, participated in the extermination of the French.
In the Patriotic War, the partisan movement was of particular importance. The basis for the formation of detachments and units was the local population, who were well acquainted with the area. In addition, it was hostile to the invaders.
The main goal of the movement
The main task of the guerrilla war was the isolation of enemy troops from its communications. The main blow of the people's avengers was directed at the supply lines of the enemy army. Their detachments violated communications, prevented the approach of reinforcements, the supply of ammunition. When the French began to retreat, their actions were aimed at destroying ferry crossings and bridges across numerous rivers. Thanks to the active actions of the army partisans, almost half of the artillery was lost by Napoleon during the retreat.
The experience of conducting a partisan war in 1812 was used in the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). During this period, this movement was large-scale and well organized.
The period of the Great Patriotic War
The need to organize a partisan movement arose due to the fact that most of the territory of the Soviet state was captured German troops who sought to make slaves and eliminate the population of the occupied areas. The main idea of the guerrilla war in the Great Patriotic War is the disorganization of activities Nazi German troops causing them human and material losses. For this, extermination and sabotage groups were created, and a network of underground organizations was expanded to direct all actions in the occupied territory.
The partisan movement of the Great Patriotic War was bilateral. On the one hand, detachments were created spontaneously, from people who remained in the territories occupied by the enemy, and sought to protect themselves from mass fascist terror. On the other hand, this process was organized, under the leadership from above. Diversionary groups were thrown behind enemy lines or organized in advance on the territory, which was supposed to be left in the near future. To provide such detachments with ammunition and food, caches with supplies were previously made, and they also worked out issues of their further replenishment. In addition, issues of secrecy were worked out, the places for basing detachments were determined in the forest after the front retreated further to the east, and the provision of money and valuables was organized.
traffic guidance
In order to lead the guerrilla war and sabotage struggle, workers from among the local residents who were well acquainted with these areas were thrown into the territory captured by the enemy. Very often, among the organizers and leaders, including the underground, were the leaders of the Soviet and party organs, who remained in the territory occupied by the enemy.
Guerrilla warfare played a decisive role in the victory Soviet Union over Nazi Germany.
The partisan movement of 1812 (partisan war) is an armed conflict between Napoleon's army and detachments of Russian partisans that broke out during the time with the French.
The partisan troops consisted mainly of Cossacks and detachments of the regular army located in the rear. Gradually they were joined by released prisoners of war, as well as volunteers from civilian population(peasants). Partisan detachments were one of the main military forces of Russia in this war and offered significant resistance.
Creation of partisan detachments
Napoleon's army very quickly advanced inland, pursuing the Russian troops, who were forced to retreat. As a result of this, quite soon Napoleon's soldiers spread over a large territory of Russia and created communication networks with the border, through which weapons, food and prisoners of war were delivered. To defeat Napoleon, it was necessary to interrupt these networks. The leadership of the Russian army decided to create numerous partisan detachments throughout the country, which were supposed to be engaged in subversive work and prevent the French army from getting everything they needed.
The first detachment was formed under the command of Lieutenant Colonel D. Davydov.
Cossack partisan detachments
Davydov presented to the leadership a plan for the partisans to attack the French, which was quickly approved. To implement the plan, the army leadership gave Davydov 50 Cossacks and 50 officers.
In September 1812, Davydov's detachment attacked a French detachment that was secretly transporting additional manpower and provisions to the camp of the main army. Due to the effect of surprise, the French were captured, some were killed, and the entire cargo was destroyed. This attack was followed by several more of the same, which turned out to be extremely successful.
Davydov's detachment began to gradually replenish with released prisoners of war and volunteers from the peasants. At the very beginning of the guerrilla war, the peasants were wary of soldiers conducting subversive activities, but soon they began to actively help and even participated in attacks on the French.
However, the height of the guerrilla war began after Kutuzov was forced to leave Moscow. He gave the order to start active partisan activity in all directions. By that time, partisan detachments had already been formed throughout the country and numbered from 200 to 1,500 people. The main force was the Cossacks and soldiers, but the peasants also actively participated in the resistance.
Several factors contributed to the success of the guerrilla war. Firstly, the detachments always attacked suddenly and acted in secret - the French could not predict where and when the next attack would occur and could not prepare. Secondly, after the capture of Moscow, discord began in the ranks of the French.
In the middle of the war, the guerrilla attack was at its most acute stage. The French were exhausted by military operations, and the number of partisans had increased so much that they could already form their own army, not inferior to the detachments of the emperor.
Peasant partisan detachments
The peasants also play an important role in the resistance. Although they did not join the detachments very actively, they actively helped the partisans. The French, deprived of food supplies from their own, in the rear constantly tried to get food from the peasants, but they did not give up and did not conduct any trade with the enemy. Moreover, the peasants burned their own warehouses and houses, if only the grain did not go to the enemies.
When the guerrilla war grew, the peasants became more actively involved in it and often attacked the enemy themselves, armed with whatever they could. The first peasant partisan detachments appeared.
Results of the partisan war of 1812
The role of the partisan war of 1812 in the victory over the French is difficult to overestimate - it was the partisans who were able to undermine the enemy's forces, weaken him and allow the regular army to drive Napoleon out of Russia.
After the victory, the heroes of the guerrilla war were duly rewarded.
