The Russian Troops Retreat To Vitebsk.
July, 26 (14)
(From E.V.Tarle, Complete Works, Volume VII, "Napoleon's Invasion to Russia", Moscow 1959)
General Konovnitsin by Vendranini |
Of course, Konovnitsyn as Osterman too, had only one task: to delay the French and give Bagration the time to come to Vitebsk, where Barclay was supposed to handle the general battle. And this heaviest mission to fight a delaying action with the overwhelming enemy forces, to be a living cover doomed to annihilation in advance without any chance of victory, was fulfilled by Petr Petrovich Konovnitsyn and his soldiers on July, 26, 1812, successfully as Osterman-Tolstoy had been before, and by Neverovsky and Raevsky several days later on the way to Smolensk.
Konovnitsyn came to relieve Osterman-Tolstoy, and early in the morning of July,26 he was attacked from two sides: by Eugene de Beauharnais and Murat. From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Konovnitsyn had been withstanding the unequal fighting under the heavy bombardment, and beating off the fierce cavalry attacks. 3 times the Russians rushed to the attack and each time hurled back several French detachments.
In one of these attacks the Croatian battalion of Eugene de Beauharnais's troops was destroyed, and the cavalrymen of Murat suffered too. The French were panic-stricken: artillerymen began to turn their guns without any order, a part of infantry took to their heels and some of the cavalry units followed them. At last Murat could relieve the situation and the fighting continued. The French had heavy losses, but the worst and most frightening was that they were only rear-guard delaying actions, yet part of the French Army was close to utter defeat several times on July,25th and 26th.
About 3 p.m. Murat and Eugene de Beauharnais forced Konovnitsyn out from his position and he began to retreat. At this moment Napoleon arrived on the scene. He immediately canceled the decision of Murat and Eugene de Beauharnais to give a rest for their troops battered and tired after the 7 hour battle, and ordered them to pursue Konovnitsyn.
The troops of Konovnitsyn retreated slowly with continuous violent fighting with the enormous forces of Napoleon. In the evening Konovnitsyn reached the village of Komarovo, where the new reinforcement from Barclay de Tolly were, and were joined by the rest of Osterman's detachment later on the night of July,26.
The rest of troops of Konovnitsyn and Osterman and this new reinforcement under the command of the commander of the 3rd Corps, General Tuchkov, joined with the army of Barclay de Tolly and encamped near Vitebsk on the right bank of the Luchosa river. They had covered the road from Ostrovno to the Luchosa with their dead bodies, and carried our their mission: they could give Barclay and Bagration two days to retreat and make the final decision.
