Napoleon's Invasion of Russia

by George F Nafziger

  Wittgenstein learned from prisoners taken in this engagement that two divisions of Oudinot's corps were in Bieloe and the third division, that of General Merle, had passed the night near Lozovka. This information and other information concerning Macdonald's movements caused Wittgenstein to believe that his chance to strike Oudinot was at hand.

  The Battle of Kliastitzy or Jakobovo

  The next day Wittgenstein began moving his forces towards Kliastitzy, where he intended to give battle. At the same time Oudinot's forces redeployed. Wittgenstein's advanced guard consisted of the Grodno Hussars, Platov #4 Cossacks, 25th and 26th Jagers, and Horse Battery #1. This force had a total of 3,730 men and 12 guns.

  The French had occupied Jakobovo with the 56th Line, 25th Légère, and 24th Chasseurs à Cheval. The 23rd Chasseurs à Cheval were posted on the road to Sebej. Verdier had moved his division towards Sebej, and General Merle had remained at Drissa to protect the baggage and artillery park.

  When Wittgenstein learned of the French positions, he ordered the 23rd and 24th Jagers and Position Battery #14 to advance in support of Kulnieff's advanced guard. He ordered Kulnieff to attack without awaiting further reinforcements. Wittgenstein wished to seize the right bank of the Nitschtscha, a small river flowing behind Jakobovo, before the French could reinforce their garrison in Jakobovo. The remainder of his first line of battle was moving forward as fast as possible.

  General Legrand's advanced posts were chased out of the woods before Olkhovka at 5:00 P.M. by Kulnieffs forces as he moved onto the plateau overlooking Jakobovo. Horse Battery #1 unlimbered near the road to Kliastitzy, The 25th Jagers took up position on its right, and the 26th were posted on its left. The Grodno Hussars took a reserve position behind the battery.

  The remainder of Legrand's division, alerted by their pickets, moved across the Nitschtscha and formed near Jakobovo. Legrand, seeing the small force opposing him, attacked the Russian right with four battalions of the 36th Line, supported by four more battalions of the 26th Légère and four of the 19th Line. The intensive fire from the Russian battery broke up this attack and allowed the 25th Jagers to maintain their position until Wittgenstein arrived with the 23rd and 24th Jagers and Position Battery #14. This force placed itself to the right of the Russian line. The Grodno Hussars and the two new jager regiments moved to support the 25th Jagers. Position Battery #14 unlimbered next to Horse Battery #1 and began to pound the French.

  The Russian right, now heavily reinforced, moved over to the attack, and the French were driven back to Jakobovo. The 23rd and 24th Jagers, under General Berg, moved on the woods to the left of Jakobovo. They were repulsed by the 36th Line. General Kulnieff detached the 25th to support Berg, but Maison's French brigade repulsed all three regiments and drove them back on Kastschkovski's division, which had just arrived on the field. A skirmish battle developed in front of the village while the French set it afire. The battle continued inconclusively in this position until nightfall.

  Verdier's division passed over the Nitschtscha and took up a reserve position behind Legrand's center. Doumerc's cuirassiers were posted further to the rear. The Russians made preparations as well. Kulnieff's four regiments were supported by the converged grenadiers of the 5th and 14th Divisions and by the infantry and cavalry reserve of General Sazonov. Their right was supported by fourteen guns and their left by six.

  The attack started again in the morning. Legrand struck at the Russian center. The fire of the two Russian batteries was heavy, and it disordered their ranks. However, the French continued advancing, forcing the Russian batteries to limber up and withdraw.

  The Russian skirmishers, supported by the Kalouga and Sievesk Infantry Regiments drawn from the first line of battle, counterattacked and drove back the French, recapturing their original position. The French withdrew to Jakobovo, leaving part of their infantry in the village of Jakobovo.

  During the night Wittgenstein moved up his reserve with the intention of attacking with all of his forces before dawn. He left only Repnin's forces in Katerinovo.

  During the morning of 1 September, the Russian advanced guard and the first line of battle was placed before Jakobovo in the following order: the 24th, 25th, 23rd Jagers, Position Battery #5, two pieces from Battery #9, Sievesk, Kalouga, 26th Jagers, Light Battery #27, Perm, and Mohilev.

  The Grodno Hussars and Batteries #1, #14, and the remainder of #9 were placed in the second line of battle. This force had arrived in Olkhovka at dawn and became the general reserve. All the Russian infantry was formed in battalion attack columns.

  The French had maintained nearly the same positions they had held at the end of the previous day. The French left was secured on the woods. Verdier's division was held in reserve. The 5th Light Cavalry Brigade of Castex was spread along the French line, and Doumerc's cuirassier division was held in reserve by Kliastitzy. Merle's division was near Sivochino on the Drissa, and the 6th Light Cavalry Brigade was near Wolinzi.

  At about 3:00 A.M. Colonel Frolov of the 23rd Jagers, posted before Jakobovo, noted that it was lightly held and advanced his regiment into the village. He was promptly chased out by the 26th Légère. A skirmish battle developed on the Russian right, and the fighting soon spread along the entire front of both armies. Marshal Oudinot had placed his artillery on the heights by Jakobovo and began to fire while his columns struck the Russian center.

  This initial attack was stopped by the fire of Position Battery #5 and Light Battery #27. Oudinot reinforced his attack and sent it forward again. As this renewed attack began on the center, the French also struck at the Russian left. This second attack, with its greater mass of troops, was also stopped by the concentrated Russian artillery fire. As they recoiled, Wittgenstein launched a counterattack with General Berg's troops.

  Generalmajor Kastschkovski lead the Sievesk and Kalouga Infantry and part of the Grodno Hussars against the French center. Generalmajor Prince of Siberia attacked the French right with the Perm and Mohilev Infantry. The 23rd, 24th, and 25th Jagers advanced against the woods occupied by the French left wing. The Russian second line advanced to support this attack.

  The Prince coordinated his attack with Kastschkovski's attack by spreading the 26th Jagers between them. The 26th Jagers moved in echelons behind Perm and Mohilev.

  The Russian columns were animated and attacked vigorously with bayonets. The Russian attack on the center stalled initially, but as Sievesk and Kalouga moved in, the tide swung against the French. The entire French line fell back to the sandy hills along the Nitschtscha River. Oudinot had stationed Verdier's division there. Coupled with concentrated French artillery fire, Verdier's division stabilized the situation momentarily.

  The Russians resumed their advance, and Oudinot reacted by withdrawing his artillery across the river while attacking with his center to cover their withdrawal. The French attack was stopped by the fire of Light Battery #27 and Position Battery #5, which had advanced with the Russian infantry. General Berg quickly counterattacked, taking the French positions and pushing the French back across the Nitschtscha.

  The French withdrawal was orderly, and they quickly took up defensive positions on the far bank of the Nitschtscha, near Kliastitzy. They defended the single bridge with their artillery and filled the buildings of the village with skirmishers.

  On their side of the river, the Russians spread jagers along the bank and continued the skirmish fire. To turn the French left, Wittgenstein sent his cavalry towards Gvozdy. General Balk detached the Riga Dragoons there and continued farther along the river with the Grodno Hussars and the Iambourg Dragoons to find a ford. Count Sievers set about raising a bridge with the two pontoonier companies near Gvozdy when it was learned that the ford was impassable. This bridging effort was covered by a battery of twelve guns.

  When Oudinot learned of the Russian flanking maneuver, he began to withdraw, defending his center and left while attempting to fire the bridge at Kliastitzy. Wittgenstein responded immediately and directed the depot battalion of the Pav
lov Grenadiers to rush the bridge. The grenadiers pushed across it and established themselves on the far bank. They were supported by the Russian skirmishers along the bank, two guns of Light Battery #27, and the Perm and Mohilev Infantry Regiments,who followed them over the bridge. They quickly began establishing themselves in the buildings of Kliastitzy despite the fire of the defending French horse artillery.

  The successful seizure of the bridge forced the French to accelerate their withdrawal, and they abandoned some of their baggage. The remainder of the Russian infantry and artillery crossed the bridge while their cavalry crossed at the ford.

  The bulk of the Russian 1st Corps paused to catch its breath and reorganize while Kulnieff led the pursuit of the beaten French with the Grodno Hussars, the lambourg Dragoons, part of the Riga Dragoons, four guns from Horse Battery #1, the 1st Battalion of Converged Grenadiers of the 14th Division, and Wittgenstein's cossacks. They were supported by the Russian skirmishers who also advanced. Kulnieff's forces captured more baggage about four miles from Kliastitzy. They advanced down the road to Polotsk and captured 900 prisoners.

  The Russian reserve had only entered the battlefield as the Pavlov Grenadiers had rushed the bridge at Kliastitzy. Being fresh they continued to advance in support of Kulnieff's pursuing forces and reached the Drissa River by nightfall.

  Marshal Oudinot crossed the Drissa at Sivochino and joined Merle's division, occupying a position ten miles behind the village of Boracht-china. Prince Repnin was ordered to join the advanced guard by the diagonal road from Katerinovo to Sokolichtchi, but he found the road impractical and moved along the road to Kliastitzy.

  Kulnieff was ordered to remain on the left bank of the Drissa until the next day and not to engage in any serious action with the French before the Russian main body joined him. However, the main body didn't begin to move until 8:00 A.M. the next day. He had been reinforced by the dispatching of the Perm and Sievesk Infantry Regiments and was joined by four regiments of General Sazonov's 14th Division, the four jager regiments, and a battalion of converged grenadiers from the 5th Division. His advanced guard consisted of 15,000 men and twenty-four guns.

  The Death of Kulnieff

  Kulnieff recommenced his pursuit as well. His light troops were stopped near the village of Moskolinki, and he advanced the lambourg Dragoons and Horse Battery #1 to push back what he believed to be only a small French rear guard stalling for time. He hoped to seize the defile to Bieloe.

  The French remained passive near Oboirazina, their three divisions in deep columns that were mutually supported by each other behind a ridge that hid them from Kulnieff s view. With them were Doumerc's cuirassiers and the 5th Light Cavalry Brigade. The 6th Light Cavalry Brigade was dispatched to watch the fords over the Drissa.

  The advancing Russians were suddenly taken under fire by a concealed battery of French 12pdrs. They brought up six guns of Light Battery #27 to counter the French fire and supported the six guns with the Toula Infantry. The reserve of General Sazonov followed, as did the rest of the 5th Division. The Russian advanced guard continued to push slowly into the defile.

  Oudinot permitted this gradual advance to continue before he opened up with the rest of his artillery, which was positioned around the Russians like spectators in an amphitheater. The heavy barrage was followed by the rapid advance of Legrand's and Verdier's divisions. The French pushed vigorously and the entire Russian advanced guard crumpled and fell back on the Drissa in great disorder. They lost three guns from Horse Battery #1, six from Light Battery #27, 1,000 dead, and 1,500 wounded.

  The Russians were unable to maintain a foothold on the far bank, and Oudinot, wishing to profit from his success, continued to advance with all of his forces, Verdier leading the way. He did not wish to allow the Russian advanced guard the opportunity to reorganize itself.

  General Kulnieff was trying to rally the Grodno Hussars when he was struck in the legs by a cannon shot, which killed him. His troops continued their rapid withdrawal with greater haste.

  Count Wittgenstein's reserve was advancing to support Kulnieff, but it stopped to reorganize his shattered command by the village of Golovchitsa, not far from his starting position that morning. He extended his line from the farm of Staiy Dvor to the bank of the Nitschtscha. The right wing of the first line, under General Berg, consisted of Perm, Mobilev, and the 25th and 23rd Jagers. The left wing, under Kastsch-kovski, consisted of Kalouga, Sievesk, and the 24th and 26th Jagers. The second line contained nine battalions and eight squadrons of reserve cavalry. An additional two squadrons, however, were detached from the reserve to watch the Russian left wing, which was uncovered.

  General Prince Jachwill and General Helfreich were sent forward to take command of the shattered advanced guard. They pulled it back together and positioned it behind the general reserve, where it formed a third and fourth line. Horse Battery #1 was detached from it and placed on the right wing, and a squadron of the Riga Dragoons was posted to the left of Golovezitsy.

  Verdier's division, leading the attack, advanced without waiting for the rest of Oudinot's corps to catch up with them. The 26th Légère led the attack.

  The French skirmishers occupied the buildings of Stary Dvor, on the Russian right, but they were quickly dislodged by a battalion of the Perm Infantry. The 24th Jagers and part of the skirmishers of the Sievesk Infantry Regiment pushed back a tentative probe on their extreme left. The French main body organized itself on the heights during this time.

  After a few minutes of artillery preparation, the infantry of Verdier's division moved forward against the Russian right and center. The defensive fire of Position Battery #14, Light Battery #27, and the surviving nine guns of Horse Battery #1 threw the advancing French columns into disorder.

  The Russian first line counterattacked. General Berg led Perm, Mobilev, and the 24th and 26th Jagers against the French right. General Kastschkovski struck the French right flank with Kalouga, Sievesk, and the 24th and 25th Jagers supported by four squadrons. The Russian second line advanced against the French center, which was not uncovered by the first line's movements. The vigor and shock of the flank attack by Kastschkovski's forces pushed the French back. The French withdrew, occupying the woods on their right. These woods were turned by the Sievesk Infantry, and the 24th and 26th on the right, while the depot battalion of the Count Arakcheyev Grenadier Regiment, drawn from the second line, assaulted the woods frontally.

  Two squadrons of the Guard and Riga Dragoons charged a dense French column which had not withdrawn fast enough and cut it off. Those French that were not killed were forced to surrender. Wittgenstein was wounded while leading this attack, but he had the wound bandaged in the field and continued to direct the Russian pursuit. The Russians pursued the French, who withdrew slowly in a skillfully managed withdrawal.

  The Russian pursuit continued as far as Sokolichtchi. The French took up a position before the farm of Sokolichtchi, behind a ravine crossing the road. There was a single bridge over the road, and the French burnt it as they crossed it. The French supported one wing on the woods and the other on the Nitschtscha River. The Russians took that position with a quick frontal assault led by three battalions of the Sievesk and Mohilev Infantry Regiments. This assault was supported by Batteries #5 and #14. While the 24th Jagers moved against the French left, the 25th Jagers fired on it frontally, while two guns, which had crossed the river at a ford, fired into the French flank.

  The French resumed their withdrawal and took another position on the plateau between Sokolichtchi and Sivochino, where they formed some cuirassier squadrons as a rear guard. Colonel Albrecht received orders to attack them with the depot squadrons of the Guard Uhlans and Dragoons. Before they could execute this charge, the French withdrew. Their exit was hurried by fire from Horse Battery #3.

  The pursuit was resumed by Horse Battery #3, the Kalouga Infantry Regiment, and some jagers who moved into the defile. Oudinot's flanks were once again exposed, and he resumed his withdrawal, crossing the Drissa
at Sivochino and burning the bridge behind him. Position Battery #5 unlimbered on the right bank and harassed the retiring French, while Russian jagers crossed the Drissa at a ford and stopped near Borarchtchina. The main battle line and the reserve were placed in echelons between Sokolichtchi and Sivochino.

  Between 30 July and 1 August the Russians lost 3,000 men hors de combat and 1,300 prisoners. The French lost about 4,000.

  On the following day the French withdrew towards Polotsk and the Russians moved on Bieloe. Wittgenstein took great care to watch the movements of Marshal Macdonald, but determined not to cross the Drissa with the bulk of his forces. He placed an advanced guard along the roads to Polotsk, Wolinizi, and Nevel, while his main body took up positions near Sokolichtchi. Wittgenstein reorganized his corps on 2 August.

  Maneuvers on Polotsk

  By 3 August the French had crossed the Dvina and taken up positions around Polotsk. Macdonald's movements had forced Prince Radziwill to destroy the works around Dinaburg and to withdraw the infantry and three cavalry regiments that had formed its garrison. Macdonald constructed a bridgehead near Kreutzburg and organized the X Corps behind Kalkoumen.

  On 8 August, Wittgenstein ordered several bridges to be raised over the Dvina so he could counter any French move as well as to take advantage of any error on Macdonald's part that might open up his lines of communications to an attack. However, a French advanced guard moved into Drouia and captured much Russian equipment and their bridging train. The Russians had abandoned it during their march on Kliastitzy.

  Colonel Albrecht was sent with two squadrons and a company of jagers to recapture this equipment. This force crossed the Dvina at a ford, chased out the small French force, and recaptured their bridging train.