Battle of Klyastitsy

Overview

The Battle of Klyastitsy, also called the Battle of Yakubovo or the Battle of Oboyarshchina, was a series of military engagements that took place on 30 July [O.S. 18 July] 1812 – 1 August [O.S. 20 July] 1812 near the village of Klyastitsy on the road between Polotsk and Sebezh. In this battle, the Russian vanguard under the command of General Yakov Kulnev and the whole corps of Gen. Peter Wittgenstein stood up to the French corps under the command of Marshal Nicolas Oudinot with heavy losses on both sides. The result was a Russian victory, their forces managing to capture the disputed village of Klyastitsy. The main strategic outcome of the battle was that the French offensive on St. Petersburg, then Russian capital, was stopped. The French partially retreated along their communication lines after the battle, and fended off Russian pursuers. Both Wittgenstein and Kulnev were wounded in this battle; however, for Kulnev the injury was fatal.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Klyastitsy, fought near the village of Klyastitsy on the road between Polotsk and Sebezh, was the engagement that halted the French offensive toward St. Petersburg, the Russian capital, during the 1812 invasion. Oudinot's corps, numbering around 20,000, was checked by Wittgenstein's force of roughly 17,000, with the Russians ultimately capturing the disputed village and forcing a partial French withdrawal along their communication lines. The strategic consequence was decisive for the northern axis of the campaign: with St. Petersburg no longer under immediate threat, Russian forces on that front were freed from purely defensive pressure. Casualties were severe on both sides — approximately 4,300 Russian and 3,700 French — and both Wittgenstein and Kulnev were wounded in the fighting. Kulnev's wound proved fatal, removing one of the Russian vanguard's principal commanders. The French managed to fend off Russian pursuers after their retreat, limiting the extent of the Russian follow-on success.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (3)