ORDER OF BATTLE // November 9, 1812
Battle of Lyakhovo
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 5,500 estimated
Russian Empire
3,500
Medium-confidence figure
French Empire
2,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Lyakhovo marked a notable instance of coordinated partisan and Cossack action during the French withdrawal from Moscow. A Russian force of 3,500 under Orlov-Denisov, operating alongside partisan commanders including Denis Davydov, Aleksandr Figner, and A. Seslavin, succeeded in surrounding a French detachment of 2,000 men under Jean-Pierre Augereau. With French casualties recorded at 2,000 — equal to the entire engaged French force — the engagement illustrates the degree to which isolated French columns were vulnerable to encirclement during the retreat. Actions of this kind compounded the attrition the Grande Armée suffered as it withdrew westward, eroding its cohesion and reducing its effective strength beyond the losses sustained at Moscow and on the road itself.
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