Battle of Valutino

Overview

The Battle of Valutino took place on 19 August 1812 near Valutino[ru] and Lubino[ru], between a corps of French and allied troops led by Marshal Ney, about 35,000 strong, and a strong rear-guard of General Barclay de Tolly's Russian army of about 25,000, commanded by the general himself. The Russians were strongly posted in marshy ground, protected by a small stream, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of Smolensk. The French, attacking resolutely, captured the Russian position in the face of considerable physical obstacles; the Russian army, however, did not intend to determinately defend this position, because at the time of the battle it was in a general retreat deep into the territory as part of a scorched earth strategy.

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

Significance

The Battle of Valutino was fought as Barclay de Tolly's Russian army conducted a deliberate withdrawal eastward from Smolensk as part of a broader scorched earth strategy. The Russian force of some 25,000 occupied a rear-guard position in marshy ground behind a small stream approximately 20 kilometres east of Smolensk, buying time for the main army to continue its retreat deep into Russian territory. Although Ney's French corps, numbering around 35,000, captured the Russian position, the engagement did not produce the encirclement or decisive blow that Napoleon sought. French casualties of 7,000–9,000 against Russian losses of 6,000 indicate the physical obstacles and the strength of the rear-guard action imposed a significant cost on the attacker. The Russians' deliberate decision not to defend the position to the last reflected strategic priorities rather than tactical defeat, leaving the French in possession of ground but no closer to forcing a conclusive engagement with the main Russian army.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (6)