BATTLE // November 3, 1812

Battle of Vyazma

Name: Battle of Vyazma
Start: 1812-11-03
End: 1812-11-03
Location: Battle of Vyazma

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Overview

The Battle of Vyazma, occurred at the beginning of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow. In this encounter, a Russian force commanded by General of the Infantry Miloradovich pressed and inflicted heavy losses on the rear guard of the Grande Armée. The Grande Armée was retreating back along the already devastated road, experiencing a shortage of food, a consequence of the Battle of Maloyaroslavets. Although the French thwarted Miloradovich's goal of encircling and destroying the corps of Marshal Davout, they withdrew in a partial state of disorder due to ongoing Russian harassment and heavy artillery bombardments, and the town of Vyazma itself was captured in heavy fighting by Miloradovich's troops, namely the 11th Infantry Division under the command of Major General P. Choglokov and the Cossacks of Ataman Platov. In addition to his four corps, Miloradovich also coordinated General Paskevich's 26th Division and those Cossacks around Vyazma. The French were driven out of all their defensive positions during the battle. The French reversal at Vyazma, although indecisive, was significant due to its damaging morale impact on several corps of Napoleon's retreating army, namely, the corps of Davout, Eugène, Marshal Ney, and Prince Poniatowski. From then on, Napoleon's rearguard withdrew in disarray.

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

Significance

The Battle of Vyazma was fought at an early stage of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow, as the Grande Armée moved back along a road already stripped of supplies following the Battle of Maloyaroslavets. Miloradovich's force pressed the French rear guard hard, inflicting around 4,000 casualties against roughly 1,800–2,500 Russian losses, and capturing the town of Vyazma itself in heavy fighting. Although the Russian objective of encircling and destroying Davout's corps was thwarted, the engagement drove the French out of all their defensive positions and left the rear guard — comprising the corps of Davout, Eugène, Ney, and Poniatowski — withdrawing in partial disorder. The battle's primary significance lay in its cumulative effect on French cohesion: from Vyazma onward, the rearguard retreated in disarray, a condition that would compound the army's mounting logistical and morale crisis as the retreat continued westward.

Tactics

Miloradovich pressed the French rear guard while coordinating multiple formations, including Paskevich's 26th Division and the Cossacks of Ataman Platov. The town of Vyazma was taken in heavy fighting by the 11th Infantry Division under Major General Choglokov and Platov's Cossacks. Russian artillery bombardments played a significant role in forcing the French back, and sustained harassment prevented an orderly French withdrawal. The French attempted to hold defensive positions within and around Vyazma but were driven out of all of them. Miloradovich sought to encircle and destroy Davout's corps, but the French managed to avoid that outcome and withdraw, albeit in a state of partial disorder.