Battle of Wolkowisk

Overview

The Battle of Wolkowisk (Volkovysk) took place 14–16 November 1812 in the course of the French invasion of Russia near the village of Wolkowisk or Volkovysk (now Vawkavysk), where 35,000–40,500 Austrian, Saxon and French soldiers under Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg defeated 27,000–32,000 Russian soldiers under Fabian Gottlieb von der Osten-Sacken. Osten-Sacken managed to push back Jean Reynier's corps, but failed to dislodge it from the heights. The decisive offensive was carried out by the Austrians, who arrived later.

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

Significance

The Battle of Wolkowisk was fought on the southern flank of the French invasion of Russia as Napoleon's Grande Armée was already in retreat from Moscow. Schwarzenberg's combined Austrian, Saxon, and French force defeated Osten-Sacken's Russian army, inflicting roughly 4,000 casualties while sustaining around 1,800. The engagement checked Russian pressure on the allied southern wing at a moment when coordinated pressure from multiple directions threatened the coherence of the broader French withdrawal. By containing Osten-Sacken, Schwarzenberg preserved the operational integrity of the southern flank force and prevented Russian forces in this sector from exploiting the disorder of the main French retreat further north.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (3)