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Anniversary of victory of the Russian army in the Battle of Vyazma
October 22 (November 3) 1812, during the Patriotic War of 1812, took place a battle between Russian and French armies near Vyazma.
After the Battle of Maloyaroslavets, the main forces of the Russian army under M. I. Kutuzov made a so-called flank march, moving parallel to the old Smolensk road, thus preventing the enemy troops from withdraw from the devastated areas. The French army led by Napoleon including the corps of marshals M. Ney and L.-N. Davout and generals E. Beauharnais and J. Poniatovsky totally numbering about 37, 500 men arrived in Vyazma 19 (31) October. The main forces of the Russian army at the time were in 8-10 km south of the city.
The battle began in the morning of October 22 (November 3), when the vanguard of the Russian army under the command of M. A. Miloradovich and M. I. Platov attacked the corps of Davout at the flank and rear, knocking out the French from the village Fyodorovskoye while the Infantry Division of I. F. Paskevich cut it off from the rest of the enemy’s units. The corps of Beauharnais and Poniatovsky managed to push the barrier of the Russian troops from the road and under heavy rifle and artillery fire, suffering heavy losses, to let the units led by Marshal Davout break out of encirclement. Joining forces on the heights near Vyazma, the French tried to organize the defense of the city, but the threat of a complete encirclement caused them to begin a retreat to Dorogobuzh.
Under the onslaught of Russian forces and guerrilla groups of A. N. Seslavin and A. S. Figner, which surrounded the city from three sides, the retreat of French corps by the late afternoon turned into a rout. Letting other units pass, the Corps of Marshal Ney was the last to leave Vyazma. At about 18 p.m. Vyazma was completely freed of enemy troops.
During the battle of Vyazma the French army lost about eight thousand men killed and captured, while the loss of the Russian troops did not exceed two thousand. In the battle of Vyazma, notable for clear interaction between the troops and skillful maneuvering of forces, Russian troops showcased examples of skillful flank and rear attacks against the enemy and the successful pursue of the enemy. Defeat at Vyazma completely undermined the morale of the French troops and anticipated the final defeat of Napoleon's army.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
Patriotic War of 1812 : [digital collection];
Богданович Е. В. 1812 год. СПб., 1912;
Богданович М. И. История Отечественной войны 1812 года, по достоверным источникам. Т. 3. СПб., 1860;
Божерянов И. Н. Поход в Москву Наполеона и бегство его из России. [1812-1912]. М., 1912;
Бурнашев В. П. Отечественная война 1812 года. СПб., 1888;
Бутурлин Д. П. История нашествия императора Наполеона на Россию в 1812 году. Ч. 2. СПб., 1838;
Михайловский-Данилевский А. И. Описание Отечественной войны 1812 года. Ч. 3. СПб., 1840;