LT. GEN. RAEVSKII AT BORODINO

(Translated by Mark Conrad, from Otechestvennaya voina 1812 goda, Volume XVIII (1911), pp.59-60, annotated by Steven H. Smith.)

Lt. Gen. Raevskii to Gen.-of-Inf. Dokhturov, 11 September 1812(OS), No. 280, from Lukovna.(Military Historical Archive, sec. II, No. 1877, pg. ?)

At the Borodino position I was with my corps on the left flank in the first two lines, with my right resting on a large mound, or kurgan, on which I placed the heavy artillery company (1) of the 26th Brigade. Seeing from the lay of the land that the enemy would conduct his attack on our flank and that my above-mentioned battery emplacement would be the key to the whole position, I fortified the kurgan with a redoubt and reinforced it with guns as much as the place allowed (2).

My foresight proved correct. At dawn on the 26th[OS] the enemy began to come around my flank and I received an order to change my front and rest my right flank on this same redoubt; four infantry regiments of the 26th Division under the command of Major General Paskevich were assigned to cover it; two regiments of infantry from the 12th Division occupied the bushes in front of me. The left flank of both lines butted against the village (3), fortified with batteries, where the commander-in-chief of the 2nd Western Army, Prince Bagration, was located. He immediately made it known to me that if he needed troops, he would take them from my second line. This compelled me to demand help, which I received from three jäger regiments (4) under the command of Colonel Vuich (5). I deployed all these troops behind the redoubt in such a manner that when the enemy attacked it, they would take his columns from both flanks, while the regiments in the bushes would occupy their places in the first line. The enemy drew up his whole army in front of our eyes in something like a single column and came right at our front. On approaching our front, strong columns separated from his left flank and went right for the redoubt, heedless of the heavy canister fire of my guns. Without firing a shot, the heads of the columns clambered through the breastworks, and at the same time from my right flank, Maj. Gen. Paskevich with his regiments launched a bayonet attack on the left of the enemy troops which were beyond the redoubt. Maj. Gen. Vasil'chikov likewise struck the enemy's right flank, and Maj. Gen. Yermolov (6), taking a battalion of jägers (7) from the regiments brought up by Col. Vuich, made a bayonet attack directly onto the redoubt, where they destroyed all the enemy in it and captured the general (8) who led the column. In an instant Maj. Gens. Vasil'chikov and Paskevich overturned both enemy columns and pursued them to the bushes so hard that hardly any of them escaped. It remains to describe the further actions of my corps in a couple of words, in that after destroying the enemy, it returned again to its places and maintained its position against repeated enemy attacks until it had completely disappeared through losses in killed and wounded, when the redoubt was by then occupied by Maj. Gen. Likhachev (9). Your Excellency himself knows that Maj. Gen. Vasil'chikov gathered together the dispersed remnants of the 12th and 27th Divisions and along with the Lithuania Guards Regiment held onto the important height on the very left end of our entire line. I do not have the power to describe the deeds of every general and field and company-grade officer, but their exceptional courage is shown in that almost all of them fell where they stood. In respectfully requesting from Your Excellency decorations for the field and company-grade officers whom I have the honor to present to you, I also request that the three generals - Vasil'chikov, Yermolov, and Paskevich - be rewarded by being put forward for promotions, which as only a corps commander I do not have the power to do. You yourself know that there was no instance in which they did not show outstanding courage, effort, and military talents. I have the honor to enclose with this a list of field and company-grade officers who showed themselves to be exceptional (10).

Notes:

1) 26th Battery Company.

2) 18 guns: 12 guns from the 26th Battery Company and 6 guns from the 47th Light Company.

3) Semenovskaya (Semenovka).

4) 18th Jager Regiment: chef Maj. Gen. Fedor Panteleimonovich Aleksopol'; commander Lt. Col. Tikhon Ivanovich Chistiakov.
    19th Jager Regiment: chef Col. Vuich; commander Lt. Col. Graf Potemkin (L.-Gds. Preobrazhenskii Regiment) .
    40th Jager Regiment: chef Col. Sazonov 2nd; commander Lt. Col. Bukinski.

5) Colonel Nikolai Vasil'evich Vuich 1st (1777-1836), chef 19th Jager Regiment. Promoted to major general for actions at Borodino, also awarded gold sword with diamonds; previously awarded orders of St.-George 3rd class, St.-Vladimir 3rd class and St.-Anne 2nd class (with diamonds).

6) Major General of Artillery Aleksei Petrovich Yermolov (1772-1861), Chief of Staff of the 1st Army.

7) Yermolov, in his report of September 20(OS) to Barclay-de-Tolly, states it was the 3rd Battalion of the Ufa Regiment commanded by Maj. Demidov and the 18th Jager Regiment commanded by Lt. Col. Chistiakov.

8) General de brigade Charles-Auguste-Jean-Baptiste-Louis-Joseph (called Bellefontaine) Bonnamy (1764-1830), commander of the 3rd Brigade (30e ligne and 1st Battalion of the 2nd Baden Infantry) of Morand's Division. After receiving 20 bayonet wounds, Bonnamy was captured by Sergeant Major [Feldfebel'] Zolotov of the 34th Jager Regiment. Zolotov was promoted to sublieutenant for this act.

9) Major General Petr Gavriilovich Likhachev (1758-1812), commander 24th Infantry Division. Captured at Borodino, died from the serious wounds which he received.

10) Unfortunately, this list was not published with the document.

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