Russia: The Battle of Borodino Lives On · Global Voices
In September 1812, France's <PERSON> faced Russian Imperial General <PERSON> at the Battle of Borodino. After 200 years, through the works of artists such as <PERSON> (as well as legal disputes about the historic preservation of the battlefield), Borodino continues to inspire passion and incite controversy.
Recently, RuNet Echo examined the historical and modern contexts of Russia's victory in the Napoleonic Wars. In this post, we continue that study, focusing closely on the Battle of Borodino.
Napoleon I on the Borodino Heights, by <PERSON> (1897), public domain.
<PERSON>'s Blog describes the strategic significance of the Battle of Borodino as follows:
The Battle of Borodino (Russian: Бородинская битва Borodinskaja bitva, French: Bataille de la Moskowa, fought on September 7, 1812, was the largest and bloodiest single-day action of the Napoleonic Wars, involving more than 250,000 troops and resulted in at least 70,000 total casualties. The French Grande Armée under Emperor <PERSON> attacked the Imperial Russian army of General <PERSON> near the village of Borodino, west of the town of Mozhaysk, and eventually captured the main positions on the battlefield, but it failed to destroy the Russian army.
The battle itself ended in disengagement, but strategic considerations and the losses incurred forced the Russians to withdraw next day. The battle at Borodino was a pivotal point in the campaign, since it was the last offensive action fought by <PERSON> in Russia. By withdrawing, the Russian army preserved its military potential and eventually forced <PERSON> out of the country.
Travel website Russia-Channel.com's blog describes how Borodino's grounds are preserved today (protecting the site of World War II battles, as well):
Located in the Mozhaysky District of Russia’s Moscow Oblast, the village of Borodino is indelibly etched in Russian history as the location of two devastating battles. The historic Borodino battlefield is a protected area that has been preserved as a reminder of the two history-shaping conflicts that took place there, firstly between Russia and France in 1812, and later between Soviet and German military forces in 1941. Within the protected area is the State Borodino War and History Museum chronicling these conflicts in detail, while the former battlefield is scattered with memorials and monuments as reminders of specific events and influential figures relating to both wars.
Russian LiveJournal blogger <PERSON> provides [ru] photographs of <PERSON> and his family at the 1912 celebration honoring the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino, featuring images of the following events:
Император Николай II, императрица Александра Федоровна с дочерьми и сопровождающие их лица проходят по перрону железнодорожного вокзала по прибытии на станцию Бородино для участия в торжествах. 739
Второй справа — барон В. Б. Фредерикс. Бородино, 25 августа 1912 года.
Emperor <PERSON>, Empress <PERSON>, and their daughters, with others accompanying, walking along the train station's platform, after arriving in Borodino in order to participate in festivities. Second from the right — Baron V. B. Fredericks. Borodino, 25 August 1912. 715