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Battle of Klyastitsy

The Battle of Klyastitsy, also called the Battle of Yakubovo or the Battle of Oboiarszina,[1] was a series of military engagements that took place on 30 July–1 August 1812 near the village of Klyastitsy on the road between Polotsk and Sebezh. In this battle, the Russian vanguard under the command of Yakov Kulnev and the whole corps of Peter Wittgenstein stood up to the French corps under the command of Marshal Nicolas Oudinot with heavy losses on both sides.[1] The result was a Russian victory, their forces managing to capture the disputed village of Klyastitsy. The main strategic outcome of the battle was that the French offensive on St. Petersburg was stopped. The French partially retreated along their communication lines after the battle, and fended off Russian pursuers.[4]

Battle of Klyastitsy
Part of the French invasion of Russia

Battle of Klyastitsy by Peter von Hess
Date30 July – 1 August 1812[1]
Location
Klyastitsy, Vitebsk Governorate, Russian Empire
55°53′N 28°36′E / 55.883°N 28.600°E / 55.883; 28.600
Result Russian victory[2]
Belligerents
Russian Empire Russian Empire First French Empire French Empire
Commanders and leaders
Russian Empire Yakov Kulnev †
Russian Empire Peter Wittgenstein		 First French Empire Nicolas Oudinot
Strength
17,000 (30–31 July)[3]
23,000 in total[1][4]
108 guns[3]		 20,000 engaged[1][4]
28,000 overall[3][4]
114 guns[3]
Casualties and losses
4,300 killed or wounded[1] 3,700 killed and wounded[1]
French POWs claim:
up to 10,000 killed and wounded,
3,000+ captured[5][6]
French invasion of Russia
Map
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500km
300miles
Klyastitsy
Pultusk
15
Gorodeczno
14
Battle of Gorodechno 12 August 1812: Schwarzenberg's Austrians
Drohiczyn
13
Tauroggen
12
Tauroggen 30 December 1812: Ludwig Yorck's Prussians signed the Convention of Tauroggen
Riga
11
Siege of Riga 24 July – 18 December 1812: Macdonald's Prussians
Tilsit
10
Warsaw
9
Berezina
8
Battle of Berezina 26–29 November 1812: Napoleon, Chichagov, Wittgenstein, Kutuzov only pursuit
Maloyaro-
slavets
7
Battle of Maloyaroslavets 24 October 1812: Kutuzov, Napoleon
Moscow
6
Moscow 14 September to 19 October 1812: Napoleon
Borodino
5
Battle of Borodino 7 September 1812: Kutuzov, Napoleon October 1812: Napoleon's Retreat
Smolensk
4
Battle of Smolensk 16 August 1812: Napoleon November 1812: : Napoleon's retreat
Vitebsk
3
Battle of Vitebsk 26 July 1812: Napoleon
Vilna
2
Kowno
1
  current battle
  Prussian corps
  Napoleon
  Austrian corps

The battle

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Plan of battles near Klyastitsy

On 30 July 12, French cavalry squadrons were surprised and attacked by eight Russian Hussar and Cossack squadrons under Gen. Yakov Kulnev.[7]

At that time, Oudinot occupied the village of Klyastitsy on his advance towards St. Petersburg. There were 28,000 French troops, while the Russian Corps numbered 17,000. In spite of being outnumbered, Wittgenstein decided to fight. The battle started on 30 July at 2:00 pm. The Russian vanguard led by Kulnev (approximately 4,000 men) fought the French vanguard for the whole day near the village of Yakubovo (Russian: Якубóво). Kulnev managed to press the French but they kept the village under their control.[7]

The next day, after several attacks and counterattacks, the Russian advance forced Oudinot to retreat to Klyastitsy. In order to continue their advance, the Russian troops had to cross the River Nishcha. Oudinot ordered his troops to set fire to the only bridge. While the Russian cavalry was wading across the Nishcha, the 2nd Battalion of the Pavlovsk Grenadier Regiment rushed the burning bridge. This was depicted by Peter Hess in his painting, illustrated to the right.[7]

Kulnev continued to chase the French Corps with several cavalry regiments and one infantry battalion. After crossing the Drissa River on 1 August, his unit ran into an ambush and suffered heavy casualties from French artillery. Kulnev was badly wounded (he had both his legs severed by a cannonball) and died that same day. Wittgenstein has finalised the victory and Oudinot retreated to Polotsk; the French advance on St. Petersburg failed.[7]

Aftermath

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Wittgenstein was awarded the Order of St. George of the Second Degree. Alexander I is reported to have called him "the savior of St. Petersburg". Capt. Krylov, whose unit was the first to cross the river over the burning bridge, received the Order of St. George of the Fourth Degree.

See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Bodart 1908, p. 434.
  2. ^ Smith 1998, p. 383.
  3. ^ a b c d Velichko et al. 1913.
  4. ^ a b c d Riehn 1990, pp. 275–276.
  5. ^ Егоршина 2023, p. 251.
  6. ^ Korobkov 1947.
  7. ^ a b c d Riehn 1990, pp. 275–281.

Sources

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  • Bodart, Gaston (1908). Militär-historisches Kriegs-Lexikon (1618-1905). Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  • Riehn, Richard K. (1990). 1812 : Napoleon's Russian campaign. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 9780070527317. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  • Smith, Digby (1998). The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill Books.
  • Velichko, Konstantin; Novitsky, Vasily; Schwarz, Alexey von; Apushkin, Vladimir; Schoultz, Gustav von (1913). Sytin Military Encyclopedia (in Russian). Vol. 12: Кальяри – Коалиционные войны. Типография Т-ва И. Д. Сытина. pp. 602–605. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  • Korobkov, N. (1947). Из боевого прошлого русской армии. Moscow: Voenizdat. pp. 133–136.
  • Егоршина, Петрова (2023). История русской армии [The history of the Russian Army] (in Russian). Moscow: Edition of the Russian Imperial Library. ISBN 978-5-699-42397-2.
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Preceded by
Battle of Kobrin 		Napoleonic Wars
Battle of Klyastitsy 		Succeeded by
Battle of Majadahonda
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