The Battle of Austerlitz by 50minutes

Author:50minutes,
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: 50Minutes.com
Published: 2016-04-26T00:00:00+00:00

Mikhail Kutuzov, Russian Marshal

Portrait of Mikhaïl Koutouzov by George Dawe, 1829.

Born in St. Petersburg on 16 September 1745, Mikhail Kutuzov was the son of one of Peter the Great’s (Tsar and Emperor of Russia, 1672-1725) generals. He entered military school at a young age. From 1759, he served the Empress Catherine II in the wars against Poland and against the Ottoman Empire.

His loyalty to the Russian crown earned him numerous nominations: Ambassador in Constantinople (1793), Governor of Finland and Ukraine and military governor of St. Petersburg. However, on the death of Paul I, having refused to participate in the Pahlen conspiracy, Alexander I kept himself away from positions of responsibility and took little notice of this General, ignoring his warnings at the Battle of Austerlitz. However, Mikhail Kutuzov had guessed Napoleon’s trap, which involved making them believe that he was retreating in order to lure his enemies to his own ground. But his wise counsel was rejected by the staff, which was convinced of the invincibility of the Russian army. The outcome of the battle proved him right, and despite the Marshal’s ability to perform an orderly withdrawal of the Russian troops, the contempt of Alexander I towards him strengthened.

It was only thanks to his victories against the Ottoman Empire and his decisive role in the signing of the Peace of Bucharest (in May 1812) that he finally gained the favor of the Tsar. The latter then gave him command of the Russian armies in August 1812, when the Napoleonic Grande Armée was marching towards Russia. Defeated at the Battle of Borodino (7 September 1812), he managed to make his army retreat and launched guerrilla operations that would spell the end of the Grande Armée. While retreating, he kept disturbing the French communications and practicing a scorched earth policy, leaving no resources for the imperial troops. It was a Moscow that was razed by the fires ordered by the governor of the city that he left to Napoleon.

In the middle of winter, Napoleon had to retreat to the West, to find lodging and food for his army. But Mikhail Kutuzov did not allow him to retire in peace: he tirelessly continued harassing him through raids by small armed groups, which weakened and demoralized the French troops, who were already exhausted. The victor over Michel Ney and Louis-Nicolas Davout in Smolensk (17 November 1812), he received the title of Prince of Smolensk.

He died of septicemia on 28 April 1813, at the height of his glory, shortly after invading Poland.

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