The Statesman.
London, England, 1813-01-30 00:00:00

BATTLE OF BORODINO.

The account of the battle of Borodino, of

-which the following is an epitome, has been aim-
' bated at St. Peteriburgh, *here it is ascribed to the
pen of Sir Robert Wilson, and -it may, therefore,
tie suppose, be deemed an authentic sketch of that
important action :-
46 The Russian army having exchanged Common-
dee*, continued its retreat upoir the village of Bo-
rodino, between Mojaislc and frisk, on the high
Moscow road. It was here reinforced by 13,000
effective men under General Miloradowitch, and
21,000 militia, chiefly armed with pikes, under Ge-
neral I.llarkow. The total number of the Russian
army, exclusive of militia, amounted to 105,000 ef-
fective men ; the French army amounted to 130,000,
reinforcements having been drawn to it from the mi-
litary posts occupied by the enemy.
‘' Bonaparte, contrary to all expectation, as he had
omitted the favourable moment for attacking the Rus-
sians on their march from Smolensk, to repass the
Dnieper, presented his army in order of battle on
the '24th. It is possible that the appointment of
Prince Kutusow had baffled: his hopes of peace: and
that he felt himself now •bliged to effect that by
force, which he was in hopes to have obtained by 1
the influence of fear on the Russian Cabinet. Cer- ;
tain it is, that he himself regretted his former neglect I
of opportunity, and that he said, I have lust one
of the most brilliant occasions of my life

" Prince Bagrathion's army sustained the Russian
left ; but it was very much advanced in► front of the
cent re and right. A battery of seven guns on a hill
covered the advance of Prince Bagrathion's army,

. •
which I shall in future call the Second Army.
64 The action began about two o'clock in the af.

ternoon of the 25th, and was furiously fought on
both sides until near dusk, when the enemy possessed
himself of the hill and battery, atid obliged the Se-
cond Amy to retire, and take up its position in
alignment with the First Army, keeping some hills

in its front, on which batteries were erected. On
. the morning of the 26th, the French, with all their
force, again fell upon Prince Bagrathion ; after a
desperate resistance broke in upon him ; obliged his
retreat in comp 4r46otder ; and the reserves of the First
Army were under the necessity of moving to the left
:tad front, to cover his works, and oppose the
enemy ; which service was effectually executed, and
the Second Army being rallied again, advanced in•
to battle, and in its turn supported the troops that
bad covered it. The Russian line was, however%
obliged to throw back its left a little, so as to
form an angle with a part of the centre and
right.—At the salient point of this angle was a
battery, which, if taken and- kept by the enemy,
would lay commanded the wind,. Russian position,
end oidifted a retreat. Bonaparte finding that the
Rus,inns remained steady, notwithstanding his tre.
en-nAnas cross-fire, resolved
.to ,bave this
work carried. Various attempts were made during

the flly, ny cavilry and infantry, but they were
Irk a, s roptilked. Towards nine o'clock in the
we,rning, Gen..ral Bonarni had, however, lodged
Lin•colf e hatt..ry, in front of the Russian left;
but Genefll Golmoulotf, seizing the command of a
ct,tvnt.. cos tie was a Staff Officer), rushed upon the
battery, iv-carried it, put every man in it to the bay-
fret, except General lionami, who fairly escaped
'witn 1..0 wounds, one of which struck into his
breast. Tonards dusk, the enemy's force retired,
abandoning the battery, which he • had again carried

about fouro'clock in-tile afternoon, anti-:iv-bleb bat-

tery ;did been taken and re-taken three times during
the day. He gradually withdrew upon some works
in his rear, out of cannon-shot, and from thence
fell back. about two worsts and a half, with his main
body ; giving orders for his heavy guns, &c. to re-
tire upon Mojakk. The Russian army remained
upon the field until the next evening, when Prince
116.4vmsow fell back three worsts with his main body,
and left General Platow, with his Cossacks, to oc-
cupy the ground in front of Borodino.
Thus terminated, in the field, the memorable
battle of Borodino ; and so far it resembled the bat-

tie of Preuss Eylau, but not in its consequences :
for Eytau preserved
sKopingsberg, whereas Borodino
accelerated the lois of Moscow. I am, however,
Inclined to think, that Borodino, theoretically, was
in the field a more decisive victory
.than Eylau, as
the Russians/ there quitted the ground during the
Fame night ; Whereas, at Borodino, it was tha enemy
who withdrew.

" It, however, greatly differed from 'Plylan in
its progress ; for Borodino was a battle on points,
—Eylau was a parade battle, general throughout the
line, and covering every man in the field with its iron
Canopy. The Russians bad snore than GOO guns in
thr, Ih but the >iire was sustained by about 1.68
pic;es. •
4 The !OS at Borodino to the Russian army west
perhaps, severe • as it now appears that 25,000 ware
or wounded (at least one-half killed), and
above 1500 Qiticers, of whom three gegerals were
kilted, and nine wounded.
less of the enemy coisid not bat be tar
greater; calculation se far could not NT; but it
paw appears, from their own correspopdenee, that
they eitimate their loss at 26 Gopersile hors de *tot;
(j$ WllOOl 4?Tft4 were killed)? ancl 403099 !pm',