Battle of Krasnoi The Battle of Krasnoi ( " Krasny " ) ( November 15 to 18 , 1812 ) was a series of skirmishes fought in the final stage of Napoleon ' s retreat from Moscow . The Russians under General Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov inflicted heavy losses on the remnants of the Grande Armée . Lacking sufficient artillery , cavalry and supplies to wage battle , Napoleon ' s object at Krasnoi was to collect his scattered troops and to resume his retreat . Despite the vast superiority of his forces , Kutusov refrained from launching a full - scale offensive during the four days of fighting . The climax of the engagement occurred on November 17 , when an aggressive feint by the French Imperial Guard induced Kutusov to delay a potentially decisive final Russian attack . Napoleon was thus able to withdraw part of his army before the Russians seized Krasnoi . Despite Napoleon ' s success in saving part of his army from destruction at Krasnoi , overall the encounter was ruinous for the French . During the four days of combat Napoleon ' s subordinate commanders suffered heavy defeats in individual actions , and large numbers of French stragglers were captured by the Russians . The Grande Armée was also compelled to abandon much of its remaining artillery and baggage train . The forces converge on Krasny . Napoleon retreats from Smolensk . After departing from Moscow on October 18 with 100 , 000 combat - ready but undersupplied troops , Napoleon ' s strategic object was to quarter his army for the winter at the closest French supply depot , which was at Smolensk , 270 miles to the west . During the three - week march to Smolensk , however , the Grande Armée was devastated by a combination of factors : starvation , demoralization , breakdown in troop discipline , a crippling loss of horses and essential supplies , attacks from the Russian army and constant harassment by its Cossack irregulars and partisans . The condition of the Grande Armée was further deteriorated by sub - zero temperatures in the first two weeks of November ( see " General Winter " ) . By the time the French arrived at Smolensk on November 9 , the strategic situation in Russia had turned decisively against Napoleon . Only 40 % of the Grande Armée was still under arms at this point . Due to the ravaged condition of his forces and French defeats on other fronts , Napoleon realized his position at Smolensk was untenable , and chose to continue his retreat . The new strategic goal was to put the Grande Armée into winter quarters further west , in the area of the massive French supply depot of Minsk . Having lost contact with Kutusov during the previous two weeks , Napoleon incorrectly believed that the Russian army must have been as devastated by the elements as his own . Not expecting an offensive by Kutusov , Napoleon made the strategic mistake of resuming his retreat by dispatching the Grande Armée ' s corps separately from Smolensk on successive days , starting on November 11 . Thus the French approached Krasny in a 40 - mile - long column of disconnected corps , not massed together in preparation for battle . On November 14 , the corps of Józef Zajączek ( V Corps ) and Junot , at the helm of the retreating French army , passed through Krasny and continued marching west to Orsha . The next day , November 15 , Napoleon himself arrived at Krasny with his 16 , 000 - strong Imperial Guard . There Napoleon planned to remain for several days so that the 6 , 000 troops of Eugène ' s IV Corps , the 9 , 000 troops of Davout ' s I Corps , and the 8 , 000 troops of Ney ' s III Corps could unite with him before he resumed his retreat . Ney ' s corps formed the rearguard and was not to leave Smolensk until November 17 . Marching between and around these French corps were nearly 40 , 000 troops who had devolved into mobs of unarmed , disorganized stragglers . Kutusov ' s southern march . During the same period , the main Russian army under Kutusov followed the French on a parallel southern road . Because this route passed through countryside not yet economically devastated by previous campaigning , the Russian army approached Krasny much less weakened by attrition than the Grande Armée . Based on faulty intelligence reports , Kutusov believed that only one third of the French army was retreating through Krasny toward Orsha , with Napoleon and the balance of his forces marching much farther to the north . Kutusov therefore accepted a plan proposed by his staff officer , Colonel Toll , to march on Krasny to destroy what was believed to be an isolated French column . The Russian position at Krasny began forming on November 15 , when the 3 , 500 - strong flying advance guard of Adam Ozharovsky seized the town . The same day , the 17 , 000 troops of Miloradovich took position alongside the eastern road leading into Krasny from Smolensk . Kutusov himself reached Krasny with the 35 , 000 - strong main army on November 16 . In all , Kutusov had 52 , 000 to 60 , 000 regular troops at his disposal at Krasny , including a large cavalry force and approximately 500 cannon . Another 20 , 000 Cossack irregulars , operating mostly in small bands , supplemented the main army by harassing the French at all points along the forty - mile - long road from Smolensk to Krasny . November 15 : the rout of Ozharovsky . November 15 saw the first actions in and around Krasny as the 16 , 000 - strong Imperial Guard , led personally by Napoleon , marched past Miloradovich ' s 17 , 000 troops , who were positioned on the high ground parallel to the road . Impressed by order and composure of the elite guardsmen , Miloradovich decided not to attack them , and settled instead for bombarding the French from afar . The Russian cannon fire inflicted little damage on the Guard , which continued moving toward Krasny . During the afternoon of the 15th , the Imperial Guard was harassed on the road near Nikolino and Yeskovo by the Cossacks of General Vasily Orlov - Denisov . The eyewitness description of this encounter by the Russian partisan leader Denis Davidov , which eloquently portrays the comportment of the Old Guard and Napoleon , has become one of the most often quoted in the histories of the 1812 war : Later that day , Napoleon and his Guard entered Krasny , and his troops chased away the squadrons of Cossacks under Ozharovsky who were in possession of the town . Napoleon promptly made plans to remain in Krasny for several days so that the rest of his army could catch up with him . Shortly after midnight , Napoleon detected the campfires of Ozharovsky ' s 3 , 500 - strong force near Kutkovo , south of Krasny . Recognizing that Ozharovsky ' s position was dangerously isolated from Kutusov ' s main army , Napoleon dispatched the Young Guard on a sneak attack against the Russian encampment , which was not protected by pickets . The operation was first entrusted to General Jean Rapp , but at the last moment Napoleon replaced Rapp with General Roguet . Roguet then divided the Guardsmen into three columns and began a silent advance on Ozharovsky ' s camp . In the ensuing combat , the Russians were taken completely by surprise and , despite their fierce resistance , were totally routed . As many as half of Ozharovsky ' s troops were killed or captured , and the remainder threw their weapons in a nearby lake and fled south . Lacking cavalry , Roguet was unable to pursue Ozharovsky ' s remaining troops . November 16 : the defeat of Eugène . Miloradovich attacks . The next day , November 16 , however , went much better for the Russians as Miloradovich ' s soldiers cut the road leading to Krasny and inflicted heavy losses on the French corps of Prince Eugène de Beauharnais . In this skirmishing , Eugène ' s IV Corps lost one third of its original force of 6 , 000 , as well as its baggage train and artillery . Eugène was saved from total destruction only because Kutusov , who didn ' t want the skirmishing to expand into a full - scale battle , ordered Miloradovich to restrain himself and reposition his troops closer to the main army at Shilova . A force of Cossacks was left to harass Eugène while Miloradovich ' s final attack was postponed to the next day . Kutusov at Shilova . Earlier that day , Kutusov ' s main army finally arrived within five miles of Krasny , taking up positions around the villages of Novoselki and Shilova . Kutusov could have attacked Krasny immediately , but he chose not to . That evening , under pressure from his aggressive subordinate generals to move decisively against the French , Kutusov finally made plans for an offensive , but he firmly forbade his commanders from executing the attack until daylight on November 17 , which meant the French would have the entire evening to evacuate Krasny unharrassed by the Russians . The Russian battle plan called for the army to execute a three pronged attack on Krasny . Miloradovich was to remain east of the town near Yeskovo , and attack Eugène ' s IV Corps and Davout ' s I Corps . The main army at Novoselki and Shilova would break into two groups : Prince Golitsyn would advance directly north through Uvarovo against Krasny with 15 , 000 troops . Alexander Tormasov with 20 , 000 troops was to encircle Krasny from the west by marching through Kutkovo to Dobroye , where they would cut the French retreat route to Orsha . Ozharovsky ' s flying column — reinforced since its drubbing by the Young Guard — would operate independently west and north of Krasny . Sometime after 1 : 00 a . m . on November 17 , Kutusov learned from prisoners that Napoleon would be remaining in Krasny , and not withdrawing before the Russian attack as Kutusov had expected . Kutusov now had second thoughts about executing the Russian army ' s planned offensive . November 17 : The Guard ' s feint . Davout in peril . At 3 : 00 a . m . on November 17 , the 9 , 000 troops of Davout ' s I Corps decamped from their bivouac near Rzhavka and began a rushed march to Krasny . The reports of Eugène ' s defeat the previous day were so dismaying that Davout felt it necessary to abandon his original plan of postponing his movement until Ney ' s III Corps , still at Smolensk , had caught up with him . Miloradovich , permitted by Kutusov to recommence his attack , opened a massive artillery barrage on Davout near Yeskovo . The panicked French troops began fleeing from the road , and as Russian infantry and cavalry attacks were likely to follow , the I Corps was soon threatened with destruction . Napoleon ' s gamble . Davout ' s peril , and the distressing developments of the previous day had alerted Napoleon to the grave danger confronting the Grande Armée . Waiting for Davout and Ney in Krasny was no longer feasible , given that any kind of determined attack by Kutusov would destroy the Grande Armée . The starving French troops also needed to reach their closest supply source — 25 miles west at Orsha — before the Russians captured the town ahead of him . At this critical juncture , Napoleon ' s sense of initiative returned to him for the first time in weeks . In Caulaincourt ' s words : " " This turn of events , which upset all the Emperor ' s calculations . . . would have overwhelmed any other general . But the Emperor was stronger than adversity , and became the more stubborn as danger seemed more imminent " . " Immediately , before daylight , Napoleon prepared his Imperial Guard to make an aggressive feint against Miloradovich and the main Russian army , gambling that this unexpected maneuver would discourage the Russians from attacking Davout . The Grande Armée ' s remaining artillery was massed for combat , and the Guardsmen formed themselves into attack columns . Simultaneously , the remnant of Eugène ' s IV Corps was ordered to advance west from Krasny , to secure the Grande Armée ' s escape route to Orsha . Napoleon ' s hope was to fend off the Russians just long enough to collect Davout ' s and Ney ' s troops , and to immediately resume his retreat before Kutusov attacked or outflanked him by moving on Orsha . The Guard advances . At 5 : 00 a . m . , 11 , 000 Imperial Guardsman marched out of Krasny intending to secure the terrain immediately east and southeast of the town . These troops split into two columns : one 5 , 000 strong moving along the road to Smolensk , the other 6 , 000 Young Guardsmen led by Roguet , marching south of the road toward Uvarovo . The left flank of the Young Guard ' s column was protected by a battalion of elite Old Guard grenadiers , described by Segur as forming a " " fortress like square " . " Stationed on the right of these columns were the weak remnants of the Guard ' s cavalry . Overall direction of the operation was entrusted to Marshal Mortier . This bold , unexpected feint of the Guard was lent additional melodrama by the personal presence of Napoleon . With his birch bark walking stick in hand , Napoleon placed himself at the helm of his Old Guard grenadiers , declaring " " I have played the Emperor long enough ! It is time to play general " ! " Facing the tattered but resolute Imperial Guardsmen were densely concentrated Russian infantry columns to the south and east , supported by massive , powerful artillery batteries . Lacking sufficient cannon of their own , the Guardsmen were badly outgunned by the enemy . As described by Segur : " " Russian battalions and batteries barred the horizon on all three sides — in front , on our right , and behind us " " Kutusov ' s reaction to the Imperial Guard ' s forward movement led to the most decisive and controversial development of the battle : he promptly cancelled his army ' s planned offensive , even in spite of the Russians ' overwhelming superiority in strength . For most of the rest of this day , the Russians remained at a safe distance from the Guard , beyond the reach of French muskets and bayonets , and simply blasted the enemy with cannon fire from afar . Combat near Uvarovo . The limited close quarters combat that did occur on this day unfolded throughout the morning and early afternoon around Uvarovo . The Imperial Guard attacked Uvarovo in order to use the village to cover Davout ' s retreat into Krasny . Uvarovo was held by two battalions of Galitzin ' s infantry , which formed a weak forward outpost in advance of the rest of the Russian army . The Russians were soon driven from Uvarovo , as Kutusov forbade Galitzin from reinforcing his troops . Galitzin reacted by commencing a devastating artillery barrage on Uvarovo , which took a terrible toll on the Young Guardsmen . Kutusov , in order to mass as much strength as possible behind Galitzin , at this point ordered Miloradovich to shift his position west , so that it linked with Galitzin ' s lines . Kutusov ' s decision to realign Miloradovich ' s troops is remarkable , as the bulk of the Russian army — Galitzin ' s and Tormasov ' s commands — were already merged in a powerful defensive position . Miloradovich was thus denied the chance to complete the destruction of Davout . Meanwhile , to the north , Davout ' s troops began streaming into Krasny , harassed by swarms of Cossacks who made no serious attempt to stop them . The Russian artillery continued to pound Davout ' s corps with grapeshot , inflicting ruinous casualties on the I Corps . Most of Davout ' s baggage train was lost , but a significant number of his infantrymen had been saved , and they were rallied by their officers in Krasny . Next , General Bennigsen , second in seniority only to Kutusov among Russian generals , ordered Galitzin to recapture Uvarovo . Galitzin ' s attack was met by a simultaneous counterattack by a column of the Guard ' s voltigeur s . Galitzin attacked the voltigeurs with two regiments of cuirassier s ; the French formed squares and repelled the attack . A third Russian attack , however , punctured the French square , and soon the entire contingent of Guardsmen was killed or captured . A second line of French troops , which had been advancing to support the voltigeurs , then fell back under heavy Russian cannon fire . Nearby , another skirmish took place , where the 3rd ( Dutch ) Guard Grenadiers was driven from a critical defensive position with massive casualties , due mostly to cannon fire . Roguet attempted to support the Dutch by attacking the Russian artillery batteries with the Guard ' s 1st Light Infantry , but this offensive was atomized by Russian grapeshot and cavalry charges . Only fifty soldiers and eleven officers in the 1st Light Infantry survived this encounter . Napoleon retreats . Around 11 : 00 a . m . , as the Imperial Guard was holding firm near Uvarovo despite its withering losses , Napoleon received intelligence reports that Tormasov ' s troops were readying to march west of Krasny . This news , coupled with the Young Guard ' s mounting casualties , forced Napoleon to abandon his ultimate object of standing down Kutusov long enough for Ney ' s III Corps to arrive in Krasny . If Kutusov opted to attack , the Grande Armée would be encircled and destroyed . Napoleon immediately ordered the Old Guard to fall back on Krasny , and then join Eugène ' s IV Corps in marching west toward Liady and Orsha . The Young Guard , nearing its breaking point , would remain near Uvarovo , to be relieved shortly thereafter by Davout ' s reorganized troops from Krasny . Napoleon ' s decision was not an easy one to make . Segur describes the beleaguered Emperor ' s predicament as follows : In short order , the Old Guard was following the IV Corps moving west out of Krasny , and the road to Orsha was clogged with soldiers and their wagonry . Huge mobs of civilians , fugitives , and stragglers preceded the retreating French troops . Meanwhile , near Uvarovo the Young Guard ' s capacity to resist the Russians was deteriorating rapidly , and Mortier ordered a retreat before his remaining troops were surrounded and destroyed . As if on parade ground drill , the perfectly disciplined Guardsmen then turned about face and marched back to Krasny , absorbing a final , terrible barrage of Russian cannonshot as they retired . Only 3 , 000 of the Young Guard ' s original 6 , 000 troops had survived the Russian shelling near Uvarovo . November may 17 have been the bloodiest day in the Young Guard ' s entire history . The Young Guard ' s retreat did not end once it returned to Krasny . Mortier and Davout were so wary of the possibility that the inert Kutusov might attack that they immediately joined the throng of troops , mobs and wagons rushing that moment to Liady . Only a weak rearguard under General Friedrich was left to hold Krasny . Ney ' s III Corps , having departed Smolensk only that morning , would not find Davout ' s I Corps in Krasny awaiting him . Kutusov delays the pursuit . Miloradovich and Galitzin were not permitted by Kutusov to attack Krasny for several more hours . At 2 : 00 p . m . , satisfied that the French were in full retreat and not intending to resist his troops ' advance , Kutusov finally allowed Tormasov to begin his enveloping movement west through Kutkovo and north to Dobroye . It would take Tormasov two hours to reach his destination , however , by which time the opportunity to encircle and destroy the Grande Armée would be past . Sometime around 3 : 00 p . m . , Galitzin ' s troops rushed into Krasny like a torrent , and Friedrich ' s rearguard quickly crumbled . Simultaneously , on the western road to Liady , the French initially encountered an ambush by the small detachments of Ozharovsky and Rosen . A bedlam of exploding grapeshot , overturned wagons , careening carriages , and mobs of fugitives rushing in panic ensued . But the troops of Cobert and Latour - Maubourg forced the Russians aside , and Napoleon was finally marching on Orsha . The final noteworthy event of the day occurred in Dobroye , when the hind end of the I Corps baggage train , including Davout ' s personal carriages , fell to the Cossacks . Among the booty captured by the Russians were Davout ' s war chest , a plethora of maps of the Middle East , Central Asia and India , and Davout ' s Marshal ' s baton . By nightfall on November 17 , Kutusov had occupied Krasny and its surroundings with his 70 , 000 troops . Marshal Ney , still advancing on Krasny from the east , was not yet aware the Grande Armée was no longer in Krasny to receive his III Corps . November 18 : the destruction of Ney . At 3 : 00 p . m . on November 18 , Ney ' s III Corps finally made contact with Miloradovich , who had posted 12 , 000 troops on a hill overlooking a deep ravine . Ney had 8 , 000 combatants and 7 , 000 stragglers under his command at this point . Believing that Davout was still in Krasny , directly behind Miloradovich ' s columns , Ney turned down a Russian offer of honorable surrender , and boldly attempted to ram his way through the enemy . The dogged French troops then succeeded in piercing the first two lines of Russian infantry . The third line , however , proved indomitable , and at the decisive moment , the Russians counterattacked . An eyewitness to this engagement , the English General Sir Robert Wilson , describes it thusly : The terrible defeat of the III Corps was thorough enough to induce the chivalrous Miloradovich to extend another honorable surrender to Ney . Again , Ney refused to submit , and with 2 , 000 refugees — all that remained of his corps — he absconded into the forests pursued by Platov ' s Cossacks . For the next two days Ney ' s small party bravely stood off Cossack attacks as it marched westward via footpaths in search of Napoleon ' s army . The elements and the Cossacks soon reduced Ney ' s contingent to only 800 diehards . On November 20 , Ney and Napoleon were reunited near Orsha , an event which the demoralized French troops regarded as the emotional equivalent of a great victory . At Krasny , Ney ' s steely courage in defeat immortalized him in the annals of military history , leading Napoleon to bestow upon him the sobriquet of " Bravest of the Brave . " Summary of results . Total French losses in the Krasny skirmishes are estimated between 6 , 000 and 13 , 000 killed and wounded , with another 20 , 000 to 26 , 000 lost as prisoners to the Russians . Almost all of the French prisoners were stragglers . The French also lost close to 130 artillery pieces and a huge portion of their supply train . Russian losses are estimated to have been no more than 5 , 000 killed and wounded . Significant however was that Napoleon successfully led 75 % of the combatants of the I and IV Corps and the Imperial Guard out of Krasny , thus salvaging his hope of using these troops as a nucleus around which he could rebuild his army the following year . Krasny was a Russian victory , but a highly unsatisfactory one . Tsar Alexander I was enraged with Kutusov upon learning of the old field marshal ' s failure to totally destroy the French . Nonetheless , owing to Kutusov ' s immense popularity with the Russian aristocracy , Alexander gave him the victory title of Prince of Smolensk for what had been accomplished in this battle .