Battle of Smolensk
On 16–18 August 1812, Napoleon's Grande Armée reached the ancient Russian city of Smolensk after weeks of advance through scorched terrain. Napoleon had manoeuvred to threaten Smolensk from the south, hoping to force a Russian defensive stand; instead the Russian commanders Barclay de Tolly and Bagration disagreed sharply over strategy, but both ultimately chose to abandon Smolensk rather than be encircled. Russian troops set fire to the city as they withdrew. French forces broke through the outer defences and fought street by street through burning buildings, suffering around 12,000 casualties, but the Russian armies escaped across the Dnieper. Napoleon had again failed to obtain the decisive engagement he needed. The fall of Smolensk, a holy city of religious and historical significance to Russians, hardened popular resistance rather than breaking it, while the 400-kilometre advance from the Niemen had already consumed a significant fraction of the army to disease, heat, and starvation. Napoleon pressed on toward Moscow — the gamble deepening with each march.
- Year: 1812 CE
- Category: Military
