Battle of Vyazma
| Battle of Vyazma | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the French invasion of Russia | |||||||
Battle of Vyazma, by Peter von Hess | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Russian Empire | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Mikhail Miloradovich Ivan Paskevich Matvei Platov |
Louis Nicolas Davout Eugène de Beauharnais Michel Ney Józef Antoni Poniatowski Józef Zajączek | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 26,500 troops | 37,000 (24,000 engaged) | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1,800–2,500 |
4,000 killed and wounded 2,000 prisoners | ||||||
The Battle of Vyazma (3 November 1812; 22 October by OS), occurred at the beginning of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow. In this encounter a Russian force commanded by General Miloradovich inflicted heavy losses on the rear guard of the Grande Armée. Although the French thwarted Miloradovich's goal of encircling and destroying the corps of Marshal Davout, they withdrew in a partial state of disorder due to ongoing Russian harassment and heavy artillery bombardments. The French reversal at Vyazma, although indecisive, was significant due to its damaging impact on several corps of Napoleon's retreating army.