Interesting facts about the Battle of Borodino will once again remind you of one of the greatest battles in the history of Russia. It became the largest confrontation during the Patriotic War of 1812 between the Russian and French troops. The battle is described in many works of both Russian and foreign writers.
So, here are the most interesting facts about the Battle of Borodino.
- The Battle of Borodino is the largest battle of the Patriotic War of 1812 between the Russian army under the command of infantry general Mikhail Golenishchev-Kutuzov and the French army under the command of Emperor Napoleon I Bonaparte. It took place on August 26 (September 7), 1812 near the village of Borodino, 125 km west of Moscow.
- As a result of a fierce battle, Borodino was virtually wiped out from the face of the earth.
- Today, a number of historians agree that the Battle of Borodino is the bloodiest in history among all one-day battles.
- An interesting fact is that about 250,000 people took part in the confrontation. However, this figure is arbitrary, since different documents indicate different numbers.
- The Battle of Borodino took place about 125 km from Moscow.
- In the Battle of Borodino, both armies used up to 1200 artillery pieces.
- Do you know that the village of Borodino belonged to the Davydov family, from which the famous poet and soldier Denis Davydov came?
- The day after the battle, the Russian army, on the orders of Mikhail Kutuzov (see interesting facts about Kutuzov), began to retreat. This was due to the fact that reinforcements moved to the aid of the French.
- It is curious that after the Battle of Borodino, both sides considered themselves victors. However, neither side succeeded in achieving the desired results.
- The Russian writer Mikhail Lermontov dedicated the poem "Borodino" to this battle.
- Few people know the fact that the total weight of the equipment of the Russian soldier exceeded 40 kg.
- After the Battle of Borodino and the actual end of the war, up to 200,000 French prisoners remained in the Russian Empire. Most of them settled in Russia, not wanting to return to their homeland.
- Both Kutuzov's army and Napoleon's army (see interesting facts about Napoleon Bonaparte) lost about 40,000 soldiers each.
- Later, many of the captives who remained to live in Russia became tutors and teachers of the French language.
- The word "sharomyga" comes from a phrase in French - "cher ami", which means "dear friend." So the captive French, exhausted by cold and hunger, turned to Russian soldiers or peasants, begging them for help. From that time on, the people had the word “sharomyga”, which did not understand what exactly “cher ami” meant.
