Napoleon’s Eagles (Part 2)
Russia 1812

Volhynian Summer

by Kevin Birkett, FINS, Eire

24th June to September 1812

While the main portion of the Grande Armée was advancing into Lithuania so too were the corps destined to protect its southern flank from Tormassov’s Third Army of the West in Volhynia and Podolia. On the 28th June Reynier’s VII Corps, advancing from the vicinity of Warsaw, arrived at Bialystock the day after his nominal superior, Jérôme, had reached Grodno. Urged on by the Prince, alarmed at the prospect of Bagration falling on his widely separated forces, Reynier re-doubled his efforts reaching Slomin during the first week of July from where he continued his advance in the direction of Nesvizh.

This progress though was brought to an abrupt halt when, around the middle of the month, Napoleon ordered the VII Corps to retrace its steps, replacing Schwarzenberg’s Hilfkorps on the borders of Volhynia and the Grand Duchy of Warsaw.

Departing Lublin on the 20th June Schwarzenberg’s Hilfkorps had arrived in Syedletz on the 27th June before crossing the River Bug at Brest and advancing on Prujany where he halted, sending detachments to occupy the important places on the River Murawiec.

It was while in Prujany that Schwarzenberg had received the Emperor’s orders to march via Slomin and Nesvizh on Minsk. Meanwhile Reynier had made steady progress with his march towards the upper Bug reaching Chomsk on the 25th July from where he dispatched detachments to replace those of Schwarzenberg at Brest, Pinsk and Kobrin.

It was in the latter village that the first clash in this theatre was destined to take place. Detaching troops to maintain his communications with Bagration and Tshitsagov and to watch over the border with Austrian Gallicia, in mid-July Tormassov began his offensive.

Advancing via Ratno on the morning of the 27th his 28,000 men fell on the isolated brigade of General Klengel in Kobrin. Surrounding the village, which consisted of a collection of wooden houses and a stone church on the banks of the shallow Murawiec, at 10 a.m. the Russian artillery commenced it bombardment while Dragoons attempted to storm the village.

While this assault was beaten back a subsequent assault by infantry an hour later succeeded. Two hours after the first guns opened fire the 2,430 strong brigade had ceased to exist. Only some 110 men escaped to bring news of the disaster to Reynier, the remainder were either killed or captured.

The Russians lost just 600 men. Reynier, who had been marching to help his isolated formation, was forced to turn back at Antopol, following a clash with the Russians. Fortunately, Schwarzenberg, who had by this time reached Slonim, chose to disobey orders and marched to Reynier’s assistance, a course of action that Napoleon subsequently approved of, placing Reynier under Austrian command. Having united on the 3rd August Schwarzenberg’s Austro-Saxons advanced once again determined to drive Tormassov back into Volhynia. Clashing with Tormassov’s rearguard at Rudnia on the 8th and Prujany on the 10th by the evening of the 11th Schwarzenberg had finally run the Russians to ground at Gorodeczna where the road to Kobrin ascends the high bank of a marshy stream.

It was here that Tormassov had decided to make his stand, placing his 36,000 men and 60 guns in echelon along the road for a distance of three miles between the marsh and the village of Zavnice, which is situated six miles south of Gorodeczna. Schwarzenberg and Reynier however had no intention of attacking this immensely strong position.

During the night, at Reynier’s suggestion, the Saxons together with elements of the Austrian Hilfkorps, moved off to their right along a road that ran two miles from and parallel to the river. The object of this manoeuvre was to place the Saxons in a wood that ran from the stream crossing the road just to the south of Zavnice.

Having established themselves in the wood overnight at daybreak on the 12th Reynier’s troops advanced, occupying a small ridge on the margins of the wood. Although surprised by the Saxon manoeuvre Tormassov acted quickly, moving the bulk of his army back to a position stretching from Zavnice to the river while leaving a portion to resist Schwarzenberg.

From Zavnice the Russians mounted a series of cavalry attacks designed to prevent the Saxons extending to their right, thereby cutting Tormassov’s communications. With neither side able to gain an advantage over the other Schwarzenberg ordered a division to cross the stream at Podobna on Tomassov’s right flank.

Plunging knee deep into the marsh the Austrians fell on the Russian flank at the moment they were closely engaged with the Saxons. Shaken the Russians were forced to give ground drawing back their right to face the new threat. As this attack was developing Reynier pushed his cavalry towards the main road in an effort to cut off Tomassov’s line of retreat. Reacting to this threat Tomassov launched his cavalry under Lambert is a series of desperate charges which finally halted the Saxon advance. With night drawing in Tomassov ordered a retreat, his position no longer tenable.

While these events were in progress around the village of Zavnice Schwarzenberg and the remainder of the Austrians were not idle. As agreed with Reynier from the onset of the battle the Austrians made demonstrations against the Russian positions in the vicinity of Gorodeczna. While pushed home with great vigour these attacks failed to hold Tomassov in position and eventually faded away to an exchange of gunfire.

As a reward for gaining victory and securing his flank Napoleon demanded that the Austrian Emperor raise Schwarzenberg to the rank of Field Marshal. He also demanded a further 6,000 reinforcements to replace those that had been lost so far in the campaign and the 2,000 casualties suffered at Gorodeczna.

With these reinforcements he hoped to be able to force Tomassov to remain on the defensive in Volhynia meanwhile Schwarzenberg would have to make do with the troops to hand. On the 13th August Schwarzenberg and Reynier were able to re-enter Kobrin, two days later they entered Novo Selki and the day after that Divin, all abandoned by the retreating Russians.

Throughout the remainder of August and into the early days of September the pursuit continued until reaching the River Styr the Austro-Saxon corps halted, their men exhausted and their supplies low.

Tormassov meanwhile had received good news. Not only were the four and a half thousand losses he suffered at Gorodeczna to be made good but he was about to receive substantial reinforcements. Tshitsagov and the Army of the Danube were on the way; the conflict in the south was about to enter a new phase.

Napoleon's Eagles (Part 2) Invasion of Russia 1812

Napoleon's Eagles (Part 1) Invasion of Russia 1812

Napoleon's Eagles (Part 3) Invasion of Russia 1812

Back to Table of Contents -- First Empire # 79
Back to First Empire List of Issues
Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List
© Copyright 2004 by First Empire.
This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com