Battle of Mir (1812)

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For other uses, see Battle of Mir.
Battle of Mir (1812)
Part of the French invasion of Russia
Platov3.jpg
Cossack cavalry deployed at Mir (by V. Mazurovsky)
Date9–10 July 1812
Location
Mir, Russian Empire now Belarus
53°27′N 26°28′E / 53.450°N 26.467°E / 53.450; 26.467
Result Russian victory[1]
Belligerents
Duchy of Warsaw Russian Empire Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Russian Empire Matvei Platov
Russian Empire A. Vasilchikov
Strength

3,000 men, 2 guns:

  • 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 11th, 15th, and 16th Uhlan Regiments
  • Polish 4th Chasseurs
  • One horse battery

9,000 men, 24 guns:

  • Eight Cossack regiments
  • Two Don batteries
  • Akhtyrka Hussars
  • Kiev and New Russia Dragoons
  • Two horse batteries
  • Lithuanian Uhlans
  • 5th Jaegers
Casualties and losses
700 killed, 248 taken prisoner Around 180 killed and wounded,[1] including two colonels killed
French invasion of Russia
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The Battle of Mir took place on 9 and 10 July 1812 during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. Three Polish Lancers divisions battled against Russian cavalry, ending in the first major Russian victory in the war.[2]

Battle[]

Russian general Matvei Platov had eight Cossack regiments and two Don batteries deployed south of the village of Mir, when one brigade of the Polish Fourth Light Cavalry attacked his advance posts, numbering about 100 men. These advance posts had the dual job of both observation and sentry duty, and to entice the enemy to attack; ambushes of a hundred men each were set up farther down the road to Mir, on either side of it.[3] The Polish general Alexander Rosniecki's forces clashed with Russian Alexander Vasilchikov's cavalry, resulting in hand-to-hand combat with fairly even losses. Followed by Uhlans, they swept through the village, attacking Platov's main force. A third Polish brigade attempting to join the fight was encircled and broken by Cossacks, after which the entire Polish force gave ground, driven back with the aid of Russian Hussars.[4] After the arrival of Vasilchikov's Akhtyrka Hussars, Dragoons, and other reinforcements, the battle raged for six hours, shifting to the nearby village of Simiakovo. Platov defeated the enemy there, and moved on to Mir, where he inflicted further losses on the enemy before tactically withdrawing.[5] A complete rout was only averted by Tyszkiewicz's brigade, which covered the Polish retreat.[4]

Aftermath[]

The town of Mir and fort ruins were used as a headquarters by Jérôme Bonaparte, until he decided on the 16th to leave the army, after quarrels with Vandamme, Davout and with his older brother. After retreating, the Mir Castle was destroyed with gunpowder.[6]

Notes[]

  1. ^ a b Smith 1998, p. 483.
  2. ^ napoleon-series 2021.
  3. ^ journal 1896.
  4. ^ a b Foord 1915.
  5. ^ cossacks 2021.
  6. ^ Davies 1998, p. 745.

References[]

  • Smith, Digby (1998). The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London. ISBN 1-85367-276-9.
  • napoleon-series (2021). "War Against Russia". Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  • journal (1896). Journal of the Military Service Institution of the United States, Volume 19.
  • Foord, Edward A. (1915). Napoleon's Russian campaign of 1812. Little, Brown and Co.
  • cossacks (2021). "Cossacks". Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  • Davies, Norman (1998). Europe: a History. HarperCollins. Retrieved 6 April 2021. mir cossacks 1812


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