Battle of Berezina

The Battle of (the) Berezina (or Beresina) took place from 26 to 29 November 1812, between Napoleon's Grande Armée and the Imperial Russian Army under Field Marshal Wittgenstein and Admiral Chichagov. Napoleon was retreating back toward Poland in chaos after the aborted occupation of Moscow and trying to cross the Berezina River at Borisov. The outcome of the battle was inconclusive as, despite heavy losses, Napoleon managed to cross the river and continue his retreat with the surviving remnants of his army.

Battle of the Berezina
Part of the French invasion of Russia

Napoleon's crossing of the Berezina,
a 1866 painting by January Suchodolski,
oil on canvas, National Museum, Poznań
Date26–29 November 1812
Location
The Berezina river near Studienka, Russian Empire (currently Studenka, Barysaw District, Minsk Region, Belarus)
54°19′29″N 28°21′16″E
Result See Aftermath
Belligerents
French Empire
Duchy of Warsaw
Italy
Naples
Bavaria
Westphalia
Württemberg
Saxony
Hesse
Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Napoleon I
Nicolas Oudinot
Claude Victor-Perrin
Michel Ney
Peter Wittgenstein
Pavel Chichagov
Yefim Chaplits
Strength
~36,000 effectives
At least 40,000 stragglers
250–300 guns
  • 61,500 to 64,000
    • Chichagov:
      31,500
    • Wittgenstein:
      30,000
Casualties and losses
20,000 to 30,000 combatants
30,000 noncombatants
10,000 killed
Many more wounded
Location within Europe
500km
300miles
Pultusk
15
Gorodeczno
14
Drohiczyn
13
Tauroggen
12
Riga
11
Tilsit
10
Warsaw
9
Berezina
8
Maloyaroslavets
7
Moscow
6
Borodino
5
Smolensk
4
Vitebsk
3
Vilna
2
Kowno
1
  current battle
  Prussian corps
  Napoleon
  Austrian corps
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