Battle of Wolkowisk facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Wolkowisk |
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| Part of the French invasion of Russia | |||||||
_-_detail.jpg) Napoleon's retreat by Vasily Vereshchagin |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Russian Empire |
 Austrian Empire Kingdom of Saxony French Empire |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Osten-Sacken |
von Schwarzenberg |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 27,000 | 35,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 4,000 | 1,800 | ||||||
The Battle of Wolkowisk was a fight that happened from November 14 to 16, 1812. It took place near the village of Wolkowisk. In this battle, about 35,000 soldiers from Austria, Saxony, and France fought together. They were led by Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg. They won against 27,000 Russian soldiers, who were led by Fabian Gottlieb von der Osten-Sacken. This battle was part of the larger French invasion of Russia.
What Led to the Battle
Prince Schwarzenberg was an Austrian commander. He had a secret agreement between Austria and Russia. This agreement meant he was supposed to help Napoleon as little as possible. This made things tricky for Napoleon's army.
The Battle Unfolds
On November 14, the Russian commander Sacken took control of Wolkowisk. He pushed back the French troops led by Jean Reynier. However, Sacken could not completely defeat this part of the French army.
On November 15, Schwarzenberg marched his troops towards Wolkowisk. He left about 6,500 soldiers behind to protect a place called Slonim. The next day, November 16, the Austrian forces attacked Sacken's Russian troops.
The Russian soldiers found themselves attacked from three different directions. Despite this, they managed to escape the trap. Sacken then decided to pull his troops back towards Brest.
What Happened Next
After the battle, Schwarzenberg started to follow Sacken's retreating army. But then, Maret, a French official, gave him a new order. Maret told Schwarzenberg to go to Minsk right away.
Schwarzenberg followed the order, but he wasn't happy about it. He later decided not to continue his march to Minsk. The journey from Wolkowisk to Borisov and the Berezina River was very long. It was over 300 kilometers through difficult land and bad weather.
Because Schwarzenberg's 40,000 men did not go to Minsk, they couldn't help Napoleon. They might have been able to stop a Russian general named Tshitshagov. But instead, Napoleon was left without their support at the important Battle of Berezina.
See Also
