Battle of Czasniki

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Czasniki
partof=French invasion of Russia (1812)
date=October 31, 1812
place=Chashniki (Czasniki), Belarus
result=Marginal Russian victory
combatant1=
combatant2=
commander1=Prince Peter Wittgenstein
commander2=Marshal Victor
strength1=30,000, of whom 11,000 were involved
strength2=36,000, of whom 10,000 to 18,000 were involved
casualties1=400
casualties2=1200

The Battle of Czasniki ( _be. Бой пад Ча́шнікамі) was fought during Napoleon's invasion of Russia, on 31 October, 1812, between Russian forces under General Wittgenstein, and the French army, commanded by Marshal Victor. This battle was a failed effort by the French to reestablish their northern “Dwina Line”, which had crumbled as a result of Wittgenstein’s victory at the Second battle of Polotsk just two weeks earlier.

Background

Upon learning of the French defeat at Polotsk, Victor, the commander of the [http://www.dean.usma.edu/HISTORY/web03/atlases/napoleon/napoleon%20pages/napoleon%20map%2050.htm French IX corps which Napoleon had kept in reserve] at Smolensk, marched northeast with 22,000 troops to restore the Dwina Line. At Czasniki he united with elements of the II Corps, which was retreating from Polotsk. The combined II and IX corps. put 36,000 troops at Victor’s disposal. [Riehn, page 360]

Wittgenstein, after leaving 9,000 soldiers to garrison territory captured as a result of his victory at Polotsk, marched south to Czasniki with 30,000 troops to deal with Victor. [Riehn, page 360]

Action

The combat at Czasniki was conducted chiefly by the Wittgenstein’s advance guard, 11,000 troops led by General Jaschwill, and by the II Corps on the French side. [Smith (2004), page 175]

The battle began with the Russians attacking the II Corps, which occupied a position in advance of the rest of Victor’s troops. In the ensuing combat the Russians drove the French back toward Victor’s rearward line. [Riehn, page 361]

Upon encountering Victor’s main position, Wittgenstein ordered Jaschwill to halt, and then commenced an artillery bombardment against the French. [Riehn, page 361]

Victor, apparently unnerved by Jaschwill’s successful advance, decided against continuing the battle, and retreated to Senno, 25 miles to the east. [Riehn, page 361] The Russians did not pursue.

French casualties in this battle were 1200 troops, as opposed to 400 lost by the Russians. [Smith (1998), page 398]

Consequences

Although the Russian victory at Czasniki was indecisive, its outcome was highly unfavorable to Napoleon for several reasons.

First, Victor’s defeat amounted to a failure to reestablish the Dwina Line, which was his overriding objective. Second, Victor’s new position at Senno was only 30 miles from the Napoleon’s intended line of retreat from Moscow, thus putting the Grande Armee within Wittgenstein’s attacking range. [Riehn, page 343] Further, Wittgenstein’s success increased the possibility that he could unite his command with the armies of Pavel Chichagov and Kutusov, [http://www.dean.usma.edu/HISTORY/web03/atlases/napoleon/napoleon%20pages/napoleon%20map%2051.htm thus trapping the Grande Armee] between three separate Russian forces .

Also, as a result of his victories at Polotsk and Czasniki, Wittgenstein dispatched a force under General Harpe to capture the massive French supply depot at Vitebsk. On November 7th, after a short combat, the French garrison at Vitebsk surrendered to Harpe, and huge caches of foodstuffs and war material fell into Russian hands. [Smith (1998), page 200]

The fall of Vitebsk was a severe blow to Napoleon because he had planned to quarter his battered Grande Armee there for the winter. Napoleon’s plan to combine his main army with Victor's force at Vitebsk, where they would reequip themselves before beginning the campaign anew the following spring, was now broken. [Cate, page 355]

Upon learning of the Russian victory at Czasniki, Napoleon ordered Victor to immediately attack Wittgenstein again and recapture Polotsk. [Riehn, page 343] This led to yet another French defeat, the Battle of Smoliani, on November 14th, 1812.

Notes

References

*"The War of the Two Emperors", Curtis Cate, Random House, New York, ISBN 0-394-53670-3
*"The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Source", 1998, Digby Smith, Greenhill Books, ISBN 1-85367-276-9
*"1812 Napoleon’s Russian Campaign", Richard K. Riehn, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., ISBN 0-471-54302-0
*Smith, Digby. "Napoleon Against Russia: A Concise History of 1812", Pen & Sword Military, 2004". ISBN 1-84415-089-5