Borodino, Battle of

French victory over Russian forces under Kutusov on 7 September 1812 near the village of Borodino, 110km/70 mi northwest of Moscow, during Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Russia. This was one of the bloodiest battles of the Napoleonic years: the Russians lost 15,000 dead and 25,000 wounded; the French lost about 28,000, including 12 generals.

Although the Russians were still a coherent force, they were in no condition to fight another battle after Borodino and Napoleon was able to continue his advance on Moscow unchecked.

Napoleon, with 137,00 troops and 585 guns, had advanced as far as Borodino, on the River Koloc, where a Russian force of about 110,000 had taken up a strong position behind temporary fortifications. After a powerful artillery bombardment the French attacked and captured some Russian field works, which were promptly recaptured. The battle moved back and forth indecisively for some hours before Napoleon mounted a major assault with artillery and cavalry which made considerable inroads into the Russian lines. The Russians counterattacked repeatedly until late in the afternoon when, exhausted, they fell back to a ridge behind their original position; the French, equally exhausted, also fell back to their starting point.