Battle of Smolensk

E136294

The Battle of Smolensk was a major 1812 engagement during Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, in which French and Russian forces clashed fiercely over the strategic city of Smolensk, setting the stage for the later Battle of Borodino.

All labels observed (4)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Napoleonic Wars battle ⓘ
battle ⓘ
alsoKnownAs First Battle of Smolensk (1812) ⓘ
linked to: Battle of Smolensk
attackedBy Grande Armée ⓘ
belligerent First French Empire ⓘ
Russian Empire ⓘ
campaign Russian campaign of 1812 ⓘ
cause Napoleon’s advance toward Moscow ⓘ
cityDefendedBy Russian Empire ⓘ
commander Jean-Andoche Junot ⓘ
Louis-Nicolas Davout ⓘ
Michel Ney ⓘ
Mikhail Bogdanovich Barclay de Tolly ⓘ
Napoleon I of France ⓘ
linked to: Napoleon Bonaparte

Pyotr Bagration ⓘ
conflict Napoleonic Wars ⓘ
country Russia ⓘ
date 16–18 August 1812 ⓘ
followedBy Battle of Borodino ⓘ
FrenchCasualtiesAndLosses tens of thousands killed wounded or missing ⓘ
FrenchStrength approximately 175000 soldiers ⓘ
historicalEra Age of Napoleon ⓘ
linked to: Napoleonic era
historicalPeriod 19th century ⓘ
involvedUnit Grande Armée ⓘ
Russian First Army of the West ⓘ
Russian Second Army of the West ⓘ
linked to: Russian Second Army
location Russian Empire ⓘ
Smolensk ⓘ
Smolensk Governorate ⓘ
notableConsequence Russian army preserved by withdrawal ⓘ
destruction of much of Smolensk ⓘ
set stage for Battle of Borodino ⓘ
notableFeature extensive artillery bombardment ⓘ
heavy urban fighting ⓘ
partOf French invasion of Russia (1812) ⓘ
precededBy Battle of Vitebsk ⓘ
result French tactical victory ⓘ
Russian strategic withdrawal ⓘ
RussianCasualtiesAndLosses tens of thousands killed wounded or missing ⓘ
RussianStrength approximately 130000 soldiers ⓘ
significance demonstrated Russian strategy of trading space for time ⓘ
major early engagement of the 1812 Russian campaign ⓘ
strategicObjective capture of Smolensk ⓘ
open road to Moscow ⓘ
tacticalCharacteristic Russian fighting withdrawal ⓘ
frontal assaults on fortified positions ⓘ
theatre Eastern Front of the Napoleonic Wars ⓘ
year 1812 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (18)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Battle of Borodino → precededBy → Battle of Smolensk ⓘ
French invasion of Russia → notableEvent → Battle of Smolensk ⓘ
French invasion of Russia → keyBattle → Battle of Smolensk ⓘ
Mikhail Kutuzov → notableEvent → Battle of Smolensk (1812) ⓘ
linked to: Battle of Smolensk
Patriotic War of 1812 → battle → Battle of Smolensk (1812) ⓘ
linked to: Battle of Smolensk
Michel Ney → participatedIn → Battle of Smolensk (1812) ⓘ
linked to: Battle of Smolensk
Eastern Front of the Napoleonic Wars → includesBattle → Battle of Smolensk (1812) ⓘ
linked to: Battle of Smolensk
Smolensk → wasSiteOf → Battle of Smolensk (1812) ⓘ
linked to: Battle of Smolensk
Battle of Smolensk (1812) → alsoKnownAs → First Battle of Smolensk (1812) ⓘ
subject linked to: Battle of Smolensk
linked to: Battle of Smolensk
Battle of the Moskva → precededBy → Battle of Smolensk (1812) ⓘ
linked to: Battle of Smolensk
Prince of Smolensk → linkedBattle → Battle of Smolensk (1812) ⓘ
linked to: Battle of Smolensk
Отечественная война 1812 года → ключевоеСражение → Сражение под Смоленском ⓘ
linked to: Battle of Smolensk
Battle of Vitebsk → followedBy → Battle of Smolensk ⓘ
III Corps of the Grande Armée → battle → Battle of Smolensk ⓘ
Dmitry Dokhturov → battle → Battle of Smolensk ⓘ
IV Corps (Grande Armée) → participatedIn → Battle of Smolensk (1812) ⓘ
subject linked to: IV Corps
linked to: Battle of Smolensk
VI Corps → engagedInBattle → Battle of Smolensk (1812) ⓘ
linked to: Battle of Smolensk
Dmitry Dokhturov → notableEngagement → Battle of Smolensk (1812) ⓘ
linked to: Battle of Smolensk