Battle of Klyastitsy
- When
- 1812
- Where
- village of Yakubovo, on the road between Polotsk and Sebezh; village of Klyastitsy on the road between Polotsk and Sebezh; Klyastitsy area on the road between Polotsk and Sebezh
- Episodes
- 3
The Battle of Klyastitsy (30 July–1 August O.S. 18–20 July 1812) saw Wittgenstein's Russian corps, with Kulnev's vanguard, defeat Oudinot's French corps near Klyastitsy on the Polotsk–Sebezh road; Kulnev was mortally wounded.
Episodes
- Vanguard clash and reinforcement
Kulnev's vanguard engaged Legrand's division near Yakubovo; Wittgenstein sent jaeger regiments and artillery and joined him in person.
- Russian victory at Klyastitsy
After attacks and counterattacks the Russians forced Oudinot back to Klyastitsy and captured the disputed village, at heavy cost to both sides.
- French retreat and Kulnev's mortal wound
Oudinot retreated toward Polotsk while fending off Russian pursuers; Kulnev, wounded while chasing the French, died of his injury on 1 August 1812.
Background and detail
Background. After Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812, Kulnev was entrusted with defending the roads leading to Saint Petersburg. Oudinot administered the government of the former Kingdom of Holland from 1810 to 1812 and commanded the II Corps of La Grande Armée in the Russian campaign. Upon arrival in Klyastitsy, Oudinot received Napoleon's order to pursue Wittgenstein on his heels, leaving a small force in Polotsk.
Forces and Opening Engagements. The French numbered 28,000 troops against Wittgenstein's Russian corps of 17,000. On 28 July, French cavalry squadrons of General Corbineau's side detachment were surprised and attacked by eight Russian Hussar and Cossack squadrons of Kulnev and Balk's vanguard.
Battle and Aftermath. Kulnev's vanguard of about 4,000 men fought Claude Legrand's infantry division all day near Yakubovo; Wittgenstein sent reinforcements and joined him personally. After repeated attacks the Russians forced Oudinot back to Klyastitsy and captured the village. Both Wittgenstein and Kulnev were wounded; Kulnev's injury was fatal.
People involved
- Yakov Petrovich Kulnev · Russian general commanding the vanguard of Wittgenstein's corps; mortally wounded
- Nicolas Charles Oudinot · French marshal commanding the corps opposed to Wittgenstein
- Peter Wittgenstein · Russian corps commander who sent reinforcements to Kulnev, joined him in person, and was wounded in the battle
Sources
- Battle of Klyastitsy Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-16
- Yakov Kulnev Wikipedia, revision of 2026-03-29
- Nicolas Oudinot Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-28
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.