Battle of Smolensk

Arc de Triomphe: SMOLENKSO

August 17, 1812 - August 18, 1812

The two Russian armies under General Bagration and General Barclay de Tolly had successfully evaded Napoleon's Grande Armée and linked up at Smolensk. Making use of the city's defenses, the Russians held strong against all of the French attacks, though through the course of the fighting much of the city was in flames. On the 18th, the two Russian armies began to march out to the east. Napoleon pursued them, leading his forces even deeper into Russia.

Bibliography

Chandler, David G. Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars. New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1979.
Smith, Digby. The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill Books: 1998.

Updated March 2017