Emperor Alexander rejects the peace proposed by Napoleon. Lauriston is sent to Prince Kutuzov. – Prince Volkonsky’s meeting with Lauriston. – Conversation between Prince Kutuzov and the French envoy. - Letter from Napoleon. – Continuation of the conversation with Lauriston. - Supreme

FACT FIFTH. Suitability in terms of value in financial equivalent EPISODE 12. The size of the royal salary for sailors during the Northern War. During the period of the organization of the first units of the Russian fleet, when all the officers were foreigners, money was paid to them according to From the book Spy Stories author Tereshchenko Anatoly Stepanovich

Chapter 1. The Rationale for War: Values, Interests and Strategies Modern warfare is not the exclusive activity of specially trained men—soldiers and officers. It covers all spheres of life, and its causes are far from narrowly focused goals, as was the case in

Games of Napoleon and with Napoleon The difficult year 1812 is the year of the beginning of the First Patriotic War of Imperial Russia with France and its allies - the vassals of Napoleon Bonaparte, who created an army of almost one and a half million people to conquer Russia. In Europe he was already in charge,

For almost two centuries, an inconspicuous lake in the Vyazemsky district of the Smolensk region has attracted the attention of historians, scientists and... treasure hunters. Here lie countless treasures taken by Napoleon from Moscow. At least, that’s what the French general de Segur and the English novelist Walter Scott said.

On October 19, 1812, Napoleon’s “grand army” left devastated Moscow. Behind the troops were endless lines of carts, filled to the brim with looted goods. Subsequently, officials of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs calculated: the French seized 18 pounds of gold, 325 pounds of silver, a lot of church utensils, precious stones, ancient weapons, furs, etc. in Moscow. They even removed the gilded cross from the bell tower of Ivan the Great and the double-headed eagles from the Kremlin towers. Napoleon, of course, kept the most valuable booty for himself, placing it in the “golden train” under the protection of the guard. But the trophies did not reach Paris - they disappeared.

In 1824, the French general de Segur published his memoirs. It’s unlikely that anyone would remember them today if not for one phrase: “We had to throw the loot taken from Moscow into Lake Semlyovskoe: cannons, ancient weapons, Kremlin decorations and a cross from the bell tower of Ivan the Great.” Segur is echoed by Walter Scott in his biography of Bonaparte: “He (Napoleon - D.K.) ordered that Moscow booty - ancient armor, cannons and a large cross from Ivan the Great - be thrown into Lake Semlyovskoye as trophies... which he was not able to carry with myself."

In 1835, the Smolensk governor Nikolai Khmelnitsky, while passing the time reading Scott, drew attention to these lines. The energetic official was eager to find the treasure, since Lake Semlyovskoe was located on the territory of his province. Khmelnitsky immediately left for Vyazemsky district, reached a forest lake a couple of miles from the village of Semlevo, and carefully “searched” it for three weeks. In vain. Then, in 1911, members of the Vyazemsky Committee for the Perpetuation of the Memory of the Patriotic War tried their luck. Horse bones, fragments of a cart, and a rusty saber were brought to light - but not treasures.

Later, in 1960 and 1979. The bottom of Lake Semlyovskoe and its surroundings was studied by two scientific expeditions: scientists explored the shores and carried out water tests. How happy they were to discover an increased content of precious metals in the northwestern part of the lake! But no - another disappointment: nothing was found except stones and construction debris. After another fiasco, scientists began to wonder: was there a treasure?..

We know about the sinking of Moscow treasures in Lake Semlyovskoe only from the words of de Segur and Walter Scott. Should you trust them? The Briton did not go to Russia with Napoleon; he wrote his book based on documents and memories of eyewitnesses. Most likely, Scott simply repeated the version of the “main witness” - de Segur. Some researchers accuse the general of lying, but is it fair?

Two hundred years ago, the landscape in the Semlevo area was very different from today: in addition to Lake Semlevo, there were many other bodies of water. French military maps were not impeccably accurate, because GPS had not yet been invented. Therefore, de Segur could call any of the local lakes, dams and even swamps “Semlevsky”. In addition, those who ended up in “history” had no time for geography and toponymy: the Russians were on their heels, and the French in their haste could drown valuables anywhere.

However, the words “anywhere” can be applied not only to Semlyov’s reservoirs: hungry, tired soldiers of the “great army” scattered their spoils from Maloyaroslavets to the Berezina. Kutuzov wrote about this: “The enemy in his flight leaves the carts, explodes boxes with shells and abandons treasures stolen from the temples of God.” The old Smolensk road was strewn with valuables, and a lot of goods were dumped into the rivers. All of Russia was turning into a huge, endless “Semlev Lake”, dragging the “great army” and its hitherto invincible emperor to the bottom.

The dashing Cossacks beat the French brilliantly. Once they captured notable booty from the enemy - 20 pounds of silver, Kutuzov sent it to the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg. Actively participating in the “disappearance” of Napoleon’s “golden convoy,” the Don village residents mined a fair amount of precious metals, which were then donated to the temple in Novocherkassk.

So the picture is clear. But no arguments can convince enthusiasts who are still looking for the legendary “treasure of Lake Semlyovskoe”. And why did General de Segur mention him?

The mystery of the “countless treasures” haunts enthusiasts and adventurers to this day. According to legends, trophies from the burned Moscow were taken out in huge convoys. No one knows where the trophies looted by French troops in Russia in the 19th century disappeared.
Creation of a myth The convoy, built in four rows, stretched from Moscow for several tens of miles. “You might have thought that you were seeing some kind of caravan in front of you... ...Or an ancient army returning after a big raid with prisoners and booty,” wrote Napoleon’s adjutant Philippe Segur in his memoirs. Where did all the looted wealth go? This question still haunts treasure hunters. One version says that the treasures looted in Moscow, by order of Napoleon, were dumped into Lake Semlyovskoye near Vyazma. Segur was the first to announce this: “...We had to throw the loot taken from Moscow into Lake Semlyovskoye: guns, ancient weapons, Kremlin decorations and the cross of Ivan the Great. Trophies began to weigh on us.” Then the legend was repeated by the writer Walter Scott in his essay “On the Life of Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French.” The myth was created. The search for “Napoleon’s treasure” began and continues to this day. Unsuccessful searches The very first to try to uncover the secret of “Napoleon’s treasure” was a Smolensk civilian
Governor Nikolai Khmelnitsky. In January 1836, expensive survey and engineering work was carried out in Lake Semlyovskoe, but it was not successful. The next attempt was made in 1911 by archaeologist Ekaterina Kletnova. She noticed that there were two lakes in Semlevo. According to Kletnova, the convoy was most likely flooded in a dam or in the Osma River. The dammed lake was drained, but its examination yielded nothing. In the 30s of the 19th century, Gurko, a landowner from the Mogilev province who visited Paris, achieved a meeting with the French minister Tunot, who served as a lieutenant in Napoleon’s army in 1812. Tyuno said that the treasures were dumped into another lake - between Smolensk and Orsha or Orsha and Borisov. Gurko, regardless of expenses, examined all the lakes along the Smolensk - Orsha - Borisov road, but to no avail. In Soviet times there were also several expeditions to Semlevo. In 1979, 45 people arrived there, equipped with modern technology. However, they were also unsuccessful: the lake turned out to be deep - up to 24 meters, at the bottom there is a layer of silt 15 meters thick, which makes any search impossible. Although it turned out that Semlev water also has a high content of precious metal. Is there no more treasure? There is also a version that the French deliberately planted misinformation in Russia in order to divert attention from the real location of the treasure. This version is confirmed by the sensational story of Orest Petrovich Nikitin, a researcher from Krasnoyarsk, who lived during the Great Patriotic War in the Smolensk region. According to Nikitin, approximately 40 kilometers from Semlev, on the banks of the Ugra River, near the village of Voznesenye, there was a cemetery called Kurganniki. The French guards who remained in Ascension after the War of 1812 were buried here at different times. One guardsman fell in love with a peasant woman from Ascension and married her. A few years later he died and was buried in Kurganniki. His wife erected a monument to him - a large stone. This stone could be seen even before the Great Patriotic War. The Frenchman’s wife lived for a very long time and died at the age of more than a hundred years. Before her death, she told her fellow villagers that her husband asked to be buried in the indicated place and to have a monument made of a large stone. Treasures are supposedly hidden next to this stone. None of the villagers believed this, because they thought that the grandmother was simply out of her mind. Before the war, a strange German named Moser appeared in these places, posing as a representative of the famous Singer company. As it turned out later, he was a classic spy - an Abwehr employee. Moser collected various information and, apparently, accidentally learned the legend about treasures hidden somewhere in Ascension. In 1942, he led a detachment of Gestapo men during the encirclement of General Efremov’s 33rd Army near Vyazma. Then, with a team of sappers, he began searching for the valuables looted by Napoleon. “One day Moser,” recalls Nikitin, “visited our house in the city of Gzhatsk, now Gagarin, and boasted: Napoleon’s valuables were found a few meters from the stone - a monument to the Napoleonic guardsman. I saw the found values ​​in person. Gold coins of various denominations in 4 leather bags, several (no more than 20) different gold dishes, bowls, goblets, a lot of gold and silver church utensils, among which a large gold cross stood out. Maybe the Germans showed only part of the valuables, and hid all the others from the eyes of unnecessary witnesses.” Therefore, Nikitin claims that the secret of Napoleonic treasure since 1942 no longer exists. Whether this is true or not is difficult to say. But it seems that, regardless of the results of the search, more than one generation of Russians will search for “Napoleon’s treasure.” This is just how people are designed. Text: Dmitry Tikhonov

Magazine Knowledge is power. - 2012. - No. 11

In June 1812, Napoleon's army invaded Russia, having already conquered all of continental Europe. The best commander of his time led more than half a million soldiers recruited from France and the countries it defeated. The Russian army was retreating before the strongest enemy. Having fought a general battle at Borodino, Russian troops left Moscow to the enemy. Napoleon found himself in a trap, removed from his bases, without defeating the enemy and without making peace. With the onset of cold weather, the French left Moscow. Their retreat turned into a flight, almost the entire army died from frost. Russian troops, pursuing the enemy, entered Poland and Germany, and ended the war in Paris. In honor of the Patriotic War, about a hundred monuments were erected in Russia, most of them have been preserved. In addition to the monuments of the Patriotic War, a few monuments of other wars with Napoleon are described here - the campaign of 1807 and the foreign campaigns of 1813-1815.

Monument to the first victory over Napoleon in Kobrin

The first victory over the troops invading Russia was won far from the main theater of military operations. On July 15, 1812, in Belarus, near the city of Kobrin, a battle took place between the 3rd reserve army of Tormasov and the Saxon units of General Kleingel. The Russian army was victorious, taking many prisoners and trophies.

On the centennial anniversary of this battle, a monument was laid at the Kobrin Cathedral on Bobruisk Street in honor of the victory over the French. Exactly a year later, on July 15, 1913, the monument was unveiled. It was built at their own expense by the 38th Infantry Division and the 38th Artillery Brigade with the help of residents of the Grodno province and the regiments that participated in that battle. The monument was a granite rock with a bronze figure of a double-headed eagle tearing a laurel wreath with Napoleon's monogram. On the front side of the rock there is a marble plaque with the inscription: “To the Russian soldiers who won the first victory over Napoleon’s troops within Russia on July 15, 1812.” On the right side of the monument, under the monogram of Alexander I, 11 regiments and 4 companies that took part in the battle were listed, and a list of trophies was also given: “4 banners, 8 guns, 2 generals, 76 officers and 2382 lower ranks.” On the left side, under the monogram of Nicholas II, it was written: “Constructed by the descendants of the heroes of the Kobrin victory on July 15, 1912” and a list of the regiments participating in the construction of the monument was given. The author of the project was engineer D.V. Markov, the eagle and the board were made by sculptor S. Otto. Four mortars were installed in front of the monument, and it was surrounded by a chain.

During the interwar period, Kobrin belonged to Poland. In the 1920s, the monument was converted into a Kosciuszko monument: the boards were knocked down and a bust of the general was installed instead of an eagle. The monument was restored to its original form according to the design of sculptor M.A. Kerzin in 1951.

Monuments of the Smolensk Battle

On August 3, 1812, the retreating divisions of Neverovsky and Raevsky entered Smolensk to hold the city until the main forces of the Russian army arrived. The next day, the French vanguard began an assault on the city, trying to cut off Russian troops from Moscow. By evening, the armies of Barclay de Tolly and Bagration entered the city. All day on August 5, the French launched brutal bombings and assaults on Smolensk, which ended in vain. At night, the Russians left the destroyed city and retreated to the east.

Main monument

According to the plan approved by Nicholas I, a standard second-class monument was to be built in Smolensk according to the design of A.U.Adamini. The monument was cast at the Aleksandrovsky plant in St. Petersburg from 26 tons of cast iron. The monument was delivered in parts to Smolensk, where it was assembled by St. Petersburg workers. The opening of the majestic 26-meter monument took place on November 5, 1841 on the Parade Square near the Royal Bastion. It was a tall octagonal cast-iron pyramid, topped with a scaly church dome with a cross. The pyramid was installed on an octagonal prism standing on a cylindrical pedestal. Adjoining all the faces of the prism were double cast-iron columns, also topped with scaly domes with double-headed eagles sitting on them. On the front edge of the prism was an icon of the Smolensk Mother of God, below, on a pedestal, was a plan of the Smolensk battle. In addition, there were seven inscriptions on the round pedestal, separated by applied bronze swords in wreaths. They read: “On August 5, Smolensk was defended by 62 battalions, 8 squadrons, 144 guns,” “On August 5, the enemy attacked 111 battalions, 28 squadrons, up to 300 guns,” “2 Russian generals were killed, 1 was wounded. Up to 9,600 soldiers were out of action.” , “1 enemy generals were killed, 3 were wounded. Up to 20,000 soldiers were out of action,” “Battle of Smolensk on August 4 and 5, 1812,” “Commanders-in-Chief Barclay de Tolly and Bagration,” “Those who defended Smolensk: Raevsky, Dokhturov.” The monument was installed on a round stepped base and surrounded by a chain on posts. In 1851, two French cannons were found during excavation work in Smolensk. Soon they were installed on carriages cast in Bryansk and installed next to the monument. In 1874, on the site of Parade Square, around the monument, a garden was laid out, named Lopatinsky after the then governor of the city.

The Smolensk monument of 1812 is the only one of the standard second-class monuments that has been safely preserved to this day.

Anniversary monument

On the centenary of the Patriotic War in Smolensk, it was decided to erect a second large monument in honor of those heavy battles. The place for its installation was chosen to be the boulevard of 1812, created for the anniversary, laid out along the wall of the Smolensk fortress. Nicholas II, who visited the city on August 31, 1912, examined the model of the monument made by engineer-lieutenant colonel N.S. Shutsman and approved it. The monument was built within a year and opened on September 10, 1913. It was a rock 8.5 meters high, onto which a Gallic warrior in armor and with a sword was climbing. At the top of the rock there was a nest, which was protected by two eagles, symbolizing the two Russian armies. All these figures were made of bronze by the sculptor S. Nadolsky. The rock, made of stone slabs, was covered with cement with granite chips. On its front side was a bronze map of the European part of the Russian Empire with the words: “Grateful Russia to the heroes of 1812.” On the sides, in bronze wreaths, were the coats of arms of Smolensk and Russia; on the back, the leaders of the city’s defense were listed: Barclay de Tolly, Bagration, Neverovsky, Raevsky and Dokhturov.

After the revolution, the monument was destroyed and lost many metal parts. It was restored in 1955 and is now in its original form.

Monument to the Sofia Regiment

The 2nd Sofia Infantry Regiment took part in the defense of Smolensk in August 1812. A hundred years later, the regiment, stationed in Smolensk, erected a monument at its own expense in honor of its ancestors. It was a tetrahedral concrete obelisk on a hexagonal pedestal resting on six cylindrical pedestals. This entire structure stood on a round base of four steps. The obelisk was crowned with a bronze double-headed eagle with outstretched wings. The monument was richly decorated. On the front side of the obelisk there was an applied cross, the monogram of the chief of the regiment - Alexander III and two boards with inscriptions. One of them read: “On August 4 and 5, 1812, under the walls of Smolensk, the Sofia Infantry Regiment heroically repelled the attacks of Napoleon’s Great Army.” On the back side there was the monogram of Alexander I and a map of Europe with the regiment’s battle route. On the side faces there were monograms of Nicholas I and Alexander II, Nicholas II, and boards with text. Bronze plaques detailing the history and military exploits of the regiment were also on all six tables and all six sides of the pedestal. Thus, the number of bronze plaques on the monument reached seventeen. Work on the monument began on the ramparts of the Royal Bastion in August 1912, and its opening took place on May 30, 1914.

After the revolution, the eagle, cross, monograms and boards were destroyed, but the obelisk itself was preserved. In 1960, it was restored; an eagle was restored at the top, for some reason - a single-headed one. But instead of numerous bronze boards, only two new, cast iron ones were installed; one repeated the old inscription, the other read: “The monument was built in 1912 by soldiers of the Sofia Regiment in memory of the heroic exploits of their ancestors. The author of the project is private 7th company of the Sofia Regiment, Smolensk resident Boris Tsapenko.”

Monuments to the battles near Riga

Kekau

In August 1812, French and Prussian troops of Marshal MacDonald approached Riga. On the approaches to the city they had a series of battles with the Russian army. The main battles took place on August 10 and September 14 on Mount Odukalis, near the village of Kekau. MacDonald was not successful, and after Napoleon left Moscow he also retreated to Prussia. To mark the centenary of the battle, a monument was erected on Mount Odukalis. It was installed by the local landowner von Lilienfeldt and the descendants of the Livonian nobles Berg, von Essen and Levis of Menard who participated in the battle. The monument was built from local limestone according to the design of the Riga architect Bokslav. There were five boards with explanatory inscriptions on it. On the front it read: “In memory of the first victory over Napoleon’s troops on August 10 (22), 1812 at Dahlenkirche.” The opening of the monument took place on the anniversary of the second battle, September 14, 1912.

The monument was destroyed during positional battles near Riga, which again took place in these places in 1915-1917.

Riga

Russian troops defending Riga did not allow the French to enter the rich city and saved it from plunder. In gratitude for this, the Riga merchants decided to erect a monument on Palace Square in front of the castle. Its project was developed by the architect D. Quarenghi. The monument was founded in 1814, on the second anniversary of the expulsion of the French from Moscow, and was opened on September 15, 1817. It was a Doric column topped with a bronze winged figure of victory holding a wreath and an olive branch. The seven-meter trunk of the column was hewn out of red Finnish granite by stonecutter S. Sukhanov, a statue of victory based on the model of the sculptor S.S. Pimenov was cast in St. Petersburg by V.P. Yakimov. The corners of the pedestal were decorated with four bronze eagles connected by a garland. On two of its faces there were applied bronze coats of arms of Russia and Riga, on the other two there was an inscription in Russian, German and Latin: “The forces of twenty kingdoms and peoples invaded Russia with sword and fire and fell into death and captivity. Russia, having defeated the destroyer, broke the bonds of Europe. Alexander the First, with his victorious right hand, returned and confirmed the kingdoms of the kings and the laws of the peoples. L. 1814." The fifteen-meter monument was surrounded by massive stone pedestals connected by a lattice.

In 1915, as the Germans approached Riga, it was decided to evacuate the monument. On July 30, the bronze figure, eagles with a garland, coats of arms and inscriptions were removed and sent to the quartermaster warehouse in Moscow. Further traces of them are lost. The granite column itself was dismantled in 1936. Its fragments lay for some time in the Riga Song Festival Park, but in the 1960s they were transported to a more distant place - Mezaparks. Now the Russian community in Latvia is calling for the restoration of the monument.

Monuments to the Battle of Borodino

Not far from the city of Mozhaisk, Kutuzov decided to give the French a general battle. A series of earthen fortifications were prepared at an advantageous position near the village of Borodino. On August 24, on the approaches to Borodino, a battle took place for the Shevardinsky redoubt. At dawn on August 26, the main battle began, in which almost 300 thousand people fought. After bloody battles that lasted all day, the French managed to occupy the main Russian fortifications, but they failed to achieve decisive success. The losses of this terrible day exceeded 100 thousand people. At night, the Russian army retreated from the battlefield and continued its retreat towards Moscow.

Main monument

According to the plan for the installation of monuments in 1812, approved by Nicholas I, the only first-class monument was to appear at the site of the main battle of the war - on the Borodino field. In 1835, the emperor approved the project presented by the artist A.U.Adamini, and the following year, a model of the monument built from boards was put on public display on the Champ de Mars in St. Petersburg. The monument was a tall column topped with a church dome with a cross. Adamini managed to create a fundamentally new and at the same time purely Russian type of monument - something between a column and an Orthodox bell tower. On the quarter-century anniversary of the Battle of Borodino, on August 26, 1837, a ceremonial laying of the monument took place on the site of the main Borodino fortification, the Raevsky battery. Its construction was led on site by the architect Shestakov. Two years later, the majestic twenty-eight-meter monument was ready.

It was an octagonal cast-iron column topped with a gilded scaly church dome with a cross. The column stood on an octagonal pedestal, which encircled the top with a row of arcades supported by eight columns. The pedestal rested on a round base. There were explanatory inscriptions on all eight sides of the pedestal. On the front side there was an image of Christ the Savior and the words: “In him is salvation. Battle of Borodino on August 26, 1812." On the four sides closest to the front, the actions of the Russian troops were described: “Kutuzov, Barclay de Tolly, Bagration. There were 85,000 Russians in the ranks: 85,000 infantry, 18,200 cavalry, 7,000 Cossacks, 10,000 militia, 640 guns,” “Commanders who died for the Fatherland: Bagration, Tuchkov 1st, Tuchkov 4th, Count Kutaisov. Glory to everyone else!”, “1838. Grateful Fatherland to those who laid their bellies on the field of honor. 3 Russian generals were killed, 12 were wounded, up to 15,000 soldiers were killed, 30,000 were wounded,” “They retreated with honor in order to win more accurately. 554,000 people invaded Russia, 79,000 returned.” The three back sides described the actions of the enemy: “France, Italy, Naples, Austria, Bavaria, Wirtemberg, Saxony, Westphalia, Prussia, Holland, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Switzerland and the German Confederation. All 20 languages. They brought into service: 145,000 infantry, 40,000 cavalry, 1,000 guns,” “Europe mourned the fall of its brave sons on the fields of Borodino. 9 enemy generals were killed, 30 were wounded, up to 20,000 soldiers were killed, 40,000 were wounded,” “Unlimited lust for power amazed Europe and calmed down in the middle of the deserts of the ocean. Moscow was occupied by the enemy on September 2, 1812, Alexander I entered Paris on March 19, 1814.” In addition, on the back side there is an inscription: “Opened August 26, 1839.” The opening of the monument, which actually took place on this day, was unusually solemn. Nicholas I was present, 150 thousand soldiers and officers paraded in front of the monument, and a salute of 792 shots was fired. For several days after the opening, the arriving troops carried out maneuvers on the Borodino field, repeating the course of the battle. In honor of the opening of the monument, two commemorative coins were minted.

Before the opening of the monument, Bagration’s ashes were delivered from the village of Sima, Vladimir province. He was solemnly reburied at the foot of the monument. A granite slab with a gold inscription was placed above the prince’s crypt: “General of the Infantry, Prince Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration, commander of the second western army. Wounded in the battle of Borodino on August 26, 1812. He died of wounds on September 12, 1812, at the age of 47.” A guardhouse was set up at the monument for two veteran soldiers to guard it.

In 1932, the main Borodino monument was blown up and dismantled for scrap metal. At the same time, Bagration’s crypt was destroyed and his grave was looted. In the 1980s, restoration of the main monument began. Recreated in its original form, it was reopened on the 175th anniversary of the battle in 1987. At the same time, Bagration’s crypt and tombstone were recreated.

Monument on the site of Kutuzov's command post

For more than 70 years, the Main Monument remained the only monument on the Borodino Field. In the run-up to the battle's centenary, various plans for new monuments began to be discussed. The idea of ​​​​building another grandiose monument was rightly rejected. In the end, the government allowed all military units that took part in the battle to erect monuments to their ancestors at their own expense. Only two monuments were built at the expense of the state treasury. The first - a monument on the site of Kutuzov's command post - became the main one among dozens of monuments that appeared on the centenary of the battle.

This monument, built according to the design of engineer-colonel P.A. Vorontsov-Velyaminov, was installed on a hill near the village of Gorki, from where Kutuzov watched the progress of the battle. It was a tall obelisk of red granite, topped with a bronze soaring eagle with a laurel wreath in its talons (the eagle soared in the sky when Kutuzov took command of the Russian army shortly before the Battle of Borodino). On the front side of the pedestal in a niche there is a bronze bas-relief depicting a seated Kutuzov surrounded by Barclay de Tolly, Ermolov, Platov and Tol. Above the bas-relief it was written: “The enemy is repulsed at all points”, below - “Kutuzov. August 26, 1812." On the back side of the pedestal in a niche there was an inscription: “From here, Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov led the troops in the battle of Borodino on August 26, 1812.” The front face of the obelisk was decorated with a bronze sword with the date “MDCCCXII” on the hilt. The monument was surrounded by pillars of white stone. It was completed already in August 1912, but its consecration ceremony took place only on November 8, 1913.

The monument has been preserved.

French monument

In preparation for the celebration of the centenary of the Battle of Borodino, the Russian government allowed the French to erect a monument to their compatriots on the battlefield. The Shevardinsky redoubt, where Napoleon’s command post was located on August 26, was chosen as the location for it. The French government bought a plot of 50 square fathoms from local peasants. The monument was made in France using donations collected there (over 30 thousand francs) according to the design of the young architect Paul Besenval. Its opening was scheduled for August 26, 1912. It was difficult to transport a 47-ton monolith of Burgundian granite to Russia by rail, so they decided to transport the monument by sea. On August 13, the monument and its author sailed from Antwerp to St. Petersburg on the Danish steamer Kursk. From that day on, no one saw the Kursk again - it sank during a storm in the North Sea.

Because of this unexpected tragedy, for the celebrations on the Borodino field, instead of the monument, a temporary life-size model of it was built. The pedestal was made of boards, covered with plaster and painted with gray paint, and was crowned with a plaster figure of an eagle. This model was solemnly consecrated on the anniversary day in the presence of Nicholas II. Soon, newly made parts of the monument arrived from France - three granite blocks for the pedestal and a one and a half ton eagle. They were collected, and on the next anniversary of the battle, August 26, 1913, the monument was re-opened. It was modest - only the French colony and the consul were present. The monument was a wide granite obelisk, about 6.5 meters high, topped with a bronze French eagle with raised wings. On the front edge of the monument was carved the inscription: “Aux morts de la Grande Armee. 5-7 septembre 1812" (dead of the Great Army). The monument stood on a mound.

It was safely preserved.

Obelisk in memory of the military council in Fili

On September 1, 1812, in the village of Fili near Moscow, a military council of the Russian army was held, at which, at the insistence of Kutuzov, it was decided to leave Moscow. In 1868, during a fire, the hut in which the council was held burned down. And in 1883, a monument appeared in its place - a four-meter obelisk of gray granite. It was an old milestone, moved from the nearby Smolensk road (hence the inscription carved on it: “1783”). Two marble plaques with inscriptions were fixed on its pedestal. One quoted Kutuzov’s words spoken at the council: “With the loss of Moscow, Russia is not yet lost. I make it my first duty to preserve the army, to get closer to reinforcements and by the very concession of Moscow to prepare the enemy for inevitable death, and therefore I intend, having passed Moscow, to retreat along the Ryazan road. I see that I will have to pay for everything, but I sacrifice myself and for the good of the fatherland I order to retreat.” Another board contained the history of the construction of the obelisk: “On this site there was a hut that belonged to the peasant of the village Fili Frolov, where on September 1, 1812 there was a military council chaired by Field Marshal Prince Kutuzov, who decided the fate of Moscow and the salvation of Russia. The hut burned down on June 7, 1868. The officers of the Grenadier Corps, who were on a field military walk in 1883 in the vicinity of Moscow, imbued with the blessing of the historical place, had the desire to immortalize this place with a stone and surround it with a fence, which was filled with the care and zeal of the officials Grenadier Corps. 1883, November 8 days."

A few years later, in 1888, a copy of the historical hut was recreated next to the obelisk. Both the monument and the hut have survived to this day.