If Napoleon had sent in the Guard at Baradino

1812

Napoleon, in a rare moment of simplicity, decided to take on the russian centre at the battle of baradino rather than his usual tactic of speed, shock and flanking attacks.

Realising this was turning the battle into a bloody slogging match he sent in the Imperial Guard, the french elite...

What happens next? I know this has probably been done to death but i cant find a good timeline on it.
 
That's not what happened at Borodino; in @, the problem was that Napoleon was coming to the end of his patience and when he finally got a target to strike at, in place of endlessly fencing with Kutuzov's galling fighting retreat, he did go for them baldheaded, foregoing subtlety in favour of a straight assault on the fleches, trying to catch and pin as much as possible of the Russian army, because even a head on assault would cost less than dribbling troops hither and yon over the countryside.

That was the theory, anyway. In practise, sending in the guard would probably not have changed the basic result of the battle, which was that it was a bloody, high casualty draw which cost both sides heavily but not enough to change the basic shape of the campaign.

If he had sent in the guard, there would have been more casualties on both sides, but there was little in the way of flank force to prevent the Russians retreating the one attempt to slip round the southern wing was parried. If the guard had been used in a flanking move, if he had chosen to reprise Soult's part at Austerlitz with them even, they might have earned their keep, but not straight up the middle.
 
Well, if the stars were right, Napoleon could have scored a decisive victory and quickly make peace with Russia. A moderate one, but still, cutting some territories to Poland and forcing Alexander to obey to Tilsit capituls.

The Guard was an elite unit, capable of crushing enemy's army. Russians were beaten and forced to leave the field, but not destroyed. Almost everyone - except for Bessiers - advocated sending the Guard.
 
As i undertsand it the IG specialised in finishing fights decisively which is exactly what napoleon was after against russia.

Easy to imagine him using them on the flank and not the centre as it was his style. Assuking Alex agrees to peace and returns to blockading england, wouldnit change anything? Would napoleon still be seen as invincible or had the spanish already undone that spell? Would the british be dragged down by an economic war?
 
As i undertsand it the IG specialised in finishing fights decisively which is exactly what napoleon was after against russia.

Easy to imagine him using them on the flank and not the centre as it was his style. Assuking Alex agrees to peace and returns to blockading england, wouldnit change anything? Would napoleon still be seen as invincible or had the spanish already undone that spell? Would the british be dragged down by an economic war?


Alex can't agree to peace.

To sue for it while Napoleon is in Moscow would be a huge loss of prestige which would be liable to cost him his throne.

In a lot of ways his situation was similar to Napoleon's own. The hereditary monarchs of Spain, Austria, Prussia and GB could lose battles and go back to their capital cities. But Tsarist Russia had a "constitution" similar to Napoleonic France, ie despotism tempered by revolution. Alexander's father and grandfather had both been deposed and murdered, and he could expect the same if he suffered a big loss of prestige. He had nothing to lose by continuing the war.
 
But Tsarist Russia had a "constitution" similar to Napoleonic France, ie despotism tempered by revolution
:confused::confused::confused: Consti... what? Despotism tempered by revolution?

I think he was more using the advantages of his country than really following a document enacted by the people of his country.
 
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