Mikhail Kutuzov - Military Genius and Napoleon's Nemesis - Part Three

Today, we cover the period right before the Russian army goes into full attack mode against Napoleon's Grand Armee. Kutuzov has been busy with a number of different assignments and the death of two Tsars. If you'd like to support the podcast with a small monthly donation, click this link - https://www.buzzsprout.com/385372/support

Transcript

Episode 267 – Mikhail Kutuzov – Military Genius and Napoleon’s Nemesis – Part Three

Last time, we covered some of Kutuzov’s military accomplishments in the Russo-Turkish Wars of the 18th century. Today, we cover the time between these feats and his eventual conflict with the Grand Armee of Napoleon Bonaparte.

In 1791, while the Russians were off fighting both Sweden and the Ottoman Empire, Poland decided that they wanted to turn things back in time a bit by reversing the Cardinal Laws imposed on them by Catherine the Great. They would create the “first national codified constitution.” This would cause a great deal of consternation among the countries bordering Poland, especially Russia.

This action by some of the liberal members of the Polish ruling body known as the Great Sejm were countered by conservative and pro-Russian members of the Confederation of Tagrowica, who appealed to Catherine to come and restore their "ancient traditions and privileges." Unfortunately, the outcome of the appeal would not be what they had bargained for.

Catherine decided to send about 100,000 troops into Poland with Lieutenant General Mikhail Kutuzov at the head of the first army. There would be minor skirmishes, but the Poles were outnumbered, and their military was outclassed. This would result immediately in the Second Partition of Poland between Prussia and Prussia. The Austrians, who were part of the First Partition, were left out due to their war with France. Three years later, Poland would be partitioned once again. This final and Third Partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth would split the country among Prussia, the Habsburg monarchy, and the Russian Empire, effectively ending Polish–Lithuanian national sovereignty until 1918.

In November 1792, Kutuzov would be appointed to one of the most challenging jobs within the Russian Empire, the ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. Sultan Selim III was crowned in 1789 and was in the midst of reforming his military as well as the entire state. He was known as an enlightened ruler with a keen interest in all things European. Selim understood that the Russians were his most threatening enemy, and he wanted to avoid any further conflict so that he could concentrate on his burgeoning reforms.

The appointment of Kutuzov as an ambassador was puzzling to many within Catherine's court as he had no formal training in diplomacy. While she originally wanted to send the now-late Grigory Potemkin's nephew, Count Alexander Samilov, Catherine decided to send a strong message to the Sultan that he should "toe the line or risk a new war and fresh humiliations." 

Because of how the shrewd Kutuzov used reconnaissance to defeat his enemies in battle, Catherine knew he could do the same as an ambassador to the Ottomans. He could tell her "the location of places, roads, population, fortifications, troop dispositions, ammunition reserves, and everything else that relates to the land and naval forces." When Catherine recalled Kutuzov to St. Petersburg to discuss his appointment, Filip Sinel'nikov noted that the Empress noticed in Kutuzov "the subtleness of his thinking, the maturity of his reasoning on various diplomatic issues, and the prudence he had demonstrated in all his conversations and actions.”

On March 30, 1793, Ambassador Kutuzov along with a diplomatic train of over 600 people began the journey to Istanbul. While it would endear him yet again to Catherine, it would also make him a favorite of her son and future Tsar Paul I. There would be animosity, for some reason, with Paul's successor Alexander for some reason. This would come into play in the future when Napoleon Bonaparte began his eastern incursions in Europe. But we are getting ahead of ourselves.

While researching Kutuzov’s time as ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, I came across an interesting fact from Alexander Mikaberidze’s book, Kutuzov: A Life in War and Peace. “By now, the diplomatic train of his embassy included more than 600 individuals, among them eight interpreters, forty-nine musicians, twenty-four singers, twelve carpenters, six blacksmiths, ten tailors, five cobblers, dozens of cuirassiers, carbineers, grenadiers, and hussars, and numerous lackey and domestics." Here is where it becomes really fascinating and peculiar. "Transporting and sustaining this vast legation was a daunting enterprise. To help defray the costs, the imperial Treasury provided Kutuzov with 299,689 rubles and 962 kopecks, an unusually precise sum that prompted one of his companions to wonder whether 'the fact that even the kopecks have been precisely recorded' was 'the indication of a very high degree of punctuality and conscientiousness' expected from Kutuzov's mission."

Just think of how fastidious the general must have been to come up with such a precise figure. This is probably due to his time as the head of logistics for several of the military campaigns he led. 

The road to Istanbul was not an easy one. The further they got away from St. Petersburg, the worse the roads became. Finally, in April 1793, they made it to the town of Elisavetgrad. They had to stay here for the next five weeks for two reasons. The first, was because they needed their baggage train to catch up to them, and second, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, beginning on April 12th, delayed things while the Ottomans spent the following thirty days fasting, praying, and reflecting as was the custom. 

While waiting, Kutuzov went into stealth mode, gathering as much information about the Ottomans and what was going on in their empire. Suddenly, former French ambassador Marie-Gabriel-Florent-Auguste de Choiseul arrived at the court of the general. He had been the ambassador to Istanbul until the overthrow of the French monarchy in August 1792. He would enter into Russian service. The amount of information de Choiseul would provide Kutuzov with was immense. 

Also, touring the countryside on his way to Bender for his formal meeting with the emissary from the Ottomans, Kutuzov continued gathering intelligence. He would also stop at the spot near Jassy, where his mentor, Grigory Potemkin, died just a year and a half before. Kutuzov would say that the place where Potemkin died was "A humble pyramid of bricks covered with emblematic figures of stucco marks the spot. The whole thing looks very ephemeral, just like the great man's reign!" Jassy was also where the previous Russo-Ottoman peace treaty was signed, so it had a double significance. 

The slow pace of the trip to Istanbul allowed the many cartographers, military men, and engineers to survey the land without the knowledge of the Turks. They did all of this so secretly that the Ottomans didn't know about the Russian's intelligence until the war in 1878. On top of it, the smooth-talking Kutuzov was to make friends in the border countries of Moldavia, Wallachia, and Bulgaria along the way. 

One of the things that kept Kutuzov intrigued was the goings on in Europe, especially the War of the First Coalition. This conflict was between France and a number of European monarchies upset with the overthrow of King Louis XVI and his subsequent execution. Kutuzov would note that the French were quite adept at fighting, holding off larger armies, and in particular the fighting style of an up-and-coming officer, Napoleon Bonaparte. 

When Kutuzov finally made it to Istanbul on October 7, 1793, he had to wait over a month before meeting the Sultan, Selim III. But, instead of being a waste of time, Mikhail would make good use of his freedom. He would meet with ambassadors from Prussia, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Venice, and Austria. This would prove very important to have these kinds of open communications. Unfortunately, one visit missing was with the French ambassador, as Kutuzov did not want to recognize the new French democratic government.

Kutuzov had two primary missions during his ambassadorial stay in the Ottoman capital; first, to gather as much information about the reforms, especially militarily, that Sultan Selim III was attempting. Secondly, making sure that any foreign influence that would be placed on the Sultan to sway him towards starting a new war against the Russians. 

Empress Catherine was also interested in the Ottomans' continued influences within the newly gained Russian spheres of influence, especially within Poland. Everyone knew there would eventually be another war between these two empires; it was only a matter of time. That is why the most critical mission of Kutuzov's diplomatic time in Istanbul was intelligence gathering, something he did better than any of his predecessors. 

Bribery and sumptuous gift-giving were an easy way to open people's mouths and surrender secrets. As important as that was, the Russians would travel throughout the region surrounding Istanbul to draw maps, take notes about fortresses, and find out where the Ottoman spies were lurking. The problem was the French were going around spreading rumors about the Russians preparing for war. Unfortunately for Kutuzov, these rumors turned out to be correct. Catherine was indeed preparing for the eventuality of another conflict with the Turks. This put the ambassador in a tight spot, especially when he was called into the grand vizier's office to explain the troop movements near the Ottoman – Russian border.

Kutuzov predicted that the war that everyone knew would happen did in 1806. But we're going ahead of ourselves. In 1794, Kutuzov relinquished his position as ambassador to the Ottoman empire to someone who disliked the general, Viktor Kochubey. Kochubey would try to undermine Kutuzov in the future, such was the animosity between the two. For Mikhail, he would relish his return to St. Petersburg in July 1794.

On September 26, 1794, Mikhail Kutuzov started a new phase in his life. He was appointed as the new Land Noble Cadet Corps director general. It was a surprise because of the people who had previously led the institution. Their names included Count Burkhard Christoph von Munnich, Prince Ludwig Wilhelm of Hesse-Homburg, Prince Boris Grigoryevich Yusupov, and Count Friedrich von Anhalt. The Land Noble Cadet Corp was founded by Empress Anna in 1731 with the purpose of training Russia’s future military leaders. 

Count von Anhalt was a student favorite, so his sudden death in June 1794 shocked the school. When Kutuzov arrived, he found a school that had lost a loved headmaster but was financially and administratively in pretty bad shape. In his first appearance before the students and staff, Kutuzov stated, "Count Anhalt treated you like children, I shall treat you like soldiers." They immediately knew he meant business.

The school was deep in debt, the instructors were disenchanted due to the lack of raises and promotions, the students believed that the teachers were incompetent, and no one was being held accountable. This changed almost overnight. In addition, Kutuzov revamped the curriculum to be more practical instead of theoretical. While still studying the basics like arithmetic, writing, and ethics, the newer classes included field fortifications, artillery, military tactics, land navigation, and weapons handling. The Russian army would need all the qualified men it could muster up in the coming years. 

In the three years that Kutuzov would revamp the Land Noble Cadet Corps, he would be disliked by those who had spent time under von Anhalt and loved by those who knew only Kutuzov as the headmaster. Things were going smoothly for the Lieutenant General until November 16, 1796, when Empress Catherine II died. Her son Paul quickly took the throne.

He immediately began to fire those involved in his father Peter III's death and many of those seen as close to his hated mother, Catherine. The military was a significant focus of the new Tsar. According to Alexander Mikaberidze in his biography of Kutuzov, "Paul was expunging his mother's loyalists and anyone expressing reservations about the reforms. The purge involved 7 field marshals, more than 300 generals, and more than 2,000 officers." One of those who was 'retired' was the great Alexander Suvorov. Kutuzov, at this point, must have been concerned.

Yet, Tsar Paul was duly impressed when he inspected the Cadet Corps. Paul would use Kutuzov on a critical mission to meet with the new king of Prussia, Frederick William III, who took over from his father when he died unexpectedly on November 16, 1797. Mikhail would head to Berlin to officially give formal congratulations to the new king, but his real mission was to sway Prussia to join Russia against the looming threat that was France.

On top of this important trip, while on his way, Kutuzov found out that he was now the inspector of the Finland Inspectorate and the head of the Ryazanski Musketeer Regiment. In addition, he was promoted to General of the Infantry, a position just below general field marshal. Unfortunately, Kutuzov and Nikita Petrovich Panin, the Russian ambassador to Berlin, were unsuccessful in convincing the new king to create a Russo-Prussian alliance. 

Now stationed in Finland, Kutuzov was bored to death and plagued with Tsar Paul's insistence on a daily briefing on the goings on in the army. Mikhail would write about the situation, "Returned before dawn today, thoroughly exhausted and having barely any sleep; yet I must stay awake and write plenty of reports with respect to the assignments that His Majesty has given me."

Paul then sent Kutuzov a plan for a preemptive war with Sweden. The general looked at the proposal and suggested changing the plan. This did not endear him to the Tsar. As Mikaberidze writes, “Paul did not appreciate the gesture. He bluntly told the general to mind his own business and to, ‘execute what had been previously ordered’.” For the next few years, the relationship between Paul and Kutuzov would resemble a roller coaster. One day, Mikhail Illarionovich would be on the Emperor's good side; the next, he would be reprimanded for not doing something trivial that Paul wanted done. 

What had Kutuzov worried about was not the relationship he had with the Tsar but with the events unfolding in Europe. France was unsatisfied with their gains after their victory in the War of the First Coalition. The Second Coalition against France was being put together, beginning with the British, Austrians, and Naples joining right away, with Sweden, Portugal, and the Ottoman Empire jumping in shortly thereafter. Paul also wanted in on the action, so he pledged forces to support the war effort. The war against France would begin on November 28, 1798, with it ratcheting up in the spring of 1799. Kutuzov would discover that he would not be leading any men in battle.

Suvorov would be recalled by Tsar Paul to lead the Russian contingent in Italy, along with General Ivan von Hermann von Fersen going to Holland and Alexander Rimsky-Korsakov heading to Switzerland. While Suvorov would be his brilliant self, defeating the French forces time and time again, the others were not doing well at all. Hermann was captured in a battle that saw the Russians suffer over 3,000 casualties. Kutuzov was ordered to regroup the troops in Holland, but that didn't happen, as the alliance between Austria and Russia was quickly falling apart. 

In his twisted sense of reality, Tsar Paul ordered the formation of over 150,000 men to protect the coastline of Russia and Finland, not from the French or even the Austrians, but that of the British. The British cabinet approved plans to target Russian, Swedish, and Danish merchant ships. Paul was gearing up for an Anglo-Russian conflict. 

Fed up by Paul's unpredictable behavior, on March 11, 1801, a conspiracy led by Peter von der Pahlen staged a coup against the Tsar, overthrowing and assassinating him. While many of Kutuzov's colleagues were involved in the scheme, there is no evidence that Mikhail was involved. Knowing how tuned in to events around him over the years, it is doubtful that Kutuzov knew nothing about the plot. 

The new Tsar, Alexander, was concerned about the very men who elevated him to the throne. Within months of his ascension, Pahlen was banished from St. Petersburg on June 29, 1801, and replaced as the military governor of the capital city by Kutuzov. His time as the head of the region would see the general attempt to make a number of reforms, but Alexander's brother, Constantine, would stand in the way of some of them. Within a year, Kutuzov would be relieved of all of his commands. 

There are various reports on why Kutuzov would be stripped of all of his positions, but one that seems most viable is that he refused to cover up a murder of a woman known as Madame Aurajo, the wife of a Portuguese merchant. She supposedly was having an affair with Lieutenant General Karl Fedorovich Baur and then with Tsar Alexander's brother, Constantine. As a result, Kutuzov left St. Petersburg in disgrace, heading to his estate in Ukraine. While he expected to be away for just a year, it would extend for three years.

Over those years in exile, things in Europe started getting hotter and hotter. In 1804, Napoleon was coronated as Emperor of France, then, one year later, he was made King of Italy. New alliances were being formed, with the Russians first signing a treaty with Austria, then with Britain, Sweden, Naples, and the Ottoman Empire. Cracks within the alliance would appear almost immediately due to egos and the size and breadth of the operations. So, in the late summer of 1805, Kutuzov was recalled by Tsar Alexander to take command of the First Army of Russia. 

What Kutuzov was to find out was that the Russian army was to be subordinate to the Austrian command of Archduke Ferdinand. Leading his Army of Podolia, he would head towards Austria through horrific weather conditions, which worsened the already bad Russian roads. On the other side of Europe, France was advancing quickly towards the Rhine River. 

The Austrians were desperate to receive reinforcements from the Russian army, but they were unable to march as fast as the Austrians wanted them to. Kutuzov would write to the Russian ambassador in Vienna, "The forced marches that the Austrian court demands from us cannot but be harmful for our army. Our soldiers are already extremely fatigued and suffering."

The French were mauling the Austrians at every turn, but Kutuzov was unaware of the situation as his allies kept him in the dark. After covering 700 miles in forty-seven days, the Russian army finally reached Braunau. While there, Kutuzov would receive word that the Austrians had gained significant victories over the French, but that was not the case. 

On October 23, 1805, an Austrian general, Karl Freiherr Mack von Leiberich, made it to Kutuzov's headquarters in Brainau. Leo Tolstoy paints the scene where the Russian greets Mack in War and Peace. “The door of the private room opened and Kutuzov appeared in the doorway. The general with the bandaged head bent forward as though running away from some danger, and, making long, quick strides with his thin legs, went up to Kutuzov. "Vous voyez le halheureuz Mack (You see the unfortunate Mack), he uttered in a broken voice. Kutuzov's face as he stood in the open doorway remained perfectly immobile for a few moments. Then wrinkles ran over his face like a wave, closed his eyes, silently let Mack enter his room before him, and closed the door himself behind him."

What Mack was to tell Kutuzov was that the Austrian Army of Germany was destroyed, with over 25,000 prisoners taken. Kutuzov bemoaned the loss but knew that an attack by his men against the reported 140,000 men led by Napoleon would have been suicidal. The Austrians would try to deceive the Russian leaders by downplaying their defeat, but Kutuzov would have none of it. As he put it, "The Imperials (Austrians) did not wait for us. They have now been routed. The few courageous ones are rushing to join us, but the rest of these cowards have laid their arms at the enemy's feet. Our duty is to support and protect the wretched remnants of their scattered army."

Well, I hope you enjoyed today's episode. Join me next time when we wrap up the series on Kutuzov with his fight against his arch-enemy, Napoleon Bonaparte.

So, until next time, Dasvidania eh Spasiba za Vineyamineya.