Atlas of Battles

battle, major, Revolutionary and Napoleonic

Battle of Berezina

Battle of Berezina was a battle fought on 26 November 1812 at Berezina, in what is now Belarus; it lasted 3 days. It was part of the French invasion of Russia. The recorded result: Inconclusive; (See Aftermath). Recorded strength: ~36,000 effectives; At least 40,000 stragglers; 250–300 guns against 61,500 to 64,000; Chichagov: 31,500; Wittgenstein: 30,000.

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De gruwelijke scenes op de bruggen over de Berezina in 1812. Contemporain aquarel. (1812) Zie: File:Passage de Berezina Fournier.jpg
De gruwelijke scenes op de bruggen over de Berezina in 1812. Contemporain aquarel. (1812) Zie: File:Passage de Berezina Fournier.jpg. Original uploader was Robert Prummel at nl.wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought26 November 1812lasted 3 days
WhereBerezina, Belarus54.325N, 28.355E
OutcomeInconclusive; (See Aftermath)
BelligerentsFrench Empire; Duchy of Warsaw; Italy; Naples; Bavaria; Westphalia; Württemberg; Saxony; HesseagainstRussian Empire
Part ofFrench invasion of Russia1812

Where it sits in the French invasion of Russia

Battle of Smolensk, 1812Battles of Vilnius (1812), 1812Siege of Riga, 1812Battle of Powiewiórka, 1812Battle of Mir, 1812Battle of Ekau, 1812Battle of Saltanovka, 1812Battle of Ostrovno, 1812Battle of Vitebsk, 1812Battle of Kobrin, 1812Battle of Klyastitsy, 1812First Battle of Polotsk, 1812Battle of Valutino, 1812Battle of Borodino, 1812Battle of Mesoten, 1812Battle of Tarutino, 1812Second Battle of Polotsk, 1812Battle of Maloyaroslavets, 1812Battle of Lyakhovo, 1812Battle of Czasniki, 1812Battle of Wolkowisk, 1812Battle of Vyazma, 1812Capture of Vitebsk, 1812Battle of Smoliani, 1812Battle of Krasnoi, 1812Battle of Berezina, 181218121812Battle of Berezina, 1812
26 placed engagements of the French invasion of Russia in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date26 November 1812
to 29 November 1812
PlaceBerezina, Belarus
54.325N, 28.355E
KindBattle, Revolutionary and Napoleonic
Strength~36,000 effectives; At least 40,000 stragglers; 250–300 guns61,500 to 64,000; Chichagov: 31,500; Wittgenstein: 30,000
Casualties and lossesTotal: 50,000–60,000; 20,000 to 30,000 combatants; 30,000 noncombatants10,000 killed; 10,000 wounded
Commanders
Battle of BerezinaBattle of BerezinaBattle of BerezinaNight operationBattle of HolowczynBattle of CzasnikiBattle of ShepelevicheBattle of HolowczynBattle of CzasnikiMinskVitsyebskMahilyowBabruyskOrshaMaladzyechnaPolatsk100 km54.325N, 28.355E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Berezina
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Berezina today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-08-25. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 155 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 151 to 224 m, 73 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 44% tree cover, 34% cropland, 17% grassland.

tree cover: 44%cropland: 34%grassland: 17%wetland: 3%tree cover 44%cropland 34%grassland 17%wetland 3%
west to east, 10.0 km154 to 218 mnorth to south, 10.0 km153 to 207 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1812

Battle of Berezina is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 103 in present-day Belarus.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q555839, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Berezina, revision 1383618633, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.