Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, Revolutionary and Napoleonic

First Battle of Polotsk

First Battle of Polotsk was a battle fought on 17 August 1812 at Polatsak, in what is now Belarus; it lasted 1 day. It was part of the French invasion of Russia. The recorded result: See #Aftermath. Recorded strength: 18,000–19,000 men involved; 150 guns; 44,000 men total available against 17,000–22,000 men; 98 guns.

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Bataille de Polotsk, 18 aout 1812 (la date inscrite sur la gravure est celle du calendrier julien)
Bataille de Polotsk, 18 aout 1812 (la date inscrite sur la gravure est celle du calendrier julien). probably Vasiliy Fiodorovich Timm (1820-1895)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought17 August 1812lasted 1 day
WherePolatsak, Belarus55.483N, 28.800E
OutcomeSee #Aftermath
BelligerentsFrench Empire; Kingdom of BavariaagainstRussian Empire
Casualties and losses2,500–6,000 casualtiesand1,800–5,500 killed and wounded; 1,200–1,500 men captured; 14 guns
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, 181218121812First Battle of Polotsk, 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

Date17 August 1812
to 18 August 1812
PlacePolatsak, Belarus
55.483N, 28.800E
KindBattle, Revolutionary and Napoleonic
Strength18,000–19,000 men involved; 150 guns; 44,000 men total available17,000–22,000 men; 98 guns
Casualties and losses2,500–6,000 casualties1,800–5,500 killed and wounded; 1,200–1,500 men captured; 14 guns
Commanders
First Battle of PolotskFirst Battle of PolotskSecond Battle of PolotskSiege of Polotsk (1563)Siege of PolotskSiege of PolotskBattle of KlyastitsySecond Battle of PolotskBattle of KlyastitsyVitsyebskDaugavpilsVelikiye LukiOrshaMaladzyechnaRēzekne100 km55.483N, 28.800E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 5 times between 1518 and 1812.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1812

First Battle of Polotsk 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 Q903248, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article First Battle of Polotsk, revision 1370618896, 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.