Atlas of Battles

battle, major, Revolutionary and Napoleonic

Battle of Smolensk

Battle of Smolensk was a battle fought in 1812 at Smolensk, in what is now Russia. It was part of the French invasion of Russia. The recorded result: French victory. Recorded strength: 180,000; 45,000 engaged against 120,000; 30,000 engaged.

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Napoleon and prince Poniatowski at the battle of Smolensk, during the Russian Campaign of 1812
Napoleon and prince Poniatowski at the battle of Smolensk, during the Russian Campaign of 1812. Jean-Charles Langlois, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1812
WhereSmolensk, Russia54.783N, 32.050E
OutcomeFrench victory
BelligerentsFirst French Empire; Duchy of WarsawagainstRussian Empire
Casualties and losses9,000–10,000 killed, wounded or capturedand6,000–14,000 killed, wounded or captured
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 Smolensk, 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

Date1812 (year precision)
to 18 August 1812
PlaceSmolensk, Russia
54.783N, 32.050E
KindBattle, Revolutionary and Napoleonic
Strength180,000; 45,000 engaged120,000; 30,000 engaged
Casualties and losses9,000–10,000 killed, wounded or captured6,000–14,000 killed, wounded or captured
Commanders
Battle of SmolenskBattle of SmolenskSiege of SmolenskSiege of SmolenskBattle of SmolenskBattle of SmolenskSiege of SmolenskSiege of SmolenskVitsyebskMahilyowOrshaRoslavlVyazmaSafonovoKirovDyatkovo100 km54.783N, 32.050E
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 Smolensk
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Smolensk today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-07-10. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 253 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 282 m, 282 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 49% built-up, 43% tree cover, 4% grassland.

built-up: 49%tree cover: 43%grassland: 4%cropland: 3%built-up 49%tree cover 43%grassland 4%cropland 3%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 261 mnorth to south, 10.0 km163 to 264 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

Contested ground: this site was fought over 11 times between 1285 and 1943.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1812

Battle of Smolensk is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 350 in present-day Russia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1071578, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Smolensk (1812), revision 1379861945, 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.