Battle of Tarutino

The Battle of Tarutino (18 October 1812; Russian: Тарутинское сражение) was a part of Napoleon's invasion of Russia. In the battle, Russian troops under the general command of Bennigsen (as part of Kutuzov's army), on instructions from Kutuzov, launched a surprise attack and defeated French troops under the command of Joachim Murat. However, despite the pleas of Miloradovich and Yermolov, Kutuzov did not extend his own well-turned offensive, and Murat was not pursued as Bennigsen decided not to use the available forces for this purpose. The Russian infantry, stuffed with new recruits, performed heavy-handedly in this battle, and the Russians were also hampered by night delays. All this led to the Russians not being able to achieve greater success, despite their numerical superiority and surprise method. The Tarutino battle led to a breakdown in relations between Kutuzov and Bennigsen, who lost his influence in the army for certain time. In any event, the lost battle convinced Napoleon to commence the disastrous French retreat from Russia.

The battle is sometimes called the Battle of Vinkovo (French: Bataille de Winkowo) or the Battle of the Chernishnya (Russian: Сражение у реки Чернишни) after the local river. Many historians claim that the latter name is more fitting because the village of Tarutino was eight kilometres (5.0 mi) from the described events.