St. Petersburg contemporary chronicles

From the first days of spring, exercises began in our capital for the numerous troops stationed there. The battalions, which had been training individually throughout the winter, were consolidated into regiments, and from early morning cannon fire was heard almost daily on Okhta and on the Preobrazhenskoye Field. “If you want peace,” the Romans said, “be prepared for war.” The justice of this saying has been recognized in all centuries by the most enlightened Monarchs and generals.

In the second half of May, as we have already informed our readers, the second Guards Infantry Division set out for a camp in the vicinity of Krasnoye Selo and settled on the field side of it. In a short time, the Sovereign Emperor deigned to make a review of her, where at the same time the cavalry was located. Following the review, at the beginning of June the second division carried out two maneuvers in the evenings, and on the 19th there was a large maneuver of the main part of the Guards Corps under the command of Adjutant General Vasilchikov. It was as follows.

The enemy was supposed to be walking along the St. Petersburg road. After a stubborn battle, we lose Krasnoye Selo to him; The corps retreats at night along the Gatchina road and, concentrating behind the Kavelatsky heights, leaves the vanguard near the village of Kirpuny.

Having been attacked by much superior forces, the vanguard is forced to retreat. Its cavalry reinforces this movement with its attacks. But as the enemy presses with the greatest strength, the entire light cavalry division is used to cover the retreat.

After numerous attacks and varying successes, the vanguard little by little lures the enemy to the heights of Kavelatsky, ceding to him the village of Villazi.

It is assumed that the enemy, encouraged by this success, strengthens his right wing in order to attack our left.

The artillery then occupied the Saksolov Heights and began continuous fire.

This maneuver had quite a strong resemblance to the Battle of Galesburg. And here, as at Galesburg, our vanguard, having entered into battle with the enemy, lures him unnoticed to the heights on which strong batteries were built, which the French attempted repeatedly to attack from the front and bypass on the left, but were always repelled. This battle is one of the most brilliant feats of General Bennigsen, who had the glory of being the first to stop Napoleon, who had never known barriers or strongholds, almost in one place for eight months.

The minute when our vanguard united with the other troops standing behind the Kavelat heights constitutes the second section of the maneuver, for at that time offensive actions began on our side, which were carried out in the following order.

The Cuirassier Division and the Second Guards Infantry Division, closed by the heights, quickly moved towards the village of Riazki. The appearance of these troops in the plain was a most beautiful sight. The enemy, frightened by this unexpected movement, hastily retreats and takes a position between Kirpuni and the lake. They take Vilazi back, and the whole line moves forward. The Second Guards Division with its right wing rushes to Kirpuni and occupies this village. The cuirassiers attack and overthrow the enemy at Krasnoye Selo. The cuirassiers' attacks, despite the uneven location, were carried out over a large area and with great speed. The earth groaned, so to speak, under the weight of this wonderful army.

The infantry forming the end of the right wing drives the enemy out of the ditch and disrupts his batteries. He is pursued by light cavalry. It is assumed that the enemy is receiving strong reinforcements at this moment; the pursuit stops, and the Corps takes a position between the lake and the heights located in front of Kirpuni, and the Cuirassiers are near the Kipenskaya road.

This ended this maneuver, which represented the truest image of a real battle. One cannot help but rejoice, believing that this will serve as a useful lesson for young soldiers who have not yet been in action against the enemy and who here had the opportunity to see how they act against him in different positions. Just as infantry, cavalry and artillery, acting together, mutually reinforce each other, just as these three parts that form the composition of the army are necessary for each other. Every impartial observer must admit that from a tactical point of view this maneuver deserves excellent praise. The silence and calm with which large masses of troops moved and maintained distances between themselves, which constitute the soul of the troops at the moment of battle, serve as clear proof of the high degree of organization to which the regiments were brought and through which the knowledge of the Commanders was improved.

On the eve of the maneuvers, the Sovereign Emperor deigned to arrive in Krasnoye Selo, and on the very day of the maneuvers, at six o’clock in the morning, he was already with the troops. With His Majesty was the recently arrived third son of His Majesty the King of Prussia, Prince Karl. During this maneuver, Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna deigned to be on an elevated platform, from which the slightest movements of the troops were very clearly visible. Moreover, the following Envoys were present: Austrian, French, Prussian, Danish, Wirtemberg with Officials of their Embassies and many curious people who arrived on purpose from St. Petersburg.

The fine summer weather favored the maneuvers, which that day appeared in their usual splendor.

(“Domestic Notes”. 1820. No. 3. P. 77–82)