The Russian army at the end of the 18th century was probably the largest and arguably one of the strongest armies in Europe. During the reign of Catherine II the Great (1762-1796), she won several important victories in the course of the wars with Turkey, won the war with Poland in 1792 and was instrumental in suppressing the Ko¶ciuszko Uprising in 1794. Also in the course of the wars with revolutionary France (1792-1799), she did not show her wrong side. However, the defeats at Austerlitz (1805) and at I³awa Pruska and especially at Fridland (1807) forced changes in the Russian army, which also affected its infantry, including grenadier units. Shortly before the Battle of Austerlitz, there were 13 grenadier regiments in the Russian army, and despite losses in the 1805-1807 campaign, in 1810 this number increased to 14 regiments. This number continued until the end of the Napoleonic Wars. In 1811, their organization was also changed. The grenadier regiment consisted of 3 battalions: two field battalions and one "spare" or rear battalion. Until 1810, a single battalion consisted of four companies, each of them - two platoons. It is worth adding that the armament of the Russian grenadiers was not uniform at that time and was often made of the 1805 flintlock musket or the domestic production model 1808. As a curiosity, it can be mentioned that during the campaign of 1805, Russian grenadiers did not wear Bermycas, but shaka with tall and specific kits. During the campaign of 1812, the shako was still their headgear, but it already had a traditional kit.
The Battle of Borodino was fought on September 5-7, 1812 between the French army, commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte, and the Russian army commanded by Mikhail Kutuzov. It is assumed that about 120,000 people took part in the battle on the Russian side. people, and on the French side - approx. 135 thousand. soldiers. The battle was fought at a relatively short distance from Moscow, and the area to be fought was carefully selected by the Russian commander, who intended to adopt a defensive position in the course of the battle and repel French attacks. Of course, the topography of the area was favorable to Kutuzov's intentions. The first actions (on September 5) were initiated by the 5th Corps of the Grand Army, composed of the troops of Fr. Warszawski, which were to lead to the outflanking of the so-called Shevardino redoubt. These actions, however, did not bring the desired effect. The decisive clash took place on September 7, when, in the course of very bloody fights for the next Russian field fortifications, the French side prevailed. The losses on both sides were extremely high - according to various, sometimes divergent estimates, the Russians were to lose 40,000 to 50,000. soldiers, and the French army approx. 30-35 thousand. people. The immediate aftermath of the Battle of Borodino was the seizure of Moscow by Napoleon.