Names of battles against the Russian army on the arch and the Austerlitz bas-relief
The arch carries no Russian towns in the sense of places “taken”; what it carries are the names of battles fought against the Russian army. They fall into several groups.
The campaign of 1812
Battles fought on the territory of the Russian Empire are inscribed in the French transcription of the nineteenth century:
Mohilew, that is Mogilev, meaning the action at Saltanovka (July 1812). There Davout's corps halted Bagration's army.
Polotsk, Polotsk (August 1812).
Smolensko, Smolensk (August 1812).
Valontina, Valutina Gora (August 1812). This rearguard action was fought immediately after Smolensk.
Moskowa, that is Borodino (7 September 1812). The French named the battle after the River Moskva rather than after the village, and count it as their victory: the Russian army retreated, and Napoleon entered Moscow.
Malo-Jaroslawetz, Maloyaroslavets (October 1812). The French formally held the town, but after this action Napoleon was obliged to retreat along the devastated Smolensk road. So the “victory” on the arch was in fact the turn towards catastrophe.
Krasnoë, Krasny (November 1812), fighting that took place during the retreat itself.
The Berezina is not on the arch, so far as the lists available to me show, although in France it is sometimes regarded as a tactical success, since part of the army got across. In colloquial French “c'est la Bérézina” means a total fiasco.
The wars of 1805–1807 against Russia and her allies
Austerlitz, Austerlitz (1805), a victory over the Russo-Austrian army.
Pultusk, Pułtusk (1806). In reality the outcome of this action was indecisive.
Eylau, Preussisch Eylau (1807). A bloody draw with Bennigsen's army, which both sides declared a victory.
Heilsberg, Heilsberg (1807). Here the French attacked unsuccessfully, and the Russians withdrew of their own accord.
Ostrolenka, Ostrołęka (1807).
Friedland, Friedland (1807). The decisive victory, after which the Peace of Tilsit was concluded.
The year 1799
Zurich, Zurich. Masséna defeated Rimsky-Korsakov's corps, after which Suvorov made his Swiss campaign.
Alkmaar and Bergen in Holland, where the French fought the Anglo-Russian landing force.
The battles against Suvorov in Italy, the Trebbia and Novi, were lost by the French, which is why they are not on the arch.
The years 1813–1814
Lützen, Bautzen, Dresde (1813). These are victories over the Russo-Prussian forces in Saxony.
Champaubert and other actions of the 1814 campaign in France. At Champaubert Napoleon defeated Olsufyev's Russian corps and took it prisoner.
Depictions
A Russian subject appears on one of the six bas-reliefs: “The Battle of Austerlitz” by Théodore Gechter. In it French artillery breaks the ice of the frozen ponds, and the retreating soldiers of the Allies go down beneath it. This is the famous Austerlitz legend. Historians consider that the number of those drowned is greatly exaggerated. The large high reliefs contain no Russian motifs.
Another link with Russia lies in the names of the generals. The names of those who were killed are underlined, and among them are many who fell in 1812, for example Montbrun and Auguste Caulaincourt, both killed at Borodino.
