Glinka on how the partisan Davydov burned his own house in Borodino before the battle

It turns out that the village of Borodino belonged to Denis Davydov, who became famous in the war of 1812.

Sergey Nikolayevich Glinka recalls that the partisan Davydov set fire to his own house in Borodino with his own hands, before a battle had even been appointed to take place here:

"Twelve versts ahead of Mozhaysk, at the hamlet or village of Borodino, which then belonged to the partisan Davydov, who himself burned his house, our commander designated a site that was level and suited to a pitched battle. On this level ground, on the plain of Borodino and at Semyonovskoye, after preliminary orders, certain alterations were made."