Chapter 1571: The Frozen Meat Grinder |
Vitgenstein felt a sudden tension in his heart, and said to the cavalry commander, "Go further, to Shostka, Gluhov, at least gather a week’s worth of supplies!"
"Yes, General!"
However, that very night, the Cossack cavalry reported to him that they had not found enough food even 50 Russian miles away.
Vitgenstein frowned, pondering how many more days his logistics could last if he continued the pursuit, when suddenly he heard chaotic shouts in the distance, seemingly mixed with gunfire.
He glanced at the adjutant beside him, "Go see what’s going on."
The latter returned in just over ten minutes, anxious, "General, the 11th Infantry Battalion stole some liquor, causing a conflict with the town’s Chamber of Commerce."
"Damn it! You go personally, and don’t let them cause too much trouble."
"Yes, General."
Only half an hour later, Vitgenstein received another report that the Guard Cavalry Camp had stolen bread from a scattered soldier camp—both sides exchanged gunfire, resulting in the death of more than 20 people on the spot...
Originally hoping to rest a bit in Novgorod-Seversky City, they found that there wasn’t even a fireplace to light in the city, causing many of them to lose control of their emotions.
In fact, even the townspeople who hadn’t secured dinner were hoping to borrow some food from the army when Vitgenstein’s corps entered the city.
Their conflict was as ignitable as gunpowder...
Before dawn the next day, Vitgenstein hurriedly ordered the troops to leave the city.
What he did not expect was that because the large numbers of sick Russian soldiers stayed in the citizens’ homes, epidemic typhus and paratyphus soon broke out on a large scale in the city.
...
The Polish Army continued southward, looting as they went. By the time they left the relatively affluent Lubny, nearly 200 carts filled with grain and oats were trailing behind the troops.
These were just a small portion of the supplies they had "searched" from the area around Lubny, with more being dumped into the Sula River flowing through the city.
In the temporary Polish command post, Saint-Cyr put down the list of supplies brought by the adjutant and said to Kosciuszko, "Marshal, the Russian Corps is at least 70 kilometers apart front and back, and I believe we can now move towards the Dnieper River.
"Next, the real battle begins."
Kosciuszko nodded, "General Tomasz Vavretsky is best at covering operations, and General Zayanchek can also..."
Having experienced this perilous retreat, he deeply knew that Saint-Cyr’s command abilities were far superior to his own, so he entrusted almost all combat deployments to the latter, himself taking on the role of an advisor.
Saint-Cyr glanced at the map and said, "The enemy forces far outnumber us, and if we conduct regular rearguard actions, the losses would be very great."
"What’s your plan?"
"Deploy only two regiments under General Vavretsky’s command to block the enemy’s pursuit." Saint-Cyr explained his plan that he had been formulating for days, "Also, send two squads to Sumy and Lgov respectively.
"They don’t need to engage the enemy directly; they just need to attack the enemy’s logistics convoys as much as possible."
Kosciuszko paused for two seconds, then nodded, "I believe my soldiers can accomplish any mission."
These two squads penetrating deep into enemy territory would find it very difficult to escape from Russia, facing only the choices of dying in battle or being captured.
That afternoon, the Polish main force suddenly turned west and reached Pryluky two days later. At this point, they were only just over 100 kilometers away from the Dnieper River to the west.
...
When Kutuzov arrived in Novgorod-Seversky, the scene was already one of grim desolation.
Over one-fifth of the city’s population was suffering from a serious infectious disease, and food and fuel were in extreme shortage.
This forced him to set up his command post in the woods away from the city.
"It is now confirmed that the Poles are retreating towards Markiev." The adjutant pointed to the map and reported, "They set up a defensive line along a tributary of the Sula River, but according to our cavalry, it seems there are only less than 4,000 of them."
Kutuzov’s gaze, however, was fixed on the scattered Russian corps.
Due to the frequent need to stop and wait for logistics supplies, the Tolmazov Corps had only just reached Konotop. The only forces immediately available for the attack on the Polish Army were the two corps of Bagration and Vitgenstein, totaling more than 43,000 men.
He shook his head; to be honest, he wasn’t sure how many troops they could deploy in battle now.
Through this entire chase across no-man’s-land, he himself had lost four or five thousand in his rearguard to freezing and disease; it’s likely the two corps hadn’t fared any better.
"Have the Samoylov Corps deploy a defensive line from Chernigov to Kozelrets Town. Tell him to at least hold the Poles off for a day and a half."
After being defeated, the Samoylov Corps had regrouped over 10,000 soldiers and was currently in Chernigov, the closest city to the Dnieper River.
"Prince Bagration is responsible for the main attack, while the Vitgenstein Corps quickly moves to Ichnya, aiming to cut into the enemy’s right wing."
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Brought up with a military education, he joined Russia’s famous Semyonov Guard Infantry Regiment at 14. By 1790, he became a cavalry lieutenant and was a major by the first time he went to war in 1795. In battles suppressing Polish insurgents, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. The following year, he received the 4th Class Order of Saint George for leading an infantry company in a bayonet charge that destroyed an artillery position protected by cavalry. After capturing Warsaw, he participated in Zubov’s expedition to the Caucasus, capturing Gerbinth Fortress and advancing to colonel. In 1805, during battles against France within Austria, he was a seasoned brigadier general with five years of experience wearing the rank. During the rear-guard actions aiding Bagration’s breakout, he was the commander of the right-wing forces, leading the Lancers in a counter-charge to repel Marshal Mula’s cavalry of the French Army. He participated in the war against Turkey in 1806 and fought Napoleon at the Battle of Friedland in 1807, followed by engagements in the Finnish and Swedish wars.
In the War of 1812, he served as the commander of the 1st Army Corps under Mikhail Bogdanovich Barclay de Tolly, operating independently to defend Saint Petersburg. He commanded the two Battles of Borodino, defeating Marshal Udino’s three divisions, altering the course of the campaign in Saint Petersburg and the whole front. This forced Marshal MacDonald to abandon his plans to attack Riga, while Napoleon had to send Marshal Saint-Cyr to support, thus tying down three French corps. In the 1813 campaign, he was appointed Russian commander-in-chief, replacing Kutuzov, directing the Battles of Ltzen and Bautzen, both of which ended in defeat. Subsequently, he was demoted to the commander of the 2nd Corps, participating in the Battle of Dresden and the Battle of Nations at Leipzig. He suffered severe injuries at the Battle of the River Aube in 1814. Promoted to Field Marshal in 1823, during the start of the eighth Russian-Turkish war in 1828, he served as the Russian commander-in-chief in the European theater, achieving significant successes before retiring due to injury. In 1834, King Frederick William III of Prussia ennobled him as Prince of Serein-Wittgensteinburg.
