Editing Battle of Borodino (section)

===Bagration's {{lang|fr|flèches}}===
{{Main|Bagration flèches}}
[[File:Lejb Guard Litov attack at Borodino.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Russian [[Leib-Guard]] attacking at Borodino]]
The first area of operations was on the [[Bagration flèches|Bagration {{lang|la|cat=no|flèches}}]], as had been predicted by both Barclay de Tolly and Bagration. Napoleon, in command of the French forces, made errors similar to those of his Russian adversary, deploying his forces inefficiently and failing to exploit the weaknesses in the Russian line. Despite Marshal Davout's suggestion of a maneuver to outflank the weak Russian left, the Emperor instead ordered Davout's First Corps to move directly forward into the teeth of the defense, while the flanking maneuver was left to the weak Fifth Corps of Prince Poniatowski.{{sfn|Riehn|1990|p=243}}

[[File:Battle of Borodino panorama - detail 05.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|[[Étienne Marie Antoine Champion de Nansouty|Nansouty]]'s heavy cavalry attacks squares of Russian guardsmen to the left of Semyanovskaya (background) to support [[Michel Ney|Ney]]'s attack. Detail from the ''[[Borodino Panorama]]'' by [[Franz Roubaud]], 1912.]]

The initial French attack was aimed at seizing the three Russian positions collectively known as the Bagration {{lang|fr|[[Redan|flèches]]}}, three arrowhead-shaped, open-backed earthworks which arced out to the left {{lang|fr|en échelon}} in front of the Kolocha stream. These positions helped support the Russian left, which had no terrain advantages. There was much to be desired in the construction of the flèches, one officer noting that the ditches were much too shallow, the [[embrasure]]s open to the ground, making them easy to enter, and that they were much too wide, exposing infantry inside them.{{sfn|Mikaberidze|2007|p=81}} The {{lang|fr|flèches}} were supported by artillery from the village of Semyanovskaya, whose elevation dominated the other side of the Kolocha.{{sfn|Riehn|1990|p=244}}

The battle began at 06:00 with the opening of the 102-gun French grand battery against the Russian center.{{sfn|Riehn|1990|p=245}} Davout sent Compans's Division against the southernmost of the {{lang|fr|flèches}}, with [[Joseph Marie, Count Dessaix|Dessaix]]'s Division echeloned out to the left.{{sfn|Riehn|1990|p=243}} They were opposed by [[Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov|Vorontsov]]'s and [[Dmitry Neverovsky|Neverovsky]]'s divisions. When Compans exited the woods on the far bank of the Kolocha, he was hit by massed Russian cannon fire; both Compans and Dessaix were wounded, but the French continued their assault.{{sfn|Riehn|1990|p=246}}
Davout, seeing the confusion, personally led the 57th Line Regiment ({{lang|fr|Le Terrible}}) forward until he had his horse shot from under him; he fell so hard that General [[Jean-Barthélemot Sorbier|Sorbier]] reported him as dead. General [[Jean Rapp|Rapp]] arrived to replace him, only to find Davout alive and leading the 57th forward again. Rapp then led the 61st&nbsp;Line Regiment forward when he was wounded (for the 22nd&nbsp;time in his career).{{citation needed|date=February 2017}}

By 07:30, Davout had gained control of the three {{lang|fr|flèches}}. Prince Bagration quickly led a counterattack that threw the French out of the positions, only to have Marshal [[Michel Ney]] lead a charge by the 24th&nbsp;Regiment that retook them.{{sfn|Riehn|1990|p=246}} Although not enamoured of Barclay, Bagration turned to him for aid, ignoring Kutuzov altogether; Barclay, to his credit, responded quickly, sending three guard regiments, eight [[grenadier]] battalions and twenty-four 12-pounder cannon at their best pace to bolster Semyаnovskaya.{{sfn|Riehn|1990|p=246}} Colonel Toll and Kutuzov moved the Guard Reserve units forward as early as 09:00 hours.{{sfn|Mikaberidze|2007|p=107}}

[[File:Roubaud fleshes.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|right|Ney's infantry push Russian [[grenadier]]s back from the {{lang|fr|flèches}} (which can be seen from the rear in the background). Detail from the ''Borodino Panorama''.]]
During the confused fighting, French and Russian units moved forward into impenetrable smoke and were smashed by artillery and musketry fire that was horrendous even by Napoleonic standards. Infantry and cavalrymen had difficulty maneuvering over the heaps of corpses and masses of wounded. Murat advanced with his cavalry around the {{lang|fr|flèches}} to attack Bagration's infantry, but was confronted by General [[Ilya Duka|Duka's]] 2nd&nbsp;[[Cuirassier]] Division supported by Neverovsky's infantry.{{sfn|Mikaberidze|2021}}

The French carried out seven assaults against the {{lang|fr|flèches}} and each time were beaten back in fierce close combat. Bagration in some instances was personally leading counterattacks, and in a final attempt to push the French completely back he got hit in the leg by cannonball splinters somewhere around 11:00 hours. He insisted on staying on the field to observe Duka's decisive cavalry attack.{{sfn|Mikaberidze|2021}}

This counter-punch drove Murat to seek the cover of allied Württemberger infantry. Barclay's reinforcements, however, were sent into the fray only to be torn to pieces by French artillery, leaving [[Louis Friant|Friant]]'s Division in control of the Russian forward position at 11:30. Dust, smoke, confusion and exhaustion all combined to keep the French commanders on the field (Davout, Ney and Murat) from comprehending that all the Russians before them had fallen back, were in confusion, and ripe for the taking.{{sfn|Riehn|1990|p=247}}

The 2nd Army's command structure fell apart as Bagration was removed from the battlefield and the report of his being hit quickly spread and caused morale to collapse. Napoleon, who had been sick with a cold and was too far from the action to really observe what was going on, refused to send his subordinates reinforcements. He was hesitant to release his last reserve, the Imperial Guard, so far from France.{{sfn|Riehn|1990|p=247}}