During the revolutionary wars (1792-1799) and - especially - in the Napoleonic period (1799-1815), France probably had the most efficient war machine on the Old Continent, which almost led to its lasting hegemony over Europe. It will be a truism to say that the key element of this machine was the French army. In the same army, however, from 1776 hussars existed as an independent type of cavalry. Shortly before the outbreak of the Great Revolution, the French army had 6 hussar regiments in its ranks, and during the revolutionary wars (1792-1799) their number increased significantly, but in 1803 Napoleon limited the number of hussar regiments to ten. In the period 1810-1813, three more regiments of this type of light cavalry were formed. It can be added that by far the most famous hussar regiments of the French army were the 5th and 7th hussars. The uniform of the French hussars was modeled on that used in the Austrian army, it consisted of a dolman jacket, mantis and tight uniform trousers. The main weapon was a saber - most often AN IV and AN IX. The secondary weapon was the wz. 1766, wz. 1786 or AN IX. Hussars were used primarily in the so-called small war, but also played a great role in reconnaissance, reconnaissance and insuring the marches of their own troops. Undoubtedly, the most famous French hussar of that time was General Lasalle, who distinguished himself during the Italian campaign in 1796-1797 and fought, inter alia, at Auerstädt (1806). He was killed at Wagram in 1809.
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.