"Russia's victory in the Patriotic War of 1812 is forever tied to the name of the Russian military genius M. I. Kutuzov.
When he was preparing the Russian army's counteroffensive, M. I. Kutuzov paid special attention to creating a strong cavalry force, which was needed for carrying out the "little war" of raiding and patrolling as well as to increase the army's mobility during the advance. One of the largest of the cavalry reinforcements for the main Russian forces was the cossack opolchenie, or mass levy, which arrived at the Tarutino encampment at the end of September and the beginning of October, 1812.
The task of strengthening the Russian cavalry was substantially complete with the arrival of the Don regiments at Tarutino, and this cavalry grew in numbers up to the moment it left Tarutino, outnumbering Napoleon's mounted forces (1). Kutuzov's cavalry then played a decisive role in pursuing the enemy during the counteroffensive (2).
References to the 26 Don cossack regiments that came to the Tarutino encampment are found in the works of Soviet historians of the last ten years (P. Babenyshev, N. Kopylov, B. F. Livchak, P. G. Ryndzyunskii, P. Zhilin, and others). These writers correctly trace the raising of the Don opolchenie to a manifesto of 6 July, 1812, and various directives of M. I. Kutuzov (3). They note well the great significance this numerous mass levy had for the Russian army (4). However, no one has made a special study of the Don opolchenie, and thus the published information is mostly weak in conclusions and usually does not go beyond the facts as already known…"
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