The Army of the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

(or Danube Army; alternately the Army of Moldavia) () was a

field army A field army (also known as numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps. It may be subordinate to an army group. Air army, Air armies are the equivalent formations in air forces, and ...

of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, created for the Russo-Turkish War of 1806–1812. Commanded by Admiral

Pavel Chichagov Pavel Vasilyevich Chichagov or Tchichagov (; ) was a Russian army and naval commander of the Napoleonic Wars. Biography He was born in 1767 in Saint Petersburg, the son of Admiral Vasily Chichagov and his English wife. At the age of 12 he was ...

from May 1812, it merged with the Third Reserve Army of Observation to form the Third Western Army in September during the

French invasion of Russia The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign (), the Second Polish War, and in Russia as the Patriotic War of 1812 (), was initiated by Napoleon with the aim of compelling the Russian Empire to comply with the Continenta ...

History

The Army of the Danube ended the Russo-Turkish War of 1806–1812 on the

; its commander-in-chief,

General of the infantry General of the infantry is a military rank of a General officer in the infantry and refers to: * General of the Infantry (Austria) * General of the Infantry (Bulgaria) * General of the Infantry (Germany) General of the Infantry (, abbr. ) is ...

Mikhail Kutuzov Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov-Smolensky (; – ) was a Field Marshal of the Russian Empire. He served as a military officer and a diplomat under the reign of three Romanov monarchs: Empress Catherine II, and Emperors Paul ...

, signed the peace treaty ending the war at Bucharest on . Admiral

was appointed commander-in-chief of the army on . While waiting for news of the Ottoman sultan's ratification of the treaty, Chichagov proposed to attack

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

, but this plan was dropped after the treaty was ratified. On Tsar Alexander I instructed Chicagov to use his army to attack

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's rear and force Austria out of the war by encouraging a Slavic revolt and advancing to the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

. These plans were abandoned due to diplomatic communications between Russia and Austria that revealed that the Austrian contribution to the invasion would be limited to 30,000 men. The chief of staff of the army was Lieutenant General Ivan Sabaneyev, while Major Generals

Sergey Tuchkov Sergey may refer to: * Sergey (name), a Russian given name (including a list of people with the name) * Sergey, Switzerland, a municipality in Switzerland * ''Sergey'' (wasp), a genus in subfamily Doryctinae The Doryctinae or doryctine wasps ar ...

and Burhardt Berg held the positions of duty general and quartermaster general, respectively. It included the following units: * 1st Corps (

Alexandre Langeron) ** 22nd Infantry Division (less Olonets Infantry Regiment) ** 18th Brigade of the 6th Cavalry Division ** 14th Horse

Artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

Company ** Grekov IV Don Cossack Regiment ** Panteleyev II Don Cossack Regiment ** 7th Pontoon Company * 2nd Corps (Lieutenant General Peter Kirillovich Essen) ** 8th Infantry Division (less 7th Jager Regiment) ** Seversk Dragoon Regiment ** Smolensk Dragoon Regiment ** Grekov VIII Don Cossack Regiment ** 15th Horse Artillery Company ** 8th Pontoon Company * 3rd Corps (Lieutenant General

Alexander Voinov Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are A ...

) ** 10th Infantry Division (less Yaroslavl Infantry Regiment) ** Kinburn Dragoon Regiment ** Belorussian Hussar Regiment ** Melnikov V Don Cossack Regiment ** 3rd Ural Cossack Regiment ** 4th Ural Cossack Regiment ** 38th Artillery Battery ** 50th Light Artillery Company * 4th Corps (Lieutenant General Alexander Zass, later replaced by Major General

Mikhail Bulatov Mikhail Leontievich Bulatov (; 1760, in Ryazan – 2 May 1825, in Omsk) was a Russian military officer who fought during the Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792) and became major general in 1799 during the Napoleonic Wars and lieutenant-general in 182 ...

) ** 2nd Brigade and Okhotsk Infantry Regiment of the 16th Infantry Division ** 22nd Brigade, Pereyaslavl Dragoon Regiment, and Chuguyev Uhlan Regiment of the 7th Cavalry Division ** 39th Artillery Battery ** 17th Horse Artillery Company ** Melnikov III Don Cossack Regiment ** Kuteynikov IV Don Cossack Regiment * Army Reserve (Lieutenant General Ivan Sabaneyev) ** Olonets Infantry Regiment ** Yaroslavl Infantry Regiment ** 7th Jager Regiment ** Oliviopol Hussar Regiment ** Lukovkin II Don Cossack Regiment ** 16th Horse Artillery Company ** 2nd Pioneer Regiment (three companies) The army fielded 57,500 men in 74 battalions, 64 squadrons, fourteen irregular cavalry regiments, and twenty artillery companies on . The soldiers of the army had seen much fighting by 1812 and were described by historian

Dominic Lieven Dominic Lieven (born 19 January 1952) is an English research professor at Cambridge University (Senior Research Fellow, Trinity College) and a Fellow of the British Academy and of Trinity College, Cambridge. Education Lieven was educated at ...

as "among the best in the Russian army." It began moving north to

Volhynia Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see #Names and etymology, below) is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but in ...

on and arrived there in September after a 52 day-march to the

Styr River The Styr (; ; ) is a right tributary of the Pripyat, with a length of . Its basin area is and located in the historical region of Volhynia. The Styr begins near Brody, Lviv Oblast, then flows into Rivne Oblast, Volyn Oblast, then into Bre ...

, leaving behind elements to cover the border. On the army included 43,600 men in 71 battalions, 64 squadrons, ten irregular cavalry regiments, and eighteen artillery companies. The army linked up with the

Alexander Tormasov Count Alexander Petrovich Tormasov (; 22 August 1752 – 25 November 1819) was a Russian cavalry general prominent during the Napoleonic Wars. Early life Alexander Tormasov was born on 22 August 1752 into an old Russian noble family. At t ...

's Third Reserve Army of Observation on , fighting in the Battle of Liuboml before being combined with Tormasov's army to form the Third Western Army under the command of Chichagov on .

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