ABSTRACT
Peter Bagration played an important role in the conflict as one of the most prominent commanders within the Russian army. Though the complex nature of the Russian Campaign of 1812 has been thoroughly studied, the conflict of command in the Russian army has been virtually ignored. Barclay de Tolly's First Western Army moved toward the entrenched camp at Drissa, seeking a junction with the Second Western Army of General Bagration. The demands for the dismissal of the commander-in-chief, change of the strategy, and the threat to disobey orders showed signs of mutiny. Grand Duke Constantine and generals Bagration, Alexander Ermolov, Nikolay Rayevsky, and others believed in the possibility of defeating Napoleon by vigorous offensive. Opposing it was the russian party of the old Russian families, who were proponents of offensive warfare. Though Bagration agreed with Barclay on the necessity of the retreat, he also insisted on active defensive warfare that is combining retreat with counterattacks.
