"After a victory there are no enemies, only men."
--Napoleon Bonaparte in 1812
"There was not the least sense in it. Its immediate result for the Russians was, and was bound to be, that we were brought a step further towards the destruction of Moscow, and for the French that they were brought nearer the destruction of their whole army"
--Tolstoy in War and Peace
Borodino lies seventy miles west of Moscow. The battlefield was open farmland from which the corn had just been harvested. There was a very dense forest behind the Russian forces ,the Russian position was not very strong since the battlefield was flatland with no major obstacles. Napoleon however was not able to take advantage of the topography of the battlefield. The battle eventually turned into a "trial of mutual slaughter that could have taken place anywhere." The armies took their positions on 6 September 1812. Napoleon's army consisted of 100,000 infantry, 28,000 cavalry and 590 guns. Russian army under the command of Kutuzov consisted of 72,000 regular infantry, 10,000 semi-trained militia, 17,000 cavalry, 7,000 Cossacks and 640 guns.
The different approaches of the commanders of the two armies is clear in their proclamations:
"Trusting in God we shall either win or die. Napoleon is His enemy. He will desecrate His churches. Think of your wives and children, who rely on your protection. Think of your Emperor, who is watching you. Before the sun has set tomorrow, you will have written on this field the record of your faith and patriotism in the blood of your enemy."
This is the battle you have so long desired! Now victory depends on you. We have need of it. victory will give us abundance of supplies, good winter quarters and a prompt return to our motherland. conduct yourselves as you did at Austerlitz, Friedland, Vitebsk and Smolensk. Let distant posterity say of each of you, 'He was present at the great battle beneath the walls of Moscow!'"
The battle began on 7 September 1812 at 6 am. The war ended with Kutuzov's order to retreat at 3 am on 8 September. Both side had brutal losses. Russians lost around 44,000 men, the French lost at least 35,000 including fort-three generals. Russians did not consider themselves defeated, Kutuzov actually first decided to renew the battle the next day. Kutuzov actually remained behind during the Borodino war, and when he was told at the end of the day that they had lost their whole front-line, he refused to believe it.
"French attacks have been successfully repulsed everywhere, and tomorrow I shall put myself at the head of the army and drive the enemy from the sacred soil of Russia."
Later on, Kutuzov accepted the inevitable conclusion that his men were too tired to face another attack and thus he gave orders for the retreat.
Napoleon himself was not very sure that what he had was a victory or not, but the sight of the retreating army reassured him.