While studying materials related to the war of 1812, I somehow came across a mention of the Belarusian village of Bocheikovo, short and rather vague. Allegedly, the retreating French troops not far from this village cordoned off a square 1.5 × 1.5 km, buried the notorious "Napoleon's treasure" there, burned the carts and left.
To engage in active searches with such "reliable" instructions is like going there, I don't know where, and looking for something, I don't know what. However, the attempt is not torture. And that's what I managed to find out.
Cavalier Legrand
On July 11, 1812 (long before the retreat from Moscow!), The French emperor, moving with troops to Beshenkovichi, stopped for the night in the new Bocheikovsky palace. I was very surprised that everyone, except the manager, one footman and a boy from the servant, fled. He was not satisfied with the breakfast prepared by the manager. Napoleon expressed his dissatisfaction with the reception and the next morning moved to Beshenkovichi. So there is no question of treasures.
But another mention of the presence of the French in Bocheikovo interested me. It turns out that in October 1812, the French division of General Legrand stopped in the village, raked out all the provisions and completely ruined the estate. General Legrand … Of course! Under his command was, albeit a shabby, but still a division - a crowd of thousands of people and horses - which could well have in its battle formations and unnecessarily burdening them with a wagon train. It would be nice to find out where and where the general was moving from and why he urgently needed to get rid of the carts.
According to available sources, during the ill-fated campaign in Russia, Claude Legrand distinguished himself in the battles at Yankov, Oboyan, Polotsk. On October 21, 1812, he replaced Marshal L. Saint-Cyr as commander of the 2nd corps. He became famous for his brave actions in the battle of Berezina (November 28), where he was seriously wounded and was forced to leave the army. On April 5, 1813, Legrand was appointed senator. After his recovery in January 1814, he served in the corps of Marshal Augereau. In February 1814, he led the organization of the defense of Chalon-sur-Saone. After Napoleon's abdication, he retired. On June 4, 1814, Louis XVIII bestowed on the brave general the title of peerage of France and made him a knight of the Order of Saint Louis. But from the wound received at Berezina, Claude Legrand never recovered. On January 9, 1815, he died in Paris. His remains were taken to the Pantheon,and the name of this worthy general was immortalized in the stone of the Arc de Triomphe.
Like this. Before us is not only a brave, but also a very experienced commander, who is aware of the expediency of his actions. Let's think now: what kind of cargo was he destroyed? But first, let's see where his division came to Bocheikovo.
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Fights of non-local significance
We know that she fought near Polotsk. The corps of Marshal Oudinot, who dreamed of breaking through to St. Petersburg, and the troops of Peter Khristianovich Wittgenstein, who in every possible way obstructed the intentions of the French, fought there to death. The battles were fierce, and the initiative passed from hand to hand more than once. Oudinot was badly wounded and was replaced by Marshal Saint-Cyr. Our Wittgenstein was also wounded. Moreover, he was even captured, but managed to escape. Here are excerpts from General de Marbeau's memoir:
“Now the enemy used such superior forces that, even after suffering huge losses, Wittgenstein was able to capture the fortified camp. But, having risen at the head of the divisions of Legrand and Meison, Saint-Cyr threw back the enemy with a bayonet blow. The Russians went into fierce attacks seven times, and seven times the French and Croats repulsed them and in the end remained the masters of all positions (we are talking about fortifications on the outskirts of Polotsk. - A. K.). Although Marshal Saint-Cyr was wounded, he nevertheless continued to lead the troops. His efforts brought complete success … 50 thousand Russians were defeated by 15 thousand. Joy reigned in the French camp, but on the morning of October 19 (Old Style) it became known that General Steingel, at the head of 14 thousand Russians, crossed the Dvina before the Disna and moved along the left bank bypassing Polotsk in order to seize the bridges and clamp the army of Saint-Cyr between parts,marching with him, and Wittgenstein's army. Indeed, Steingel's vanguard soon became visible, appearing in front of Nacha and moving in the direction of Ekimani, where the cuirassier division and light cavalry regiments were located, of which the marshal retained only one squadron in Polotsk.
It was the turning point, the most dramatic moment in the entire Northern campaign, after which the retreat of the French and their allies became inevitable. The final fierce night battle ensued in blazing Polotsk.
“Polotsk was completely burnt down. Both sides suffered significant losses, but the retreat of our (French. - AK) troops was carried out in perfect order. We took away those wounded who could be transported; the rest, as well as many wounded Russians, died in the fire. Steingel began to take measures to attack us only on October 20 (old style) in the morning, after Saint-Cyr, leaving the city, was out of Wittgenstein's reach, setting the bridges over the Dvina on fire. By this time, all French units had united on the left bank, and Saint-Cyr sent them against Steingel, who was thrown back, having lost over 2 thousand people killed or taken prisoner."
So, Legrand's division, which consisted of several thousand people, took advantage of the darkness of the night and the fog that rose from the river, safely slipped out of the doomed city and, throwing off Steingel, who threatened to enter the flank, retreated to the south. I must say that Napoleon immediately sent rather large forces to help the retreating. Marshal Victor, at the head of the 9th corps, numbering 25 thousand people (half of which are troops of the Rhine Confederation), quickly moved from Smolensk to unite with Saint-Cyr and throw Wittgenstein behind the Dvina. This plan would surely have been successful if Saint-Cyr had remained in command. However, Saint-Cyr did not want to serve under Victor's command. And he handed over the 2nd corps to General Legrand.
The division of interest to us began to retreat from the walls of Polotsk and ten days later found itself near the village of Smolyantsy (not far from the village of Chashniki). Since Bocheikovo is located just at the crossroads of the most important roads, the French could not pass it in any way. And, importantly, they entered the village from the west. And they left it the very next day, heading strictly south, along the Ulla River.
Wittgenstein defeated the troops of Oudinot and Victor at the village of Chashniki and threw them back to Senno (about 30 km east of Chashniki). After that, fearing to be flanked and cut off from the Dvina, he did not continue the offensive, remained in Chashniki, waiting for news of the actions of Kutuzov and Chichagov.
Mysterious train
Now let's get back to our search task. We need to identify the place near Bocheikov, which was cordoned off by the soldiers of Legrand and where a mysterious baggage train disappeared without a trace. Why without a trace? Yes, if such significant in mass and value objects were found, then there would not be the slightest possibility to hide such an event in a provincial town.
First of all, we need to understand what exactly was thrown. It is known that Polotsk, as well as the surrounding villages, was plundered clean during four months of occupation. In addition, during previous battles for control of the city, the French captured large trophies from the Russian army. Since all this stuff was evacuated, it was still in the battle formations of the retreating group.
And then the moment came when the French commander had to decide which was more expensive: loot and trophy or speed of movement? Indeed, by that time, the bridges across the Western Dvina, burned by the French, had been restored and Wittgenstein's offensive continued. And there are still hundreds of kilometers of bad roads ahead, winter, battles.
Based on the assumptions that the cargo was destroyed with all sorts of precautions (cordoning, etc.), it can be understood that it had both undoubted value and significant weight.
Let's take a look at the map of the area. Our glorious Bocheikovo, unfortunately for General Legrand, stood (and still stands to this day) on a vast hill, around which there are no large forests. So, small groves. There is no snow yet, and the grass has already withered, there was not the slightest opportunity to disguise the large burial. The only way out is to flood the cargo. But where? Nearby flows the Ulla River, such a wonderful river, very picturesque. Only very small - a meter with a cap. Drowning valuables in it is no smarter than just leaving them on the sidelines. It is much better to drown things in the lake. Especially if the lake is deep enough. And if not deep?..
Let's take a map of Beshenkovsky district and try to find the desired lake, located in digestible proximity to Bocheikov. In my opinion, only one thing would suit a French general one hundred percent. This lake has several undeniable advantages over other surrounding water bodies. It is quite extensive: two hundred meters wide and almost eight hundred meters long. Not badly covered with dense coastal vegetation. And most importantly, the French saw him with their own eyes when they approached the place of their daily stay. There is only one drawback - the lake is not too deep (as mentioned by the guide to Belarusian water bodies). But in this case, the military always has a decent way out - a cordon. This is exactly what Claude Legrand did.
Of course, the flooding technique can be different. But it is unlikely that the French found boats suitable for transporting goods on the shores of Lake Zabelskoe. I doubt that they began to build rafts - they are very slow-moving and clumsy. I am sure that the so-called U-shaped berth was built.
The principle of operation of such a berth is simple, and it is assembled in just a couple of hours. No nails or staples needed. A dozen axes and a few skeins of strong rope - and thirty meters from the shore, you can easily flood a breakthrough of extremely burdensome property. Moreover, the overloading of one van in the "ground-water" cycle takes no more than fifteen minutes. After all, soldiers with a load run in a circle, without interfering with each other, which is why the unloading is so swift. Heavy objects instantly sink into silt over a fairly large area (up to 50 square meters) and therefore do not form noticeable heaps. The berth at the end of the work collapses quickly, it is enough to cut the ropes fastening the logs. That's all. The only condition is the strictest secrecy. And here there was complete order. In the morning the French went to the battle of Chashniki,and on the surface of the lake there are no traces left, except for floating logs …