User blog:Battlefan237/Mikhail Kutuzov vs. The 1st Duke of Wellington

Today let's pick out two of Napoleon's nemesis and check out which one of them will come on top. Mikhail Kutuzov, the man that owned Napoleon in the War of 1812 and composed the overture of the French emperor's downfall; The 1st Duke of Wellington, the man that kicked Napoleon's ass in Waterloo and gave Bonaparte a final push to demise. When this two come into a blow, who will win ? Who will lose ? You decide !

Mikhail Kutuzov
"Napoleon is a torrent which as yet we are unable to stem, Moscow will be the sponge that will suck him dry."

- Mikhail Kutuzov, on the War of 1812

Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov was a Field Marshal of the Russian Empire.

He was born in Saint Petersburg in 1745 to a family of Novgorod nobility. His father was a Russian general and senator. Kutuzov began military schooling at age 12 and joined the Imperial Russian Army in 1759. Three years later Kutuzov became a company commander in the Astrakhan Infantry Regiment under Alexander Suvorov. He took part in crushing the Polish Bar Confederation rebellion. During the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774 he served in the staff of Pyotr Rumyantsev at Moldova for the battles of Larga and Kagul. In July 1774 at Crimea, Kutuzov was severely wounded by a bullet that went through his temple and out near his right eye, which became permanently scarred. He returned to Crimea in 1776 to assist Suvorov and conducted negotiations with the last Crimean khan Girey, convincing him to abdicate and submit to Russia.

After Kutuzov became Governor-General of Crimea in 1787, the Russo-Turkish War of 1787–1792 began. He was again severely wounded in 1788 during the Siege of Ochakov when a bullet was shot through both of his temples. Kutuzov came back a year later, taking part in the Battle of Rymnik and Siege of Izmail. Near the end of the war, he led a decisive charge at the Battle of Măcin. Kutuzov was on good terms with Tsar Paul, but had disputes with his successor Tsar Alexander. In 1805, he led Russian forces alongside Austria during the Napoleonic Wars. The allied Russo-Austrian army was defeated by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz. Alexander blamed Kutuzov and demoted him to Moldova for the Russo-Turkish War of 1806–1812. Kutuzov vanquished a four-times larger Turkish army at Rousse and brought an end to the war with a decisive victory at the Battle of the Danube. For his achievements, he was awarded the titles of count and prince.

Kutuzov returned at the request of Alexander for the French invasion of Russia. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief, succeeding Barclay de Tolly and continuing his scorched earth policy up to Moscow. Under Kutuzov's command, the Russian army faced the Grande Armée at the Battle of Borodino. He allowed Napoleon to take an abandoned Moscow, which was set on fire. Kutuzov counter-attacked once Napoleon retreated from Moscow, pushing the French out of the Russian homeland. In recognition of this, Kutuzov was awarded the victory title of Prince Smolensky. He stepped down from command due to deteriorating health soon after the French left Russia. Kutuzov died in 1813 at Bunzlau and was buried at the Kazan Cathedral in Saint Petersburg. Kutuzov was highly regarded in the works of Russian and Soviet historians.


 * -|Short=
 * Name: Infantry Sabre ( Cossack Sabre/Shashka)
 * Weight: 2.2 pounds
 * Length: 2.5 feet
 * -|Mid=
 * Name: Flintlock Pistol
 * Range: 50 feet
 * Weight: About 2 pounds
 * -|Long=
 * Name: Model 1808 Musket ( with bayonet)
 * Range: 200-250 feet
 * Weight: Unspecified
 * Length: About 145 cm
 * -|Special=
 * Name: Improvised tools
 * Ordered to carry in every infantry squad.
 * For the purpose of this battle there will be one axe, one hoe and two shovels in total.

1st Duke of Wellington
"Hard pounding this, gentlemen; let's see who will pound longest."

- Arthur Wellesley, before the Battle of Waterloo

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as Prime Minister. His defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 puts him in the first rank of Britain's military heroes.

Wellesley was born in Dublin, into the Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. He was commissioned as an ensign in the British Army in 1787, serving in Ireland as aide-de-camp to two successive Lords Lieutenant of Ireland. He was also elected as a Member of Parliament in the Irish House of Commons. He was a colonel by 1796, and saw action in the Netherlands and in India, where he fought in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War at the Battle of Seringapatam. He was appointed governor of Seringapatam and Mysore in 1799 and, as a newly appointed major-general (since 1802), won a decisive victory over the Maratha Confederacy at the Battle of Assaye in 1803.

Wellesley rose to prominence as a general during the Peninsular campaign of the Napoleonic Wars, and was promoted to the rank of field marshal after leading the allied forces to victory against the French Empire at the Battle of Vitoria in 1813. Following Napoleon's exile in 1814, he served as the ambassador to France and was granted a dukedom. During the Hundred Days in 1815, he commanded the allied army which, together with a Prussian army under Blücher, defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. Wellington's battle record is exemplary; he ultimately participated in some 60 battles during the course of his military career.

Wellington is famous for his adaptive defensive style of warfare, resulting in several victories against numerically superior forces while minimising his own losses. He is regarded as one of the greatest defensive commanders of all time, and many of his tactics and battle plans are still studied in military academies around the world.

After the end of his active military career, Wellington returned to politics. He was twice British prime minister as part of the Tory party: from 1828 to 1830, and for a little less than a month in 1834. He oversaw the passage of the Catholic Relief Act 1829, but opposed the Reform Act 1832. He continued as one of the leading figures in the House of Lords until his retirement and remained Commander-in-Chief of the British Army until his death. (from wikipedia)


 * -|Short=
 * Name: 1796 Pattern British Infantry Officer's Sword
 * Weight: 2 pounds
 * Length: 3 feet
 * -|Mid=
 * Name: Flintlock Pistol
 * Range: 50 feet
 * Weight: About 2 pounds
 * -|Long=
 * Name: Brown Bess Musket
 * Range: 300 feet
 * Weight: 10 pounds
 * Length: 149 cm
 * -|Special=
 * Name: Grenade
 * Total Number : 2
 * Small iron spheres filled with gunpowder fused with a length of slow-match, roughly the size of a baseball.

X-factors(Kutuzov-Wellington)

 * Experience:97-86. Kutuzov started his military career much earlier than Wellington and had participated in Polish-Russian War, Russo-Ottoman War and Napoleonic War, while Wellington only played a major role in Napoleonic War.
 * Training (Troops):80-90. The Imperial Russian Infantry suffered heavy during early stages of Napoleonic War due to out-dated methods of training, but Kutuzov and others soon realized the problem and did their best to train their troops to adapt to their new environment, which was proved to be a success when Napoleon invaded Russia. The British Redcoats, however, were well-trained soldiers going toe-to-toe against French old guards even at the beginning of the war.
 * Logistic:80-90. Although met with sufficient supply coming from foreign aids and captured firearms later, it was an undeniable fact that the Russian army suffered from the lack of ammo, clothes and adequate weapons at their early stages, resulting in their defeat in Austerliz and the massive usage of improvised melee tools in war. The British, however, were well-supplied from the start.
 * Creativity:90-79. This is where Kutuzov and his army really shines. Kutuzov was known to utilize unconventional tactics such as guerrilla tactic, psychological warfare and so on in order to defeat an army consisted of the most elite troops of France, Prussia, Austria, Sweden and Italy. His tactics were proved to be successful, succeeded in preventing direct conflicts between the Russian force and Napoleon's force, exhausting Napoleon's force and eventually forcing it out of Russia when the winter descended, marking the turning point of Napoleonic War. Wellington and his British troops are creative indeed, but they majorly engaged in traditional campaigns and didn't utilize as many forms of unconventional tactics as Kutuzov.

Battle
Will be a 10 vs 10. Set in a small village in eastern Europe (Probably Poland or eastern part of Holy Roman empire).

As long as I think it make sense, your vote will be counted. (Suggest including weapon edges and overall analysis)