Неизвестному солдату 1812

This modest memorial near Smolensk commemorates an unknown Russian soldier of 1812, connected to the Battle of Valutina Gora fought on 19 August 1812. The engagement was a rearguard action by the Russian army immediately following their defeat at Smolensk against Napoleon's Grande Armée; though the French prevailed tactically, the battle allowed the Russian forces to withdraw in reasonable order at considerable human cost. The site is one of several roadside memorials preserved along the 1812 retreat route in the Smolensk region, marking the human toll of Napoleon's catastrophic Russian campaign.