On August 5, 1812, during the second day of the defense of Smolensk, the Sofia Regiment, part of the 7th Infantry Division under General P.M. Kaptevich, repelled attacks from French troops in the Mstislavl and Roslavl suburbs of the city. During the battles, about 200 soldiers of the regiment were killed, and as many went missing. A hundred years later, officers of the Sofia Regiment, stationed in Smolensk in the early 20th century, funded a monument in honor of their heroic predecessors. The monument was created by sculptor B.N. Tsapenko, a private of the 7th company of the Sofia Regiment and a native of Smolensk.

The monument is designed as a tall four-sided pyramid supported by six columns standing on a round stepped base. At the top of the monument is a bronze eagle with outstretched wings, symbolizing the courage of the Russian soldier. The eagle sits on a French cannonball from 1812. On the front side of the pyramid is a cross, while the other three sides feature gilded monograms of Emperors Alexander I, Nicholas I, Alexander II, Alexander III, and Nicholas II. Initially, cast-iron plaques describing the history and merits of the regiment, as well as the names of soldiers who died defending Smolensk in 1812, were mounted in the niches of the obelisk and the recesses of the columns. These plaques were later lost.

From the monument's platform, a wide panorama of the northern part of Smolensk and the Dnieper region opens up.