Napoleon's invades Russia marked a watershed moment in his military career. The French had won consecutive battles and overrun most of Europe in ten years, but they had suffered a severe defeat in Russia, with over 550,000 casualties or defections. This defeat severely weakened the French Empire and its allies, causing a significant shift in European politics and reducing French control in Europe. After this setback, Napoleon's reputation as an unstoppable military genius was shattered. France's allies, first Prussia and later Austria dissolved the alliance and turned against her, sparking the Sixth Coalition War.
Napoleon's campaign to invade Russia began on June 24, 1812, when Napoleon crossed the Neman River. Napoleon forced Russian Emperor Alexander I to remain in the Continental System to isolate the United Kingdom, the main purpose of which was to avoid Russian threats to Poland. Napoleon named this invasion the second Polish campaign, and the Russians declared the launch of a Patriotic War.
More than 680,000 of Napoleon's Grande Armée troops marched through western Russia, winning several small battles and one major battle at Smolensk on August 16–18. However, on the same day, the north wing. of the Russian army, led by Field Marshal Pyotr Khristianovich Wittgenstein blocked the northern flank of the French army, led by Field Marshal Nicolas Oudinot at the Battle of Polotsk. This prevented the French from marching to the capital, Saint-Petersburg. The fate of the war was decided in Moscow, where Napoleon himself led his army to attack.
The resistance of the Russian Army also stems from the boiling patriotism, the determination to avenge the defeats against the French in the years 1805–1807, as well as the determination not to be a vassal to France under the Treaty of Tilsit (1807). The radiant victory of this battle to protect Russia proves the mighty strength of the Russian Army forces in the Napoleonic Wars. This event was described in Lev Tolstoy's novel War and Peace and is often referred to by Russians as the Patriotic War of 1812 (distinguished from the "Great Patriotic War" or the Soviet-German War during World War II).
Prepare for War
By the end of 1811, Napoleon had given many extremely serious instructions for a major war with Russia.
Napoleon ordered Lacuee, in charge of logistics, to provide food for 400,000 troops in a 50-day campaign, demanding 20 million rations of bread and rice, and 6,000 trucks to carry enough flour for 200,000 men for 2 months and 72 million liters of oats to feed horses for 50 days.
On February 14, 1812, a considerable number of French troops went east and were stationed in 20 German cities throughout the Napoleonic Empire's western half.
Napoleon's invasion of Russia campaign included troops from France's vassal countries as well as the French army. Austria agreed to supply 30,000 troops to Napoleon in February 1812. Prussia mobilized 20,000 troops for France a week later. In terms of nationality, 48% of the infantry are French; 52% are foreigners; and 64% of the cavalry are French; 36% are foreigners.
The population of France at that time was 42.3 million; the population of the French satellite countries was 40 million, for a total of 82.3 million. Napoleon mobilized up to 690,000 troops; this was the largest conquest in European history up to that time. The French army had nearly 1,400 cannons, and 200,000 horses, distributed among 80,000 cavalrymen, 30,000 artillerymen, and 25,000 chariots of all kinds. There are 26 transport battalions, 18 of which have 600 heavy chariots, each with six horse-drawn vehicles capable of carrying nearly 3,000 kg.
Soldiers carried themselves for four days of food and an additional 20 days on army chariots. If, in the first 3 weeks, the campaign continues, the army will have to stop to resupply.
Meanwhile, Russia's total population at the time was 46 million, and they mobilized 700,000 main soldiers and 223,000 militiamen during the war.
Napoleon's Invasion of Russia 1812
Tsar Alexander I refused to negotiate. The French, expecting Tsar Alexander I's conditional surrender, instead found themselves in a bleak and desolate city that the Russians had entirely demolished before retreating. Napoleon was forced to withdraw his forces because he lacked a winter garrison. Beginning on October 19 and extending until December, the French troops faced numerous challenges on their long journey out of Russia, including starvation, harsh weather, and a Russian army blockade.
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