1812: Russia's Patriotic War

From Napoleon’s bold crossing of the River Neman to his capture of Moscow and eventual downfall, this analysis investigates the 1812 ill-fated invasion from a Russian standpoint. In establishing a fresh perspective, this survey utilizes more than 40 eyewitness accounts—not only from Russians but from English, French, and Americans who were in the country at the time. These accounts range from Tsar Alexander himself to diplomats and spies at the Russian Court, generals, and Russian soldiers and serfs. This recollection also strives to dispel many myths that surround the campaign such as the Russian army escaping the initial French onslaught because of the battleground’s bad roads and weather, while in fact the Russians themselves also suffered from these disadvantages. Drawing from many previously unpublished contemporary resources, this historical study provides a unique insight into the destruction of the Grande Armée.