In June 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte's army invaded the Russian Empire. This is how the Patriotic War began, which became the most serious test for the Russian people and the starting point for the end of Napoleon's empire. It was in Russia, as it happened more than once in its history, that the conqueror, before whom the whole continental Europe had "spread out", was powerless. Neither the talent of Napoleon himself, nor the commanding skills of his marshals, nor the impressive number and good armament of the French troops (and in fact, the Napoleonic army was not only a French army, but an all-European one - with the participation of formations and units from all over Europe) could not cope with Russia … And the main role in this was played not only and not so much by the regular Russian troops as by the courage of the Russian people as a whole and a number of circumstances,did not allow the French to occupy the Russian Empire.
In Russia, the French and Napoleon himself were amazed by a lot. The climatic conditions, the culture, and the mentality of the Russians and other peoples of the Russian Empire were too different from the European way of life familiar to Napoleon's eyes. Nowhere in Europe did Napoleon encounter such fierce resistance from the people, not from regular troops, but from ordinary people, who were determined not to life but to death to fight the invaders. Subsequently, Napoleon recalled what struck him the most in Russia.
Doctor Barry O'Meara accompanied Napoleon Bonaparte to exile to Saint Helena, after the greatest European commander of his time was finally defeated and defeated. It was Barry O'Meara who managed to communicate very thoroughly with the former emperor of France, asking him about the military campaign in Russia and, of course, about what struck Napoleon Bonaparte most of all during his campaign in the Russian Empire. In a conversation with a doctor, the former emperor noted that the merciless Russian winter and the Moscow fire were the main reasons for the retreat of his army from Russia. But the emperor was also shocked by other features of Russia.
Of course, the most important thing that aroused the surprise and immense admiration of Napoleon was the immense courage of the Russian people. Napoleon compared the Russians with the inhabitants of Lithuania, emphasizing that the latter remained indifferent observers of the march of his army, while the Russians immediately went on to fight against the French. The partisan resistance dealt serious blows to the French army. The peasantry and urban working people rose to fight the invaders, serfs and landowners, burghers and merchants fought shoulder to shoulder in partisan detachments. Napoleon recalled that on its way the French army met abandoned and burnt dwellings. The peasants themselves set fire to their villages so that the property and provisions did not go to the French and so that the enemy could not use their homes for quartering troops. Subsequently, Napoleon admittedthat even the strongest army in the world is not capable of winning the people's war, in which the entire people rise up against the enemy. 129 years later, the same was proved by the Great Patriotic War, during which “young and old” went to the partisans - both teenagers, still children, and old people whitened with gray hair.
Although Napoleon himself nevertheless saw frost and fire in Moscow as the main reason for the defeat of the French troops, in fact, it was the unity of the Russian people and the army, the brilliant actions of light cavalry and partisan detachments that played a key role in the commander's fiasco. Denis Davydov, the famous partisan commander, military leader, and later also a historian, wrote that the French were nevertheless crushed by "deep considerations of Kutuzov, the courage and labors of our troops and the vigilance and courage of our light cavalry." It is unlikely that Davydov's words can be called an exaggeration, especially since he was a direct and vivid participant in the events. Napoleon himself recalled that “on our way we met only abandoned or burnt-out villages. The fleeing residents formed gangs that acted against our foragers."
But, of course, one cannot discount the "General Moroz", who more than once came to the aid of the Russian army. The real shock among the French and their allies who invaded Russia was caused by the famous Russian winter. The climatic conditions in the central part of the Russian Empire differed in the most significant way from the much milder weather in Western and Southern Europe. But in the ranks of the Napoleonic army were not only the French or the Belgians, but also the Spanish and Italian servicemen, completely unaccustomed to the frosty and snowy winters of Russia. The frosts that began in November became a serious problem for the Napoleonic army, which was not ready for such a climate. To begin with, the Napoleonites simply did not have the uniforms necessary for such a climate.
On December 3, 1812, the 29th Bulletin of the Great Army was issued, which directly stated that the frosts that began on November 7 led to the fall of about 30 thousand horses within several days. The artillery and cavalry of the Napoleonic army turned into practically foot units, a significant number of guns and carts had to be simply abandoned. Naturally, soldiers died too, unable to withstand a round-the-clock stay in the twenty-degree frost. It was "General Frost" who turned out to be the very commander who finally "finished off" the French army.
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Napoleon himself claimed that he had calculated the "Russian winter" for fifty years ahead and, according to his calculations, severe frosts should have come not earlier than mid-December, but came in November. Thus, the emperor shifted the main blame for the unpreparedness of his army for frosts on the unpredictability of the weather. Of course, this also played a role. But one thing can be said with certainty - even with the accuracy of Napoleon's calculations, the French army would hardly have been able to endure the Russian winter, especially in combination with the unity of the masses. French troops, meeting burnt dwellings and destroyed property of the peasants, simply could not stop for the night, replenish their supplies of food and horses. "General Narod" proved to be no less loyal ally of Russia than "General Frost".
The Moscow fire, a grandiose spectacle, according to Bonaparte, worthy of the Roman emperor Nero, greatly influenced the state of the Napoleonic army. Expecting to enter the former historical capital of the Russian state as victors, the French saw only an abandoned burnt city. Count Fyodor Vasilyevich Rostopchin, the Moscow mayor, upon hearing of the approach of Napoleon's troops, decided to burn the city to the ground. The mayor did not even spare his own Voronovo estate. So the lines “Yes, there were people in our time, not like the present tribe….” Come to mind. Who of the mighty of this world would agree to burn down their own residences so that they would not fall to the enemy?
The direct perpetrators of the Moscow arson attacks were two antagonistic categories - convicts released by order of the mayor, and Moscow policemen. The French invaders have repeatedly caught people in police uniforms, who were apparently carrying out the orders of their chief, the mayor Rostopchin, for the arson of houses. Mass shootings of arsonists began, but they could no longer correct anything, but only testified to the impotence of the Napoleonic command. In total, about 400 people were shot, accused of arson, mainly from the lower classes of urban residents.
Napoleon admired the Russian architecture of Moscow, calling it a stunning semi-European - semi-eastern city. The French army, which approached Moscow in September 1812, was preparing, according to Napoleon's plans, to stop in Moscow for the winter to avoid the harsh cold weather. But the French could not spend the winter in burnt-out Moscow. This was one of the fatal blows for Napoleon's army that led to its further defeat and a deplorable exodus from Russia. Subsequently, Napoleon himself said that the arson of Moscow, together with "General Moroz", led his army to defeat.
True, the mayor himself, Rostopchin, subsequently tried to exonerate himself from charges of setting fire to Moscow. This was facilitated, in particular, by the information that from 10 to 20 thousand wounded and sick Russian people died in the fire. In addition, after the departure of Napoleon, owners of burnt houses began to appear, and not all of them were so patriotic that they put up with the look of their burnt real estate. Some demanded compensation for losses incurred as a result of the actions of the arsonists. But that's another story, the main thing is that the Moscow fire really inflicted one of the strongest defeats of the Napoleonic army.
Of course, the commander Napoleon, glorified on the fields of European battles, could not help but leave memories of the actions of the Russian army. At the beginning of the campaign, they seemed strange to him. Accustomed to line battles, Napoleon was very surprised when the Russian army under the command of Barclay de Tolly began to rapidly retreat to the east, leaving the most important cities in the western part of the country. Thanks to the retreat of the Russian troops, the French managed to reach Moscow in a relatively short time. Expecting to capture Smolensk, the emperor faced his first serious disappointment. The city burned, as did Moscow later, and its inhabitants did not even think to put out the fires. The Russians calmly set fire to their own property with only one purpose - so that it would not remain for the enemy. Therefore, it was not possible to stay in Smolensk.
The euphoria over the rapid seizure of the western territories of the Russian Empire was replaced by anxiety. After all, Napoleon became more and more worried about where to quarter the troops for the winter. It was scary to go further east, into seemingly endless Russia. Moreover, the French army was greeted only by empty cities and pitiful remnants of food. The French troops practically did not find horses, food supplies, clothing or household goods in towns and villages. Naturally, fermentation also arose among the soldiers themselves, who hardly understood why burned and abandoned cities became the "reward" for long wanderings throughout Europe. Later, in exile on the island of St. Helena, Napoleon Bonaparte himself recalled the bewilderment of his soldiers, sharing with his doctor his memories of the Russian campaign. The tactics of the Russian army to lure the French into the interior of the country turned out to be extremely justified - the Russian commanders perfectly understood that even the numerous troops of Napoleon would not be able to establish control over the endless Russian expanses, especially in the conditions of partisan war, fires, the approaching winter and lack of food in the captured settlements.
By the way, the architecture of old Russian cities, their fortifications also caused Napoleon's genuine delight. In his memoirs, Napoleon speaks very flatteringly about the same Smolensk. According to the emperor, the entire artillery reserve was used by him in order to punch holes in the walls of the fortress, but the cannonballs of the French guns got stuck in the Russian fortifications. Of course, Napoleon was also interested in a completely unusual for a European view of Russian buildings - churches, houses, fortifications.
Finally, the roads … The eternal problem of Russia, about which there are many different anecdotal stories. But this problem, like the harsh Russian climate, has helped our country more than once in the fight against enemy hordes. Napoleon's campaign was no exception. Compared to the good and compact roads of small Europe, the Russian roads of that time, according to the French emperor, were simply terrible. The quality of the roads played into the hands of the Russian troops. Napoleon, who did not have reliable maps of the area and who saw that the roads were mostly difficult to pass, did not dare to divide his army into several corps and send them in different directions. Subsequently, he also called the quality of the roads one of the main factors that influenced the weakening of the army during the campaign in Russia.
Thus, the end of the Napoleonic invasion was quite predictable. Bonaparte's defeat was a lesson for many other enemies of the Russian state. But, nevertheless, in 1941, 129 years after the Napoleonic epic, the next "forces of united Europe" decided to attack the Soviet Union - Russia. And in this case, popular resistance, the actions of the army, roads and the same "General Frost" did not let our country down, although the enemy was much more serious than Napoleon in his time.
Author: Ilya Polonsky
