He would only bring a few supplies, about 30 days worth of food. He took part in the suppression of the Bar Confederation’s uprising, in three of the Russo-Turkish Wars, and in the Napoleonic War, including two major battles at Austerlitz and the battle of Borodino. These scorched-earth tactics surprised and disturbed the French as the strategy also destroyed Russian territory. Forced marches often left troops without supplies as the wagons struggled to keep up. His army continued to lose men as it battled the Russian winter, and by the time Napoleon's soldiers stumbled out of Russia in December, they numbered only about 100,000 men. The battle that followed was the largest and bloodiest single-day action of the Napoleonic Wars, involving more than 250,000 soldiers and resulting in 70,000 casualties. flashcard sets, {{courseNav.course.topics.length}} chapters | Moscow was already in flames, for the Russians were determined to destroy anything that the emperor's army could use. The campaign was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon began his quest in late June of 1812 when he and his army crossed the Nieman River and entered Russia. Russia, seeing the territory as a potential launching-point for others to invade, in response developed a plan of war in 1811. Michail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745 – 1813), commander-in-chief of the Russian army on the far left, with his generals at the talks deciding to surrender Moscow to Napoleon. Franco-German War (July 19, 1870–May 10, 1871), war in which a coalition of German states led by Prussia defeated France. Painting by Aleksey Danilovich Kivshenko. Soon winter was in full swing: the wind howled, temperatures dropped down to 20 degrees below zero, and snow piled up. The loss of Moscow did not compel Alexander I to sue for peace and both sides were aware that Napoleon’s position weakened with each passing day. All rights reserved. French invasion of Russia happened on 1812-12-14. All the battles on this French invasion of Russia list are currently listed alphabetically, but if you want to find a specific battle you can search for it by using the "search". Those who survived ate their horses and wrapped themselves in the animals' skins to try to stay warm. Tired of being Napoleon's puppet, the tsar placed a heavy tax on French luxury imports, protested against French expansion into new territories, and refused to let one of his sisters marry the French emperor. Napoleon had failed. flashcard set{{course.flashcardSetCoun > 1 ? In the weeks that followed, lack of food and fodder for the horses, hypothermia from the bitter cold, and persistent attacks upon isolated troops from Russian peasants and Cossacks led to great loss of men and a general lack of discipline and cohesion in the army. In an effort to crush his enemy economically, Napoleon ordered other countries not to trade with Britain, and for a while, most of them complied. French invasion repelled; Destruction of Napoleon's Grand Army; War of the Sixth Coalition (1813–1814) Location: Europe. The French Army before Moscow during the French invasion of Russia, 1812. As the Russian army fell back, Cossacks were given the task of burning villages, towns, and crops. These events triggered a major shift in European politics. Napoleon ignored repeated advice against an invasion of the Russian heartland and prepared for an offensive campaign.