On November 15 to 18, 1812, Napoleon, in retreat, gathered his remaining ragged forces in Russia and faced the Russians in a series of skirmishes that are collectively known as the Battle of Krasnoi. Because Napoleon was able to preserve these forces in retreat, he had the nucleus of an army to build upon and to carry him through the rest of the war. Marshal Ney‘s resistance to the fierce Russian attack earned him the name “Bravest of the Brave.” The fact that the Russian general, Kutusov, did not totally destroy the French army by continuing to pursue and engage them enraged Tsar Alexander I.
Battle of Krasnoi resulted in French losses numbering as many as 13,000 killed and wounded and up to 26,000 taken prisoner. These numbers paled in comparison to the nearly half a million French soldiers killed or captured in the whole Russian campaign.
Half a million.
Military experts credit Napoleon’s Russian campaign as one of the most lethal in history and as a turning point in the Napoleonic war. After this decimation of the French army, Austria and Prussia broke their alliance with France and joined the UK and its allies, leading to the defeat of Napoleon and his exile to Elba.
Almost 130 years later, in 1941, Hitler also invaded Russia in a campaign that resulted in even more horrific losses and failed as well. The Russians lost 27 million soldiers and civilians; the Germans lost over 3 million soldiers.
So…now that I’ve cheered you up with stories of devastation, how is your Monday going for you?
It wasn’t the best of days for me but your post sure put my problems into perspective!
Elena’s comment is unbeatable. I’ve also looked at Regency era battles for my WIP, but the war that concerned me was the Russian-Turkish war of 1806-12. My interest was what was happening in 1811 – when the Russians made peace with the Ottoman Turks because they knew Napoleon would invade and they needed to move soldiers from their southern frontier to defend Moscow. What a vast area those poor Russian soldiers had to cover.
As for Monday, there was sunshine, so all’s well.
I was editing and am only now catching up. Wow… those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.