Napoleon The Russian Conflict

Napoleon "The Russian Conflict"

Napoleon was one of the greatest military leaders of all time. By 1812 Napoleon had expanded
the territory of France all over Europe including Spain, Italy, Holland, and Switzerland. The countries that
Napoleon did not directly control, he was usually allied with. The turning point of Napoleon's career also
came in 1812 when war broke out between France and Russia because of Alexander I's refusal to enforce
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Even the French nation could not provide all the manpower and supplies needed to carry out the
Emperor's grandiose plan for subduing Russia. Throughout 1811, he worked to mobilize the entire
continent against Russia. He not only levied the vassal kingdoms in Spain, Italy, and Germany but also
summoned Austria and Prussia to furnish their share of men and goods. Altogether, Napoleon could count
on nearly 700,000 men of 20 nationalities of whom more than 600,000 crossed the border. Grown far
beyond its original intended size, the army was difficult to assemble and hard to feed. Between Tilsit and
Moscow, there lay over 600 miles of hostile barren countryside. Because of lack of supplies and the
difficulty to feed the large army, Napoleon's plan was simple: bring about a battle, defeat the Russian
army, and dictate a settlement. Apparently neither he nor his soldiers, who cheerfully began crossing the
Nieman River, thought beyond the immediate goal.

Already 300 miles into Russia, Napoleon had not ...

Napoleon The Russian Conflict

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