3+The+Invasion+of+Russia

Period 3

Napoleonic Wars

The Invasion of Russia. The Continental System had hurt Russia's econmy. In 1810, Czar Alexander decided to resume trade with Britain. Napoleon then assembled nearly 600,000 troops to invade russia. As french soldiers moved into Russia in the summer of 1812, hunger, fatigue, and harsh weather reduced their numbers.

In June of 1812, Napoleon began his fatal Russian campaign, a landmark in the history of the destructive potential of warfare. Almost all of europe was under control of Napolean. the point of the invasion was to try and force Tsar Alexander I to submit again to the terms of a treaty that Napoleon had forced him to sign four years earlier. Having gathered nearly half a million soldiers, from France as well as all of the vassal states of Europe, Napoleon entered Russia at the head of the largest army ever seen. The russians could not beat him in direct combat because his army was to big..... So they decided to attack without the french knowing, by hitting their flank or blind spots. This turned out to be successful. Napoleans forces had been decreasing along with his supplies. By september his army had gone down by more than two thirds due to fatigue.

It was clear that if the Russians didn't engaged the French Army in a major battle, Moscow would be Napoleon's in a matter of weeks. The Tsar agreed upon an engagement, and on September 7, at the end of winter with the French army only 70 miles from the city, the two armies met at Borodino Field. By the end of the day 108,000 men had died, but still neither side gained a decisive victory. Kutuzov realized that anymore more defense against the city was worthless, he withdrew his forces, and began a panicked exodus in Moscow. When Napolean got back to the city on September 14, he found it depopulated of supplies. To make the situation worse, fires broke out in the city.

After waiting for Alexander to offer to negotiate, Napolean ordered his troops to march back home. The march was not the best because the french army was in no shape for fighting.