The Russian Campaign

Question 1

When was the Russian campaign?

Answer 1

1812

Question 2

What caused it?

Answer 2

Tsar Alexander I found Russia in an economic bind as his country had little in the way of manufacturing,

Question 3

What was the official political aim?

Answer 3

Liberate Poland from the threat of Russia

Question 4

How large was the army?

Answer 4

The Grande Armée numbered around 685,000 soldiers (including 400,000 soldiers from France) - largest ever army known to warfare.

Question 5

What went wrong?

Answer 5

Could not live off the land.

Question 6

How did this show?

Answer 6

Forced marches often made troops do without supplies as the supply wagons struggled to keep up - led to the death of troops and their mounts by exposing them to waterborne diseases from drinking from mud puddles.

Question 7

How much provisioning did Napoleon do?

Answer 7

Extensive preparations - Twenty train battalions, comprising 7,848 horse drawn vehicles, were to provide a 40-day supply for the Grande Armée.

Question 8

How much food did Napoleon bring?

Answer 8

Enough provisions to feed 400,000 men for 50 days. 50,000 cattle were collected to follow the army.

Question 9

What was Napoleons plan?

Answer 9

Trap and destroy the Russian Army on the frontier or before Smolensk. He would fortify Smolensk and Minsk, establish forward supply depots in Lithuania and winter quarters at Vilnius and wait for either peace negotiations or a continuation of the campaign in the spring.

Question 10

How many Russian soldiers were committed to Smolensk?

Answer 10

The Russians only committed 35,000 to the Battle of Smolesk. Napoleon lost about 10,000 men here, whilst the Russians lost 14,000.​

Question 11

What was the Battle of Borodino?

Answer 11

The largest and bloodiest battle of the French invasion of Russia, involving more than 250,000 troops

Question 12

How many casualties were there at Borodino?

Answer 12

70,000 casualties

Question 13

How many of Napoleons army was killed?

Answer 13

About a third of Napoleon’s soldiers were killed or wounded; Russian losses, while heavier, could be replaced due to Russia’s large population

Question 14

What happened when Napoleon tried to posses Russia?

Answer 14

Russians had left the city unconditionally. In a normal surrender, the city officials would be forced to find billets and make arrangements for the feeding of the soldiers,

Question 15

What did Rostopchin do?

Answer 15

Moscow had been stripped of all supplies by its governor - also ordered the prisons to be opened.​

Question 16

What happened to the population?

Answer 16

270,000 people. As much of the population pulled out, the remainder were burning or robbing the remaining stores of food, depriving the French of their use. ​

Question 17

How were 10,000 horses lost?

Answer 17

due to a great storm in the opening weeks of the campaign.​

Question 18

What temperatures did soldiers face?

Answer 18

faced temperatures as low as−35 °C.​

Question 19

How many soldiers did General Louison lose?

Answer 19

15,000 soldiers lost 12,000 men without a battle, dying from starvation and frostbite. ​

Question 20

How many starved to death?

Answer 20

over 50,000 starved to death.​

Question 21

How much of the army was from outside of France?

Answer 21

With between 1/3 and ½ of the Grand Armee conscripted from outside of France, desertion rates were enormous. At least 50,000 deserted.​

Question 22

How many did the Russians kill?

Answer 22

Killed over 100,000 and took at least 50,000 prisoners.​

Question 23

Who were the commanders?

Answer 23

General Barclay de Tolly served as the Commander in Chief of the Russian Armies, but, having lost the Battle of Smolensk, Mikhail Kutuzov replaced him, and assumed the role of Commander-in-chief.​

Question 24

When was the Battle of Smolensk?

Answer 24

16–18 August

Question 25

When was the Battle of Borodino?

Answer 25

7 September

Question 26

When did Napoleon reach Moscow?

Answer 26

14 September Napoleon reached Moscow.​

19 October Napoleon retreats from Moscow.​

Question 27

When did France leave Russia?

Answer 27

14 December - Left Russian territory

Question 28

How many survived the march back?

Answer 28

10,000 crossed the Neman back out of the initial 422,000.​

Question 29

How much of the army made it out?

Answer 29

Less than 10% of the army made it out alive

Question 30

Was this army replaced?

Answer 30

Much of the artillery lost was replaced in 1813, but the loss of thousands of wagons and trained horses weakened Napoleon’s armies for the remainder of his wars.

Question 31

Did this effect future wars?

Answer 31

No - The following year he raised an army of around 400,000 French troops supported by a quarter of a million allied troops to contest control of Germany in the larger campaign of the Sixth Coalition. Although outnumbered, he won a large victory at the Battle of Dresden.

Question 32

What impacts did it have within France?

Answer 32

General Claude de Malet had attempted a coup d’état in France.

Question 33

What did Napoleon do in response?

Answer 33

He abandoned the army on 5 December and returned home on a sleigh