The Russian Campaign Flashcards
(33 cards)
When was the Russian campaign?
1812
What caused it?
Tsar Alexander I found Russia in an economic bind as his country had little in the way of manufacturing,
What was the official political aim?
Liberate Poland from the threat of Russia
How large was the army?
The Grande Armée numbered around 685,000 soldiers (including 400,000 soldiers from France) - largest ever army known to warfare.
What went wrong?
Could not live off the land.
How did this show?
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.
How much provisioning did Napoleon do?
Extensive preparations - Twenty train battalions, comprising 7,848 horse drawn vehicles, were to provide a 40-day supply for the Grande Armée.
How much food did Napoleon bring?
Enough provisions to feed 400,000 men for 50 days. 50,000 cattle were collected to follow the army.
What was Napoleons plan?
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.
How many Russian soldiers were committed to Smolensk?
The Russians only committed 35,000 to the Battle of Smolesk. Napoleon lost about 10,000 men here, whilst the Russians lost 14,000.
What was the Battle of Borodino?
The largest and bloodiest battle of the French invasion of Russia, involving more than 250,000 troops
How many casualties were there at Borodino?
70,000 casualties
How many of Napoleons army was killed?
About a third of Napoleon’s soldiers were killed or wounded; Russian losses, while heavier, could be replaced due to Russia’s large population
What happened when Napoleon tried to posses Russia?
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,
What did Rostopchin do?
Moscow had been stripped of all supplies by its governor - also ordered the prisons to be opened.
What happened to the population?
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.
How were 10,000 horses lost?
due to a great storm in the opening weeks of the campaign.
What temperatures did soldiers face?
faced temperatures as low as−35 °C.
How many soldiers did General Louison lose?
15,000 soldiers lost 12,000 men without a battle, dying from starvation and frostbite.
How many starved to death?
over 50,000 starved to death.
How much of the army was from outside of France?
With between 1/3 and ½ of the Grand Armee conscripted from outside of France, desertion rates were enormous. At least 50,000 deserted.
How many did the Russians kill?
Killed over 100,000 and took at least 50,000 prisoners.
Who were the commanders?
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.
When was the Battle of Smolensk?
16–18 August
