The number of historical rabbit holes I can find down which to lose myself seems to be in direct proportion to the lack of time I currently have to do it. I find myself with three stiff deadlines in my writing world, and that’s without the non-fiction books I have planned!
For instance, today I’m researching how fast Moskva, or as we know it, Moscow, was rebuilt after the French Invasion of Russia by Napoleon, or the Russian Patriotic War of 1812, depending upon your frame of reference. The dark bits are the part of Moskva that ended up burned. It was mostly wood, but the rebuild was a bit more permanent.
Of course, that leads to researching about the invasion itself, and the debacle of the French retreat–the staggering home (or not) of the remnants of the French army.
The French supply caches through the friendly countries they needed to traverse, Poland and Prussia, were well planned and executed. However, the supply trains accompanying the army, although fit for travel over central Europe’s good roads, were no match for the Russian dirt tracks, especially when rain turned them into deep mires… and the supply wagons were left far behind.
Worse, the foraging to which his armies were accustomed in the more densely populated, farmed countryside of Europe was not possible in Russia.
Add Russia’s scorched earth policy, and things get a little testy… especially when you take into account the fact that Napoleon planned to finish this war on the frontier, or by Smolensk, at the latest, and return home long before summer ended.
The Russian retreat, deeper and deeper into their own country, forced the French to follow in an attempt to engage their armies. Unfortunately, the French forces were dressed for summer… not a Russian winter…
Check out the temperatures on the early infographic below…
The width of the brown panel is indicative of the size of Napoleon’s forces heading toward Moscow. The width of the black lines shows the size of forces upon their return. At the bottom is shown the temperatures on the return “march”.
The food Napoleon expected to find in Moskva… well, it was torched too… and the city evacuated ahead of them.
Not only were numbers in Napoleon’s army lost due to fighting. Starvation, desertion, typhus and suicide took their toll as well.
The Cossacks didn’t help much either. Used to the cold, and dressed for it, they harassed the French flanks, supply lines, and lagging bits of the retreating French army.
I don’t think any of the highly trained French cavalry or wagon horses got out alive, except maybe Napoleon’s… but who knows? He rode out in a sleigh, in the end. The army didn’t have the ability to make caulked shoes that would’ve let their horses get traction in the snow and ice and there was nothing, zip, nada, for them to eat. Starved and depleted as the horses were, they were rewarded by providing food for the dying French troops.
All in all, a recipe for an incredible loss of life.
But where were we… oh yes, the rebuilding of Moskva after the fires set when the Muscovites evacuated before the French arrived, taking all supplies with them… leaving nothing for Napoleon’s armies… not even a victory…
Arggghh! Lost again.
Those rabbit holes. Watch out for them!
xx
Enjoy,
Lizzi
About the Book:
Tatiana will be the fourth story in The Long Trails series of historical fiction.
When he tsar holds the reins, nothing is certain—even life itself.
Stableman’s daughter Tatiana and Vladimir rise to glamorous heights by their equestrian abilities—but the tsar’s glittering attention is not always gold.
Pawns in the emperor’s pursuit of a coveted weapon, Tatiana and Vladimir’s infant son remain under house arrest in Russia while Vladimir recovers the weapon—or loses his wife and son.
With the odds mounting against them, can they find each other again—half a world away?
Coming this year!
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