Polish Eyewitnesses to Napoleon's 1812 Campaign : Advance and Retreat in Russia

Napoleon's invasion of Russia cost the lives of hundreds of thousands and changed the course of history. Europe had never seen an army quite like the one gathering in Poland in 1812 - half a million men in brilliant uniforms, plumed shakoes and shimmering helmets. Six months later, it was the ghost of an army, frozen and miserable, that limped back to their horrified homes. While the story of this epic military disaster has often been told, it has never been described before from the viewpoint of the tens of thousands of Polish soldiers who took part, and that is why this selection of their vivid eyewitness testimony is of such value. Most of their accounts - letters, diaries and memoirs - have not been translated into English before, and they come from a variety of authors. Some of them were patriots who were keen to wage war on the Russians in order to regain independence for their country. Others were charmed by the glory of Napoleonic warfare or were professional soldiers who did their duty but had seen too much war to be seduced by it. They all tell an unrivalled tale - of muskets and drums and burning villages, of Borodino and Moscow and ruthless battles, and of the numbing hunger and biting cold. By the end the great army had been reduced to a pitiless mob and the Polish soldiers, who had set out with such hope, recalled it with horror. The drama of Napoleon's ill-fated invasion of Russia is captured through the letters and diaries of Polish soldiers who fought with the French.Napoleon's invasion of Russia cost hundreds of thousands lives and changed the course of history. Europe had never seen an army like the one gathering in Poland in 1812—half a million men in brilliant uniforms and shimmering helmets. Six months later, it was the ghost of an army, frozen and horrified, retreating home.This illuminating volume tells the story of this epic military disaster from the viewpoint of the tens of thousands of Polish soldiers who took part. Some of them were patriots eager to regain independence for their country. Others were charmed by the glory of Napoleonic warfare or were professional soldiers who were simply doing their jobs.They all tell an unrivaled tale of ruthless battles, burning villages, numbing hunger, and biting cold. By the end the great army had been reduced to a pitiless mob and the Polish soldiers, who had set out with such hope, recalled it with horror. History / Military / Napoleonic Wars Cover 1 Book Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 List of Illustrations 7 Maps 9 Note 13 Introduction 14 Chapter 1 Opening Shots 18 Chapter 2 Borodino 65 Chapter 3 Moscow 92 Plate section 120 Chapter 4 Retreat from Moscow 136 Chapter 5 Crossing of the Berezina 167 Chapter 6 The Long March Home 211 Epilogue 235 Annex I Biographical Notes 239 Annex II Chronology of the Russian Campaign of 1812 242 Annex III Polish Units in the Russian Campaign of 1812 244 Index of names 248 Back Cover 258 Napoleon's disastrous 1812 campaign in Russia seen through the eyes of Polish soldiers in his army.