In June 1812 500,000 men of Napoleon's army invaded Russia. Six months later barely 20,000 returned. The disastrous advance to Moscow and the subsequent retreat irreparably damaged Napoleon's military power and prestige and resulted one of the most celebrated catastrophes of in all military history. Digby Smith's new account of the grim events of 1812 is based on the diaries and letters of soldiers who survived, many of which have not been published in English before. They describe the deadly effect of Napoleon's faulty decisions on the lives of his men, to say nothing of the innumerable Russian military and civilian casualties his campaign caused.
Chapter 1: The invasion of Russia is decided upon
Chapter 4: After Tinseltown – reality
Chapter 5: Latvia – a world away
Chapter 6: The southern sector
Chapter 7: The centre – Witebsk
Chapter 8: The northern flank – Polotzk
Chapter 9: The southern sector – Podubna/Gorodeczna
Chapter 10: The central sector – the battle of Smolensk
Chapter 11: The central sector – from Smolensk to Borodino
Chapter 12: The central sector — on to Moscow
Chapter 13: The southern sector — the final phase
Chapter 14: Summer and autumn in Latvia
Chapter 15: Moscow — waiting for Godot
Chapter 16: The northern flank, Polotzk — the finale
Chapter 17: The central sector in October and November
Chapter 18: Winter in Latvia – the last phase
Chapter 19: The central sector – build-up to the Beresina crossing
Chapter 20: Wilna - Tinseltown revisited
Chapter 21: Back to the beginning
Appendix - The diminishing strength of the Grande Armée in 1812 - Bibliography