In the summer of 1812 Napoleon gathered his fearsome Grande Armée; more than half a million strong; on the banks of the Niemen River. He was about to undertake the most daring of all his many campaigns: the invasion of Russia. Meeting only sporadic opposition and defeating it easily along the way; the huge army moved forward; advancing ineluctably on Moscow through the long hot days of summer. On September 14; Napoleon entered the Russian capital; fully anticipating the Czar’s surrender. Instead he encountered an eerily deserted city—and silence. The French army sacked the city; and by October; with Moscow in ruins and his supply lines overextended; and with the Russian winter upon him; Napoleon had no choice but to turn back. One of the greatest military debacles of all time had only just begun. In this famous memoir; Philippe-Paul de Ségur; a young aide-de-camp to Napoleon; tells the story of the unfolding disaster with the keen eye of a crack reporter and an astute grasp of human character. His book; a fundamental inspiration for Tolstoy’s War and Peace; is a masterpiece of military history that teaches an all-too-timely lesson about imperial hubris and its risks.
#4795233 in Books 2010-07-06 2010-07-06Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .94 x 6.00l; 1.37 #File Name: 1588342875424 pages
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