A Journal for Western Man-- Issue IV
Part VI
G. Stolyarov II
However, one threat remained to France's welfare that possessed the potential to unravel all that Napoleon had accomplished thus far. Russia's Alexander I, wishing to maintain positive relations with all the nations of Europe, began to lift the Continental Blockade in his own domain and traded clandestinely with Britain. The French Foreign Minister, Charles-Maurice du Talleyrand, deserted to the Russians along with the Prussian strategist, Karl Klausewitz, in order to convince Alexander I that violating the Treaty of Tilsit was to Russia's advantage. Thus, the Russian emperor's disobedience assumed a greater degree of overtness. He halted the wars against Finland and the Ottoman Empire that Russia had begun in order to demonstrate its willingness to assist Napoleon. The Emperor of the French was taken aback that his ally would abandon him at such a crucial time. Thus he was forced to withdraw a vast majority of his troops from Portugal in order to make possible a punitive expedition into Russia. On June 22, 1812, the Grande Armée traversed the Neman River and entered into the vast lands of its enemy. The contingent of Cossacks that they encountered near Vilnius fled the battlefield after a short skirmish. General Barclay, the commander of the Russian forces, resolved to retreat in the direction of Moscow with only minimal armed encounters so as to gather any troops that he would find along the way and organize an effective resistance force. However, after Napoleon's successful siege of Smolensk, Barclay was relieved of his command by the impatient Alexander I and replaced by Mikhail Kutuzov, now a crippled, sick old man who nevertheless devised a most controversial strategy to counter Napoleon. Kutuzov wished to disrupt Napoleon's three-year plan for the invasion of Russia. This crafty leader decided to lure the French into the heartland of the Russian Empire, stretching their supply lines that partisans would attempt to disrupt even further. In the meantime, the Russian armies mercilessly devastated their own cities and territories so as to destroy any use that they might have had to Napoleon. This scorched-earth policy took a heavy toll on the common man of Russia, and numerous militias, especially from the West of the country, resolved to join the French and contribute to the planned destruction of the feudal regime and the liberation of the serfs that followed every one of Napoleon's conquests. However, despite the incredible following the Napoleon had, it was to no avail against the starvation and disease that began to take its toll on the Grande Armée. On September 7, 1812, Napoleon drove the Russians from the field at Borodino, inflicting 44000 casualties while incurring only 30000. Kutuzov then executed an audacious move, the abandonment of Moscow. Prior to leaving the city, Russia's center of culture, the Russian army set fire to it so as to render it inhabitable for the French. Napoleon's forces entered the flaming capital on September 13 and quickly established a military government that hunted down the enemy partisans, terrorists, and saboteurs within the city. Marshal Ney, the Prince of Moscow, made it a priority to send carriages loaded with food to nearby Russian villages as winter began to set in. However, the remaining partisans managed to intercept and destroy those aid workers, thus contributing to the starvation of their own people. While Kutuzov retreated toward Kaluga and destroyed everything in his path, Napoleon dallied in Moscow for too long a time, expecting a brilliant end to this campaign and Alexander's consent to yet another treaty. However, after failing to receive a response, the Emperor set off from Moscow in pursuit of Kutuzov. He left behind five thousand wounded in the Hospital in Moscow, hoping that the Russians would be generous enough to assist their fellow human beings. However, when the partisans re-entered the city, they ruthlessly slaughtered the wounded and nearly burned the capital to the ground. In the meantime, Napoleon thwarted a Russian attempt to outflank him at Tarutino and encountered the bulk of the enemy forces, now twice his own, at Maloyaroslavets. The city switched hands six times, finally falling under French control. However, Kutuzov retreated his forces across the nearby river and detonated the bridge, precluding the possibility of pursuit by Napoleon. By this time, the French supply lines were stretched to the utmost. The winter decimated the Grande Armée, and Napoleon could not afford further advances. Thus, he began to retreat from Russia without having lost a single battle! Following the crossing of the Berezina River, Napoleon departed for Paris in order to rally a new force that would relieve the old upon the completion of the retreat into Germany. As a result of this new boost of manpower as well as Kutuzov's death, the tides of the Russian campaign had turned. At the Battles of Bautzen and Dresden in the spring of 1813, Napoleon tore apart the Russian army and Barclay (who had been reinstated as Commander-In-Chief) agreed to unconditional surrender. In his magnanimity Napoleon permitted the Russian soldiers to return home unharmed. Once again, order and prosperity became the social paradigms of the French Empire. Once again Napoleon could shift his attention to the war in Spain and to domestic affairs. However, this would not last.
In October of 1813, Russia, once again manipulated by Talleyrand, Klausewitz, and the traitor Moreau, a former Marshal of France, resumed hostilities despite its promise of peace. This time, however, Prussia, Austria, and Sweden (ruled by Bernadotte, another former Marshal of France) also violated their alliances with Napoleon and united to form the Sixth Coalition. These developments tipped the balance in Spain, and Wellington began to make decisive strides into the Iberian Peninsula. Over a million coalition troops had been deployed against Napoleon's 200000. The two sides fought the decisive battle at Leipzig on October 16-18, 1813. Napoleon managed to gain ground on the first day of the encounter. However, when Saxony backstabbed him and joined the enemy, the Emperor of the French became hopelessly outnumbered. Thus, the Coalition marched through Europe, suppressing freedom, reinstalling serfdom and the obsolete hierarchy of birth. Despite the death of Moreau at Leipzig, the subtle influences on the Allied leaders, especially Alexander I, continued to manifest themselves. In early 1814, the Coalition forces crossed the Rhine into France. "[Napoleon] waged a brilliant but futile campaign during the first three months of 1814." (Encyclopedia of World Biography, 309). During that time, Napoleon managed to perform miracles with his outnumbered forces, but even those were not sufficient. On March 31, when Napoleon fought battles far from the capital, Marshal Marmont foolishly surrendered Paris to the Allies, thus robbing France of any hopes of recovery from the recent turn of events. "The hopelessness of the military situation led the Emperor to abdicate at Fontainebleau (April 4, 1814) in favor of his son Napoleon II. However, the Allies refused to recognize the 3-year-old boy, and Louis XVIII was placed on the French throne." (Encyclopedia of World Biography, 309). "I would embrace every one of you to display my affection," Napoleon addressed his Imperial Guard as he departed for the Mediterranean island of Elba, "but I will kiss this flag, for it represents all of you. But know that I shall return to France when the violets will bloom." There have been numerous interpretations of this quote, the simplest of which reveals to us that even then Napoleon planned to return to claim his rightful place at the throne the next spring. However, others have been able to locate deeper meanings of the phrase, the "violets" being the desire for civil liberties and the new meritocratic order. Indeed, by the beginning of 1815 the populace became increasingly irritated with the stagnant and deconstructive reign of Louis XVIII. Riots were becoming increasingly more frequent, secret organizations planned to coordinate Napoleon's return to France. During the Congress of Vienna, delegates from various Coalition states squabbled over every minute issue. The Coalition was falling apart now that it had no common foe to unite it. Indeed, the political stage was ripe for Napoleon to execute his triumphant comeback. The violets had bloomed.