The French invasion of Russia, known in Russia as the Patriotic War of 1812
(Russian: Отечественная война 1812 года, romanized: Otechestvennaya voyna 1812
goda) and in France as the Russian campaign (French: Campagne de Russie),
was begun by Napoleon to force Russia back into the Continental blockade of the
United Kingdom.
On 24 June 1812 and the following days, the first wave of the Grande Armée
crossed the border into Russia with around 400,000–450,000 soldiers,
the opposing Russian field forces amounted around 180,000–200,000 at this time.
Through a series of long forced marches Napoleon pushed his army rapidly through
Western Russia in a futile attempt to destroy the retreating Russian Army of
Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly, winning just the Battle of Smolensk in August.
Under its new Commander in Chief Mikhail Kutuzov, the Russian Army continued
to retreat employing attrition warfare against Napoleon forcing the invaders to
rely on a supply system that was incapable of feeding their large army in the
field.
On 7 September, Kutuzov with around 110,000 men fought Napoleon with around
130,000 men in the Battle of Borodino, seventy miles (110 km) west of Moscow,
that resulted in a narrow French victory. The Russian Army withdrew in order to
the south of Moscow near Kaluga.
On 14 September, Napoleon and his army of about 100,000 men occupied Moscow,
only to find it abandoned, and the city was soon ablaze. Napoleon stayed in
Moscow for 5 weeks, waiting for a peace offer that never came.
On 19 October, Napoleon left Moscow and marched southwest toward Kaluga trying
to use unspoilt roads to retreat to Smolensk. After the inconclusive Battle
of Maloyaroslavets, Napoleon decided to use the old Smolensk road instead, but
this road had already been devastated by his own army on the march to Moscow.
Lack of food for the men and fodder for the horses, hypothermia from the bitter
cold and guerilla warfare from Russian peasants and Cossacks led to great losses.
Three days after the battle of Berezina only around 10,000 soldiers of the main
army remained.
On 5 December, Napoleon left the army and returned to Paris.
On 14 December 1812, the campaign ended after nearly six months, with the last
French troops leaving Russian soil. After Napoleon's defeat first Prussia broke
the imposed alliance with France. In 1813 the War of the Sixth Coalition began.
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