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Napoleon in Russia
Napoleon is a torrent which as yet we are unable to stem, said Field-Marshal Prince Mikhail Kutuzov in September 1812, and then he predicted, "Moscow will be the sponge that will suck him dry." Three months earlier, on June 24, 1812, Napoleon had made his fateful crossing of the Niemen River into Lithuania with an army of 500,000 men, which by December would be depleted by war, the weather, starvation, and disease to a mere 10,000. Sucked dry, indeed. The final six months of 1812 made of Napoleon's boldest imperial dream his most disastrous military campaign, which historian and biographer Alan Palmer recounts here with narrative immediacy, colorful detail, analytic skill, and striking insight. He follows the French forces in their long, dusty haul from Vilna to Vitebsk to Viasma; from the frightful slaughter at Borodino to Moscow's deserted, burning streets—and then the horrors of the grueling winter retreat. But Palmer also looks beyond the savagery of blizzards and battles to bring to his vast canvas an overall picture of a campaign that tragically cost Napoleon nearly half a million men and shaped the greatest catastrophe of his career. Illustrations and maps are included.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
54 people want to read
About the author
Alan Warwick Palmer
78 books24 followersAuthor also writes under Alan Palmer
Alan Palmer was Head of the History Department at Highgate School from 1953 to 1969, when he gave up his post to concentrate on historical writing and research.
Alan Palmer was Head of the History Department at Highgate School from 1953 to 1969, when he gave up his post to concentrate on historical writing and research.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 24, 2025
“Napoleon is a torrent which as yet we are unable to stem. Moscow will be the sponge that sucks him dry.”
Writing about Napoleon Bonaparte—even writing a review of a book about Napoleon Bonaparte—is a daunting task. I generally scorn “great man” readings of history; it seems laughable to suggest that world events are driven purely by the actions of a few individuals; but in Napoleon’s case, it is difficult not to fall under the spell of such a massive figure. Hegel once called him “the world-spirit on horseback,” and that doesn’t seem too far off. He is a singularly influential figure, whose influence on the world cannot be overstated: either a tyrant or a liberator, depending on who you ask. I will admit that I am personally more inclined to admire the man than many of my anglophone peers, but even among his harshest critics, no one can deny that his life and legacy make for fascinating reading.
With this in mind, I approached Napoleon in Russia (the first piece of nonfiction I have read for purely recreational purposes in a long while) with few expectations. I am reasonably knowledgeable about Napoleon’s disastrous Russian campaign, but by no means an expert. Within the first few pages, Palmer had captured me, and I was glued to the book until I finished. Palmer’s prose is clear and direct, drawing liberally from firsthand accounts of both the French and Russian leadership, but going beyond a simple recitation of the events. He punctuates his telling with dry asides and occasional bursts of truly magnificent writing, invoking the memories of past victories and defeats to explain the thoughts of these leaders as the campaign waged on.
Even in the end, as the emperor returns to Paris with a mere tenth of the army that he had left with six months ago, Palmer refuses to paint him as a simple villain laid low by hubris—his descriptions of Napoleon are, in my opinion, the highlight of the book. He shows the reader this brilliant, complicated commander, in all his glorious victories and his most humiliating defeat, without ever reducing him to a black-and-white picture. The stories of the French Army, with its leaders’ various fumbles and successes as the doom of winter closed its jaws around them, are compellingly told, with particular care given to accurately capturing the horror of their frozen retreat.
This is not to say that the narrative is one-sided, either: Palmer takes just as much care when describing Tsar Alexander (a deeply fascinating and complicated figure in his own right) and his squabbling generals as he does with the French. Chapter 9, “The Flames of Moscow,” contains some of the book’s most moving writing, as Palmer attempts to capture the feelings that Governor-General Rostopchin must have experienced while burning his holy city to the ground.
My only complaint about the book might be a little silly, considering the fact that the work is titled Napoleon in Russia, but I just wish that more time had been spent describing the fallout of the campaign after the emperor had made his return to Paris. One chapter hardly feels sufficient to capture the scale of the consequences the 1812 march on Russia had. As it is, the chapter feels almost like that scene in Goodfellas where we see everyone involved in the Lufthansa heist turning up dead while “Layla” plays. But oh, well. I guess I’ll just have to read another book about Napoleon to get my fill. As it is, this was an engaging, entertaining, and fascinating description of one of the most tragic military campaigns in European history, and I highly recommend it.
Writing about Napoleon Bonaparte—even writing a review of a book about Napoleon Bonaparte—is a daunting task. I generally scorn “great man” readings of history; it seems laughable to suggest that world events are driven purely by the actions of a few individuals; but in Napoleon’s case, it is difficult not to fall under the spell of such a massive figure. Hegel once called him “the world-spirit on horseback,” and that doesn’t seem too far off. He is a singularly influential figure, whose influence on the world cannot be overstated: either a tyrant or a liberator, depending on who you ask. I will admit that I am personally more inclined to admire the man than many of my anglophone peers, but even among his harshest critics, no one can deny that his life and legacy make for fascinating reading.
With this in mind, I approached Napoleon in Russia (the first piece of nonfiction I have read for purely recreational purposes in a long while) with few expectations. I am reasonably knowledgeable about Napoleon’s disastrous Russian campaign, but by no means an expert. Within the first few pages, Palmer had captured me, and I was glued to the book until I finished. Palmer’s prose is clear and direct, drawing liberally from firsthand accounts of both the French and Russian leadership, but going beyond a simple recitation of the events. He punctuates his telling with dry asides and occasional bursts of truly magnificent writing, invoking the memories of past victories and defeats to explain the thoughts of these leaders as the campaign waged on.
Even in the end, as the emperor returns to Paris with a mere tenth of the army that he had left with six months ago, Palmer refuses to paint him as a simple villain laid low by hubris—his descriptions of Napoleon are, in my opinion, the highlight of the book. He shows the reader this brilliant, complicated commander, in all his glorious victories and his most humiliating defeat, without ever reducing him to a black-and-white picture. The stories of the French Army, with its leaders’ various fumbles and successes as the doom of winter closed its jaws around them, are compellingly told, with particular care given to accurately capturing the horror of their frozen retreat.
This is not to say that the narrative is one-sided, either: Palmer takes just as much care when describing Tsar Alexander (a deeply fascinating and complicated figure in his own right) and his squabbling generals as he does with the French. Chapter 9, “The Flames of Moscow,” contains some of the book’s most moving writing, as Palmer attempts to capture the feelings that Governor-General Rostopchin must have experienced while burning his holy city to the ground.
My only complaint about the book might be a little silly, considering the fact that the work is titled Napoleon in Russia, but I just wish that more time had been spent describing the fallout of the campaign after the emperor had made his return to Paris. One chapter hardly feels sufficient to capture the scale of the consequences the 1812 march on Russia had. As it is, the chapter feels almost like that scene in Goodfellas where we see everyone involved in the Lufthansa heist turning up dead while “Layla” plays. But oh, well. I guess I’ll just have to read another book about Napoleon to get my fill. As it is, this was an engaging, entertaining, and fascinating description of one of the most tragic military campaigns in European history, and I highly recommend it.
October 22, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought that it was very easy to read and very concise.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2026
A really well written and engaging book.
December 13, 2009
I guess I'm just not interested enough in Napoleon's invasion of Russia for this memoire. Much of the book is a long monologue by Napoleon, based on the memory of one of his military aides. While it was likely would have been fascinating reading back in the day, it doesn't keep well.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews