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Russian Campaign of 1812 (Military History)

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  1. Introduction
  2.  
  3. The Franco-Russian alliance created at Tilsit in 1807 and reinforced at Erfurt in 1808 withered away by 1811. Russia was disgruntled by economic losses sustained under the Continental System and was concerned about Napoléon’s plans for the restoration of the Polish kingdom. Emperor Alexander was also alarmed by Napoléon’s aggressive policy in Europe after France annexed Holland, the Hanseatic cities, and North German states. As Russia announced its decision to withdraw from the Continental System, Napoléon began preparations for war. Russia responded by negotiating alliances with Britain and Sweden and concluding a peace treaty with the Ottoman Empire, which freed up additional Russian forces. On 24 June 1812 the massive Grande Armée of more than 450,000 men invaded Russia. Napoléon’s plan of forcing the Russians to fight, however, did not materialize, because the Russian armies, commanded by Mikhail Barclay de Tolly and Pyetr Bagration, retreated deep into the country. Compelled to follow them, the Grande Armée suffered from desertion and strategic consumption. Although Napoléon captured Smolensk on 19 August, the Russian armies escaped once more. In late August, Emperor Alexander, under pressure of public opinion clamoring for more-vigorous prosecution of war, gave overall command of Russian forces to Prince Mikhail Kutuzov, who gave battle to Napoléon at Borodino on 7 September. A tactical victory for the French, the battle claimed more than 35,000 French and 45,000 Russian troops but failed to deliver a decisive victory for either side. On 14 September the French occupied the abandoned city of Moscow. Yet, fires soon broke out in the city and continued until 18 September, destroying two-thirds of the buildings. Napoléon spent one month in Moscow, hoping to secure a peace with Russia. Kutuzov, meantime, regrouped the Russian army at the Tarutino Camp, encouraged popular war against the invader, and formed flying detachments to threaten the enemy rear and lines of communications. In mid-October, Napoléon commenced his retreat from Moscow. Unable to break through to Russia’s southern provinces, Napoléon returned to the devastated route to Smolensk and rapidly retreated to the west. The Russians inflicted considerable casualties on the Grand Armée in battles at Vyazma (3 November), at Krasnyi (14–16 November), on the Berezina River (26–29 November), and at Vilna (10 December). The Russian Campaign had disastrous consequences for Napoléon. His military might was shattered following the loss of up to half a million men in Russia. The French cavalry was virtually wiped out and never fully recovered during the subsequent campaigns in 1813–1814. Furthermore, Austria and Prussia exploited the moment to break their alliance with France and joined efforts to destroy the French Empire, which was accomplished in 1815. The campaign is particularly interesting for its gigantic scope, intensity, and variety of tactics employed. The war also had important effects on Russia, which became one of the arbiters of European affairs.
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  5. Reference Works
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  7. Tulard 1987 is a must-have for anyone interested in the First French Empire, and it remains unmatched in terms of scholarship and depth. Bielecki 2001 is a handy reference on the topic, offering Polish insights. For the Napoleonic officer corps, Six 1934 and Quintin and Quintin 1996 are treasure troves of information, providing thorough biographical details on marshals, generals, and colonels. Fremont-Barnes 2006 is a three-volume reference work that provides a thorough coverage for the entire period of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The Russian historiography has been enriched with several important reference works as well. Alexander Podmazo published two important works, one dealing with the Russian regimental commanders (Podmazo 1997) and another providing a detailed chronology of the Napoleonic Wars between 1813 and 1815 (Podmazo 2003). Mikaberidze 2005 is a useful biographical dictionary of the Russian officer corps that is a Russian equivalent of Six 1934. The most important and ambitious of these publications is the massive Otechestvennaia voina 1812 goda (Bezotosnyi 2004), which features some 2,000 entries written by leading Russian scholars. In its scope, level of detail, and quality of articles dealing with the Russian Campaign, this work has no equivalent in English.
  8.  
  9. Bezotosnyi, Victor, ed. Otechestvennaia voina 1812 goda: Ėnciklopedija. Moscow: ROSSPEN, 2004.
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  11. This is the most useful reference work dealing with the Russian Campaign. Featuring contributions by leading Russian historians, the work represents the best of modern Russian historical thought. It features some 2,000 entries on a variety of subjects, and in its scope, level of detail, and quality of articles this work has no equivalent in English.
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  13. Bielecki, Robert. Encyklopedia wojen Napoleońskich. Warsaw: Wydawn. TRIO, 2001.
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  15. A one-volume encyclopedia on the Napoleonic Wars, written by a renowned Polish historian. It contains concise articles related to the Russian Campaign.
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  17. Fremont-Barnes, Gregory, ed. The Encyclopedia of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars: A Political, Social, and Military History. 3 vols. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2006.
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  19. A three-volume reference work that provides a thorough coverage for the entire period of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. It features individual entries on the Russian Campaign, battles, and major personalities from both sides.
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  21. Mikaberidze, Alexander. Russian Officer Corps in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1792–1815. New York: Savas Beatie, 2005.
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  23. This is the first English-language biographical reference work on the Russian officer corps of the Napoleonic Wars. It features a lengthy introduction on the development of the officer corps and some eight hundred biographies of senior Russian officers.
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  25. Podmazo, Alexander. Shefy i komandiry reguliarnykhykh polkov russkoi armii (1796–1815): Spravochnoe posobie. Moscow: Muzei-panorama Borodinskaia bitva, 1997.
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  27. The first publication of its kind, this book provides information on shefs (colonel-proprietors) and commanders of all Russian regiments between the late 18th century and the first quarter of the 19th century.
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  29. Podmazo, Alexander. Bol’shaia evropeiskaia voina: 1812–1815: Khronika sobytii. Moscow: ROSSPEN, 2003.
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  31. The book provides a detailed chronology of events from Napoléon’s invasion of Russia to the fall of the First French Empire.
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  33. Quintin, Bernard, and Danielle Quintin. Dictionnaire des colonels de Napoléon. Paris: SPM, 1996.
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  35. The dictionary features biographies of every Napoleonic colonel, from birth to death dates and places, with all their military service in between, except for those who went on to become generals and are covered in Six 1934.
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  37. Six, Georges. Dictionnaire biographique des généraux et amiraux français de la Révolution et de l’empire: 1792–1814. 2 vols. Paris: Saffroy, 1934.
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  39. A remarkable two-volume study that provides detailed biographical information on French generals serving in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
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  41. Tulard, Jean. Dictionnaire Napoléon. Paris: Fayard, 1987.
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  43. A must-have for anyone interested in the First French Empire. The dictionary, edited by a renowned French historian, features contributions by leading French scholars and remains unmatched in terms of scholarship and depth.
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  45. Periodicals and Conference Proceedings
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  47. Few Western periodicals deal exclusively with the Russian Campaign. La Revue Napoléon is a lavishly illustrated French-language periodical that chronicles the Napoleonic era by commemorating the two hundredth anniversaries of the events in each issue. The Consortium on the Revolutionary Era, one of the premier international conferences on the revolutionary period, publishes volumes of selected papers, some of which routinely deal with the events of 1812. In Russia two major conferences, Epokha napoleonovskikh voin: Lyudi, sobytiya, idei and Otechestvennaya voina 1812 goda: Istochniki, pamyatniki, problem, are organized annually, and their published proceedings, which average three to four hundred pages, are a treasure trove of information. Russkii arkhiv and Russkaya starina were 19th-century Russian periodicals that specialized in publication of historical documents. They contain a wealth of material (memoirs, diaries, official documents, and so forth) on the Russian involvement in the Napoleonic Wars.
  48.  
  49. Consortium on the Revolutionary Era.
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  51. Uniting seventeen universities and colleges, the consortium is one of the premier international conferences on the revolutionary period. It produces annual volumes of selected papers that feature papers presented at the conference. An index of the Consortium on the Revolutionary Era volumes (1971 to 2001) is available online.
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  53. Epokha napoleonovskikh voin: Lyudi, sobytiya, idei; Materialy XI Mezhdunarodnoi nauchnoi konferentsii, Moskva, 24 aprelia 2008 goda. Moscow: Kuchkovo Pole, 2008.
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  55. This annual conference is organized by the Museum of Borodino Panorama in Moscow and features dozens of papers by leading Russian historians. Most papers deal with the Russian side and offer a fresh and interesting perspective. An index of the 1998–2008 proceedings is available online.
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  57. La Revue Napoléon.
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  59. Lavishly illustrated and fully colored French-language periodical that chronicles the Napoleonic era by commemorating the two hundredth anniversaries of the events. Four issues are published per year, and the 2011–2012 issues deal with the preparations for and unfolding of the Russian Campaign.
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  61. Otechestvennaya voina 1812 goda: Istochniki, pamyatniki, problem. Borodino, Russia. 1993–.
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  63. This conference is organized annually by the Museum of the Borodino Battlefield and features dozens of presentations on the Russian Campaign. A majority of papers deal with the Russian side and offer a fresh and interesting perspective.
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  65. Russkaya starina.
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  67. Russian history journal published monthly from 1870 to 1918 in Saint Petersburg by the historian Mikhail Semevsky and his successors. The journal covered mainly the 18th- and 19th-century period of Russian history and brought to light many previously unpublished documents and memoirs. Many issues are available online.
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  69. Russkii arkhiv.
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  71. A historical literary journal that was published in Russia between 1863 and 1917. Founded by Peter Bartenev, the journal was devoted to the study of Russian history, with an emphasis on the reigns of Catherine II and Alexander I. The journal contains numerous memoirs and articles dedicated to the Russian Campaign.
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  73. Archival Material
  74.  
  75. The French Archives de la Guerre remains the main depository of material related to the Russian Campaign, and its guides are available online. Fabry 1900–1912 reproduces a significant portion of the French archival documents related to the campaign and is crucial to understanding French operations. On the Russian side, the Rossiiskii Gosudarstvennii Voenno-Istoricheskii arkhiv (RGVIA, Russian State Military Historical Archive) preserves much of the material on the Russian war effort, and many of these documents are in The Napoleonic Wars, 1805–1815, the vast collection of ninety-two microfilm reels of documents from the RGVIA, covering the entire span of the Napoleonic Wars. Similarly, the multivolume Otechestvennaya voina 1812 goda contains hundreds of documents from the Russian archives. Beskrovnyi 1954 is useful for insights into Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov’s decision making, while Beskrovnyi 1962 contains many interesting documents on militias.
  76.  
  77. Archives de la Guerre: Service historique de l’armée de terre. Château de Vincennes, France.
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  79. The war archives remains the main depository of material related to the Russian Campaign. Series C covers the Grande Armée’s operations in 1812. Specifically, 2C 287 contains correspondence of various generals and marshals with Napoléon, 2C 523 covers the general organization of the Grande Armée and the Imperial Guard, 2C 525 through 530 deal with individual corps, and 2C 531–532 cover cavalry.
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  81. Beskrovnyi, Liubomir, ed. M. I. Kutuzov: Sbornik Dokumentov. 4 vols. Moscow: Voennoe izdatelstvo, 1954.
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  83. This is a four-volume publication of Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov’s correspondence. Volume 4 covers the Russian Campaign and contains many important documents related to the conduct of the war.
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  85. Beskrovnyi, Liubomir, ed. Narodnoye opolchenye v Otechestvennoi voine 1812 goda. Moscow: Izd-vo Akademii nauk SSSR, 1962.
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  87. A compilation of archival documents dealing with the participation of the Russian militia forces (narodnoe opolchenye) in the Russian Campaign of 1812.
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  89. Fabry, Gabriel Joseph, ed. Campagne de 1812. 5 vols. Paris: R. Chapelot, 1900–1912.
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  91. This five-volume publication reproduces a significant portion of the French archival documents related to the campaign and is crucial to understanding French operations. Volumes 1 through 4 offer a daily coverage of events in June, July, and August, with each daily section featuring the correspondence of Napoléon and his corps commanders. Volume 5 deals with the operations of Marshals Claude Victor and Nicolas Oudinot in August–December 1812.
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  93. The Napoleonic Wars, 1805–1815. Woodbridge, CT: Research Publications, 2002.
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  95. This is a must-have collection of hundreds of cartons (delos) scanned by the Primary Source Medical Company from the Rossiiskii Gosudarstvennii Voenno-Istoricheskii arkhiv (Russian State Military Historical Archive), the main depository of Russian military documentation related to the Napoleonic Wars. The collection consists of ninety-two reels of microfilm covering the entire span of the conflict and contains correspondence, reports, rosters, and other documents related to the Russian war effort.
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  97. Otechestvennaya voina 1812 goda: Materialy Voenno-Uchenogo Arkhiva Generalnogo Shtaba. 21 vols. Saint Petersburg, Russia: Russian General Staff, 1910–1917.
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  99. This massive publication contains hundreds of documents from the Russian archives. The first twelve volumes cover preparations for war in 1810–1812, and the remaining volumes feature correspondence, rosters, journals of operations, and other documents related to the war itself.
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  101. General Campaign Histories
  102.  
  103. The Russian Campaign is probably the most famous of Napoléon’s campaigns, and the images of the burning of Moscow or of the soldiers of the Grande Armée freezing in the snow are firmly ingrained in popular memory. Yet there are few well-rounded general campaign histories, and each national historiography possesses strong and weak points.
  104.  
  105. French
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  107. The French historiography of the campaign can be traced back as early as 1814, when first attempts were made to analyze the catastrophe that had befallen the Grande Armée. Early publications consisted of memories of participants, but the first serious work came out under the pen of Georges de Chambray (Chambray 1823), who studied documents in the French military archives and produced a still-relevant study of the campaign. It was followed by Ségur 1824, written by a prominent participant of the campaign; the book long remained one of the most popular narratives of the Russian Campaign. The revolutionary period of the 1830s and 1840s was followed by a new wave of publications on the topic, the most important being Thiers 1845–1862, Adolphe Thiers’s famous study of the First French Empire and the Consulate. Volume 14 (1856) deals with the Russian Campaign and, while extolling the French side, delivers a critique of Napoléon’s decision to invade Russia. Yet, the book suffers from misrepresentations and bias. Vandal 1891–1896 is an in-depth study of Franco-Russian diplomatic relations and the causes of war. Studiously researched and written without prejudice, the work still remains one of the most important studies on this topic. One of the main weaknesses of the modern French historiography is the lack of in-depth original studies of the Russian Campaign. Following the publication of Gabriel Joseph Fabry’s multivolume study in 1900–1912 (see Fabry 1900–1912, cited in Archival Material), the French publications, including Grunwald 1963, Thiry 1969, Tranié and Carmigniani 1981, and Castelot 1991, tend to be based largely on French sources (though Grunwald 1963 does use some Russian material) and concentrate on the French side of the war at the expense both of its opponent (Russians) and its allies (Austrians, Prussians, Italians, and others).
  108.  
  109. Castelot, André. La campagne de Russie, 1812. Paris: Perrin, 1991.
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  111. This well-written book (reprinted in 2002) suffers from a weakness that is prevalent in all French studies of the campaign. It concentrates on the French side of the war at the expense both of its opponent (Russians) and its allies (Austrians, Prussians, Italians, and others).
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  113. Chambray, Georges de. Histoire de l’expédition de Russie: Avec un atlas, un plan de la bataille de la Moskwa, et une vue du passage du Niémen. 2 vols. Paris: Pillet, 1823.
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  115. One of the first publications on the Russian Campaign. Chambray studied documents in the French military archives and produced a rather detailed study of the campaign (mainly from the French perspective) that still remains relevant.
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  117. Grunwald, Constantine. La Campagne de Russie, 1812. Paris: Julliard, 1963.
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  119. This is not a scholarly study of the campaign but rather an anthology of memoirs, diaries, and letters written by the participants. Most memoirs are French, but the author does include Russian works as well, some of them appearing in French for the first time.
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  121. Ségur, Philippe-Paul. Histoire de Napoléon et de la grande-armée pendant l’année 1812. Paris: Baudouin frères, 1824.
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  123. The book long remained one of the most popular narratives of the Russian Campaign and passed through numerous editions, giving rise to several controversies, particularly one with Napoléon’s former adjutant Gaspard Gourgaud, which resulted in a duel between the parties. The book, written by a prominent participant of the campaign, is well written and offers plenty of insights into the war but naturally suffers from partiality.
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  125. Thiers, Adolphe. Histoire du Consulat et de l’empire. 20 vols. Paris: Paulin, 1845–1862.
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  127. Written by one of the most prominent French statesmen of the 19th century, this study is a great example of the narrative school of history. Its treatment of Napoléon and his conquests was to a considerable degree responsible for the renewal of interest in the Napoleonic legend. Volume 14 deals with the Russian Campaign and, while extolling the French side, delivers a critique of Napoléon’s decision to invade Russia. Yet, the book does suffer from limited sources, bias, and errors.
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  129. Thiry, Jean. La Campagne de Russie. Paris: Berger-Levrault, 1969.
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  131. The book is probably one of the best French studies on the topic. Well written and easy to read, it concentrates primarily on the experiences of the troops under Napoléon’s immediate command. The author studiously researched French sources, introducing many archival documents.
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  133. Tranié, Jean, and Juan-Carlos Carmigniani. La campagne de Russie: Napoléon, 1812. Paris: Lavauzelle, 1981.
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  135. This is a lavishly produced book featuring some five hundred illustrations but relying on limited sources and offering insufficient analytical discussion, especially when it comes to the Russian side or military operations on the flanks.
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  137. Vandal, Albert. Napoléon et Alexandre Ier: L’alliance russe sous le premier empire. Paris: E. Plon, Nourrit, 1891–1896.
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  139. An in-depth study of Franco-Russian diplomatic relations and the causes for war. Studiously researched and written without prejudice, the work still remains one of the most important studies on this topic.
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  141. Russian
  142.  
  143. Russian historiography of the Patriotic War of 1812 (as the Russian Campaign is known in Russia) is unquestionably the most extensive and counts in hundreds of volumes. The first attempts at analyzing the campaign appeared as early as 1813, when participants began publishing their views on the war. Buturlin 1823 is among the first major studies of the campaign and was instrumental in developing foundational tenets of the Russian imperial historiography. Bogdanovich 1859–1860, a masterpiece of Russian imperial historiography, further developed major tenets that became a mainstay for subsequent publications. Russian preparations for the one hundredth anniversary of the campaign saw the appearance of some six hundred studies in the first decade of the 20th century. Kharkevich 1901 is noteworthy for a balanced approach to the subject and rejection of many tenets of the imperial historiography. Popov 2008 (originally published in 1905) is the study of diplomatic relations of Russia with foreign powers on the eve of the war. Among the best publications of this period is Djevegelov and Makhnevich 1911–1912, which represents the very best of contemporary historical thought and provides both a broad view of the campaign and a detailed study of various aspects of war and society. After the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, Mikhail Pokrovskii (Pokrovskii 1966) founded the Marxist school that rejected the imperial historiography and evaluated the Russian Campaign through the prism of economic materialism and class struggle. The Pokrovskii school exercised great influence over Soviet historical thought in the 1920s and the early 1930s, before it came under attack during the infamous purges of the late 1930s. A much more nuanced but politically dangerous approach was taken by Eugene Tarle (Tarle 1938), but his work became a target for the official “campaign against cosmopolitanism” that forced the author to revise his work to adhere to the official line. The Soviet period saw the appearance of hundreds of publications on various aspects of the war, but such overabundance of studies was not without its weakness. The war was discussed in overly patriotic tones and was exploited for ideological purposes, with deliberate exaggeration or distortion of the facts. After World War II the Soviet government, under Joseph Stalin, tried to portray its performance during the German invasion of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in World War II in the same terms as those of the Russian government against Napoleonic France, and historians followed this “formula” for decades. Beskrovnyi 1968 and Zhilin 1988 set the tone, condemning the “evils of bourgeois historiography” that was critical of Russian actions and turning Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov into a mythical figure. Troitskii 1988 was the first Soviet study to successfully challenge numerous myths surrounding the war. The Soviet ideological approach was largely abandoned in the 1990s, and a new generation of scholars have launched a new wave of publications that tend to concentrate on specific moments or issues of the Russian Campaign. A general campaign history based on new findings and interpretations is yet to be written, though Popov 2002 is an important publication that takes a thematic approach to the subject. The publication of Otechestvennaia voina 1812 goda: Ėnciklopedija (Bezotosnyi 2004, cited in Reference Works), a massive encyclopedia of some 2,000 entries, represents a collective effort of leading Russian historians to reevaluate the Russian Campaign, and its articles will remain standard works for many years to come.
  144.  
  145. Beskrovnyi, Liubomir. Otechestvennaia voina 1812 goda. Moscow: Moskovskii rabochii, 1968.
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  147. Probably the most dominant Soviet historian of the Russian Campaign, Beskrovnyi was a highly prolific member of the Institute of History of the Soviet Academy of Sciences who contributed, together with Pavel Zhilin, key tenets of the Soviet historiography. After World War II the Soviet government, under Joseph Stalin, tried to portray its performance during the German invasion of the USSR in World War II in the same terms as the Russian government against Napoleonic France. Picking up the cue from Zhilin, Beskrovnyi supported a thesis of a well-conceived Russian strategy to lure the invader deep into the country and Kutuzov’s “counteroffensive” that shattered the Grande Armée. Beskrovnyi’s work is based on a wide range of sources that are entirely Russian and Soviet, since the author attacked the “evils of bourgeois historiography” that was critical of Russian actions. As a result of Beskrovnyi’s publications, Kutuzov was gradually turned into a mythical figure dominating his epoch and contemporaries, while Borodino became a masterpiece of the Russian military art.
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  149. Bogdanovich, Modest. Istoria Otechestvennoi voiny 1812g. po dostovernym istochnikam. 3 vols. Saint Petersburg, Russia: Typography of S. Strugovshikov’s Trade House, 1859–1860.
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  151. The author is a renowned Russian historian who produced a series of major studies on the Napoleonic Wars. His study of the 1812 campaign, written on the imperial command, is considered a masterpiece of Russian imperial historiography, and it established major tenets that became a mainstay for subsequent publications. The work is studiously researched, with some 2,000 archival and primary sources consulted, but his interpretation and analysis favor the Russian side.
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  153. Buturlin, Dmitri. Istoriya nashestviya Imperatora Napoleona na Rossiyu v 1812 godu. Saint Petersburg, Russia: Pechat. V voen. Tip, 1823.
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  155. In 1812–1814, Buturlin served in the Imperial Suite on Quartermaster Service. The founder of the Russian imperial historiography, he published his study of 1812 simultaneously in Russian and French. The work is based on a wide range of sources, including archival and newly written and unpublished memoirs, and developed foundational tenets of Russian imperial historiography.
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  157. Djevegelov, Aleksei, and N. Makhnevich, eds. Otechestvennaia voina i Russkoye obshestvo. 7 vols. Moscow: I. D. Sytin, 1911–1912.
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  159. This compilation represents the very best of contemporary historical thought. Written by the leading Russian historians of the day, this study provides both a broad view of the campaign and a detailed study of various aspects of war and society. Volumes 1–2 discuss Franco-Russian relations prior to 1812 and Russian preparations for war. Volume 3 covers the opposing armies and their leaders and the start of the war. Volume 4 explores the entire campaign, and Volume 5 concentrates on the war’s effect on Russian society, arts, and literature. Volumes 6–7 deal with the consequences of Napoléon’s defeat in Russia and contain interesting historiographical essays on Napoléon and the Russian Campaign.
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  161. Kharkevich, Vladimir. Voina 1812 goda: Ot Nemana do Smolenska. Vilna, Lithuania: Izd. Nikolaevskoi akademii generalnago shtaba, 1901.
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  163. Kharkevich is one of the most important Russian historians but is unfairly overlooked in the West. His publications, starting with Voina 1812 goda, are noteworthy for a balanced approach to the subject and a rejection of many tenets of the imperial historiography. His work is equally critical of Russia and France, objectively evaluates Russian leadership, and seeks to reassess the role of the much-maligned general Mikhail Barclay de Tolly.
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  165. Pokrovskii, Mikhail. History of Russia: From the Earliest Times to the Rise of Commercial Capitalism. Translated by Jesse D. Clarkson and Mary Rose Millie Griffiths. Bloomington, IN: University Prints and Reprints, 1966.
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  167. The author, who was deputy people’s commissar of education in 1918–1932, is considered the founder of the Marxist school of thought. Rejecting the imperial historiography, Pokrovskii was critical of Russia’s aggressive foreign policy on the eve of the war and portrayed the Russian Campaign as “an act of necessary self-defence” on the part of Napoléon. Pokrovskii thought the main cause of the war was economic, originating in financial rivalry between Russia and France, and he highlighted aspects of class struggle. The Pokrovskii school exercised great influence over Soviet historical thought in the 1920s and the early 1930s, before it came under attack during the infamous purges of the late 1930s. History of Russia was originally published as Russkaia istoriya s drevneishikh vremen (Moscow: Gos. Sotsialno- ekonomicheskoe izd-vo, 1933).
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  169. Popov, Alexander. Otechestvennaia voina 1812 goda. Moscow: Minuvshee, 2008.
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  171. Largely unknown in the West, Popov is considered the founder of the scientific-historical school in Russian historiography. A prolific writer, he published numerous articles on various episodes of the Russian Campaign and brought to light many new sources. His magnum opus is the study of diplomatic relations of Russia with foreign powers on the eve of the war. Conceived as part of his larger (but never completed) study on the Russian Campaign, this work is studiously researched, based on a wide range of sources. It is critical of many tenets of the Russian imperial historiography of the war and exercised considerable influence over the Russian, and later Soviet, historiography of the war. Originally published in 1905.
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  173. Popov, Andrei. Velikaya armiya v Rossii: Pogonya za mirazhem. Samara, Russia: NTZ, 2002.
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  175. This is the first comprehensive study of the Grande Armée’s logistics and communications, based on a wide range of French and Russian sources. The book offers fascinating insight into Napoléon’s preparations for war and logistical system maintained during the campaign; popular attitudes toward the invading force in Lithuania, Belarus, and other parts of Russia; and the treatment of prisoners. Highly recommended.
  176. Find this resource:
  177. Tarle, Eugene. Nashestvie Napoleona na Rossiyu, 1812 god. Moscow: Gos. Sotsialno- ekonomicheskoe izd-vo, 1938.
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  179. Tarle was one of the greatest Soviet historians, with an astonishing range of research interests and knowledge of archival material. A consummate historian, he sought to maintain a balanced position in evaluating Franco-Russian relations. He was the first to revive the term “Patriotic War” following its rejection by the Pokrovskii school and considered political, social, economic, and other factors in reassessing the Russian Campaign. However, in the 1950s his work became a target for the official “campaign against cosmopolitanism” that forced the author to revise his work to adhere to the official line extolling the Russian side.
  180. Find this resource:
  181. Troitskii, Nikolai. 1812: Velikii god Rossii. Moscow: Mysl’, 1988.
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  183. A landmark publication in Russian historiography, this book challenged many prevailing myths around the Patriotic War of 1812 and attempted for the first time to give a more critical assessment of the war.
  184. Find this resource:
  185. Zhilin, Pavel. Otechestvennaya voina 1812 goda. Moscow: Nauka, 1988.
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  187. The author was the head of the Institute of Military History at the Soviet Ministry of Defense who laid the foundation for the key tenet of the Russian counteroffensive. Following Joseph Stalin’s comparison of the Nazi invasion of 1941 to Napoléon’s campaign of 1812, Zhilin developed a thesis of a well-conceived Russian strategy to lure the invader deep into the country before Field Marshal Mikhal Kutuzov’s “counteroffensive” shattered him. Zhilin’s publication glorified Russian actions (while condemning imperial authority), praised the common people’s involvement in the war, and eulogized Kutuzov as a mythical figure dominating his epoch and contemporaries.
  188. Find this resource:
  189. English
  190.  
  191. Until the early 20th century, the English-language historiography was limited to the works of contemporaries (George Cathcart, Robert Wilson) or broad overviews of the war. The best of these early works is Foord 1914, which provides a solid overview of the campaign. Chandler 1966 is a must read for anyone interested in the Napoleonic Wars, due to its balanced approach to the subject. Palmer 1967, Cate 1985, Riehn 1991, and Zamoyski 2004 are all highly readable accounts of the war, offering colorful details and insights. Nafziger 1988 is an in-depth study of the war, with plenty of details on military operations and battles, but it is not recommended for the casual reader. Britten Austin 2000 is a fascinating work featuring excerpts from dozens of memoirs and diaries in a comprehensive narrative of human experiences of the war. Lieven 2010 is a masterfully written account that offers a panoramic view of the Russian involvement in the Napoleonic Wars.
  192.  
  193. Britten Austin, Paul. 1812: Napoleon’s Invasion of Russia. London: Greenhill, 2000.
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  195. A fascinating work that intertwines hundreds of excerpts from numerous memoirs and diaries to create a comprehensive and rather poignant narrative of human experiences of the war. But it lacks proper reference apparatus and Russian perspective.
  196. Find this resource:
  197. Cate, Curtis. The War of the Two Emperors: The Duel between Napoleon and Alexander, Russia 1812. New York: Random House, 1985.
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  199. A very readable book that offers an enticing look at the campaign while making a judicious use of French, Russian, and German sources.
  200. Find this resource:
  201. Chandler, David. The Campaigns of Napoleon. London: Macmillan, 1966.
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  203. A must read for anyone interested in the Napoleonic Wars, due to its balanced approach to the subject. The book is very well written, and the broad perspective and analysis it offers can hardly be found in any other works on the Napoleonic Wars. But when it comes to the Russian Campaign, its focus on the French side and insufficient knowledge of the Russian sources can be considered its main weakness.
  204. Find this resource:
  205. Foord, Edward. Napoleon’s Russian Campaign of 1812. London: Hutchinson, 1914.
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  207. An important early study that used the published French and Russian archival sources and offers a sound analysis of the campaign.
  208. Find this resource:
  209. Lieven, Dominic. Russia against Napoleon: The True Story of the Campaigns of War and Peace. New York: Viking, 2010.
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  211. An ambitious study, this is a must read for anyone interested in the Napoleonic Wars. Based on studious research of Russian sources, the author offers a panoramic view of the Russian involvement in the war.
  212. Find this resource:
  213. Nafziger, George. Napoleon’s Invasion of Russia. Novato, CA: Da Capo, 1988.
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  215. This is an in-depth study of the war, offering plenty of details on military operations and battles. The book, however, suffers from limited sources, poor editing, and occasional mistakes.
  216. Find this resource:
  217. Palmer, Alan. Napoleon in Russia. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967.
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  219. A concise overview of the campaign, written by a prominent English historian. The book offers colorful detail and insights but lacks political and military details and looks largely from the French perspective.
  220. Find this resource:
  221. Riehn, Richard. 1812: Napoleon’s Russian Campaign. New York: Wiley, 1991.
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  223. A balanced study of the campaign that makes judicious use of French, Russian, German, and other sources and diligently weighs military, political, and other factors while examining historiography and Napoleonic battlefield dynamics.
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  225. Zamoyski, Adam. Moscow 1812: Napoleon’s Fatal March. New York: Harper Perennial, 2004.
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  227. A highly readable account of the invasion, written for a general audience and based on a wide range of sources. It provides a sound overview of the campaign, interweaving discussion of politics and strategy with human experiences. Yet, the book does suffer from a certain anti-Russian prejudice and tends to highlight French accomplishments while denying credit to the Russians.
  228. Find this resource:
  229. Other
  230.  
  231. Although the Grande Armée is usually described as the French army, it was in fact a coalition force featuring troops from much of Europe. Thus, a number of specialized studies on the Russian Campaign focus on the participation of certain national forces in the war. Kukiel 1937 is an authoritative source for the Poles, while Cappello 1912 is superb in its treatment of the Italian forces in Russia. Holzhausen 1912 is a valuable account of the Germanic contingents, while Maag 1890 is equally good on the Swiss units.
  232.  
  233. Cappello, Girolamo. Gli Italiani in Russia nel 1812. Città di Castello, Italy: Unione arti grafiche, 1912.
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  235. An in-depth study on the Italian participation in the Russian Campaign, based on archival documents from national and municipal archives as well as memoirs and correspondence of participants.
  236. Find this resource:
  237. Holzhausen, Paul. Die Deutschen in Russland, 1812. Berlin: Morawe and Scheffelt, 1912.
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  239. A detailed study of the Germanic contingents that participated in the Russian Campaign. The author consulted a vast number of private memoirs and correspondences to create a memorable and valuable account.
  240. Find this resource:
  241. Kukiel, Mariel. Wojna 1812 roku. 2 vols. Krakow: Nakładem Polskiej Akademii Umiejętności, 1937.
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  243. This is a landmark publication in Polish historiography. It is based on a wide range of sources, many of which had been previously unknown in Poland, and offers a panoramic view of the campaign no other Polish study can match. The study does, however, tend to exaggerate Polish contributions to the war.
  244. Find this resource:
  245. Maag, Albert. Die Schicksale der Schweizer-Regimenter in Napoleons I: Feldzug nach Russland, 1812. Biel, Switzerland: Im Selbstverlag des Verfassers, 1890.
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  247. This book is part of a larger study on the Swiss involvement in the Napoleonic Wars. Based on Swiss archival material, it offers a detailed and straightforward account of the Swiss service in Russia.
  248. Find this resource:
  249. Armies
  250.  
  251. Elting 1988 and Sokolov 2003 offer great introductions to the French army, while Ulyanov 1997, Ulyanov 2008, and Zhmodikov and Zhmodikov 2003 are essential for understanding the Russian army’s operations during the Napoleonic Wars. Bezotosnyi 2005 is a rare study that deals with French and Russian intelligence operations, while Markham 2003 features all the bulletins that Napoléon issued during the campaign, containing important details on the Grande Armée’s military operations. Tselorungo 2002 offers unique insight into the workings of the Russian officer corps and contains precious quantitative data.
  252.  
  253. Bezotosnyi, Victor. Razvedka i plany storon v 1812 godu. Moscow: ROSSPEN, 2005.
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  255. A unique study focusing on intelligence operations that France and Russia conducted on the eve of the war.
  256. Find this resource:
  257. Elting, John Robert. Swords around a Throne: Napoleon’s Grande Armée. New York: Free Press, 1988.
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  259. A comprehensive and enthralling book that examines various facets of the Grande Armée, from its organization, command system, logistics, and weapons to recreation and camp followers.
  260. Find this resource:
  261. Markham, J. David, ed. Imperial Glory: The Bulletins of Napoleon’s Grande Armée, 1805–1814. London: Greenhill, 2003.
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  263. The first English compilation of Napoléon’s bulletins that contains military, political, social, and personal commentaries. The section on 1812 contains not only all bulletins but also reports from marshals and generals on the battle of Borodino. Information given in bulletins, however, has to be taken with a grain of salt.
  264. Find this resource:
  265. Sokolov, Oleg. L’armée de Napoléon. Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France: Commios, 2003.
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  267. A thorough study of the Grande Armée by a prominent Russian historian, based on French archival documentation. Written with passion as well as an eye for detail, the book discusses all aspects of military life in Napoléon’s armed forces.
  268. Find this resource:
  269. Tselorungo, Dmitri. Ofitsery russkoi armii: Uchastniki Borodinskogo srazheniia; Istoriko-sotsiologicheskoe issledovanie. Moscow: Kalita, 2002.
  270. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  271. A thorough quantitative and sociological study of the Russian officer corps, based on meticulous research of thousands of records of service.
  272. Find this resource:
  273. Ulyanov, Ilya. Regulyarnaya pekhota, 1801–1855. Moscow: AST, 1997.
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  275. This is a three-volume study of the Russian army in the 19th century. Volume 1 covers the concluding decades of the 18th century and the reign of Emperor Paul 1; Volume 2 deals with the reigns of Emperor Alexander and Nicholas. The book is well illustrated.
  276. Find this resource:
  277. Ulyanov, Ilya. 1812: Russkaya pekhota v boyu. Moscow: EKSMO, 2008.
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  279. On the organization, structure, and tactics of the Russian infantry.
  280. Find this resource:
  281. Zhmodikov, Alexander, and Yurii Zhmodikov. Tactics of the Russian Army in the Napoleonic Wars. 2 vols. West Chester, OH: Nafziger, 2003.
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  283. The only English-language study of the Russian tactics during the Napoleonic Wars, incorporating details from dozens of primary sources and presenting a comprehensive picture of the Russian army’s attempts to adapt to the French challenge.
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  285. Leaders
  286.  
  287. There are too many biographies of Napoléon to list them here. Most of them deal with the Russian Campaign in passing, and details on Napoléon’s experiences of the war should be gleaned from campaign studies or memoirs. Gallaher 1976 remains a standard account for Marshal Louis N. Davout’s life, while Tulard 1984 and Perrin 1993 are good biographies of Joachim Murat and Michel Ney, respectively, but lack details on their military operations during the campaign. Cook 1999 is an in-depth English biography of the Austrian general Prince Karl Philipp zu Schwarzenberg. For the Russian leadership, Hartley 1994 is a concise biography of Emperor Alexander I, while Parkinson 1976, Josselson 1980, and Mikaberidze 2003 contain plenty of details on the three most prominent Russian commanders, Mikhail Kutuzov, Mikhail Barclay de Tolly, and Peter Bagration, respectively. For biographical details on generals and senior officers, see Reference Works. Troitskii 2002 offers an interesting critical reassessment of Kutuzov’s career.
  288.  
  289. Cook, Llewllyn D. “Prince Karl Philipp zu Schwarzenberg and Napoleon: Franco-Austrian Relations, 1800–1815.” PhD diss., Florida State University, 1999.
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  291. This in-depth study of the life and career of an Austrian commander contains fresh insights into Prince Karl Philipp zu Schwarzenberg’s diplomatic and military involvement in the Russian Campaign.
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  293. Gallaher, John G. The Iron Marshal: A Biography of Louis N. Davout. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1976.
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  295. A modern classic, the book still remains the best and most accessible biography of the Iron Marshal in the English language.
  296. Find this resource:
  297. Hartley, Janet M. Alexander I. Profiles in Power. New York: Longman, 1994.
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  299. This is a concise, well-researched, and balanced study that challenges some of the existing conceptions about Alexander I. Written for Longman’s Profiles in Power series, it is useful both to undergraduates and scholars.
  300. Find this resource:
  301. Josselson, Michael. The Commander: A Life of Barclay de Tolly. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1980.
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  303. A classic English biography of Barclay de Tolly, well written and accessible but partisan in favor of its subject.
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  305. Mikaberidze, Alexander. “‘The Lion of the Russian Army’: Life and Military Career of General Prince Peter Bagration 1765–1812.” 2 vols. PhD diss., Florida State University, 2003.
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  307. This is the first scholarly biography of Bagration in the English language. Based on archival research, it offers many fresh insights on the Russian war effort and Bagration’s role in it.
  308. Find this resource:
  309. Parkinson, Roger. The Fox of the North: The Life of Kutuzov, General of War and Peace. New York: McKay, 1976.
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  311. The only English-language biography of this famed general, Parkinson’s book tends to be partisan in favor of its subject. But it is written in an accessible manner and a graceful style.
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  313. Perrin, Eric. Le maréchal Ney. Paris: Perrin, 1993.
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  315. A French biography offering a sweeping look at the illustrious career of Marshal Michel Ney. Due to the book’s general nature, Ney’s action during the Russian Campaign is not covered in detail.
  316. Find this resource:
  317. Troitskii, Nikolai. Fel’dmarshal Kutuzov: Mify i fakty. Moscow: Tsentroligraf, 2002.
  318. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  319. A reassessment of the famous Russian field marshal’s career, challenging many of the myths that still surround his name and offering a more critical analysis.
  320. Find this resource:
  321. Tulard, Jean. Murat. Paris: Hachette, 1984.
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  323. An insightful biography of the famed French marshal, written by the doyen of Napoleonic studies in France.
  324. Find this resource:
  325. Battles
  326.  
  327. None of the national historical traditions can rival the Russian when it comes to specialized studies of battles fought during the Russian Campaign. With the number of titles running in the hundreds, Russian historiography offers a great variety of studies, while in English and French, general campaign histories and memoirs usually are the sole sources of information.
  328.  
  329. Northern and Southern Flanks
  330.  
  331. Much of what has been written on the Russian Campaign tends to concentrate on the central front, where Napoléon personally commanded the Grande Armée against the two main Russian armies. Yet, major military operations were also conducted on the flanks: the northern flank around Riga and Polotsk and the southern flank in the Volhynia. Zhamov 1912 is a good starting point for operations around Riga, while a more detailed analysis is Helme 1987. Seydlitz 1823 offers fascinating details on the Prussian side, while Welden 1870, Prokesch-Osten 1861, and Cook 1995 are useful for understanding Austrian operations.
  332.  
  333. Akhlestyshev, Dmitri. Dvenadtsatyi god: Istoricheskie dokumenty sobstvennoi kantselyarii glavnokomanduyushego 3-i Zapadnoi armii generala ot kavalerii A. P. Tormasova. Saint Petersburg, Russia: Tipografiya M. M. Stasulevicha, 1912.
  334. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  335. A major compilation of documents from General Alexander Tormasov’s field chancellery, offering important insights into the Russian operations in the Volhynia.
  336. Find this resource:
  337. Cook, Llewellyn D. “Prince Schwarzenberg’s Crisis in 1812: In the Service of Two Emperors.” In The Consortium on Revolutionary Europe, 1750–1850: Selected Papers, 1995. Edited by Bernard A. Cook, 351–358. Tallahassee: Institute on Napoleon and the French Revolution, Florida State University, 1995.
  338. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  339. An insightful study of the challenges the Austrian commander faced during the Russian Campaign.
  340. Find this resource:
  341. Helme, R. “Pribalticheskii teatr voennykh deistvii Otechestvennoi voiny 1812g.” PhD diss., University of Tartu, 1987.
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  343. This study offers an in-depth analysis of the military operations in the Baltic region.
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  345. Prokesch-Osten, Anton von. Denkwürdigkeiten aus dem leben des feldmarschalls fürsten Carl zu Schwarzenberg. Vienna: Braumüller, 1861.
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  347. This book, written by a prominent Austrian diplomat and historian who had participated in the Napoleonic Wars, offers interesting details on an Austrian commander’s involvement in the war.
  348. Find this resource:
  349. Seydlitz, Anton Florian Friedrich Freiherr von Freiherr von. Tagebuch des königlich preussischen Armeekorps unter Befehl des General-Lieutenants von York im Feldzuge von 1812. Berlin: Mittler, 1823.
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  351. An important study, written by a participant, on the military operations of the Prussian corps commanded by Lieutenant General von York.
  352. Find this resource:
  353. Welden, Ludwig von. Der Feldzug der Oesterreicher gegen Rußland im Jahre 1812. Vienna: Gerold, 1870.
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  355. A dated but still quite useful study on the Austrian involvement in the Russian Campaign.
  356. Find this resource:
  357. Zhamov, V. Otechestvennaia voina 1812g.: Operatsii v napravlenii Til’zit-Mitava-Riga; K 100-lietnemiy iubileu. Riga, Latvia: Izd. Obshchestvennago upravleniya g. Rigi, 1912.
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  359. A succinct but informative study of military operations around Riga.
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  361. Battle of Smolensk
  362.  
  363. Napoléon’s first major battle in Russia was at Smolensk, but it proved to be indecisive since victory eluded him. There are no separate studies of this battle in English or French, though memoirs compiled in Baye 1912 offer great insight into the French experiences at this battle. Voronovskii 1912 and Grachev 1912 are excellent for events in the Smolensk Province. Popov 2007 is a must read on small engagements that took place in the Smolensk Province prior to the decisive battle.
  364.  
  365. Baye, J. Smolensk: Les origins; L’épopée de Smolensk en 1812 d’après des documents inèdits. Paris: Libr. académique Perrin, 1912.
  366. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  367. A valuable compilation of memoirs and letters related to the French operations at Smolensk.
  368. Find this resource:
  369. Grachev, V. Smolensk i ego guberniya v 1812 godu. Smolensk, Russia: Tip. P. A. Silina, 1912.
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  371. Similar to Voronovskii 1912, Grachev goes beyond the operations of the opposing sides and also discusses local resistance to the French occupation as well as subsequent efforts to memorialize the events of 1812.
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  373. Popov, A. Pervoe delo pri Krasnom. Moscow: Kniga, 2007.
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  375. An in-depth study based on studious research of French and Russian sources on engagements at Krasnyi and Molevo Boloto (Inkovo) that took place in the Smolensk Province prior to the decisive battle at Smolensk.
  376. Find this resource:
  377. Voronovskii, V. Otechestvennaya voina 1812g. v predelakh Smolenskoi gubernii. Saint Petersburg, Russia: Suvorin, 1912.
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  379. A detailed study of military operations and the subsequent partisan war in the Smolensk Province in August and November 1812.
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  381. Battle of Borodino
  382.  
  383. The decisive battle of the Russian Campaign failed to bring an end to the war and instead became a subject of debate on who actually won it. Remarkably, the French historiography still lacks a separate and proper treatment of this battle. Hourtoulle 2000 is in essence a well-illustrated coffee-table book that does not incorporate late-20th- and early-21st-century scholarship. English readers are more fortunate to have a number of in-depth studies of the battle. Duffy 1973 is a classic, Smith 1998 contains good details on the German involvement, and Mikaberidze 2007 broke new ground in its treatment of the Russian side. Russian historiography, however, offers the most diverse array of sources in dozens of volumes. Yet, much of what had been published in the imperial and Soviet periods can be disregarded due to bias, ideology, or scholarship. The post-Soviet era produced a new wave of the Borodino scholarship of highest quality. Vasiliev and Eliseev 1997 offers valuable details on the composition of the Russian and French armies. Zemtsov 2008 is arguably the best single-volume treatment of the Grande Armée’s performance at Borodino, while Zemtsov and Popov 2008 offers the most detailed and comprehensive discussion of the battle available in any language.
  384.  
  385. Duffy, Christopher. Borodino and the War of 1812. New York: Scribner’s, 1973.
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  387. A concise and accessible account of the battle, by a well-recognized historian. It offers a balanced overview of the battle but lacks details on the Russian side.
  388. Find this resource:
  389. Hourtoulle, François Guy. Borodino, la Moskowa: La bataille des redoutes. Paris: Histoire and Collections, 2000.
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  391. A slim but well-illustrated coffee-table book that does not incorporate late-20th- and early-21st-century scholarship.
  392. Find this resource:
  393. Mikaberidze, Alexander. The Battle of Borodino: Napoleon versus Kutuzov. Barnsley, UK: Pen and Sword, 2007.
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  395. A detailed study of the decisive battle of the Russian Campaign, based on a wide range of sources and offering fresh insights on the Russian side. The work is detail heavy and is recommended for specialists.
  396. Find this resource:
  397. Smith, Digby. Borodino. Moreton-in-Marsh, UK: Windrush, 1998.
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  399. A sound overview of the battle that makes very good use of German sources. It does, however, occasionally reveal anti-French prejudice.
  400. Find this resource:
  401. Vasiliev, A., and A. Eliseev. Russkie soedinennye armii pri Borodine 24–26 avg. 1812g.: Sostav voisk i ikh chislenost. Moscow: Reitar, 1997.
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  403. Continued in Grande Armée: Sostav armii pri Borodino (Moscow: Reitar, 2002). This two-part study offers an in-depth look at the composition and strength of the Russian and French armies at Borodino.
  404. Find this resource:
  405. Zemtsov, Vladimir. Velikaya armiya Napoleona v Borodinskom srazhenii. Moscow: Kniga, 2008.
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  407. Arguably the best single-volume treatment of the Grande Armée’s performance at Borodino. It offers not just an account of the battle but also a discussion of the army’s composition, internal structure, material life, and human experiences.
  408. Find this resource:
  409. Zemtsov, Vladimir, and A. Popov. Borodino: Severnyi flang. Moscow: Kniga, 2008.
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  411. Continued in Borodino: Yuzhnyi flang (2009) and Borodino: Tsentr (2010). Starting in 2008, two prominent Russian historians, Zemtsov and Popov, wrote a series of in-depth studies of the battle of Borodino, each looking at a specific sector of the battlefield: northern flank (2008), southern flank (2009), and center (2010). Each book is based on a diligent study of available sources and offers a balanced account of events.
  412. Find this resource:
  413. The Moscow Fire
  414.  
  415. On 14 September 1812 the French occupied the abandoned city of Moscow. Fires soon broke out in the city and continued until 18 September, destroying two-thirds of the buildings. The destruction of Moscow had a profound psychological, material, and military effect on the campaign. For the Russians, it served as a rallying cry to resist the enemy. The burning of the city deprived the allied forces of key resources and contributed to the gradual loss of discipline. Napoléon spent one month in Moscow, hoping to secure a peace with Russia, and this delay proved to be costly when his army was forced to retreat late in the winter season. As with other subjects of the 1812 campaign, Russian studies offer unparalleled depth and variety. Popov 1876 is a classic, offering a thorough overview of the event. Zemtsov 2010 is a more recent Russian publication, but although it is meticulously researched, it offers a largely French perspective. Olivier 1966 and Britten Austin 2000 have become standard English accounts but tend to focus on the experiences of the Grande Armée.
  416.  
  417. Britten Austin, Paul. 1812: Napoleon’s Invasion of Russia. London: Greenhill, 2000.
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  419. This is Part 2 of the 1812 trilogy, which uses excerpts from numerous memoirs and diaries to create a rather poignant narrative of human experiences of the war. But it lacks proper reference apparatus and focuses almost exclusively on the French experiences.
  420. Find this resource:
  421. Olivier, Daria. The Burning of Moscow 1812. London: Allen and Unwin, 1966.
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  423. The book has become a classic and offers a standard English account of the Moscow fire, by looking at events through the French perspective, occasionally mixing in a few Russian sources. It is well written and is recommended as an introduction to the subject.
  424. Find this resource:
  425. Popov, Alexander. Frantsuzy v Moskve. Moscow: Grachev’s Typography, 1876.
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  427. A thorough study based on available Russian and French sources on the outbreak of the fire. It takes a rather balanced approach to the subject and argues that the fiery destruction of the city was not a deliberate action on the part of the Russians.
  428. Find this resource:
  429. Zemtsov, V. 1812 God: Pozhar Mozksvy. Moscow: Kniga, 2010.
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  431. A more recent Russian publication, this studiously researched book is divided into two parts. The first offers an up-to-date look at events leading to the destruction of Moscow, by discussing the role of Governor Fedor Rostopchin and the French response to the fires. The second presents three fascinating vignettes on human experiences during the fire.
  432. Find this resource:
  433. Battle on the Berezina
  434.  
  435. In late November 1812 the Russian armies had a unique chance to intercept Napoléon on the Berezina River and complete the destruction of his army. Yet, they bungled this opportunity. In France the passage became a symbol of the endurance and perseverance of the Grande Armée, while in Russia the battle was banished to the shadows of historical memory with one man, the Russian commander Admiral Pavel Chichagov, blamed for allowing Russia’s archenemy to escape. Chichagov saw his reputation ravaged by public gossip and outright attacks and was compelled to spend the rest of his life as a lonely, bitter exile unsuccessfully seeking to clear his name. Aside from general campaign studies, the Berezina crossing has been dealt with in studies by Fernand Emile Beaucour and Alain Fillion. Beaucour, et al. 2006 provides interesting insights on the battle and includes essays written by Russian and Byelorussian scholars. Fillion 2005 offers a general survey of the battle but lacks tactical and operational details. Partouneaux 1815 is a rare but valuable pamphlet written by a French general who had the misfortune to fall into Russian captivity. Bielecki 1990 is excellent for the Polish perspective, while Lindenau 1896 is a useful German study on this subject. In Russia, historians long ignored the story of the Berezina as well as Chichagov, the key personality in this saga, who still awaits a proper biographical treatment. For decades Kharkevich 1893 remained a standard text on the battle, but it has been complemented by Vasiliyev 2001. Mikaberidze 2010 is the sole English-language study of the Berezina crossing.
  436.  
  437. Beaucour, Fernand Emile, Jean Tabeur, and Lidia Ivtchenko. La Bérézina: Une victoire militaire. Paris: Economica, 2006.
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  439. Written by the foremost French historian of the Berezina crossing, the book provides interesting insights on the battle and includes essays written by Russian and Byelorussian scholars.
  440. Find this resource:
  441. Bielecki, Robert. Berezyna 1812. Warsaw: Bellona, 1990.
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  443. A concise but insightful account of the battle, offering a fresh perspective on the Polish participation in the war.
  444. Find this resource:
  445. Fillion, Alain. La Bérézina: Racontée par ceux qui l’ont vécue. Paris: France-Empire, 2005.
  446. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  447. A well-written general survey of the battle but lacks tactical and operational details and focuses almost solely on the French.
  448. Find this resource:
  449. Kharkevich, V. Berezina: Voenno-istoricheskoe issledovanie. Saint Petersburg, Russia: Voennaya Tipografiya, 1893.
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  451. A pioneering study of the battle that offers a detailed look into the events on the Berezina. It concentrates on the Russian side and reproduces dozens of archival documents in its annex.
  452. Find this resource:
  453. Lindenau, Curt W. F. von. Der Beresina-uebergang des Kaisers Napoleon. Berlin: Mittler, 1896.
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  455. This is a dated but still valuable study of the Berezina crossing, offering a German perspective.
  456. Find this resource:
  457. Mikaberidze, Alexander. The Battle of the Berezina: Napoleon’s Great Escape. Barnsley, UK: Pen and Sword, 2010.
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  459. The first scholarly account of the battle, in English, based on archival material from France and Russia as well as dozens of memoirs, letters, and journals. The book challenges the popular notion of Napoléon outmaneuvering the Russians on the banks of the Berezina and instead offers fresh explanations for the Grande Armée’s escape.
  460. Find this resource:
  461. Partouneaux, Louis. Adresse à l’armée francaise et rapports sur l’affaire du 27au 28 novembre 1812. Paris: n.p., 1815.
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  463. During the crossing of the Berezina, Partouneaux’s Twelfth Division was surrounded by the Russians and forced to surrender. Partouneaux spent over a year in captivity and returned to France in the summer of 1814, but by then his reputation was destroyed by Napoléon’s Twenty-Ninth Bulletin and harsh assessment. He sought to clear his name by publishing a booklet defending his actions and reproducing reports from his subordinates.
  464. Find this resource:
  465. Vasiliyev, I. Neskolko gromkikh udarov po khvostu tigra. Moscow: Reitar, 2001.
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  467. A long-needed update of Kharkevich 1893, this book offers a fresh assessment of Admiral Pavel Chichagov’s role in the battle and provides a sound overview of the French operations.
  468. Find this resource:
  469. Other
  470.  
  471. Bessonov 2008 is a must read for the battle of Tarutino, which effectively prompted the French retreat in October 1812. Sbornik materialov ezhegodnykh nauchnykh konferentsii v g. Maloyaroslavetse is an online resource featuring dozens of articles presented at an annual conference organized by the Museum of Maloyaroslavets and focusing on operations in southeastern Russia. Much of the existing literature on the Russian Campaign concentrates on the central front, where the Grande Armée led by Napoléon himself operated against the two Russian armies. But the campaign also saw major military operations and battles in the northwestern and southwestern Russian provinces. Akhlestyshev 1912 contains documents from the Field Chancellery of the Third Western Army, offering unique insights into the Russian operations in the southwest. Welden 1870 offers a counterpoint by focusing on the Austrian forces of Karl von Schwarzenberg. Zhamov 1912 deals with the operations in northwestern Russia, where the Prussian and French troops sought in vain to capture Riga. Popov 2010 is the only modern study of the battle of Polotsk, where the Russians managed to halt the French advance and protected the routes to Saint Petersburg. Despite its age, Völderndorff und Waradein 1826 remains a sound account of the Bavarian performance at the battle of Polotsk. Sbornik materialov ezhegodnykh nauchnykh konferentsii v g. Maloyaroslavetse is a valuable source for in-depth studies of the campaign as it unfolded in the Kaluga Province and around Maloyaroslavets.
  472.  
  473. Akhlestyshev D. Dvenadtsatyi god: Istoricheskie dokumenty sobstvennoi kantselyarii glavnokomanduushego 3-i Zapadnoi armii generala ot kavalerii A. P. Tormasova. Saint Petersburg, Russia: Tipografiya M. M. Stasiulebicha, 1912.
  474. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  475. A compilation of documents from the Field Chancellery of the Third Western Army, offering unique insights into the Russian operations in the southwest.
  476. Find this resource:
  477. Bessonov, V. Tarutinskoe srazhenie. Moscow: Kniga, 2008.
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  479. A detailed and balanced study of the battle at Tarutino (Vinkovo) in October 1812.
  480. Find this resource:
  481. Popov, A. Pervoe Polotskoe srazhenie. Moscow: Kniga, 2010.
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  483. A detailed and balanced study of the first battle of Polotsk in August 1812.
  484. Find this resource:
  485. Sbornik materialov ezhegodnykh nauchnykh konferentsii v g. Maloyaroslavetse.
  486. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  487. An online resource featuring articles presented at an annual conference organized by the Museum of Maloyaroslavets. Articles deal primarily with the impact of the Russian Campaign on the Kaluga Province, where Maloyaroslavets is located, but also provide in-depth discussion of the battles at Tarutino (Vinkovo) and Maloyaroslavets.
  488. Find this resource:
  489. Völderndorff und Waradein, Eduard von. Kriegsgeschichte von Bayern unter König Maximilian Joseph I. Munich: Geogr. Depot, 1826.
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  491. One of the earliest studies on the Bavarian forces during the Russian Campaign. It offers a sound account of the Bavarian performance at the battle of Polotsk.
  492. Find this resource:
  493. Welden, Franz Ludwig Freiherr von. Der Feldzug der Oesterreicher gegen Russland im Jahre 1812: Aus officiellen Quellen. Vienna: Gerold, 1870.
  494. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  495. An in-depth study on the Austrian participation in the Russian Campaign, focusing on the operations of Karl von Schwarzenberg’s corps in southwestern Russia.
  496. Find this resource:
  497. Zhamov, V. Otechestvennaya voina 1812g.: Operatsii v napravlenii Tilsit-Mitava-Riga: K 100-lietnemiy iubileu. Riga, Latvia: Izd. Obshchestvennago upravleniya g. Rigi, 1912.
  498. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  499. A rare study that concentrates on the operations in northwestern Russia, where the Prussian and French troops sought in vain to capture Riga.
  500. Find this resource:
  501. Memoirs and Diaries
  502.  
  503. There are more than 250 Russian memoirs written solely on the 1812 campaign, offering diverse viewpoints on the war. The publication of memoirs started shortly after the end of the campaign and continues to the present day, as new materials are discovered. The Russian periodicals, especially Voyennyi zhurnal, Russkii arkhiv, and Russkaya starina, published dozens of diaries, letters, and memoirs. Similarly, French memoirs are in Carnet de la Sabretache, Revue de cavalerie, and other French periodicals.
  504.  
  505. Compilations
  506.  
  507. Chuquet 1911 offers numerous rare documents on the French side. Bertin 1895 contains a good selection of memoirs covering the entire campaign, and Baye 1912 deals exclusively with the French experiences at Smolensk. Brett-James 1966 is a classic English-language anthology of memoirs, but it lacks the Russian perspective, which can be gleaned in Mikaberidze 2011– and Mikaberidze 2012. Djevegelov and Vasiutinskii 1912 rivals Chuquet 1911 in its range of French memoirs. Tartakovskii 1990 and Tartakovskii 1995 contain rare Russian diaries and memoirs.
  508.  
  509. Baye, J. Smolensk: Les origins; L’épopée de Smolensk en 1812 d’après des documents inèdits. Paris: Libr. académique Perrin, 1912.
  510. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  511. A valuable compilation of memoirs and letters related to the French operations at Smolensk.
  512. Find this resource:
  513. Bertin, Georges. La campagne de 1812 d’aprés des témoins oculaires. Paris: Flammarion, 1895.
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  515. More broad than Baye 1912 but falling short of the vast scope of Chuquet 1911, this book features excerpts from French memoirs on major events of the campaign.
  516. Find this resource:
  517. Brett-James, Antony. 1812: Eyewitness Accounts of Napoleon’s Defeat in Russia. New York: St. Martin’s, 1966.
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  519. The book re-creates the entire campaign through the eyes of those who took part on both sides, featuring dozens of excerpts from French, German, Polish, and a few Russian sources.
  520. Find this resource:
  521. Chuquet, Arthur. Lettres de 1812. Paris: Champion, 1911.
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  523. This four-volume anthology contains dozens of letters and excerpts from diaries and memoirs of the French participants of the war. Highly recommended.
  524. Find this resource:
  525. Djevegelov, Aleksei, and A. Vasiutinskii, eds. Frantsuzy v Rossii: 1812g. po vospominaniyam sovremmenikov-inostrantsev. Moscow: Zadruga, 1912.
  526. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  527. A three-volume anthology of memoirs written by the soldiers and officers of the Grande Armée, offering a panoramic and poignant account of their experiences during the war. Highly recommended.
  528. Find this resource:
  529. Mikaberidze, Alexander, ed. Russian Voices of the Napoleonic Wars. Tbilisi, Georgia: Napoleonic Society of Georgia, 2011–.
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  531. Launched in 2011 to commemorate the two hundredth anniversary of the Napoleonic Wars, this series publishes previously unknown or unavailable Russian primary sources. The first four volumes include the 1812–1814 diaries of Pavel Pushin and the memoirs of Ilya Radozhitskii, Alexey Yermolov, and Moritz von Kotzebue.
  532. Find this resource:
  533. Mikaberidze, Alexander, ed. Russian Eyewitness Accounts of the Russian Campaign of 1812. London: Frontline, 2012.
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  535. This compilation features translations of more than forty Russian memoirs, diaries, and letters, most of them previously unavailable in English.
  536. Find this resource:
  537. Tartakovskii, Andrey. 1812 god: Voennye dnevniki. Moscow: Sovetskaya Rossiya, 1990.
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  539. This compilation contains previously unpublished diaries of the Russian officers Nikolai Durnovo, Dmitri Volkonskii, Peter Vyazemskii, Ivan Liprandi, Alexander Sherbinin, and Alexander Mikhailovskii-Danilevskii. The last two diaries deal with the 1813 campaign.
  540. Find this resource:
  541. Tartakovskii, Andrey. 1812 god v vospominaniyakh sovremennikov. Moscow: Nauka, 1995.
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  543. This anthology contains seventeen memoirs by Russian participants in the war. They differ considerably in quality and length, with General Ivan Paskevich’s memoirs being the most interesting of them all.
  544. Find this resource:
  545. The Grande Armée
  546.  
  547. There are dozens of accounts written by the allied participants of the war. Caulaincourt 1935 is probably the most famous of these memoirs and offers details both on military operations and Napoléon’s personality. Dumonceau 1958–1963, Labaume 1815, Marbot 1891, Pion des Loches 1889, and Walter 1993 offer fascinating insights into the human experiences of the war and often are dramatic counterpoints to a commanding officer’s battlefield or campaign memories. Adam 2005 and Faber du Faur 2001 are unique in offering numerous drawings that their authors made during the campaign, effectively providing a visual history of the war.
  548.  
  549. Adam, Albrecht. Napoleon’s Army in Russia: The Illustrated Memoirs of Albrecht Adam, 1812. Edited by Jonathan North. Barnsley, UK: Pen and Sword Military, 2005.
  550. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  551. Its author was a talented artist who in 1812 was attached to the topographic bureau of the Fourth Corps of the Grande Armée and created over three hundred drawings of various scenes and actions. After the war he used these drawings to produce an album of over eighty vivid illustrations along with his written memoir notes, which help describe each painted scene.
  552. Find this resource:
  553. Caulaincourt, Armand-Augustin-Louis de, duc de Vicence. With Napoleon in Russia: The Memoirs of General de Caulaincourt, duke of Vicenza. Edited by Jean Hanoteau and George Libaire. New York: Morrow, 1935.
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  555. As the head of the imperial equerry and Napoléon’s confidant, Armand de Caulaincourt was one of the highest officials in the French Empire, constantly riding at Napoléon’s side. His memoirs are among the best-written eyewitness accounts of the Russian Campaign, offering details both on military operations and Napoléon’s personality.
  556. Find this resource:
  557. Dumonceau, François. Mémoires du général comte François Dumonceau. 2 vols. Brussels: Brepols, 1958–1963.
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  559. The author was born in Brussels but lived mostly in Holland before taking part in the campaign as a captain in the Second Regiment of Chevau-légers Lanciers of the Imperial Guard. Volume 2 of his memoirs contains a detailed account of his experiences during the Russian Campaign.
  560. Find this resource:
  561. Faber du Faur, Christian Wilhelm von. With Napoleon in Russia: The Illustrated Memoirs of Faber du Faur, 1812. Edited by Jonathan North. London: Greenhill, 2001.
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  563. Like Adam 2005, this book offers a unique record of Napoléon’s invasion, since it contains over ninety detailed and compelling illustrations of events as seen by its author, a talented artist and frontline soldier who served in the Twenty-Fifth Infantry Division. Each drawing is accompanied by vivid and gripping commentaries.
  564. Find this resource:
  565. Labaume, Eugène. Relation circonstanciés de la campagne de Russie, en 1812. Paris: C. L. F. Panckoucke, 1815.
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  567. This is one of the earliest memoirs (available in a number of English editions) that recounts the journey of a French officer of engineers as he marches with Eugene de Beauharnais’ Fourth Corps deep into Russia before experiencing the catastrophic retreat from Moscow.
  568. Find this resource:
  569. Marbot, Jean-Baptiste-Antoine-Marcelin. Mémoires du général Bon de Marbot. Paris: E. Plon, Nourrit, 1891.
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  571. Arguably one of the best memoirs written about the Napoleonic Wars, Marbot’s three volumes offer everything one desires in memoir literature: key historical personalities, colorful descriptions, and plenty of bravado. The memoir is widely available in English.
  572. Find this resource:
  573. Pion des Loches, Antoine-Augustin-Flavien. Mes campagnes (1792–1815): Notes et correspondance du colonel d’artillerie Pion des Loches. Paris: Firmin-Didot, 1889.
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  575. The memoirs of the officer in the guard artillery, offering good insights into the French camp life, military operations, and major battles.
  576. Find this resource:
  577. Walter, Jakob. The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier. Edited by Marc Raeff. London: Penguin, 1993.
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  579. Walter offers a rare perspective of a common soldier on the disastrous campaign in Russia, which tested human endurance on an epic scale. The account of the campaign takes up three-quarters of this short volume and represents a chronicle of progressive demoralization and savagery among Napoléon’s troops. The book is frequently used as a textbook and is probably one of the most widely read Napoleonic memoirs.
  580. Find this resource:
  581. The Russian Army
  582.  
  583. There are more than two hundred memoirs and diaries written by the Russian participants of the war. Unfortunately, the majority of them are unknown in the West, though this gap should be remedied as a result of early-21st-century efforts (see Mikaberidze 2011–, cited in Compilations). Barclay de Tolly 1859 is the author’s attempt to justify his actions and address slanderous claims. Glinka 1985 offers a highly literary (and oftentimes embellished) recollection about the war experiences. Löwenstern 1903 and Yermolov 2005 contain fascinating details on military operations and internal dealings at the Russian headquarters. Paskevich 1995 is useful for detailed discussions of the battles at Saltanovka, Smolensk, and Borodino. Radozhitskii 2011 and Zotov 1988 are largely unknown in the West but are fascinating for their vivid descriptions and insights into Russian army life and wartime experiences. Wilson 1860 provides a British perspective on military operations and affairs inside the Russian command. Durova 1988 offers a unique female perspective on the soldiers’ lives and attitudes.
  584.  
  585. Barclay de Tolly, Mikhail. Izobrazhenie voyennykh deistvii Pervoi Armii v 1812 godu. Moscow: University Typography, 1859.
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  587. For the first three months of the 1812 campaign, Barclay de Tolly was undoubtedly the most vilified individual in the Russian army. His insistence on withdrawing in the face of Napoléon’s army earned him the monikers of criminal and traitor and prompted some officers even to consider using force to remove him from command. Despite tremendous public pressure, Barclay de Tolly continued his course and effectively saved the Russian armies from destruction. Disgraced by the emperor and disparaged by the public, he wrote a three-part overview of the campaign (this is the most detailed of them) in the late fall of 1812 to justify his actions and address slanderous claims.
  588. Find this resource:
  589. Durova, Nadezhda. The Cavalry Maid: The Memoirs of a Woman Soldier of 1812. Ann Arbor, MI: Ardis, 1988.
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  591. This is a fascinating memoir of a young woman of the gentry who spurned her family, disguised herself as a man, and joined the Russian cavalry. She fought with distinction in the Napoleonic Wars and served from 1807 until her retirement as captain in 1816. The memoir offers a unique female perspective on soldiers’ lives and attitudes.
  592. Find this resource:
  593. Glinka, Fedor. Pisma Russkogo ofitsera. Moscow: Moskovskii Rabochii, 1985.
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  595. Though not on active duty, Glinka witnessed the battles of Smolensk and Borodino before enlisting in the army in October, and he participated in the remainder of the campaign. A gifted writer, he produced highly literary (and oftentimes embellished) recollections about his experiences.
  596. Find this resource:
  597. Löwenstern, Woldemar Hermann. Mémoires du général-major russe baron de Löwenstern. Paris: Fontemoing, 1903.
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  599. Löwenstern served as the aide-de-camp to Mikhail Barclay de Tolly, and his memoirs offer a close look both at military operations and internal dealings at the Russian headquarters.
  600. Find this resource:
  601. Paskevich, Ivan. “Pokhodnye zapiski.” In 1812 god v vospominaniyakh sovremennikov. By Ivan Paskevich, 72–104. Moscow: Nauka 1995.
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  603. The author was a prominent Russian general (the future field marshal and viceroy of Poland) who commanded the Twenty-Sixth Infantry Division in 1812. The memoir offers detailed insights into the division’s operations during the campaign, especially at the battles of Saltanovka (July), Smolensk (August), and Borodino (September).
  604. Find this resource:
  605. Radozhitskii, Ilya. Campaign Memoirs of the Artilleryman: Part I, 1812. Translated and edited by Alexander Mikaberidze. Tbilisi, Georgia: Napoleonic Society of Georgia, 2011.
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  607. Largely unknown in the West, Radozhitskii, who served in an artillery company, left four volumes of recollections (Part 1 covers 1812), which Leo Tolstoy consulted extensively while writing his famous War and Peace. They are fascinating for their vivid descriptions and insights into Russian army life and wartime experiences.
  608. Find this resource:
  609. Wilson, Robert. Narrative of Events during the Invasion of Russia by Napoleon Bonaparte and the Retreat of the French Army, 1812. London: Murray, 1860.
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  611. The author served as the British commissioner to the Russian army in 1812. His memoir is noteworthy as much for the details on military operations as for the discussion of affairs inside the Russian command.
  612. Find this resource:
  613. Yermolov, Alexey. The Czar’s General: The Memoirs of a Russian General in the Napoleonic Wars. Translated and edited by Alexander Mikaberidze. Welwyn Garden City, UK: Ravenhall, 2005.
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  615. A talented general, Yermolov participated in all the Napoleonic campaigns, serving as the chief of staff of the First Western Army in 1812. He captured the spirit of his times in his engaging memoirs and his acidic wit. His acute powers of observation and grasp of drama make his memoirs stand out as a unique source on the Napoleonic Wars.
  616. Find this resource:
  617. Zotov, Rafail. “Rasskazy o pokhodakh 1812 goda.” In Rossii dvinulis syny: Zapiski o voine 1812 goda eye uchastnikov i ochevidtsev. Edited by Svetlana Mikhailova and Stepan Volk, 461–497. Moscow: Sovremennik, 1988.
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  619. Just seventeen years old, Zotov was fresh out of school when the war began and he volunteered for service in the Saint Petersburg opolchenye (militia). In the fall the opolchenye joined General Peter Wittgenstein’s corps and participated in the battles at Polotsk and Berezina. Zotov left short but captivating recollections about his experiences.
  620. Find this resource:
  621. Other Aspects of the Campaign
  622.  
  623. There is a vast literature in Russian on countless aspects of the campaign too diverse to list here. Still, a few exceptions can be made. Melnikova 2002 is an insightful study of the role of the Russian Orthodox Church in the war efforts. Gorbunov 2010, Gorbunov 2005, and Borodino i Napoleonovskie voiny contains dozens of articles on a wide range of subjects that reveal the unequaled depth of understanding of the campaign that Russian academia possesses. Zdes’, na polyakh Borodina, s Rossiei bilasya Evropa is a lavish exhibition catalogue that features hundreds of items from the Borodino Museum’s holdings.
  624.  
  625. Borodino i Napoleonovskie voiny: Bitvy, Polya Srazhenii, Memorialy. Moscow: Kalita, 2003.
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  627. Continued in Volume 2 (2008). These are two volumes of selected papers presented at conferences commemorating the 190th and 195th anniversaries of the battle of Borodino. Each volume is divided into several parts dealing with the battle’s history, the general history of the Napoleonic Wars, and the impact of the Russian Campaign on culture.
  628. Find this resource:
  629. Gorbunov, A. Borodinskoe pole: Muzei i pamiatnik; K 165-letiu osnovaniya Borodinskogo muzeya-zapovednika. Moscow: Poligraf, 2005.
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  631. Proceedings of a conference commemorating the 165th anniversary of the establishment of the Borodino Museum. Contains an interesting selection of papers on the development of the museum, as well as the history of the battles at Shevardino and Borodino.
  632. Find this resource:
  633. Gorbunov, A. ed. Borodino v istorii i culture: Materialy Mezhdunarodnoi nauchnoi konferentsii. Mozhaisk, Russia: Borodino Museum, 2010.
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  635. This is the proceedings of an international conference held at the Borodino Museum to discuss the role of the battle of Borodino in history and culture.
  636. Find this resource:
  637. Melnikova, L. Russkaya pravoslavnaya tserkov v Otechestvennoi voine 1812 goda. Moscow: Sretenskii Monastery, 2002.
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  639. A rare study of the role of the Russian Orthodox Church during the Russian Campaign, based on meticulous archival research.
  640. Find this resource:
  641. Zdes’, na polyakh Borodina, s Rossiei bilasya Evropa. Moscow: Skholiya, 2007.
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  643. A lavish exhibition catalogue commemorating the 195th anniversary of the battle, featuring some seven hundred illustrations of items from the Borodino Museum’s holdings accompanied by insightful articles written by the museum staff on the history of the museum, weapons, and the war’s impact on the arts.
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