| Late in the spring of 1812, Napoleon and his Grand Army of about 600,000 men began the invasion of Russia, advancing rapidly as the Russian retreat separated the French from their supply bases. Napoleon thought that once Moscow was taken, Tsar Alexander I would capitulate. However, after the bloody Battle of Borodino, the French entered a largely deserted and ruined Moscow, and Alexander did not sue for peace. With the aid of heroic partisans, Russian Supreme Commander Mikhail Illarionovich ... |