The Most Important Factor as a Turning Point in Napoleon's Fortunes

The Most Important Factor as a Turning Point in Napoleon's Fortunes

Up until the winter of 1812 Napoleon's military career had been

largely successful. Apart from a defeat in Egypt and the continuing

problems in Spain, things had gone well. He had gained control of most

of Central and Western Europe, defeating Austria and Prussia. The only

country that remained consistently hostile to him was Great Britain.

However, the Russian campaign, and in particular the decision to

retreat from Moscow, marked the biggest change in Napoleon's fortunes.

From now on his would be a career of defeats dotted with minor

victories, rather than vice versa. Napoleon's defeat in Russia had

many contributing factors. But the most important was the Leadership

decisions of Napoleon himself. His decision to retreat from Moscow

during the winter of 1812 lead not only to his defeat in Russia, but

also to his overall defeat in Europe.

The issue of supply was one of many problems during the French

invasion of Russia. All the things necessary for the army to function

had to be transported by cart, there being no railways. Considering

the vast distances involved, it is no wonder that supplies were often

short. However, the Grande Armee was trained to live off the land, and

so the lack of supplies cannot be seen as a decisive factor in the

defeat. Rather than causing the defeat, the Logistics problem instead

made it more costly, leading to the deaths of many more soldiers than

necessary.

Tactics had always been a part of Napoleon's military successes. His

army used its Column attack to great effect against the powers of

Central Europe. However, tactics did not play a significant role in

the Russian campaign. Napoleon was unable to force the decisive battle

that he always sought in his campaigns, and so his tactics were not

put to the test. The only major battle in Russia, at Borodino, ended

in a draw, although both sides claimed victory. It is possible that if

the French tactics had been either far superior or far inferior to the