Much has been written about Bonaparte Napoleon, but who knows how the course of history would have turned and there would have been a war with Napoleon in 1812 in general, had he not been refused military service in Russia in 1788. He arrived in the country with the rank of lieutenant and wanted to serve in the Russian army. At this time, the empire fought with Turkey and was in dire need of volunteers.
The energetic Napoleon liked General Zaborovsky, and he would have gladly taken it to him, but the deal was unprofitable. This was due to the fact that on the eve of the imperial decree was issued (very inconvenient for foreigners), under which officers without Russian citizenship were lowered by one rank. It turned out that at that time Napoleon was in the rank of lieutenant, and in Russia he would become second lieutenant. The enraged Bonaparte promised to go to serve the king of Prussia, because he hoped to get the rank of captain there immediately.
Shortly before these events, Napoleon brilliantly graduated from the cadet school, where he studied mathematics, geometry, and also the intricacies of civil law. This triumph and recognition came to him in the period from 1785 to 1794, when he was rapidly moving up the military career ladder. He is still admired for his take-off from the lowest officer rank to brigadier general, and the reason for this was the victorious wars of Napoleon.
Since 1805, Bonaparte begins such military campaigns as Prussian, Polish, Spanish-Portuguese, Saxon. Great battles await him: the “Battle of the Nations” at the city of Leipzig in Saxony, Waterloo and, of course, the fatal Russian war of 1812 for him.
Napoleon, who became a wise and experienced warrior, had intentions to conquer the whole world. An interesting historical fact confirms that the war with Napoleon was launched much earlier than 1812. Evidence of this is the many years of correspondence, or rather, a “duel” between two prominent personalities and emperors. In diplomacy, it received a special name - “feather war”.
Napoleon’s brilliant previous victories were undeniable, but, preparing a military campaign for Russia, he did not understand the military psychology of our society, the tactics and strategy of the Russian military leaders. This, in turn, led to the collapse of Bonaparte's fantastic plans.
The Patriotic War with Napoleon began on June 12, 1812. Without notifying the enemy of its beginning, the French guard crossed the Neman River. The French emperor needed to justify this war, and he gave it the pathos title: “The Second Polish War”. Allegedly, they set a great goal - the liberation and revival of Poland.
The war with Napoleon was fierce for powerful Russia, but it did not inspire the Poles, and they, as they could, ignored participation in it. Bonaparte had big plans in Russia, but, first of all, he dreams of capturing the heart of the Russian people - Moscow.
The great commander had his tactics of achieving victory, clearly worked out in battles, and Napoleon’s wars more than once confirmed the genius of the commander, but something incredible happened in Russia, since he lost. Although he took Moscow and stood on Poklonnaya Gora in September 1812, admiring the beauties of the city, on September 17, in the early morning, a fiery ocean was visible everywhere from the Kremlin’s windows - this was his unfulfilled dream. What seemed like reality yesterday turned to ashes before our eyes. Napoleon’s plans and calculations were not destined to be fulfilled, but most importantly, the war in Russia destroyed his support - the army, which was rapidly dying in the cold Russian winter.
Even at that moment it was clear that the war with Napoleon was won by the Russian people, and he, the victor of all of Europe, would leave Russia defeated and suffered a life fiasco. Now the Russians dictated the terms. The war with Napoleon of 1812 was tragic and full of heroism. Ahead of the emperor was the battle of Borodino on September 7, and this is the largest and most devastating battle of the Patriotic War of 1812 for the French army. After him, the French emperor lost most of the allies, and the army was not able to make up for the losses suffered in Russia. The most important thing was that he had lost the title of emperor of France, and that was the beginning of the end.