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Private Notes
In 1809, as Napoleon fought the Austrians at Wagram, the war in Spain and Portugal continued to rage. The French had inflicted several heavy defeats on Spanish field armies, but now they faced a popular insurgency as well as a well-trained Anglo-Portuguese army led by British general Lord Wellington. The Peninsular War, as it became known, became Napoleon's 'bleeding ulcer', or his Vietnam, costing his empire nearly quarter of a million soldiers, in a war that looked increasingly unwinnable.
In 1812 French forces in Spain were severely overstretched, as Napoleon withdrew the best troops for his invasion of Russia. Wellington saw an opportunity to strike. First he secured the strategic fortress-cities of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz, both taken in bloody assaults, then advanced to Salamanca, where his Anglo-Portuguese army met Marshal Marmont's French army in one of the most decisive clashes of the Peninsular War.
In 1812 Napoleon invaded Russia with the largest army Europe had ever seen. As it advanced, the Russian army retreated, and by September Napoleon's army had marched 470 miles into the depths of Russia. 70 miles west of Moscow near the village of Borodino, the Russian army, under a new commander, General Kutuzov, finally made a stand. The battle that followed was the bloodiest day's fighting of the Napoleonic Wars, and proved one of the most infamous battles of history.
In 1812 Napoleon invaded Russia with the largest army Europe had ever seen. But after winning a costly victory at Borodino and occupying Moscow, Napoleon's invitation to Russian Emperor Alexander to make peace met with no response. Napoleon now found himself 500 miles from friendly territory, outnumbered, poorly supplied, and with winter approaching. What followed was one of the most harrowing and disastrous events in military history - the Retreat from Moscow - in which Russian attacks, freezing weather and starvation virtually wiped out the once-proud Grande Armée.
In 1813, following his disastrous invasion of Russia, Napoleon faced a desperate battle to save his empire. His enemies were gaining in strength, as Prussia and Sweden joined the Sixth Coalition against him, while Russian armies advanced across Poland and into Germany. The French Emperor worked miracles to raise a new Grande Armée of young conscripts, leading them to victory at Lützen and Bautzen. But Napoleon knew everything might ultimately depend on Austria - which side would his father-in-law, Austrian Emperor Francis I, chose to support? The matter would be settled after a fateful and ill-tempered meeting in Dresden between Napoleon and Austrian foreign minister von Metternich...
In May 1813, as Napoleon launches a desperate bid to save his empire following the disastrous defeat in Russia, the situation in Spain is particularly precarious. French forces have been weakened to make up for the enormous losses in Russia. But Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese army, as well as the Spanish guerrillas, are stronger than ever. Wellington's advance into Spain will liberate Madrid a second time, and conclude with the final showdown of the Peninsular War - the Battle of Vitoria.
In October 1813 Napoleon faced the combined might of the Sixth Coalition (Russia, Austria, Prussia, Sweden) near Leipzig, in what would prove to be the decisive battle of his career. Outnumbered, virtually encircled, Napoleon opted for a high-risk strategy of striking against Scwarzenberg's Army of Bohemia, before the other Coalition armies could come to his aid. The four-day Battle of Leipzig would be the largest and bloodiest battle in European history before the First World War, and one that changed the destiny of Europe.
Following his defeat in the giant Battle of Leipzig (Oct 1813), Napoleon's final defeat seemed only a matter of time. But when Coalition armies crossed the Rhine and invaded France, Napoleon - outnumbered 4 to 1 -began one of the most daring and brilliant campaigns in military history. However Napoleon's hope that his victories would cause a fatal split in the Coalition did not materialise, and eventually, Schwarzenberg and Blücher's dash for Paris would seal the fate of the Napoleonic Empire.
