In November 1812, Napoleon’s retreating army reached the Berezina River while Russian forces attempted to close the remaining route west. A thaw had broken the ice, the existing bridge was destroyed and exhausted troops, civilians and stragglers crowded the banks as French engineers built emergency crossings under pressure.
The study follows the deception, bridge construction and fighting that allowed Napoleon and much of his organised army to escape. Although thousands died or were abandoned, the crossing frustrated the Russian attempt to destroy the Grande Armée completely and became one of the retreat from Moscow’s most contested episodes.