What really defeated Napoleon during his invasion of Russia? Lice borne disease, which is not nearly as glorious as epic cavalry charges or thundering cannons.
Left unanswered - why wasn't this an equally grave problem for the Russians?
ERRATA: Clearly we need the famous Minard graphic, and a bit of commentary:
This was a battle of logistics as well as of tactics; the French Army lost more men to starvation, desertion, typhus, and suicide than to combat. The Army advanced faster than supply trains could manage, and there was no forage available.
Suicide? Seems redundant with all the other opportunities for an early exit.
TomM-- you read the NYT AND Slate? Can also fill us in on what's going on at MSNBC and NPR programming. Jeez, you musty be some kind of media masochist.
Posted by: NK | December 12, 2012 at 11:46 AM
Well, there was also a bit of a cold snap.
Posted by: Danube of Thought | December 12, 2012 at 11:46 AM
What a load of crap. Napoleon was defeated by the Russian Winter as any serious history points out. Escaping with perhaps 20,000 men of an army of 500,000, there were only a few major actions such as Borodino. Moscow's burning was almost anticlimactic.
Posted by: matt | December 12, 2012 at 11:56 AM
Is anyone else feeling kind of itchy right now?
Posted by: Sue | December 12, 2012 at 12:30 PM
Sue, funny that you should mention that....
Posted by: Mark Folkestad | December 12, 2012 at 12:43 PM
Sue@1230-- heh
Posted by: NK | December 12, 2012 at 12:53 PM
"Cold snap" is putting it mildly. Men and horses flash-frozen in some cases, like statues.
Posted by: mojo | December 12, 2012 at 12:56 PM
Early 19th century European mini-ice age was coolish in winters, that's for sure. The Thames froze routinely, and the Dutch started their canal skating.
Posted by: NK | December 12, 2012 at 01:01 PM
I believe Napoleon lost because he didn't have enough ribbon.
"Men fight for glory. Give me enough ribbon & I can conquer the world." ~ Napoleon
posted by Ranger
"- Apparently Napoleon didn't have enough ribbon."
posted by Danube of Thought
Posted by: Janet | December 12, 2012 at 01:13 PM
" ... why wasn't this an equally grave problem for the Russians? ..."
Vodka. Or borscht-induced farts. Kept the lice away. LOL
Posted by: fdcol63 | December 12, 2012 at 01:14 PM
PS: TomM-- I too like your rhetorical question to Slate about Russian immunity from lice...hmm... it's Slate, they're rollin', don't introduce facts or logic to their story.
Posted by: NK | December 12, 2012 at 01:19 PM
They were Russian lice.
Posted by: I R A Darth Aggie | December 12, 2012 at 01:23 PM
NK, Early 19th century European mini-ice age was coolish in winters, that's for sure. The Thames froze routinely, and the Dutch started their canal skating.
Given that Kim hasn't dropped by in a while, ya'll should know that we may still be heading for a repeat of that. Cycle 24 is still weak and looking like it still may die with a whimper.
BTW, my gramps skated down the west coast of Norway in the late 19th century.
Posted by: Manuel Transmission | December 12, 2012 at 01:27 PM
While winter was more likely the culprit in this case, disease has played a bigger role in wars (prior to WW II anyway) than a lot of people realize. McNeill's "Plagues and Peoples" goes into that. A great book for those interested.
Happy Birthday, Ignatz! Even though it's already Dec. 13th where I am.
Posted by: jimmyk | December 12, 2012 at 01:29 PM
Where are you Jimmy? Oz?
Posted by: Jane: Mock the Media | December 12, 2012 at 01:39 PM
Just think what the world would look like now had there been a North Face outlet store in Moscow?
BTW, the severe winter and its effects only occurred during Napolean's retreat. The 22,000 figure is more legend than fact. I read a history of this campaign in which the figure of 380K French killed was noted.
Posted by: Jim Eagle | December 12, 2012 at 01:47 PM
Yep, Sydney. Beautiful here, even if Wednesday is already over. Seeing all the Christmas decorations with the sun straight overhead is a bit disconcerting. On the flight over I tried to keep an eye out for some potential JOM islands, but it was a bit cloudy. Still, we could do worse than just relocating to Oz.
Posted by: jimmyk | December 12, 2012 at 01:49 PM
Should be an E) All Of The Above choice on this exam....
Posted by: Melinda Romanoff | December 12, 2012 at 01:55 PM
http://juneau.craigslist.org/reb/3471617921.html This is the property I mentioned in the old thread. Take a look at the photos. Very nice buildings, all twelve years old or newer. And just try to click past the setting sun over the islands and ocean photo. If I didn't have the friends down on the middle of the west coast of Prince of Wales Island, I'd consider this place. It might be a solution for someone. And no property tax!
Posted by: Mark Folkestad | December 12, 2012 at 02:01 PM
MelR-- here's a link to a BloombergNews talking head guest talking about WTI/Brent pricing (God BloombergNews TV 'interviewers' are as bad as the BBC and MSNBC) http://www.bloomberg.com/video/microsoft-boosting-production-of-surface-tablet-obyGt2_kQx~0_F6~yq8Tqw.html
Posted by: NK | December 12, 2012 at 02:19 PM
I read a history of this campaign in which the figure of 380K French killed was noted.
Think about the long term implications for the Frogs from that loss. Is their current metrosexual preference a result of the alpha males being wiped out? (Or were those lost just beta cannon fodder?)
Posted by: Manuel Transmission | December 12, 2012 at 02:20 PM
MT-- if 1812 didn't do it, the 1.5Million Frenchman dying in the trenches in WWI ended the Gaulist fighting gene.
Posted by: NK | December 12, 2012 at 02:29 PM
--MT-- if 1812 didn't do it, the 1.5Million Frenchman dying in the trenches in WWI ended the Gaulist fighting gene.
Posted by: NK | December 12, 2012 at 02:29 PM--
Seems to me all those bullets in the back would have ended the Frog retreat gene by now.
Posted by: Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki | December 12, 2012 at 03:15 PM
Left unanswered - why wasn't this an equally grave problem for the Russians?
professional courtesy.
Posted by: Charlie (Colorado) | December 12, 2012 at 03:41 PM
Ig-- I hate to admit it, but facts are facts. The french Infantryman in WWI was courageous and determined fighting on home soil against Le Boche. But the french had dreadful generals who just led their men to useless slaughter. Even in 1940, the French fought a magnificent rear guard action to slow down the Vehrmacht Blitz and allow the Brits (BEF) to escape to the Dunkirk beaches. If the French didn't sacrifice themselves in April-May 1940, there may not have been a British Army in England to confront Operation Sea Lion, and WWII may have ended very differently.
Posted by: NK | December 12, 2012 at 03:44 PM
(Or were those lost just beta cannon fodder?)
Beta than what?
Posted by: Charlie (Colorado) | December 12, 2012 at 03:44 PM
--Ig-- I hate to admit it, but facts are facts.--
Yes, but this is the internet where facts seldom are allowed to interfere with or even influence reality.
Posted by: Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki | December 12, 2012 at 04:13 PM
Often described by information designers as “the best information graphic ever made”, Charles Minard's map of Napoleon's march to Moscow, created in 1861, set a defining standard for the representation of statistic information, and has been a favourite among usability experts ever since.
Posted by: cathyf | December 12, 2012 at 04:24 PM
This is internet unreality? Does that mean here I look like Brad Pitt, have Cary Grant's charm and Buffet's (either Warren's or Jimmy's) bank account?
Posted by: NK | December 12, 2012 at 04:24 PM
I read somewhere that a large part of Napoleon's army in Russia was non-French. Can't remember if they were conscripts or volunteers.
Posted by: Ralph L | December 12, 2012 at 04:55 PM
Ralph L - That half of Napoleon's army mostly came from Napoleon's defeated foes, Austria and Prussia.
Posted by: Jim Miller | December 12, 2012 at 05:04 PM
Some French units, for example, the Deuxième DB, fought superbly in WW II. And their commander, Leclerc, was a remarkable man in almost every way.
(There's a good sketch of his achievements in Keegan's "Six Armies in Normandy".)
Posted by: Jim Miller | December 12, 2012 at 05:26 PM
Jim Miller- never read that particular Keegan book, thanks for the heads up.
Posted by: NK | December 12, 2012 at 06:53 PM
--Does that mean here I look like Brad Pitt, have Cary Grant's charm and Buffet's (either Warren's or Jimmy's) bank account?
Posted by: NK | December 12, 2012 at 04:24 PM--
You're asking the internet's sexiest man alive?
Posted by: Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki | December 12, 2012 at 07:23 PM
Btw, Happy birthday, Ignatz,
Posted by: narciso | December 12, 2012 at 08:35 PM
BHB, BF(Iggy). Kutosov & the Buono's Ego.
==============
Posted by: Climate Change, love it or leave it. | December 13, 2012 at 04:51 PM