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After Napoleon seized Moscow, the Russian were able to cheat him by a false friendly attitude of their troops deployed on the front. This attitude induced Napoleon even to send on Oct. 5,1812 a delegation led by General Lauriston to Saint Petersburg in order to negotiate an armistice as a preliminary for negotiating a peace of compromise. The delegation never reach the Russian Capital because they were stopped by Kutuzov at his Headquarter. The documents containing Napoleon's proposals were sent by Russians couriers to the Czar, who rejected the advances. Napoleon was so convinced that the victory of Borodino and the seize of Moscow,the Russian religious Capital, were so decisive to convince the Czar to accept the terms, that he sent a second delegation on Oct. 14,1812, with the same result.

The only purpose of the Russian behavior was to make him standing in and around the city as long as possible, until the French Army would have been bogged down by the Autumnal rainfalls and mud. The retreat from Moscow started on Oct. 20 and thanks to the unusually enduring fine weather all was going somewhat well, though the French rearguard and flanks were harassed by the Russian pressure.

On Oct. 24, after winning the Battle of Malojaroslavec, Napoleon had the opportunity to carry on the retreat via Kaluga, thus exploiting the intact resources the land offered for supplying the Army, because they had not touched yet by the war. But against the opinion of his generals, Napoleon decided to continue the retreat by the same route followed during the summer during the advance towards Moscow in reverse. This decision was fatal to the French, because the earth had been already scorched.

The cohesion of the Grand Army began gradually began to give way. The food supply were rapidly decreasing, while a growing number of men threw down their weapons and went to swell the growing crowd of stragglers who were dragging themselves behind the rearward, while the long column was subjected to the endless attacks of the Cossacks and the pressure of the Russian vanguard. The first snowfall and the start of the big freeze on November 9, accelerated the dissolution of the French Army and their progressive destruction by the Russians.

In conclusion we can say that to defeat Napoleon in Russia were more his illusions and wrong decision and General Winter, rather than the Russian Armies, which were rarely able to decisively beat the constantly weakening French units still able to fight during the retreat.

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The Russian Winter.

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Q: What made the Russian Campaign such a disaster for Napoleon?
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