(Partie Occidentale) Carte des routes de poste de la Russie européenne : exécutée par ordre de S.E.M. le duc de Feltre ministre de la guerre sous la direction de M. le général comte Sanson, au Dépôt général de la Guerre

• Main Author: Sanson, Nicolas Antoine, 1756-1824
• Format: Map
• Language: unknown
• Published: Depôt général de la Guerre 1812
• Subjects: ob river; White Sea
• Online Access: https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~339967~90108154; https://media.davidrumsey.com/MediaManager/srvr?mediafile=/Size4/RUMSEY~8~1/195/10947002.jpg

"General Nicolas Antoine Sanson's Massive Map of Russia -- Prepared for Napoleon's Invasion of 1812 -- From the Library of General Nicolas Charles Oudinot. Very large engraved map of European Russia, bounded by the Caucasus in the south, the Gulf of Danzig in the west, the White Sea in the north, and the Ob River in the east. The map records the roads on which the French Grande Armée marched into Russia, tried and failed to supply itself, and ultimately retreated with catastrophic losses. While at first glance the map presents itself as a post road map, the subtitle makes it clear that it was intended for military use: ". executed on the order of S. E. M. Le Duc de Feltre / Minister of War, / under the direction of M. Le General Comte Sanson, / of the War Depot." [translated] French Invasion of Russia The French invasion of Russia, known in Russia as the Patriotic War of 1812 (Russian: Отечественная война 1812 года, Otechestvennaya Voyna 1812 Goda) and in France as the Russian Campaign (French: Campagne de Russie), began on 24 June 1812 when Napoleon's Grande Armée crossed the Neman River in an attempt to engage and defeat the Russian army. Napoleon hoped to compel Tsar Alexander I of Russia to cease trading with British merchants through proxies in an effort to pressure the United Kingdom to sue for peace. The official political aim of the campaign was to liberate Poland from the threat of Russia. Napoleon named the campaign the Second Polish War to gain favor with the Poles and provide a political pretext for his actions. The campaign was characterized by months of scorched-earth retreats by Russian forces, culminating in the abandonment of Moscow and its capture by Napoleon. To Napoleon's surprise, the loss of Moscow did not compel Tsar Alexander I to sue for peace. With his logistical position deteriorating, Napoleon was forced to leave Moscow a month later. What followed was one of the most disastrous retreats in history; suffering massive attrition from cold and hunger, the original fighting force of ...