The official political aim of the campaign was to liberate Poland from the threat of Russia. 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 French Invasion of Russia (French) (Russian: Отечественная война 1812 года, Patriotic War of 1812) began on 24 June 1812 when Napoleon's Grande Armée crossed the Neman River in an attempt to engage and defeat the Russian army. Of these, 50,000 were Austrians and Prussians, 20,000 Poles and 35,000 Frenchmen. Survivors: 120,000 men (excluding early deserters). Napoleon's withdrawal from Russia, a painting by Adolph Northen.įile:Imperial Standard of the Tsar of Russia (1700).svg Alexander I
