5. Winter destroyed the Grand Armee on the plains of Russia
In 19th century warfare, the capture of an enemy’s capital city usually led to capitulation. As Napoleon conquered most of Europe it was the capture of enemy capitals, or an irresistible threat to them, which marked his campaigns as successful. When Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812 his armies advanced across the steppes, defeated the Russians in a major battle at Borodino, as well as other smaller battles, and occupied Moscow. There he waited for the Tsar, Alexander I, to request terms. Napoleon entered Moscow to find it abandoned by the citizenry, and much of it was burned. More was burned during his brief occupation.
With inadequate shelter for his army and no surrender from Alexander, Napoleon was forced to withdraw, leaving Moscow in October as the snow was already beginning to fly. Retreating back the way he came he found little in the way of sustenance for his troops. Horses and men died in the bitter cold. Men froze to death sleeping in the snow. The withdrawal became a retreat, and then a rout. French soldiers wandered off, snow blind, to be killed by Cossacks or Russian peasants. About 380,000 soldiers of the Grande Armee died, most from the Russian weather, too weak from hunger for their bodies to generate heat. The weather destroyed Napoleon’s army, one of the largest in history.
Also Read: 6 Times the Weather Has Changed War History.