LS in French, signed “Np,” one page, 7.25 x 9, April 9, 1812. Untranslated letter to the "Comte de Cessac," regarding the military preparations for the invasion of Russia, specifically the organization of light cavalry units with 200 horses in Hanover and Sedan. In fine condition.
Napoleon Bonaparte would launch his disastrous invasion of Russia just two months later, at the end of June. In spite of capturing Moscow in September, he held the Russian capital for just five weeks. Weakened by attrition warfare and want of provisions, Napoleon and his Grande Armée abandoned Moscow in mid-October and retreated south. More than half of the men died on the roadside of exhaustion, typhus, and the harsh continental climate. The massive loss in Russia shattered Napoleon's ambitions of European dominance and destroyed his reputation of invincibility.
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