BORODINO 1812; Revisiting Napoleon's Bloodiest Day -- Napoleon Journal #14

It was an epic battle in an age of grand confrontation. The battle of Borodino on 7 September 1812 saw Emperor Napoleon's multi-national Grande Armee set against the Russian Imperial Army under Prince Mikhail Kutuzov. It was the largest single-day battle of the Napoleonic Wars, involving nearly 250,000 soldiers for both sides. When it was over, almost one third of them were casualties. The decisive victory Napoleon hoped for in the 1812 campaign would elude him. The Russians, although badly mauled and forced to retreat, still had the resolve to continue the fight.