Timeline September 1812

Events in September 1812 2

• 1812 Battle of Borodino Bloodiest single day of the Napoleonic Wars, fought west of Moscow On 7 September 1812 French and Russian armies clashed at Borodino in the bloodiest single day of the Napoleonic Wars. Both sides suffered roughly 70,000 casualties combined, and though Napoleon claimed victory, the Russian army withdrew intact. The battle later became the centerpiece of Tolstoy's "War and Peace."
• 1812 Burning of Moscow Much of the city destroyed by fire after French occupation After Napoleon's army entered an evacuated Moscow on 14 September 1812, fires broke out and spread through the largely wooden city, destroying roughly three-quarters of its buildings. The French army, unable to resupply in the ruined city, was forced to begin its retreat weeks later. The fire's cause remains disputed between accident and deliberate Russian sabotage.