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<v Speaker 1>Hello, and Welcome to Western civ Episode five and ten.

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<v Speaker 1>The March to Moscow. In the summer of eighteen twelve,

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<v Speaker 1>Europe held its breath. Napoleon Bonaparte, master now of the continent,

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<v Speaker 1>self proclaimed Emperor, the Vanquisher, now of Austria, Prussia, and

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<v Speaker 1>frankly half of Italy, was getting ready to go after

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<v Speaker 1>his last unruly ally Russia. The Czar Alexander the First

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<v Speaker 1>had grown increasingly weary of Napoleon's continental system, and his

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<v Speaker 1>generals whispered that the French colossus had become stretched thin.

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<v Speaker 1>Napoleon believed a swift, decisive campaign would bring the Czar

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<v Speaker 1>to heal, and so he summoned a host unlike anything

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<v Speaker 1>that had ever been seen. Once again, it was called

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<v Speaker 1>the Grand Army, but it was no longer the tight knit,

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<v Speaker 1>disciplined group that Napoleon had fought to get his empire.

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<v Speaker 1>This Grand Army was a patchwork of peoples. There were Poles, Italians, Dutch,

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<v Speaker 1>even some reluctant Prussians, more than six hundred thousand men.

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<v Speaker 1>As they crossed the Neman River in June of eighteen twelve,

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<v Speaker 1>Napoleon declared to his troops let the second Polish War begin,

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<v Speaker 1>but Russia wouldn't give him a second Austerlitz Alexander. He

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<v Speaker 1>intended something a lot more painful for the emperor of

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<v Speaker 1>the continent of Europe. Napoleon expected a quick strike, a

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<v Speaker 1>single battle that would.

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<v Speaker 2>Topple the Russian will.

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<v Speaker 1>But each time he advanced, the Russian armies fell back,

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<v Speaker 1>burning the land behind them. Smolensk was torched, grain stores destroyed,

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<v Speaker 1>villages emptied. The French marched ever deeper into a wasteland

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<v Speaker 1>of smoke and ash. Desperation for that one great battle

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<v Speaker 1>finally came to rest on a field just to the

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<v Speaker 1>west of Moscow, the battle Aboard to Dino on September

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<v Speaker 1>the seventh, eighteen twelve. Born to Dino became the bloodiest

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<v Speaker 1>single day of the Napoleonic Wars up to this moment.

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<v Speaker 1>The Russians had dug in, and so Napoleon's men stormed

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<v Speaker 1>in one general, crashing charge, a massive great redoubt the

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<v Speaker 1>Russian defensive position, over and over again. Field Marshal Ney,

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<v Speaker 1>the bravest of brave, charged so many times that even

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<v Speaker 1>the most hardened a veteran believed that he had to

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<v Speaker 1>be immortal. By nightfall, the French held the field, but

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<v Speaker 1>at a cost that chilled even Napoleon. He had lost

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<v Speaker 1>seventy thousand casualties in a single day, just over ten

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<v Speaker 1>percent of his total army. The Russian army had been battered,

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<v Speaker 1>but in the end it had not been broken, and

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<v Speaker 1>Czar Alexander the First remained defiant board Deadno was a

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<v Speaker 1>French victory, but not the kind that Napoleon needed. He

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<v Speaker 1>had destroyed neither the Russian army nor his enemy's will,

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<v Speaker 1>and still they retreated. Still they would not surrender. And

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<v Speaker 1>so in September the fourteenth, eighteen twelve, as dawn broke,

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<v Speaker 1>Napoleon reached Polkalina Hill, a small from which he could

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<v Speaker 1>see Moscow, and from where he expected to see delegations

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<v Speaker 1>of the Russians approaching. Tradition, of course, held that foreign

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<v Speaker 1>rulers presented themselves here humbly acknowledging defeat. Napoleon fully expected

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<v Speaker 1>the keys of Moscow to be placed in his hands,

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<v Speaker 1>and so he waited. The wind stirred on the Russian plane,

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<v Speaker 1>No delegation appeared. Far in the distance. The domes of

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<v Speaker 1>Ivan the Great's belt tower gleamed like a promise that

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<v Speaker 1>would never be fulfilled, but still convinced that surrender was imminent.

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<v Speaker 1>Napoleon descended the hill and rode into the western streets

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<v Speaker 1>of Moscow. But the silence unsettled even him. Doors just

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<v Speaker 1>hung out and curtains fluttered through windows that had been shattered.

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<v Speaker 1>There were no people, but dogs wandered freely in the streets.

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<v Speaker 1>Not a single rushing dignitary, not one soldier, not one priest,

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<v Speaker 1>had come to greet him. Moscow, the ancient and beating

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<v Speaker 1>heart of Russia, was totally empty. At last, he said

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<v Speaker 1>aloud what his generals had already been whispering.

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<v Speaker 2>Quote, this is the.

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<v Speaker 1>Work of scythes end quote That was a reference to

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<v Speaker 1>the Scythians and ancient nomadic peoples who destroyed their own

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<v Speaker 1>land rather than let the invaders take it.

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<v Speaker 2>And he was right.

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<v Speaker 1>Czar Alexander the First had chosen scorched earth. He had

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<v Speaker 1>chosen flight and sacrifice over submission. Napoleon rode down, continuing

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<v Speaker 1>through the straight streets right towards the Kremlin. The silence

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<v Speaker 1>deepened as he approached the ancient fortress walls. Smoke drifted

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<v Speaker 1>in faint ribbons, an indication that maybe perhaps he had

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<v Speaker 1>only just missed the Russian host. Once inside the Kremlin,

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<v Speaker 1>according to our sources, Napoleon stepped into the private quarters

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<v Speaker 1>reserved for Russia's rulers, exploring them in an eerie quiet

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<v Speaker 1>There were gilded chairs, tapestries, everything suggesting luxury, yet totally untouched.

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<v Speaker 1>He remarked to an aid that Moscow had become quote,

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<v Speaker 1>a desert in disguise, and this, of course, was not

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<v Speaker 1>how emperors won wars. There were no negotiations, no nobles

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<v Speaker 1>begging for terms, only a city that seemed to have

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<v Speaker 1>swallowed its own people. Still, Napoleon refused to admit the obvious.

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<v Speaker 1>He continued to believe that Czar Alexander would show up,

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<v Speaker 1>that he would relent, that he would come to the table,

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<v Speaker 1>And so he made camp in the Kremlin, and he waited.

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<v Speaker 1>He probably would have kept waiting had not. The fires began.

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<v Speaker 1>Shortly before midnight. The glow of flames appeared on the

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<v Speaker 1>northern edge of the city. At first, officers assumed a

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<v Speaker 1>stray spark.

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<v Speaker 2>Had caught on a roof.

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<v Speaker 1>Moscow was a city of timber houses, and fires, after all,

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<v Speaker 1>were common. But then another fire ignited, and another, and another.

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<v Speaker 1>Napoleon stepped out onto a balcony of the Kremlin. The

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<v Speaker 1>night air crackled, entire blocks began to light up like torches.

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<v Speaker 1>A sudden gust turned embers into a storm of sparks

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<v Speaker 1>that danced above the rooftops. He turned to his aid,

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<v Speaker 1>who recorded, According to legend, the Emperor murmuring, quote, do

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<v Speaker 1>you see they are burning their own city?

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<v Speaker 2>End quote?

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<v Speaker 1>Across Moscow, some bands of men, some convicts released by

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<v Speaker 1>the governor of Moscow, some loyal patriots, worked under the

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<v Speaker 1>cover of darkness to set more structures ablaze. They moved swiftly,

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<v Speaker 1>setting to fire shops, granaries, warehouses, and dwellings. The Russian

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<v Speaker 1>police had removed all the city's firefighting equipment several days earlier,

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<v Speaker 1>because this was no accident, this was a plan. By morning,

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<v Speaker 1>a deadly wind howled through the city, fanning the flames

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<v Speaker 1>into now an inferno. Sparks leapt from roof to roof

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<v Speaker 1>faster than the soldiers could stamp them. Ount The Grand Army,

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<v Speaker 1>exhausted from its march, starving from lack of supplies, scattered

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<v Speaker 1>in confusion as the fire swallowed the streets in minute.

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<v Speaker 1>The heat got so great, in fact, that glass just

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<v Speaker 1>exploded in the windows. Soldiers collapsed from smoke inhalation, horses

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<v Speaker 1>panic Inside the Kremlin, the air grew thick, with suit

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<v Speaker 1>flames crept ever closer. Now Napoleon tried to remain calm,

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<v Speaker 1>but those around him saw unease in his eyes. His

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<v Speaker 1>quarters grew unbearably hot. Cinders drifted through open windows at

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<v Speaker 1>one point of firestorm surge toward the Kremlin walls, turning

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<v Speaker 1>them into glowing embers. Mirat, for his part, begged his

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<v Speaker 1>emperor to evacuate the city. Marshal Beliseias insisted that the

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<v Speaker 1>whole citadel would soon be engulfed. Still Napoleon hesitated. He

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<v Speaker 1>just couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that the Russians

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<v Speaker 1>would sacrifice their capital city so willingly, But he just

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<v Speaker 1>didn't understand Czar Alexander. And then, with a deafening crack,

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<v Speaker 1>a powder magazine near the Kremlin exploded, sending a plume

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<v Speaker 1>of fire so high into the sky no one could

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<v Speaker 1>see the top. And so Napoleon finally gave the order.

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<v Speaker 1>Soldiers now rushed quickly to move the imperial baggage. Horses stampeded,

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<v Speaker 1>Smoke thickened to a choking black fog, Napoleon mounted his

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<v Speaker 1>horse and rode out through the gate, his face streaked

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<v Speaker 1>with ash. As he escaped into the open countryside southwest

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<v Speaker 1>of the city, he turned back from one last look.

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<v Speaker 1>Moscow burned before him, looking like the setting sun. A

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<v Speaker 1>French officer would later write, quote, it seemed not like

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<v Speaker 1>a real city, but a vision, an entire world on fire.

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<v Speaker 1>For three days, the flames raged, some quarters were reduced

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<v Speaker 1>entirely to ash, and more than two thirds of the

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<v Speaker 1>Russian capital city of Moscow was destroyed. When the fire

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<v Speaker 1>at last began to die, Napoleon returned to the Kremlin,

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<v Speaker 1>stepping through the charred Debrison ash that drifted like snowflakes

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<v Speaker 1>in the air. The city ruined beyond repair for the

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<v Speaker 1>coming winter, and so now the shock began to settle in.

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<v Speaker 1>He had conquered the capital of Russia, but it had

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<v Speaker 1>cost him everything, and it had gained Napoleon nothing. There

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<v Speaker 1>were no peace envoys, The Tsar was nowhere to be seen.

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<v Speaker 1>He had no supplies, and now he had no shelter. Instead,

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<v Speaker 1>the Tsar sent him a message, one that would echo

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<v Speaker 1>across history. I will make peace at no other capital

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<v Speaker 1>than Paris. Napoleon was now trapped in a hollow victory

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<v Speaker 1>master of a burning city. He could not use and

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<v Speaker 1>he could not hold. For Napoleon, if the invasion of

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<v Speaker 1>Russia had been at Gamble, the retreat was almost instantaneously

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<v Speaker 1>a nightmare. Temperatures plunged to minus thirty degrees fahrenheit. Winter

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<v Speaker 1>came way too early. Horses died by the thousands, Cannon

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<v Speaker 1>and wagons were simply abandoned. Wolves stalked the columns, and

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<v Speaker 1>Cossacks raided the flanks. Men froze standing upright, Soldiers burned

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<v Speaker 1>their own muskets just to stay warm. And then came

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<v Speaker 1>the catastrophe at the Barrenzena River in late November. The

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<v Speaker 1>Battle of Barrenzena fought between November twenty sixth and twenty ninth,

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<v Speaker 1>eighteen twelve. Snow fell thick in wind driven sheets. The

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<v Speaker 1>barren Zena River, contrary to Napoleon's hopes, had not frozen solid. Instead,

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<v Speaker 1>the water churned black and half iced, swollen by a

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<v Speaker 1>sudden thaw that turned the banks into deep, clinging mud.

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<v Speaker 1>For Napoleon, the Barnzena was the last barrier between his

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<v Speaker 1>disintegrating army and survival. If he could cross, he might

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<v Speaker 1>yet reach Vilna, reorganize and save the remnant of his forces.

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<v Speaker 1>If he failed, the Grand Army that set out with

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<v Speaker 1>so much ambition would likely be annihilated on the spot.

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<v Speaker 1>Now behind him chased Marshal Kutsov and the main Russian army,

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<v Speaker 1>which pressed relentlessly forward, and after the disaster at Moscow,

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<v Speaker 1>had suddenly come out of hiding. On his right, Admiral

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<v Speaker 1>Chikov's Army of the Danube raced to block his crossing

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<v Speaker 1>of the Barrenzena River. Meanwhile, to the north, Wittenstein's Corps

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<v Speaker 1>Prussians pushed downward to crush him. To the Russians, it

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<v Speaker 1>appeared like a perfect trap, three walls closing in upon

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<v Speaker 1>a depleted, wounded, and desperate foe. To Napoleon, the only

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<v Speaker 1>hope was deception and speed. Napoleon scouts reported that the

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<v Speaker 1>main bridge at the nearby town of Borisov had already

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<v Speaker 1>been destroyed by Russian forces. Worse, Chiov had deployed heavy

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<v Speaker 1>units along the crossing points, assuming Napoleon would try to

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<v Speaker 1>construct his own bridge at one of those. But here,

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<v Speaker 1>on November twenty sixth, a strange salvation appeared a small,

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<v Speaker 1>almost forgotten village eight miles to the north, Studyanka. The

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<v Speaker 1>river banks were firmer there, the current slightly calmer, the

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<v Speaker 1>enemy presence weaker. No one, neither French engineers nor Russian commanders,

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<v Speaker 1>had considered this tiny village to be a serious crossing point.

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<v Speaker 1>But Napoleon, with the instinct of a gambler on the ropes,

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<v Speaker 1>seized on it instantly. He ordered Marshall Udina to hold

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<v Speaker 1>the Russians at Borisov with aggressive demonstrations, drum beats, fires,

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<v Speaker 1>cavalry movements, all the jazz, while his engineers slipped northward

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<v Speaker 1>through the freezing night. If the Russians took the bait

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<v Speaker 1>Studianka might become the miracle that the French needed now.

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<v Speaker 1>That very next morning, the November twenty seventh, the sun

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<v Speaker 1>rose faintly behind a gray curtain of clouds. French engineers,

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<v Speaker 1>led by the legendary General Jean Baptiste Elda, waded into

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<v Speaker 1>the frigid Berenzena River. They carried not only tools, not timber,

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<v Speaker 1>but memory, the knowledge of how to build a bridge

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<v Speaker 1>under fire, you see, like any great general before him,

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<v Speaker 1>Going all the way back to Alexander the Great. When

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<v Speaker 1>Napoleon un understood was the need for experts and specialists

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<v Speaker 1>in an army. In a pinch, they could save your life,

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<v Speaker 1>and that's what he planned.

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<v Speaker 2>Right now.

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<v Speaker 1>Nowbez Men had saved their forges, nails, and tools against

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<v Speaker 1>all orders to abandon heavy equipment during the retreat, and

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<v Speaker 1>now that foresight was the only reason that Napoleon's army

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<v Speaker 1>even had a chance at crossing. As they entered the water,

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<v Speaker 1>the temperature hovered around freezing. The river was dotted with

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<v Speaker 1>chunks of ice. Some engineers waited in so deep that

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<v Speaker 1>the current nearly carried them under. Eyewitnesses later recalled that

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<v Speaker 1>many died building the bridge. Some pulled from the river

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<v Speaker 1>stiff as boards, others swept away beneath the surface. By midday,

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<v Speaker 1>to Napoleon's astonishment, a light bridge capable of supporting infantry

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<v Speaker 1>had been completed. A heavier bridge for artillery followed soon after,

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<v Speaker 1>though it constantly broke under the strain of ice and current.

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<v Speaker 1>But what battered the most, of course, was that the

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<v Speaker 1>bridges existed, and they existed before the Russians realized what

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<v Speaker 1>was happening. So as soon as the first bridge was

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<v Speaker 1>declared passable, Oudinot's second Corps surged across men staggered under

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<v Speaker 1>the far bank like ghosts. Many had not eaten in days,

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<v Speaker 1>their uniforms little more than rags. Yet after crossing, the

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<v Speaker 1>French formed ranks and the advance guard struck.

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<v Speaker 2>Like lightning.

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<v Speaker 1>The French stormed the Russian outpost at Studiyanka, seizing the

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<v Speaker 1>village and securing the exit point. It was a rare

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<v Speaker 1>moment of triumph in what had become a campaign of

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<v Speaker 1>defeat and despair. But this brief moment didn't last. Chigov,

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<v Speaker 1>realizing that he had been out maneuvered, redirected the bulk

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<v Speaker 1>of his army towards Studiyanka. By the twenty eighth heavy

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<v Speaker 1>Russian forces to ended upon the French foothold, and the

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<v Speaker 1>crossing became a desperate fight for survival. On the eastern bank,

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<v Speaker 1>the French defended the perimeter with fierce determination, recognizing this

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<v Speaker 1>was it, This was the last throw at the dice.

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<v Speaker 1>If they didn't win here, there was no going home.

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<v Speaker 1>Muskets thundered and artillery boomed across the flat, frozen fields,

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<v Speaker 1>and the white air filled with smoke so thick that

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<v Speaker 1>men fired blind guided only by sound. Every hour lost

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<v Speaker 1>meant Russian troops closing in from all directions and behind

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<v Speaker 1>the fighting troops. The crossing itself became a nightmare. Tens

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<v Speaker 1>of thousands of stragglers, soldiers, camp followers, wounded men, civilians

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<v Speaker 1>were all terrified, crushed together in a mass, Carts overturned,

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<v Speaker 1>horses thrashed wildly, People slipped on the icy banks and

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<v Speaker 1>plunged into the dark water below. One French officer would

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<v Speaker 1>lay described the crossing on the bridge at Studianka as

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<v Speaker 1>quote a scene from Dante's Inferno end quote. As artillery

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<v Speaker 1>shells began to fall among the crowds, panic rippled through

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<v Speaker 1>the masses. People screamed, shoved, and trampled one another. The

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<v Speaker 1>narrow wooden span swayed under the weight of thousands. Some

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<v Speaker 1>fell intentionally hoping maybe icy water would be better than

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<v Speaker 1>a Russian gunfire. Others prayed, while hour by hour the

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<v Speaker 1>French continued to cross. Finally, on November the twenty eighth,

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<v Speaker 1>the Russians launched a massive final assault on their enemy.

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<v Speaker 1>Chikov attacked the French western bridge had at ten am,

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<v Speaker 1>hoping to drive them back into the river. At the

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<v Speaker 1>same time, Wiggenstein finally broke through the French rearguard and

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<v Speaker 1>pushed down.

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<v Speaker 2>From the north.

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<v Speaker 1>It seemed like the trap was finally about to slam shut,

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<v Speaker 1>but Napoleon's commanders Nay Victor Udino, fought with the ferocity

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<v Speaker 1>of cornered men for.

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<v Speaker 2>Nearly the whole day.

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<v Speaker 1>Infantry squares held under brutal pressure, buying precious minutes for

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<v Speaker 1>the crossing to continue. At one point Napoleon himself stood

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<v Speaker 1>on the eastern bank, watching the chaos and murmuring, quote,

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<v Speaker 1>it is a frightful spectacle, one that will haunt me

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<v Speaker 1>until my dying day. But Napoleon's biggest attribute, if nothing else,

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<v Speaker 1>then attribute come into all successful commanders throughout history. His

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<v Speaker 1>luck held once more. The Russians were brave, but poor

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<v Speaker 1>coordination and the dense fog blunted their ability to execute

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<v Speaker 1>the hammer blow. Attacks came, but they only came piecemeal.

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<v Speaker 1>Some commanders misunderstood orders, others simply waited for reinforcements that

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<v Speaker 1>weren't coming, and so by evening the French had saved

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<v Speaker 1>their army. By dawn on November the twin, Napoleon ordered

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<v Speaker 1>the bridges destroyed. The army needed distance before the Russians reorganized. Unfortunately,

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<v Speaker 1>thousands remained still on the eastern bank, deserters, camp followers,

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<v Speaker 1>and wounded men who just couldn't move quickly enough. Some

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<v Speaker 1>begged the engineers for just a little more time. Others

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<v Speaker 1>tried to fight their way across, but according to legend,

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<v Speaker 1>elbe tears dotting his face, gave the order and the

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<v Speaker 1>bridges were set ablaze. Flames quickly licked the frost covered planks.

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<v Speaker 1>Screams rose as people surged forward, only to collapse into

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<v Speaker 1>the water when the timbers finally broke and gave way.

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<v Speaker 1>By the time that the smoke had cleared, the French

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<v Speaker 1>army had escaped, but the cost had been extraordinary. Estimates

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<v Speaker 1>varied wildly, but historians believed that somewhere between twenty to

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<v Speaker 1>forty thousand men, women and children died at the Barnzena River,

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<v Speaker 1>and for the Russian commanders it was not the final

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<v Speaker 1>annihilation they had hoped for. For Napoleon, it was a miracle,

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<v Speaker 1>but a miracle drenched and suffering. One of the interesting

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<v Speaker 1>things about the Battle of Bearnzena is that it serves

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<v Speaker 1>as kind of a paradox of military history. Tactically, Napoleon

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<v Speaker 1>had won. He saved the core of his army, evaded

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<v Speaker 1>three converging Russian forces, and prevented total encirclement. But strategically

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<v Speaker 1>it didn't matter. It was actually kind of pointless. He

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<v Speaker 1>was already defeated. The Grand army that once number is

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<v Speaker 1>six hundred thousand now marched toward Vilno only a few

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<v Speaker 1>tens of thousands. Many men were unarmed, many were starving,

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<v Speaker 1>Many wouldn't make it home at all. So almost immediately

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<v Speaker 1>Napoleon's enemies saw.

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<v Speaker 2>Blood in the water, and they pounced.

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<v Speaker 1>Russia, Prussia, Austria, Sweden, and of course Great Britain now

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<v Speaker 1>formed a coalition. They believed finally that Napoleon could be defeated. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>the Emperor, as soon as he was back on French soil,

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<v Speaker 1>scrambled to raise a new army. Teenagers, reservists, untested conscripts.

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<v Speaker 1>They were all drilled in a couple of weeks. Their

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<v Speaker 1>spirit was strong, but their experience thin. All that being said,

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<v Speaker 1>it was Napoleon that struck first, marching directly into Prussia

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<v Speaker 1>in May of eighteen thirteen near Leipzig. Napoleon's young forces

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<v Speaker 1>endured Prussian attacks that might have shattered lesser forces, but

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<v Speaker 1>Napoleon consistently counterattacked brilliantly, retaking villages, sometimes at bayonet point.

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<v Speaker 1>The French were still winning, they were taking heavy casualties,

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<v Speaker 1>but it was at the Battle of Botsin that things

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<v Speaker 1>started to turn.

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<v Speaker 2>Now.

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<v Speaker 1>Napoleon, in May of eighteen thirteen, faced both the Russians

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<v Speaker 1>and the Prussians together. He achieved another hard fought victory,

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<v Speaker 1>but this time he failed to decisively defeat his enemy,

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<v Speaker 1>something he was now doing with frightening regularity. True, Napoleon

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<v Speaker 1>did seem diminished, His marshals complained of exhaustion, and this

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<v Speaker 1>time the Allies didn't come for peace. They held together

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<v Speaker 1>and refused to break. A summer armistice followed, but that

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<v Speaker 1>gave the coalition only some time to grow stronger, and

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<v Speaker 1>Napoleon would come to regret it. The coalition now devised

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<v Speaker 1>what was called the Trattenburg Plan. The goal was pretty simple,

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<v Speaker 1>don't do battle with Napoleon himself. In fact, attack the

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<v Speaker 1>French anywhere and everywhere else, wear his marshals down instead,

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<v Speaker 1>deny him the chance to win a decisive battle copy

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<v Speaker 1>what Czar Alexander had done. Just wear him down. And

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<v Speaker 1>overall the plan worked. Now, in August of eighteen thirteen,

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<v Speaker 1>after the armistice, the Battle of Dresden showed that Napoleon

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<v Speaker 1>could still have some glimmer of his old genius. With

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<v Speaker 1>torrential rain obscuring the battlefield, this time he managed to

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<v Speaker 1>crush Austrian forces sent against them, throwing them back across.

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<v Speaker 2>The El River.

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<v Speaker 1>But this, unfortunately was his last great victory, because everywhere

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<v Speaker 1>else the Trottenberg plan was working. His marshals were defeated

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<v Speaker 1>at Kum on August the thirtieth, Vanda May's corps was

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<v Speaker 1>shattered at Kat's Back on August the twenty sixth. Another

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<v Speaker 1>loss dni Witz on September the sixth. This time Field

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<v Speaker 1>Marshal Ney, once almost unbelievably unbeatable, was beaten by a

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<v Speaker 1>Swedish German army, and each defeat finally tightened the noose,

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<v Speaker 1>leading to the Battle of Leipzig on October sixteenth, eighteen thirteen,

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes called the Battle of Nations. Now Europe hadn't seen

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<v Speaker 1>a clash like this before. Nearly six hundred thousand soldiers

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<v Speaker 1>across several days, cannon thundered across the plains of Saxony,

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<v Speaker 1>Napoleon fought with the fierce energy of a man who

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<v Speaker 1>understood the stakes.

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<v Speaker 2>If he lost here, it was over.

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<v Speaker 1>And so for three days he held his own But

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<v Speaker 1>on the fourth reinforcements swelled throughout the coalition ranks, Saxon troops.

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<v Speaker 1>Once Napoleon's allies physically switched sides in the middle of

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<v Speaker 1>the battle, turning their guns on the French. The French

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<v Speaker 1>retreat collapsed with a single bridge over the Elster River

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<v Speaker 1>was blown too soon, trapping thousands within Leipzig. Soldiers and

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<v Speaker 1>civilians alike were drowned or cut down. It was a

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<v Speaker 1>disaster on the scale of the March into Russia, but

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<v Speaker 1>not as quite Apoctalyptic, Napoleon withdrew westward. All of his

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<v Speaker 1>German allies now abandoned him. His Confederation of the Rhine

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<v Speaker 1>disintegrated overnight. Now, of course, he had been defeated on

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<v Speaker 1>French soil, and so Napoleon still had some time left.

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<v Speaker 1>In early eighteen fourteen, he led a brilliant defensive campaign

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<v Speaker 1>on French soil, moving with the speed of his youth.

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<v Speaker 1>In February of eighteen fourteen, at Montmreal he smashed a

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<v Speaker 1>Prussian force, and in fact, a string of victory started

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<v Speaker 1>to rekindle his old legend. Maybe Napoleon could put it

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<v Speaker 1>back together again. But this time what was different is

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<v Speaker 1>like a whack a mole game. There was just too

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<v Speaker 1>much for Napoleon to do. There are armies. The armies

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<v Speaker 1>of the coalition were just too many. The marshal res

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<v Speaker 1>resources of basically all of Europe against France this time

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<v Speaker 1>was just too great. When Napoleon was able to bounce

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<v Speaker 1>back one army, two others marched past him directly on

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<v Speaker 1>to Paris. On March thirty first, eighteen fourteen, Coalition forces

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<v Speaker 1>entered Paris, the Senate proclaimed, now that Napoleon was deposed,

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<v Speaker 1>his marshals, exhausted and politically cornered, pleaded with him to abdicate,

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<v Speaker 1>and he did so. On April to sixth, Napoleon signed

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<v Speaker 1>an abdication document. The Emperor, who had actually crowned himself,

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<v Speaker 1>now surrendered everything.

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<v Speaker 2>And so it was.

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<v Speaker 1>In the early hours of May fourth, eighteen fourteen, Napoleon

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<v Speaker 1>stood on the deck of the British frigate HMS undaunted.

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<v Speaker 1>With the wind whipping around the tricolor. He couldn't claim anymore.

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<v Speaker 1>Crowds gathered not cheer, but just watching, this time in

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<v Speaker 1>a stunned silence. He did get one last salute, and

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<v Speaker 1>the emperor bowed his head. His long reign, it seemed,

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<v Speaker 1>had ended ahead of him, lay at the island of Elba. However,

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<v Speaker 1>as I'm sure we all know, the story doesn't end here.

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<v Speaker 2>Napoleon was due. I'll come back.