"Nothing is more dangerous to us than a prolonged war."
--Napoleon Bonaparte in 1812The French Army entered Viasma on 28 August 1812. Although the Napoleons intentions were to save the town by rushing to get it, he was still too late. When the army arrived the city was in flames. Although they found nothing in the city, Napoleon still wrote a letter to Paris, saying "I am in a rather handsome city. There are thirty churches, 15,000 inhabitants, and many shops with vodka and other useful objects for the soldiers."
The reality was quite the contrary, the further they penetrated into the Russian land, they met more terrified were the local people and more devastation.
Two days later Napoleon ordered the march to resume, and the French army set out on a trying journey to Gzatsk.