The main army left Smolensk on August 25 and headed toward Moscow. The 200 mile march from Smolensk to Borodino was described as follows: "Marching up to 30 miles a day, they were stiffled by dust or drenched by rain. In dry weather the heat was extreme. Against the wind-driven sand they shielded their faces by strips of cloth with holes cut in them for the eyes, as if in a desert, and improvised dark glasses with bits of window-pane to lessen the glare. Some covered their heads with foliage." (Brett-James 1966) (See Bibliography)
Napoleon arrived at Borodino on September 5th and the main battle was fought on the 7th. Estimates of loss were 44,000 Russians and 35,000 French.
One of the possible contributing factors to the heavy losses at Borodino may have been Napoleon's health, which was failing.
Submitted for LIS 385T by Kathy Scott, October 1996
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